Disney World Renames Millennium Falcon Ride Before Baby Yoda & Mandalorian Mission
There’s a new mission featuring Mandalorian & Grogu coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars Land at Hollywood Studios and Disneyland in a few months. Ahead of that, Walt Disney World updated the attraction description and prematurely renamed the ride…before quickly removing the new name. Here’s the latest.
Let’s start with the new description, which is still up under the heading “A New Mission is Coming Soon.”
Beginning May 22, 2026, join Din Djarin, the mysterious Mandalorian bounty hunter, and his youngling Grogu on an exciting new mission—tracking down elusive ex-Imperial officers throughout the galaxy.
Plus, for the first time ever, the crew will be in control of their own destination, leading to potential adventures on Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor or the just-announced bustling city-planet, Coruscant.
A new gameplay addition allows the engineer positions to communicate with Grogu during the mission.
Along with that, Walt Disney World briefly changed the attraction name to “Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – A New Mission.” Similar to the old one, but (unsurprisingly) even longer than before. This change was pushed live on both the official Walt Disney World website and My Disney Experience app, so clearly it was purposeful–albeit ahead of schedule.
Although descriptive in nature, we are pretty sure this is intended to be the new title of the attraction. That it wasn’t removed because it was wrong, but because it was too early. Note that this is unlike the normal protocol, which appends “- New!” to denote something is new.
For example, if you look at the official page of the new nighttime parade, you’ll see it referred to as “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away – New!” That’s the typical approach, and it usually sticks around for a year or two. (I’m not sure when it happened, but Luminous didn’t drop its “New!” for a while.)
In this case, I can kind of understand why Walt Disney World is renaming Smugglers Run with the appended “A New Mission.” Technically, the attraction isn’t new, so adding that would be a bit deceiving. This is clearer, even if cumbersome. I’m nevertheless surprised they didn’t opt for a more meaningful change, like “Millennium Falcon: Mandalorian Mission” or something like that.
If I had a nickel for every time Disney gave a new attraction with “mission” in the title two punctuation marks, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
The other, of course, is “Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!” at Disney California Adventure. That is probably the high water mark for Disney’s comically-bad naming convention, although the dueling Little Mermaid dark rides (Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid vs. The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure) comes pretty close.
And who can forget Astro Orbiter at Magic Kingdom versus Astro Orbitor at Disneyland?! (Read both names carefully if you’re missing it.) Or any of the Star Wars naming convention, from Galactic Starcruiser (actually a hotel) to Galaxy’s Edge (actually a land).
Before getting the shockingly succinct Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, we half-joked that they should name the new attraction “Splash Mountain ~ Voyage of the Log with Princess and the Frog: New Adventures with Princess Tiana!” That should underscore just how absurd Disney’s naming convention has gotten.
Honestly, the only reason I’m posting this new name for Smugglers Run in the first place is to underscore that again. Walt Disney World and Disneyland have several opportunities in the coming years to get new names right and wrong.
I fear there’s already a committee that’s a dozen deep workshopping the names for the land that will be home to Villains, and are on the precipice of absolutely overthinking the decision and giving us an 8 word gem with multiple punctuation marks.
I would humbly propose an alternative: Villains Land. Or perhaps Disney Villains Land, if you’re concerned people might think the land in Magic Kingdom (Park) is actually at Universal or SeaWorld or whatever. I’ll defer to your expertise on the matter.
It seems like “Disney’s Committee to Activate Names: A Strategic Disney Naming, Branding, Attractions & Activations Committee ~ Turbocharged!” is satisfied with Monstropolis for the Monsters, Inc. expansion, which is the correct name. Ditto Tropical Americas. Please don’t revisit those and likewise overthink them.
Descriptive names aren’t a bad thing, and have become iconic thanks to their simplicity–not in spite of it. Space Mountain (a mountain in space), Haunted Mansion (a mansion that is haunted), and so on and so forth. The Little Mermaid dark ride is never going to enter the pop culture vernacular in part because no one can remember what it is. (I cover this stuff, and I had to look up the names for the above…and have already forgotten them.)
It’s okay to call Indiana Jones Adventure…Indiana Jones Adventure. Rides can have the same name on both coasts. No need to get cute with it. Your challenge, Disney, should you choose to accept it, is returning to concise 2-4 word names with zero punctuation marks. Big ask, I know.
As for the substance of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – A New Mission, I’m actually really looking forward to it! I’ve written this several times before, but the attraction has a ton of unrealized potential. The bones are good, from the exterior to the queue to the pre-show, wish fulfillment of being in the ship’s cockpit and pulling the lever to jump to lightspeed.
The issue is entirely with the gameplay, which is boring; the Star Wars equivalent of working for UPS. The asteroid field delay scene is better than the actual core gameplay of Smugglers Run, which should say all that needs to be said about the potential for improvement.
The complete package of the attraction aside from the gameplay is fantastic. But then there’s the mission itself, which falls flat. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run could be a 10/10 attraction–one of the best on both coasts–and a more compelling mission would get it there. Suffice to say, the addition of Mandalorian and Grogu could be a complete game changer, elevating Galaxy’s Edge as a whole along with the new mission.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the new name for the Millennium Falcon ride? Looking forward to being Baby Yoda’s babysitter or choosing from 4 new destinations? Are you excited to see the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – A New Mission starting on May 22, 2026? Do you hope the new mission is actually exciting? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of Disney’s cumbersome naming convention? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
My obsession with Initialisms (NOT acronyms) is I will try till the cows come to get this correct. MF:SR-ANM
As someone who has had corporate jobs – agree, you can just *feel* all the meetings behind these names. Hilarious post!
Also sign me up for the 20k Smugglers Run Maggie.
“Mission: DarkLand tm where Villains Lurk and Evil Adventure is not a four letter Word!”
Love your writing. Attention to punctuation is becoming a lost art! Also, your subtle commitment to preserving the storied history of Dr. Hans Doofenshmirtz and his two hypothetical nickels is much appreciated.
*Heinz! See, I’m already forgetting the history!
I spotted that straight away too.
well played on using that quote
I wholeheartedly support a return to simpler names! Also hope that Disney pays closer attention to the inevitable abbreviations to avoid situations like what happened with the Alien ride in HS. 😉
Lol on the naming convention. I noticed this when setting up my first planning spreadsheets and had to flip back and forth to get official naming down. Normally it’s fastest to just type things directly. Not so with Disney parks naming.
I’m less excited about the new missions. While I love SW and Mandalorian is one of my favorites, I think the ride is fundamentally flawed. The pilots get the full experience, but everyone else is essentially staring at blinking buttons the whole time. Unless I missed something, new missions won’t change that. I’ve started to skip this ride completely, unless it’s a walk-on and I have extra time.
Once they retire the old name they can recycle it for one of their marathon events: The 20k Smuggler’s Run.
It’s an objectively good race name!
“Disney’s Committee to Activate Names: A Strategic Disney Naming, Branding, Attractions & Activations Committee ~ Turbocharged!”
I can’t stop laughing!!!!!!!!!!
Never forget the name so long that Disney mentioned it when they announced it:
“Top of the World Lounge – A Villains Lair Atop Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort”
You say the dash, of course.
“with the only real issue being Disney’s overuse of ‘Adventure.'”
Was “Star Tours: The Adventures Continue” the first use of Adventure? That opened almost 15 years ago.
Snow White’s Adventures in 1955. There was also Adventure Thru Innerspace in 1967. Probably a couple more I’m forgetting. The first “recent” use (I’m old) was probably Indiana Jones Adventure in the 1990s…
Millennium Falcon is already a long name. Smugglers Run is not even necessary. They should just come up with 2 or 3 word attraction name and leave it at that. No need to change it to multiple names. Star Tours is remarkably simple by comparison.
Han Solo calls it the “fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.”
I’ve always suspected they trademarked the name before they designed the ride, since the mission doesn’t have anything to do with smuggling.
Honestly, I’m really surprised they didn’t just name it Millennium Falcon Adventure.
I do think Disney is trending back towards more succinct and punchy names (Beak & Barrel, for example). If there’s awkward naming on this one I see it coming from the conflict of making it exciting sounding for adults but not too scary for kids. “Villains: Dark (and FUNNY) Forest of Villainously (villainously MISUNDERSTOOD) Forces of… (evil, dark, chaos all crossed out)… Intrigue!” Bolstered by the headliner ride “Villains Cruise into Darkness… With Heroes!… Epic Battle of Dark Magic… That You Will Win With Your Magic, You Are The Magic!”
I was dying laughing at “Disney’s Committee to Activate Names: A Strategic Disney Naming, Branding, Attractions & Activations Committee ~ Turbocharged!” I agree that their ride names could be a little shorter and to the point. But in terms of The Millennium Falcon Ride, I think 90%+ of people getting in line for that don’t understand that it’s a “mission” that they need to participate in in order for the ride to be “successful” (aka more fun) and the other 10% get frustrated at the 90% who don’t have a clue.
I agree that Disney’s naming conventions are a bit laughable, but I also think that on a slightly more serious note, the name sets the tone for the attraction.
For instance, I like TBA. (The ride, not the name.) But Splash Mountain was such an iconic name, and it made you feel like you were about to ride an iconic ride. If it had been named “Br’er Rabbit’s Song of the South Adventure,” would we have been as sad to see it go? If it had a lengthy name like that and was then changed to something like “Bayou Falls,” would we have welcomed the new version more?
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t bother me that much. It’s certainly better than most recent names, with the only real issue being Disney’s overuse of “Adventure.”
I would’ve preferred Tiana’s Bayou Bash, though.
I wholeheartedly agree that Splash Mountain was/is the better name. There’s a certain elegance and simplicity in Disney’s best names, and I get why the company overcomplicates things; at the same time, how do they not take a step back to realize how silly modern naming as become as contrasted with the iconic branding of the past?
The alternative name is on the water tower “Tiana Foods”.
Why so many “mission” attractions? Don’t you remember reading in Walt’s bio about the formative time he spent in San Antonio, visiting the Alamo and all of the historic missions there? Sure, that’s not true, but makes as much sense as Peter Quill visiting EPCOT as a kid.
In terms of the Aluminum Falcon ride (whoops, been watching too much “Robot Chicken”), as a huge Star Wars fan I’ve never really thought “smuggling” was a really compelling storyline. Obviously it ties into the Han Solo / Falcon mythology, but they made a whole movie about that (“Solo”) and it was pretty bad — in fact it doesn’t get nearly enough DIScredit for how not-good it was, or how it damaged the brand in my opinion. And Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is basically tied thematically to that movie.
So I think Disney should move off the “Smuggler’s” line as quickly and boldly as possible. And perhaps the plan is to do just that. There’s a chance they have the new name already but it’s tied into the plot of the new Mandalorian and Grogu movie so it would be confusing and spoiler-y to release it now — something like: “Millenium Falcon: Escape from Eriadu” (or “Escape to Rhen Var”, or whatever). Those are planets that would clue in hardcore fans but be totally meaningless to casual fans/guests until the film comes out.
So if it’s opening on May 22, how long do we think it might be closed beforehand?
I spoke with people in the Disney Naming Committee and mentioned Tom Bricker and their response was, “We always enjoy reading The New improved Disney Tourist Blog NOW With A Child POV and Featuring a Fancy Logo That Would Be Right At Home on On A Dish Towel Sold In An Amish Gift Store.”
You might want to consider that. It’s not bad. I’d buy the tee shirt.
hilarious Mickey1928 even if a trifle sharp with the logo critique,..
here’s a riddle I will only answer if someone notices (vast majority of my comments are ignored):
Why do so many Pennsylvania farmers tend to rise so early?
rorsen – is it because they are A.M.-ish?
Omg this is brutal LOL
Yes Kevin that is exactly why!! Well done!! Maybe the joke should be “Why don’t Pennsylvania farmers set their alarm clocks to a precise time every morning?”
Hey Kevin congrats.
I don’t know a lot of joke jokes but I enjoy trying to figure out the punchlines. In this case I came up with a couple I think work well but they’re a bit too adult for a Disney centric family blog. I will give you a hint that one involves the word yeast and another uses an alternative for the word rooster.
I love DTB, Tom and his family so no disrespect to the logo but whenever I see it I get an urge to pick up a bag of Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Noodles.
@Mickey1928 Hahahahahaha… nailed it!
I like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run much more than you do, but I agree that the name isn’t great. I think among people we know it is typically referred to as “the Millennium Falcon ride”. Perhaps the Disney Ride-naming people should get together with the Movie-naming people (“Tangled”, “Frozen”, “Coco” “Wish”) and they can compare notes.