Smugglers, Storytellers, and Skywalkers: Disney Parks Bring Star Wars to Life at Celebration Japan
“Disney Experiences: Building the Galaxy with Walt Disney Imagineering" at Star Wars Celebration Japan offered a galaxy’s worth of updates and surprises for fans who have long dreamed of stepping into the Star Wars universe. Hosted by Ashley Eckstein, the panel brought together members of Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm, including Asa Kalama, Michael Serna, Anisha Deshmane, and Matt Martin, who reflected on their own journeys as fans and creators, while sharing major news about what’s next for the galaxy far, far away at Disney Parks.
A centerpiece of the presentation was the ambitious new storyline for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, coming in 2026. The new story finds Hondo Ohnaka recruiting the Mandalorian and Grogu to collect a bounty. Previously, the team had announced that the revamped experience would include visits to fan-favorite locations like Tatooine, Cloud City, and Endor’s debris field. But among the new reveals was the fact that you don’t visit all of them at once. Instead, choosing the destination will fall to the Engineer position. As an added bonus, Engineers also get to interact with Grogu on their side screen.
But wait, there’s more! Fevealed for the first time at this panel, a fourth destination will be part of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run - Coruscant. Each destination is rendered with striking new visuals, including pod-racing-style canyons, sunset-lit hangar bays, zero-G trench debris, and thrilling speeder chases through traffic. The panelists also offered a peek at how they’re working on the new experience while the attraction is open, developing it using Unreal Engine 5, using VR headsets during park hours, and working within the attraction after the bright suns have set and visitors have left Batuu for the day (aka, when Disneyland is closed). And they also pointed out a fun Easter Egg - a cameo from a StarSpeeder, the vehicle from Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.
Speaking of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Tokyo Disneyland’s version of the attraction is a little behind schedule and just received the latest update. Diego Luna sent a video greeting to the panel sharing his excitement for the fact that Cassian Andor is now one of the random hologram messages that Guests can get when experiencing the attraction, which now includes Seatos from Ahsoka.
Seasons of the Force is in full swing at Disneyland, and Michael Serna talked about two nighttime entertainment offerings for Star: Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that debuted as part of the event. Last year, inspired by the way Guests loved watching fireworks from Batuu despite there not being any music to accompany the show, they debuted Fire of the Rising Moons. He discussed the challenges of crafting an audio and visual experience to a pre-existing show, and how it needed to be modified for all of the park’s seasonal offerings.
New this year is Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga, a projection experience for non-fireworks nights. Told through the voice of Tohan Lege - a blind Miraluka storyteller voiced by Steven Stanton - the show reinterprets the Skywalker family mythology as it might be told within the Star Wars galaxy. “It’s the legend of Luke and Anakin," said Martin, “told as myth, not as movie." The team even recorded original music for the show at Abbey Road Studios with conductor William Ross. And with the arrival of Skywalker storytelling on Batuu, the time felt right to introduce a new meet and greet offering to the land - Luke Skywalker.
Another surprise revealed during the panel was a new bolt-style lightsaber hilt available at Savi’s Workshop in Galaxy’s Edge. “It’s a more scrappy design," explained Martin, “the kind of thing Rey might’ve built." As always, these additions allow guests to live out their own Star Wars stories in new, personalized ways.
No less impressive were the BDX droids, two of whom - Bibbo and Glenn - made a surprise appearance on stage. Originally developed as a research project into bipedal locomotion, these expressive, waddling companions have been brought to life with unique personalities and remote-controlled animations. “Some are shy, some are funny, and one is a little… let’s say, not the smartest," joked Serna. Guests can currently encounter them at Tokyo Disneyland, with visits to Disneyland Paris and Disney’s Hollywood Studios coming soon. We got a peek into how each BDX droid is operated, a mix of remote control operation via a human and pre-encoded actions and movements.
Throughout the panel, the Imagineers emphasized how storytelling guides everything they do, whether it’s a projection show, an attraction, or a roaming droid. “It takes every discipline," said Kalama, when asked about advice for aspiring creators. “If you’re a writer, a painter, a coder, there’s a place for you here." Martin added that passion can be just as important as credentials. “I’ve hired people based on how much they love Star Wars," he said. “And I’ve never been disappointed."
From thrilling new adventures aboard the Millennium Falcon to unexpected droid encounters and the mythic retelling of the Skywalker legacy, the panel was a reminder that Star Wars storytelling is alive and expanding in Disney Parks around the world. As the team shared a work-in-progress animatic of the new Smugglers Run mission - set to debut in May 2026 - the audience was left buzzing with excitement. Or maybe that was just Bibbo dancing again.