I rode Rise in Orlando multiple times when the ride was brand-new.
It’s a 10/10 with everything working.
I think Disneyland fixing their cannons is a huge first step and shows they have always intended to have all the effects working, but HWS doesn’t have enough rides for Lightning Lane, so they’re probably waiting for the Door Coaster to go down so they can have I guess RNRC Starring The Muppets or Slinky being the individual lightning lane ride in addition to the Door Coaster. Disneyland just has more rides, and this is an insane consequence of them not just taking out Indiana Jones Stuntacular in Florida instead of GMR, Backlot Tour, Streets of America, and Lights Motors Action, but it is what it is.
Both lands should’ve opened with coasters regardless and I hope that is someday remedied.
When HWS’ Rise gets a refurbishment, say pull it offline for a refurb by 28/29, they should fully reskin it to Rise of the Rebels or during the Clone Wars (tho I’d just make it set in between Episodes 5 and 6 so you have the most iconic characters).
Reskin Finn to Han, Kylo to Vader, General Hux to either Darth Sideous or Grand Moff Tarkin.
Swap the stormtrooper helmets for OG trilogy (easy even for their full costume), update the visual media to reflect the OG characters (contracted to Lucasfilm most likely), their new dialogue for these characters that are also younger or have passed (honestly AI will be good enough to do if likeness if it is paid for, and this is a perfect use-case when done right) and to de-age say Luke or Leia too for the hologram message in the pre-show.
I mean, it would likely cost less likely than Test Track 3.0, and certainly less than redoing Maelstrom into FEA. It probably could be done for not leagues more than FEA’s new AA budget. The biggest thing to get right is continue the great writing of the current one, but make it even better with subtle callbacks to these characters and the world they are in and you are experiencing alongside them.
Honestly, I think it would allow the whole land, with a DL style timeline unlock to have a renewed marketing push to by the 2030s hopefully bringing a pod racer or a Speeder bike coaster to both coasts, alongside an actual dinner show and maybe some entertainment throughout the land, and some Isle of Beek style animatronics or even a Nockgurn Alley style expansion, some of that was cut, others were blue sky concepts, and others are just my own. But I think it first just starts with the timeline unlock and simply reskinning Rise. Wouldn’t even be a full retheme, far less than Tiana’s/Test Track/Frozen, and not a gutting like Runaway Railway or TMAOWTP obviously.
Tho at DL I’d add that coaster, while redoing Tomorrowland and adding a Walle ride replacing the old CoP building and maybe even eating into the Tomorrowland Theater if there isn’t backstage room and to open up Tomorrowland better for crowd flow… so perhaps add like a sit-down steak place on the second or third story of a new Tomorrowland alongside a new PeopleMover… I think the restaurant chairs in the center and that whole area has to be reworked too and of course if there’s an Astro Orbiter it needs to go above the land again.
I’d add that same Wall-E ride to Orlando, and in the meantime at HWS replace the Indiana Jones Stunt show with either a land for Narnia, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Moana, Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, or something new and different based on a new IP quality hit if they have one.
