DHS Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run - Ride/Queue Details and Discussion

[Tom Morrow]

Thank God the Harry Potter lands didn’t abide by this nonsensical “precedent”. Can you imagine walking into those lands and have them filled with awkward silence vs the instant placemaking of the iconic music?

Well done WDI, ridiculous navel-gazing principle over giving people what they want. No wonder the lands on both coasts have been met with a “meh”, emotionless response. Considering the beloved brand they had to work with, that is the pure definition of idiotic.

The blasting Potter themes in WWoHP are one of my most disliked things about it. It takes you out of it feeling like a real place and reminds you that you're visiting a "set" from a movie, of sorts. If you spend an hour in either land, you'll hear the same handful of songs several times over. It's omnipresent, and it's overkill.

I DO agree that SWGE could use more music. But blasting the famous scores everywhere is not the answer.

Are you even reading my posts?

No, he isn't. He's been on this relentless tantrum for months now.

 

[Rich Brownn]

I'm so close to hitting the ignore button

 

[Jones14]

*complains about not having enough Star Wars-y music in the land*

*also complains about how it makes no sense to hear Star Wars-y Music on the rides*

 

[JustAFan]

I visited Galaxy's Edge for the first time this week. Nice job on the look, feel, sound, etc. I wish there was more than 1 ride in that land. That will change next week with Rise of the Resistance. Smuggler's Run was good, not amazing. I enjoyed it more as a pilot than engineer. As an engineer, I saw more flashing buttons than the ride at the front. Hondo is a tremendous animitronic. I've seen a few Star Wars movie. My wife has seen much less. I was somewhat familiar with Hondo, but she had no idea. Her suggestion was to use someone more recognizable. I'm sure to diehard fans, Hondo works. My thought is why not Han and Chewy? Yes, Han is technically dead, but so is Darth Vader and he appears in WDW. For that matter, so is Pocahontas.

I'd give Smuggler's Run 3/5 stars. Good ride. The Falcon out front is a very nice touch. Great detail. I don't feel the ride should be a centerpiece of the land, but a decent addition. It's also not worth a 4 hour wait. Try later in the day when the wait is an hour or less.

 

[RobWDW1971]

*complains about not having enough Star Wars-y music in the land*

*also complains about how it makes no sense to hear Star Wars-y Music on the rides*

Thought the point was obvious - but will take another shot as sometimes sarcasm can be confusing.

There of course SHOULD be Star Wars music throughout the land and rides.

The idiotic logic WDI used to defend not having music in the land is that it doesn’t make sense in context.

They violate their own rules on the rides, which makes not having the music in the land even more pointless. Either it is only in context or not. It should be everywhere.

 

[Jones14]

Thought the point was obvious - but will take another shot as sometimes sarcasm can be confusing.

There of course SHOULD be Star Wass music throughout the land and rides.

The idiotic logic WDI used to defend not having music in the land is that it doesn’t make sense in context.

They violate their own rules on the rides, which makes not having the music in the land even more pointless. Either it is only in context or not. It should be everywhere.

The logic isn’t idiotic just because you don’t like it, and is consistent with their approach to Pandora, most of Animal Kingdom, and with how the Star Wars films themselves are scored.

The rides are cinematic experiences, so they have cinematic soundtracks. The land is an atmospheric environment, so they play atmospheric sounds until something cinematic happens (IE Kylo Ren appears), at which point the track switches to a matching score.

It’s really not that hard to understand.

 

[Mickeyboof]

The logic isn’t idiotic just because you don’t like it, and is consistent with their approach to Pandora, most of Animal Kingdom, and with how the Star Wars films themselves are scored.

The rides are cinematic experiences, so they have cinematic soundtracks. The land is an atmospheric environment, so they play atmospheric sounds until something cinematic happens (IE Kylo Ren appears), at which point the track switches to a matching score.

It’s really not that hard to understand.

The films are scored within an inch of their lives.

They’re so heavily musical, the scores are often performed without the film.

Animal kingdom is OOZING with music and sounds beyond beeping and the constant hiss of steam.

You admitted the problem though- the rides are cinematic experience. The land is not.

That’s the problem. The land itself should be as cinematic as the films, if not more so.

When we land on a planet in Star Wars, we don’t watch the locals restocking gift shop shelves. We experience action. We meet mysterious and marvelous characters. We battle and we tango with the force. It’s delicious and thrilling.

But, as you admit, Galaxy’s Edge is an atmospheric land. Which means those happenings are few and far between.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Unexpectedly, I've been to both the DL version and the WDW version within weeks of each other. To me, I think the biggest issue is lack of movement within the land. At DL, from every land, you can at least see something in motion beyond the crowds. In Galaxy's Edge, that kinetic energy is missing and the land is all the worse because of it.

 

[RobWDW1971]

The logic isn’t idiotic just because you don’t like it, and is consistent with their approach to Pandora, most of Animal Kingdom, and with how the Star Wars films themselves are scored.

Apparently you have never seen a Star Wars film. If you’d like to borrow the double album that was released for Episode IV, just let me know.

Not sure how what happens in Animal Kingdom is relevant - is Animal Kingdom based on a brand with the most iconic music of all time? What specifically is the music one would expect to hear in Animal Kingdom?

But WDI, in its infinite wisdom, decided to leave this music out of the land bearing its name:

“In 2005, the American Film Institute named the original Star Wars soundtrack as the most memorable score of all time for an American film”

If you can’t see the difference between that and generic BGM for Animal Kingdom, I can’t explain it any more clearly.

Music has been and always will be a fundamental part of people’s emotional connection to Star Wars.

WDI chose awkward silence over that emotional connection.

Idiotic indeed...

 

[MisterPenguin]

Apparently you have never seen a Star Wars film. If you’d like to borrow the double album that was released for Episode IV, just let me know.

Not sure how what happens in Animal Kingdom is relevant - is Animal Kingdom based on a brand with the most iconic music of all time? What specifically is the music one would expect to hear in Animal Kingdom?

But WDI, in its infinite wisdom, decided to leave this music out of the land bearing its name:

“In 2005, the American Film Institute named the original Star Wars soundtrack as the most memorable score of all time for an American film”

If you can’t see the difference between that and generic BGM for Animal Kingdom, I can’t explain it any more clearly.

Idiotic indeed...

We get it. You don't like that there isn't the SW score playing in the background.

I was just in DHS today and I didn't miss it.

Opinions, huh?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Waaaah waaaah I need to hear the Star Wars theme and the Imperial March, and I need Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to coddle me and stroke my hair because MY NOSTALGIA, waaaaaah

For the record I would be fine with adding more music to the land, but it's absurd that you think playing the main themes is the answer and not tacky. For another example, let's look at Cars Land. There IS music playing throughout the land, but only on Radiator Springs Racers do you get cinematic music. Everywhere else you hear old timey folk and rock music about cars and traveling. It works perfectly for placemaking and sets the tone of the land far better than playing the movie's score or "Life is a Highway" ever would. I get that this isn't a perfect comparison because obviously the Cars movie score isn't iconic like Star Wars. But playing the main themes isn't placemaking, it's branding and reminding you of the franchise rather than creating a realized environment.

 

[Movielover]

Apparently you have never seen a Star Wars film. If you’d like to borrow the double album that was released for Episode IV, just let me know.

Not sure how what happens in Animal Kingdom is relevant - is Animal Kingdom based on a brand with the most iconic music of all time? What specifically is the music one would expect to hear in Animal Kingdom?

But WDI, in its infinite wisdom, decided to leave this music out of the land bearing its name:

“In 2005, the American Film Institute named the original Star Wars soundtrack as the most memorable score of all time for an American film”

If you can’t see the difference between that and generic BGM for Animal Kingdom, I can’t explain it any more clearly.

Music has been and always will be a fundamental part of people’s emotional connection to Star Wars.

WDI chose awkward silence over that emotional connection.

Idiotic indeed...

I think somebody needs a bottle...

 

[ThistleMae]

On one hand, that makes sense.

On the other, why would they grade someone that has next to no idea how/what they're doing and what's the reasoning they should care about their score?

It's like giving me a trigonometry test without showing me how to do any of it (formulas, etc). Cool I failed. Why should I care? Did I lose anything because of it? What am I missing out on? Oh well life goes on. I didn't know how to do it in the first place.

I really didn't know how bad or good I actually did. I got low percentages but managed to get one of the containers I was supposed to be getting. In manual, you can tell what your shooting at. You can shoot straight or up or down but I really couldn't tell what my guns were targeting. We rode several times, still trying to figure out how everything works. And, we got a few different scenes toward the end, didn't know if this was good or bad. And the whole thing moves so fast, it all just seems like random button pushing. I did like steering the ship but the mechanism isn't that accurate, or it's me just being a bad pilot....LOL!

 

[ThistleMae]

I’m pretty sure it’s a ride with game-like controls. The score at the end is fluff at this point.

I don't really view it as just a ride. To me, it's a game. You have a mission and you want to accomplish that mission. That is my whole focus, so I'd like to know how to get a better score.

 

[ThistleMae]

Unexpectedly, I've been to both the DL version and the WDW version within weeks of each other. To me, I think the biggest issue is lack of movement within the land. At DL, from every land, you can at least see something in motion beyond the crowds. In Galaxy's Edge, that kinetic energy is missing and the land is all the worse because of it.

Good point. There was really nothing going on in the Disneyland version when I went. At night the whole place was quite empty. The scenery was good but that's all it was, scenery.

 

[marni1971]

Waaaah waaaah I need to hear the Star Wars theme and the Imperial March, and I need Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to coddle me and stroke my hair because MY NOSTALGIA, waaaaaah.

Yes, that would go someway to improving the land as a whole.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Yes, that would go someway to improving the land as a whole.

I don't agree, but that was only directed at RobWDW1971 because he won't stop his tirade. You have posted your criticisms of the land in the level-headed way.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Waaaah waaaah I need to hear the Star Wars theme and the Imperial March, and I need Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to coddle me and stroke my hair because MY NOSTALGIA, waaaaaah

For the record I would be fine with adding more music to the land, but it's absurd that you think playing the main themes is the answer and not tacky. For another example, let's look at Cars Land. There IS music playing throughout the land, but only on Radiator Springs Racers do you get cinematic music. Everywhere else you hear old timey folk and rock music about cars and traveling. It works perfectly for placemaking and sets the tone of the land far better than playing the movie's score or "Life is a Highway" ever would. I get that this isn't a perfect comparison because obviously the Cars movie score isn't iconic like Star Wars. But playing the main themes isn't placemaking, it's branding and reminding you of the franchise rather than creating a realized environment.

In the same post you ridicule someone... and agree with them.

This has been a wild ride, man.

 

[marni1971]

Good point. There was really nothing going on in the Disneyland version when I went. At night the whole place was quite empty. The scenery was good but that's all it was, scenery.

Well put

 

[RobWDW1971]

Well put

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I always recommend people go at night - the land looks so much more dramatic with the lighting. At night, there may be less activity (which isn’t saying much), but you get less of that “abandoned movie set” vibe because the Falcon area its pretty to look at and the ground level buildings/closed doors are less prevalent.