Jon Favreau said digital assets built for The Mandalorian helped Walt Disney Imagineering create the new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run mission now running at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Park in Anaheim.
In a D23 interview, Favreau said the attraction uses Unreal Engine, the same game engine the production used for The Mandalorian and for virtual-reality planning. He said he shared series assets with Imagineers so the team could build more environments without starting from scratch.
The Disneyland version of Smugglers Run received the same update as the Walt Disney World ride. Both versions switched to the Mandalorian and Grogu mission on May 22, the same day Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opened in theaters.
How the Mandalorian work shaped Smugglers Run
The new mission gives crews a branching bounty hunt with Din Djarin and Grogu. Riders begin on Tatooine, then flight engineers can send the Falcon toward Bespin, Coruscant, or the wreckage of the second Death Star near Endor.
Imagineers also revised the cockpit roles. Pilots now get more responsive controls, gunners can choose automatic or manual targeting, and engineers control a tractor beam and can call Grogu aboard the Razor Crest.
Favreau's comments add useful context for the park rollout. The same digital environments and planning tools that helped the series can also help a simulator attraction add planets, paths, cargo moments, and character calls without starting over for the park version.
Star Tours, Disney Cruise Line, and new Star Wars fans
Favreau also connected the same production pipeline to Star Tours and Disney Cruise Line experiences. He described a steady exchange between the projects he is working on and what happens in the parks.
Disney has tied the theatrical launch to several guest-facing pieces, including the Smugglers Run mission, Star Tours updates, Batuu food and merchandise, BDX droids at Disneyland, and Star Wars experiences on Disney Cruise Line.
Favreau said the film was written for viewers who may know Grogu from Disney+ or toys but have never seen a Star Wars movie in theaters. The ride works the same way in the parks: guests do not need a three-season refresher to understand Grogu calling into the cockpit.
Read the full D23 interview with Jon Favreau. Disney also detailed the new Smugglers Run paths, cockpit roles, and Grogu call-in feature on StarWars.com.