Disney has revealed more details about its update to the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride within the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands at Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California.
The latest episode of We Call It Imagineering described how the team is employing real-time rendering, shared production assets, and gameplay enhancements to create the new Mandalorian-themed mission.
Technical upgrades and story enhancements will be introduced to the attraction on 22 May 2026, coinciding with the release of the new Lucasfilm title The Mandalorian and Grogu.
See also: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run - Disney's Asa Kalama
New mission, new technology
Each Smugglers Run cockpit now features upgraded graphics hardware, with several NVIDIA-powered systems operating simultaneously. All media within the cockpit is rendered in real time, allowing Imagineering greater flexibility to enhance visuals and improve the experience.
This technology is built entirely on Unreal Engine 5 by Epic Games, the same tools Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) uses on the Disney+ show The Mandalorian.
"We're really excited to upgrade the Millennium Falcon with an all-new mission to bring to life the characters The Mandalorian and Grogu," says Asa Kalama, VP, executive - creative & interactive experiences at Walt Disney Imagineering.
"We also went back and looked at each of the individual roles - pilots, gunners and engineers - and looked for opportunities to further enhance the gameplay."
He adds that the updated ride will offer better-quality real-time technology, enabling significant improvements in guest interactivity and agency. Thanks to the partnership with NVIDIA and Epic Games, the team can take assets directly from the film production for greater authenticity.
In the new story, Hondo Ohnaka learns about a deal on Tatooine involving former Imperial officers and pirates. With a bounty on their heads, guests will pilot the iconic ship and join Mando and Grogu to hunt them down and travel through the galaxy.
Disney plans to introduce dynamic pricing at its US theme parks to drive incremental revenue, the company's chief financial officer Hugh Johnston confirmed last week.
Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
