Star Wars Rise of the Resistance Cannons Restored at Disneyland - A New Hope for Disney World?

Jan 31, 2025 in "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance"

Posted: Friday January 31, 2025 3:30pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

A long-missing element of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has returned at Disneyland, raising hopes that Walt Disney World could soon follow.

Inside Star Wars Rise of the Resistance hangar

The imposing laser cannons on the First Order Star Destroyer, which were last fully operational at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in December 2020, are once again firing at Disneyland as of this morning.

Disney confirmed the restoration with a statement:
“We’re really excited to share that as of this morning, the cannon guns on Rise of the Resistance are firing once again! Our teams have done lots of hard work to restore this feature and we can’t wait for guests to experience this moment once more.”

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the cannons continued to partially function until January 2022 but have remained stationary since then.

In Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the cannon scene takes place during the climactic escape from the First Order Star Destroyer. After guests break free from their detention cells and board a hijacked First Order transport droid, they navigate through the ship’s chaotic interior while under attack. You can see the working cannon effect below.

The laser cannons, positioned along a massive hallway with an open viewport to space, fire back and forth in sync with the battle outside. The entire room is designed to feel like an active battle zone, with the Resistance fleet engaging the Star Destroyer beyond the viewport. The cannons slide on tracks, recoiling with each blast, adding to the intensity of the sequence.

As the transport weaves through the area, it narrowly avoids the moving cannons, creating a sense of urgency. The flashing red lights and sound effects make it feel as if guests are caught in the crossfire of an all-out space battle. This section is a highlight of the ride’s immersive storytelling, using practical effects, projection technology, and dynamic set pieces to put guests directly into the Star Wars action.

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andre85Oct 13, 2025

well, that's just due to the Storm Troopers aiming them

DisneyCaneOct 13, 2025

Last week I rode 6 times (3 each day Tuesday and Wednesday). Everything was working except for the lightsaber through the ceiling on the track where you are looking at the front of the AT-AT. Of the 6 rides, 5 were the other track so I don't know if that was a one off or if it wasn't working the whole two days. For all my rides since it opened, I've only had the final Kylo AA in B-mode one time (knock on wood) and the probe droid has worked every time. There have been several rides with the lightsaber through the ceiling not working which is strange because it doesn't seem to be a very complex prop.

gerararOct 13, 2025

I rode ROTR dozens of times during my trip last month. Thank you single rider line! The second cannon currently looks like it's being disassembled. One of the panels have been removed and is leaning against the back wall, so maybe they are (finally) doing work on it? Besides that, pretty much all effects were working. Final Kylo AA stopped working halfway through my trip and was back in A-mode 2 days later. The AT-AT blasters in track A were hit or miss.

mergatroidOct 13, 2025

If when you are exiting the attraction you look at the people ahead of you or the people behind you, you'll find the answer 🤔

Cmdr_CrimsonOct 13, 2025

Same thing you wonder what happened to those hotel guests before you getting in the service elevators in Tower of Terror...🤔

andre85Oct 13, 2025

Here's something I've wondered: What canonically happens to the other prisoners that are in front and behind you on the ride? Obviously, we know OUR group escapes...but are the others still trapped?

DisneyCaneOct 13, 2025

Some cool details I noticed for the first time last week. In the transporter, if you look out the back window the whole flight, you will see the X-wing fighter that gets hit (and nobody seems to care that much) tumble away and, as the transporter is brought into the Star Destroyer the Storm Troopers are seen coming out into formation. Also, I never noticed that the final simulator sequence is different for each of the two vehicles. You see different characters in the other escape pods that drop (Bek from the left side pod). In the left side pod you see the right side pod flying in front of you. You crash land on the correct side (same as the pod you entered). Now, if they can fix the cannons at WDW the ride would be even better.