Hagrid’s is a better ride. Rise of the Resistance is a better attraction.
Their strengths are opposite. Rise has the greatest effects, animatronics, theming, music, CM involvement, etc. etc. etc. – everything but the “ride” itself, which is not particularly thrilling, though it has its moments.
Hagrid’s is incredibly thrilling without being too rough or even too scary for grade school kids. It has good theming, but compared to Rise it is relatively lackluster.
So it’s hard for me to choose between them since their respective strengths and weaknesses are complementary to each other. But since this thread says “attraction,” I go with Rise. (Star Wars always wins in my book when the rubber meets the road.)
A Hagrid’s ride vehicle in a Star Destroyer would blow my mind beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Maybe someday it will happen.
Nope I disagree. One Hagrid animatronic and a garden is barely theming. The ride vehicle is amazing. But the theming is nowhere near the level of Rise.
If you have to balance theming + ride, I think they come very close to even given Hagrid’s is such a great ride, but I give the edge to Rise.
I think @ryan1 breaks things down a bit further than that. IMO I like his break down off attraction vs actual ride.
I’m simple in my spaining, he said it better!
It is and I’m playing it down intentionally to bolster my argument.
But still, that is nothing compared to a Star Destroyer, an Imperial Walker, a rebel base and transport, an army of stormtroopers, blaster effects, three ride systems, and cast member performances. Much more happening on Rise.
Never said that. Actually what I said was ROTR is an AMAZING ride. But, I was also recognizing that it is really mostly another ride through a huge diorama. As such, despite the immersion of it all and amazing technology…it doesn’t have the same excitement/re-rideability factor as Hagrid’s, which is ALSO an immersive attraction with huge diorama aspects, but so much more thrilling.
I still think this falls into the category of “do you like to reride dark rides?” Or do you get board reriding them because there is no thrill factor?
I honestly go back and forth on my answer to this. Sometimes (often on solo trips) I find I get bored with them and want the more thrilling rides. Othertimes, all I want is dark rides.
I have not ridden Hagrids so I have no comparison. Maybe my best comparison is Gaurdians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout. It is my all time favorite ride.
I totally understand. I mean, I love dark rides. Riding HM and POTC is a must-do every time, as are many of the other rides. But when judging “best attraction”, I kind of have to fall back to a “would you rather” type question for me to decide. If I was only allowed to choose one or the other, which would I choose? I’m kind of forced to rank them. It isn’t because I don’t love the other option…but which would I be more upset about if I didn’t get to ride it?
So, in ROTR versus Hagrid’s? Hagrid’s is a no-brainer winner. Yet, I will continue to re-ride ROTR. But if I can’t, for some reason, I wouldn’t be nearly as disappointed.
I can do the same for other rides. I’d rate Soarin’ over FOP. I’d rate Na’vi over IASM. I’d rate HM over WTP. I’d rate Space Mountain over BLSRS, etc. None of those imply that I don’t like and don’t re-ride IASM or FOP or BLSRS!
I will add that part of my consideration for giving this the “Best Attraction Ever” title is not just the quality of the theming, but also the large number of elements used: multiple queue rooms, each with their own distinct, incredibly immersive elements, the CMs playing roles throughout the queue, the number of effects in each room (holograms, droids, lighting, light saber, animatronics, lighting, etc), number of different rooms during the main ride, and the incredibly advanced technology in play throughout (high quality special effects, autonomous ride vehicles, drop, HD screens, etc).
Hagrid’s is mostly a really well themed roller coaster. But most of what you see during the ride is a track. From start to finish on RotR you’re constantly seeing stuff that is part of the theme, surrounding you from floor to ceiling!
IMO, if you pit all of these things against Hagrid’s, RotR is the clear winner.
One thing I’d add that both rides do is provide moments of “what?!?” Shock value. Opening up into the hanger, breaking out of a cell, roller coaster dropping to another track.
They are both just so amazing.
One cannot be a true SuperFan™ until one has offered up a BLAZING HOT TAKE on how something in one of the Disney parks that large crowds of people.find very enjoyable is something you experienced once and are now just so over.
Bonus bile points if you can work in the dreaded IP ON EVERYTHING. You achieve satori if you can work in a labored reference to how the parks have all become fifth-rate [redacted]holes since Horizons closed and denied us a beatific vision of a double-knit Dacron® future.
On the other hand, you start to see similarities between it and other dark rides, just on a grander scale.
(Don’t read on if you haven’t ridden ROTR, as it contains spoilers.)
Almost hit by cannons? POTC did it first, albeit in a completely different way.
Unexpected drop mid-ride? POTR did it first!
Gobs of animatronics? POTC did it first!
Trackless ride? POTC did it first! (Okay…so, cheating here…it is a boat, so I guess ROTR wins out there.)
Large, huge dioramic rooms filled with too much to take in? POTC did it first!
Involving you to become part of the story? TGMR did it first.
Holograms? ToT and POTC (updated) did it first!
Of course, my point isn’t to say that RotR is simply derivative…merely to say it really is just taking what Disney has done before and remixing it in new and exciting ways. Hence, my over-simplification!
