Last week the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) honored Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway with Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement, which is one of the most prestigious awards given in the theme park industry.
When awarding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, TEA said that the attraction is “the most technologically advanced theme park attraction in existence today… The entire attraction, from front to back, is one massive magic trick that leaves riders gobsmacked and represents the absolute pinnacle of how our industry can entertain an audience at a theme park:
Of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, TEA said “With a combination of physical sets, Audio-Animatronics figures, animated media and projection-mapping techniques, all syncing in time with trackless vehicles and a catchy original song and musical score, it turns a two-dimensional cartoon world into an immersive, eye-popping experience. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway raises the bar for all dark rides to come.”
These two attractions definitely feel like the future of what theme park attractions can be, and it’s great to see these attractions get some much-deserved recognition after Imagineers, construction workers, and more worked thousands of hours to bring them to life. You can check out Theme Park Tourist’s reviews of these attractions here and here.