Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
About this ride
Rise of the Resistance begins with a pre-show briefing from Rey and BB-8, then a transport ship launch before you're captured and pulled aboard a First Order Star Destroyer. What follows is a room-to-room escape sequence of escalating awe. Live actors interact with guests throughout, blurring the line between theme park and immersive theater. The ride vehicle itself is only a fraction of the experience — this is an 18-minute production.
Best time to ride
Get Individual Lightning Lane first thing in the morning — this sells out fast, often within the first hour of park opening. If you miss it, rope-drop the ride and accept the wait.
Insider tips
- Buy Individual Lightning Lane the moment the park opens via the Disneyland app.
- The experience is multi-room, so look around constantly. You'll miss things on a first ride.
- The full-scale AT-AT walker is in the hangar bay before you board. Stop and look up.
- The ride vehicle sections are trackless — no two ride-throughs follow exactly the same path.
- Try to ride both in the morning and once in the evening for lower crowds.
What to know before you ride
- Intense First Order theme — loud, dark, and designed to feel threatening.
- Simulated blaster fire and explosions.
- Kylo Ren appears life-size.
- Not physically intense but atmosphere is overwhelming.
- Sensitive children under 7–8 may be frightened.
Good for
Mateo's Take
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the most ambitious and technically complex ride Disney has ever built, and it shows in every single moment from the moment you enter the queue. The pre-show sequence alone, where you board a transport ship and get captured by a Star Destroyer, involves more practical scale effects and sound design than most complete theme park attractions. Then the ride itself begins, and you are actually inside a Star Destroyer with First Order officers towering over you, AT-ATs moving past your vehicle, and a full-scale Kylo Ren animatronic that is the most convincing villain figure ever built for a theme park. Multi Pass or Individual Lightning Lane is essential on any busy day since standby waits can reach two hours. But whatever it takes, this is the ride. There is nothing else at Disneyland, or anywhere in the world, quite like Rise of the Resistance.
— Mateo, Lead Disney Parks Specialist
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