Smugglers Run Ride Gets Mandalorian Update

“This is the way.”

After 18 months in the making, a brand new adventure tied to the release of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” has made its debut on the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run rides at Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The new mission made its debut on May 22, and the Walt Disney Imagineers teamed up with the film’s director Jon Favreau and Lucasfilm President and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni to bring the adventure to life.

Speaking with Variety, Asa Kalama, executive creative and interactive experiences lead at Walt Disney Imagineering, said, “It began with some conversations we had with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. There were a lot of conversations around story around how we can connect this to the adventure they were creating for the screen, but obviously adapt it for the theme park setting, which is a very different medium.”

Rather than create just one adventure, there are now three to choose from. “Why go small?” Kalama said. The team went ambitious and enhanced the interactive experience. On the new ride, the crew can join Din Djarin, the Mandalorian bounty hunter, and Grogu on an exciting mission tracking down elusive ex-Imperial officers throughout the galaxy. Hondo Ohnaka has picked up intel about a shady deal on Tatooine between ex-Imperial officers and a crew of pirates. The crew’s mission is to track down three high-value bounties and collect cargo along the way. The pilots still control the ship — determining whether it goes up, down, left, or righ t— and gunners defend the ship. Meanwhile, the role of the engineers has been significantly improved. They now decide which planet to travel to.

Kalama explained, “We don’t have enough time to follow all three [missions], so it’s up to our flight engineers to make that critical decision as to which of those three planetary destinations you want to visit. It’s either Bespin, Coruscant, or Endor.”

On Bespin, the crew chases an Imperial officer through the skies of Cloud City, dodging freighters and TIE fighters. On Coruscant, the crew must hunt down a Sentinel Assault Shuttle. And on Endor, the crew navigates the debris field of the second Death Star, tracking a Trandoshan pirate hiding in the wreckage.

Throughout the mission, Grogu pops in and makes appearances to check in on the crew. Engineers also have the ability to do the same, checking in on him aboard the Razor Crest. Each adventure features its own Easter eggs, and it might take a few rides to discover them all.

As for which mission Kalama would choose, he teased, “I would say maybe Coruscant. They’re all beautiful, but Coruscant is so vibrant. It’s full of energy, and there are a ton of different branching paths to navigate. It just makes you feel like you’re set iconically right in the film.”

Matt Martin, senior creative executive at Lucasfilm, added, “It’s the idea of being able to go to different places and give guests the agency to make a choice. I like what we did the first time around with the Corellia mission, but giving guests even more agency was our number one priority.”

That agency is the biggest change visitors will get to experience, the ride and what happens is really in the hands of the crew. It also means no two missions will be the same, making it even more appealing to visitors who will want to ride it again.

Behind the scenes, the visuals have been enhanced thanks to the upgrade in technology at Unreal Engine which push the boundaries of the immersive experience, and making the environments even richer.

Even more significant is the ride is tied to the release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” For the first time ever, in the parks’ history, a movie and a ride will debut concurrently, and that has never been done before.

Michael Serna, executive creative director at Disney Live Entertainment, expressed excitement over the attraction changes.

In addition to the ride upgrade, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker will now make appearances at Galaxy’s Edge. Serna said, “This is something that takes years for us to put together.” As with the rides, it required close collaboration with Lucasfilm to ensure they delivered fan service.

Serna explained, “We worked closely with them, and we’re keeping clear what the fans love about the ‘Star Wars’ stories. These are very precious and real stories to them.” Knowing the attraction changes were coming up gave Serna’s team a chance to rethink what they could do. After Luke Skywalker was brought in, creating an exciting experience for fans and park visitors, Darth Vader seemed like the next logical step.

Serna elaborated that there’s more to it than just an appearance; there’s an entire backstory to what the characters are doing. He said, “Our story is Darth Vader is really here to hunt Luke Skywalker down, and that brings in Leia Organa and Han Solo, who want to make sure Luke’s going to be okay. So, the team’s all gathered up, and it’s really exciting to see these characters hanging out by the Millennium Falcon, hanging out by the TIE Echelon, and getting to see Darth Vader breathe in your face.”