All media courtesy Disney Parks BlogSXSW takes place annually in Austin, Texas. The dates for 2025 are March 7-15. There’s music, comedy, exhibition, panels, and a lot more. On March 8 the featured session The Future of World Building at Disney took place. It was led by Josh D’Amaro and Alan Bergman. Some glimpses into the future were given. Here is the latest on the Smugglers Run update that is coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, from Rachel Paige and Disney Parks Blog.
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A new adventure is coming your way, so prepare to jump to lightspeed. First announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, a new adventure featuring Din Djarin, the titular Mandalorian from The Mandalorian, is coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. And yes, Grogu’s coming along for the ride, too.
During The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, The Mandalorian creator and Disney Legend Jon Favreau was joined onstage by Imagineers Leslie Evans and Asa Kalama to talk about what’s coming soon to Batuu.
It’s something that can only be done at Disney, bringing avid Star Wars fans closer to the stories they know and love via the innovative magic at Disney Parks. This update is only a parsec or two away — both the upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu movie and this update to Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will debut on May 22, 2026.
“Opening an attraction and such a massive movie on the same day wouldn’t be possible without the relationships we have inside Disney,” Kalama added. “Jon and Dave have shared their story with us, and now we’ve all worked together to come up with a new mission for Smugglers Run that plays into this narrative.”
Working alongside The Mandalorian team, the Imagineers captured scenes for the attraction on the movie set, and you might see some familiar (and beloved) Star Wars locations aboard the Millennium Falcon. Care for a trip to Cloud City, anyone?
“This isn’t going to retell what happens in the movie – it’s more like participating in something that’s happening just off-camera from what you see in the film,” Favreau explained.
But, that’s not the only thing making the jump from the parks to the movies, and vice versa. You might have seen the playful BDX droids puttering around Disneyland before, and soon they’ll make a trip around the world to visit Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. And that’s in addition to the little droids appearing in The Mandalorian and Grogu film, too.
Going from Imagineering to the parks, to their feature film debut, is a lot for the droids. With all this work, they’re sure to need a tune-up eventually and don’t worry, Imagineering already has the right creature for the job.
As previously seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the latest season of The Mandalorian, say hello to an Anzellan named Auto, who specializes in tuning up droids. Just maybe don’t make him too cranky.
May the Force be with you. See you onboard the Falcon, on May 22, 2026.