Star Wars Experiences Enhanced by Disney Imagineering at Celebration

Star Wars Celebration offered an exciting glimpse into the future of Disney Parks experiences, with IGN having the opportunity to speak with Walt Disney Imagineering's Asa Kalama and Disney Live Entertainment's Michael Serna. They shared insights into the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu-themed update for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run and introduced the adorable BDX droids set to enchant guests at Disney Parks worldwide.

Kalama and Serna also provided a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney brings beloved stories and characters to life, creating memorable experiences that resonate with visitors of all ages.

The Mandalorian and Grogu-Themed Update to Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run Will Let Engineers Take Care of Grogu

A highlight from Star Wars Celebration was the announcement that the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run attraction will feature a The Mandalorian and Grogu-themed update, set to launch on May 22, 2026. While the attraction's storyline will diverge from the film's narrative, guests will join Mando and Grogu on a thrilling adventure. Engineers, in particular, will have a unique role, interacting with Grogu and making crucial decisions about their galactic destination.

"Throughout the mission, we're going to be giving the engineers the opportunity to actually get to communicate with Grogu," Kalama explained. "There may be times when Mando has to deboard the Razor Crest and Grogu, left to his own devices, might get a little happy on the control panel. We love the idea of these fun little vignettes and moments where you're sort of on the comm with Grogu."

The interactive experience includes a choose-your-own-adventure element, where guests face a critical decision about which bounty to pursue, leading to destinations like Bespin, the Death Star wreckage above Endor, and Coruscant. This new storyline revolves around Hondo Ohnaka discovering a deal on Tatooine between ex-Imperial officers and pirates, setting the stage for a high-stakes chase across the galaxy with Mando and Grogu.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Mission Concept Art for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run

The BDX Droids Will Be Traveling From Disney Parks Around the World Right Into Your Heart

The beloved BDX Droids, featured in The Mandalorian & Grogu, are set to captivate guests at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disney. These droids, developed to enhance park experiences, will bring new immersive stories to life, allowing guests to connect with the Star Wars universe in unique ways.

"The goal of the BDX Droids was to look at how we bring characters to life in our parks in different ways," Kalama said. "They've appeared in games and other places, but we created an original story just for us and we've sort of evolved that as we've moved on to sites all over the world."

Serna added, "They have lot of fun childlike qualities and do all sorts of cute things that people would do. So, we realized we kind of needed to identify each one of them with a personality. It made it much more interesting to engage with them and allowed us a lot of flexibility and a lot of ways to continue to expand that world."

Kalama and Serna discussed how Disney is leveraging technology to enhance park experiences, from animatronics to robotics, creating up-close interactions that deepen the guest experience.

"The technology behind the animatronics is influencing how we're looking at robotics and character experiences and these up close experiences that continue to inspire us," Serna said. "We see those amazing animatronics in, for example, the Frozen attraction, and we start to think how we bring those out of an attraction and onto a street."

Kalama emphasized the importance of using technology in unexpected and invisible ways to maintain the suspension of disbelief and bring characters to life with emotion and personality.

From Peter Pan and Star Tours to Creating the Future

Kalama and Serna, inspired by their childhood experiences at Disney Parks, are now shaping the future of these attractions. Both shared how iconic rides like Peter Pan and Star Tours fueled their passion for creating immersive experiences for new generations.

"As a little kid, riding Peter Pan was most exciting for me," Serna reminisced. "To fly in this vehicle... I think it really blew my mind. Then, as I got older and became a huge Star Wars fan, Star Tours was really the ride that changed my life as far as what I thought theme parks can do."

Kalama shared a similar sentiment, "I only had the opportunity to visit the park one time before I became a cast member, and I was probably eight years old and I was so obsessed with all things science fiction. I literally refused to leave Tomorrowland. But again, for me, as Michael said, I have one vivid memory and it was Star Tours."

Their passion for creating magical experiences is evident in their work. Serna highlighted his contribution to Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga at Disneyland, a projection show at Galaxy's Edge that enhances the nightly fireworks experience with a Star Wars narrative.

"That was actually about a two year process of looking at something that was happening in the parks daily, which was fireworks," Serna explained. "We worked really closely with Lucasfilm to sort of look at what would a fireworks type show be in Galaxy's Edge."

Kalama emphasized the meticulous attention to detail that goes into creating immersive environments, ensuring every element contributes to the authenticity of the experience.

"I think something that I hope is invisible to our fans, but something that they appreciate, is that there is just an obsessive level of attention to detail that we put into everything," Kalama said. "We really go above and beyond to think about what are all of the small infinitesimal details that might not seem all that important on their own, but when they add up together they make the space feel truly authentic and immersive."