Disney Unscripted: How WDI Built the New Mandalorian and Grogu Mission for Smugglers Run on Unreal Engine 5

Disney has released a new episode of Disney Unscripted that goes deep into how Walt Disney Imagineering rebuilt Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run for the new Mandalorian and Grogu mission. The behind-the-scenes episode covers both the creative and technical transformation of the attraction — including a major revelation about the technology powering the ride today.

Quick Summary

• New Disney Unscripted episode covers how WDI built the new Mandalorian and Grogu mission for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• The episode covers both Disneyland and Walt Disney World versions of the updated attraction
• WDI rebuilt the entire visual system in collaboration with Industrial Light and Magic and Epic Games
• The ride now runs on Unreal Engine 5 with real-time rendering across all five cockpit projection surfaces
• Disney used the exact same 3D assets from Lucasfilm’s production library used to make The Mandalorian on Disney+
• Engineers can interact directly with Grogu mid-mission; pilots and gunners see improved controls throughout

The Technology Behind the New Mission

The most significant revelation in the Disney Unscripted episode is the scale of the technical rebuild. Walt Disney Imagineering did not simply update the content inside the existing system — they rebuilt the entire visual system from the ground up.

The new Smugglers Run runs on Unreal Engine 5 with real-time rendering across all five cockpit projection surfaces. Real-time rendering means the visuals are generated dynamically rather than playing back pre-rendered video — the system responds to what is happening in the mission at that moment, which is part of why the three selectable destinations feel genuinely different and why the cockpit interactions have more immediacy than before.

Lucasfilm’s Production Assets Inside the Ride

Disney used the exact same 3D assets from Lucasfilm’s production library that were used to make The Mandalorian on Disney+. That is not a recreation or an approximation — it is the actual production material. The TIE fighters, the environments, the character models — all the same files used by the visual effects team on the show.

The collaboration between WDI, Industrial Light and Magic, and Epic Games to bring those assets into a real-time theme park experience on Unreal Engine 5 is a genuinely impressive technical achievement. It is also why the visuals in the new mission look and feel qualitatively different from the original attraction.

What Changed for Guests

For guests riding the attraction, the Unscripted episode reinforces what the new mission delivers in practice. Hondo Ohnaka sends your crew after two Imperial officers and a pirate moving cargo on Tatooine. Mando briefs you from the Razor Crest. Your crew then takes the Falcon — and an engineer picks the destination from Bespin, the Death Star wreckage above Endor, or Coruscant.

Engineers can interact directly with Grogu mid-mission — hitting the call button to check in on Grogu aboard the Razor Crest. Pilots and gunners experience improved controls and responsiveness throughout the run. The combination of the Unreal Engine 5 visual system, the Lucasfilm production assets, and the expanded crew interactivity makes this a significantly different experience from the original mission that ran for the first several years of the attraction’s life.

The Disney Unscripted episode is now available on Disney+. If you are planning a Hollywood Studios visit and want to know what you are flying into before you board, it is well worth watching. Stay tuned to DisMornings for ongoing coverage of the Mandalorian and Grogu additions at Galaxy’s Edge.

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Meet the Author: Nate Bishop

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