Rise Of The Resistance for a 4 and 6 year old

[ZeonStar]

We are a week away from our first trip in almost 3 years (to the day!) and are beyond excited. We will be seeing Galaxy Edge, among other new things, for the first time.

My children, 4 (B) and 6 (G) have very limited exposure to Star Wars. I had planned to have them watch The Force Awakens for some context before our trip and now that it's closing in, my wife is having second thoughts about that being a good idea. Our son has had an issue using words he shouldn't like "dead" (and the K-word) so we don't want to make it worse. (He is getting better.) As my wife puts it, he is having a bit of trouble with fantasy and reality.

Height wise, they will both be able to go on it. I think it will be rather intense for them, and I can't say for sure if they will be ok. But aside from that, I'd still like to give them a better idea of what Star Wars is. Has anyone been in a similar situation and if so, what did you do?

 

[WisCanucks]

Rise of the residence is pretty awesome, go for it!

 

[Wedgeout]

If they have the base knowledge and can identify characters, xwings, tie fighters, etc…they will really enjoy it. Only thing in the D.. & K…category is be ok with Blaster fire.

 

[ZeonStar]

I definitely want them to go on it. May just need to skip the idea of having them Watch The Force Awakens. That has some stuff they aren’t ready for. (Kylo and Han for example spring to mind.)

I had hoped to get them familiar with the characters on the ride but it just may not be practical.

 

[JC1984]

Do you kids watch any Disney movies because there is a lot of those subjects in it. My kids 4 and 3 have watched every SW and Indy and so on. We also live on a farm where they are exposed to life and Death. I think sheltering them is worse. But I think talking to them about it is better. Not saying what you are doing is wrong you can raise your children how ever you see fit just trying to give you a different perspective.

 

[JC1984]

Kylo and Han for example spring to mind.)

Mufasa and Scar?

 

[WisCanucks]

I mean almost all Disney movies deal with life and death…

 

[poptart90]

We are a week away from our first trip in almost 3 years (to the day!) and are beyond excited. We will be seeing Galaxy Edge, among other new things, for the first time.

My children, 4 (B) and 6 (G) have very limited exposure to Star Wars. I had planned to have them watch The Force Awakens for some context before our trip and now that it's closing in, my wife is having second thoughts about that being a good idea. Our son has had an issue using words he shouldn't like "dead" (and the K-word) so we don't want to make it worse. (He is getting better.) As my wife puts it, he is having a bit of trouble with fantasy and reality.

Height wise, they will both be able to go on it. I think it will be rather intense for them, and I can't say for sure if they will be ok. But aside from that, I'd still like to give them a better idea of what Star Wars is. Has anyone been in a similar situation and if so, what did you do?

It is an awesome ride. And I'm a huge Star Wars fan. So is DH and DS. Our little girl (6) however hasn't really been too interested in Star Wars. She's watched several movies, but hasn't really connected with it yet. We rode Rise for the first time over the Thanksgiving holiday. So I'll give you my impressions of how she reacted and what she said about it.

First, it's incredibly immersive. That's the appeal for most. Without giving away spoilers, you will be treated and experience interactions that are meant to blur the lines of fantasy and reality. For my daughter, she was a bit overwhelmed trying to take it all in quickly and react appropriately. Like I said, she doesn't recognize the scenes, characters, and other stuff like we did. When we loaded on the attraction and got moving, she was very nervous and continued that way throughout. I didn't know this, and wish I had cause I could've prepared her (and been prepared to help her) through a scary part for her. Hope I don't ruin it, but there is a pretty good little "drop" towards the end of the ride. Made incredibly real feeling because of the visuals, etc. Her exact words to me upon exiting the vehicle were "Let's never do that again." Which meant she balked at even giving Smugglers Run a chance. Wish we had started with that one.

I think it's really about knowing your kids. My girl does not like drops at all. She knows about Star Wars, but doesn't truly connect with it yet. For her, we knew it was going to be a push, but wanted to ride it as a family and hoped the rest of the experience around it would be enough to keep her happy. She will most likely never choose to ride that again until she's older and more interested in Star Wars. Again, I regret not starting with Smugglers. I think she would've enjoyed that one so much more. BTW, she did try Star Tours. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. Perhaps see how they do on those two rides and assess from there? Good luck and hope you get to ride ROTR for yourself if not with the kiddos. It's a definite do not miss!

 

[Wedgeout]

Kylo, Rey, Poe, BB8. Other than those the original trilogy in my opinion is the best films to get your Star Wars understanding and vision of things.

 

[JC1984]

It is an awesome ride. And I'm a huge Star Wars fan. So is DH and DS. Our little girl (6) however hasn't really been too interested in Star Wars. She's watched several movies, but hasn't really connected with it yet. We rode Rise for the first time over the Thanksgiving holiday. So I'll give you my impressions of how she reacted and what she said about it.

First, it's incredibly immersive. That's the appeal for most. Without giving away spoilers, you will be treated and experience interactions that are meant to blur the lines of fantasy and reality. For my daughter, she was a bit overwhelmed trying to take it all in quickly and react appropriately. Like I said, she doesn't recognize the scenes, characters, and other stuff like we did. When we loaded on the attraction and got moving, she was very nervous and continued that way throughout. I didn't know this, and wish I had cause I could've prepared her (and been prepared to help her) through a scary part for her. Hope I don't ruin it, but there is a pretty good little "drop" towards the end of the ride. Made incredibly real feeling because of the visuals, etc. Her exact words to me upon exiting the vehicle were "Let's never do that again." Which meant she balked at even giving Smugglers Run a chance. Wish we had started with that one.

I think it's really about knowing your kids. My girl does not like drops at all. She knows about Star Wars, but doesn't truly connect with it yet. For her, we knew it was going to be a push, but wanted to ride it as a family and hoped the rest of the experience around it would be enough to keep her happy. She will most likely never choose to ride that again until she's older and more interested in Star Wars. Again, I regret not starting with Smugglers. I think she would've enjoyed that one so much more. BTW, she did try Star Tours. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. Perhaps see how they do on those two rides and assess from there? Good luck and hope you get to ride ROTR for yourself if not with the kiddos. It's a definite do not miss!

Think he is going to let them go on it. It is more of questions of watching the movies

 

[Carol_]

Have them watch a POV YouTube video beforehand so they don’t flip out. My DS6 liked it.

 

[pineapplepalms]

My oldest went on ROTR for the first time when he was almost 4 and loved it! He’s been on it several times since (he’s 5 now) and still loves it. It’s definitely not as intense as other rides. For comparison, when he was almost 4, he did NOT love ToT or GotG drop rides but he now enjoys them. My kids don’t have any exposure to SW other than recognizing several of the characters from seeing them in videos or in the parks. I don’t think you need exposure in order to enjoy the ride. My son has used those words too, but I don’t really blame him since my dad passed away a couple of years ago and he had to learn about what that meant. I talk to him about it and he understands that a character like Mario dying in a game or pretend dying when playing an obstacle course game with friends is not the same thing as real dying. I think it’s good for him to talk about it and understand the meaning of the words. I don’t think ROTR had any effect on him in terms of those concepts though.

Interestingly, MFSR is a “milder” ride but was tough for my kids because they couldn’t really reach the controls (this was my 3yo and 5yo’s experience last month) and got frustrated.

 

[Kit Jackson]

If she's having second thoughts, listen to her and unless this is a literally once in a lifetime trip and you will never be visiting Disneyland again, I would skip this ride and wait until the kids are a little older. If one of the kids is already having a bit of trouble with the difference between fantasy and reality, this may not be the best ride for him. It's a fantastic ride, but maybe not for that age group.

 

[ZeonStar]

Mufasa and Scar?

I think the last time we saw that he was too young to understand it. Was also well before his whole “K” and “D” thing. Still I get your point.

 

[ZeonStar]

If she's having second thoughts, listen to her and unless this is a literally once in a lifetime trip and you will never be visiting Disneyland again, I would skip this ride and wait until the kids are a little older. If one of the kids is already having a bit of trouble with the difference between fantasy and reality, this may not be the best ride for him. It's a fantastic ride, but maybe not for that age group.

Just to clarify it’s having them watch The Force Awakens that she is worried about. Not really the ride.

 

[ZeonStar]

My oldest went on ROTR for the first time when he was almost 4 and loved it! He’s been on it several times since (he’s 5 now) and still loves it. It’s definitely not as intense as other rides. For comparison, when he was almost 4, he did NOT love ToT or GotG drop rides but he now enjoys them. My kids don’t have any exposure to SW other than recognizing several of the characters from seeing them in videos or in the parks. I don’t think you need exposure in order to enjoy the ride. My son has used those words too, but I don’t really blame him since my dad passed away a couple of years ago and he had to learn about what that meant. I talk to him about it and he understands that a character like Mario dying in a game or pretend dying when playing an obstacle course game with friends is not the same thing as real dying. I think it’s good for him to talk about it and understand the meaning of the words. I don’t think ROTR had any effect on him in terms of those concepts though.

Interestingly, MFSR is a “milder” ride but was tough for my kids because they couldn’t really reach the controls (this was my 3yo and 5yo’s experience last month) and got frustrated.

Appreciate your thoughts. My son using the words is more inappropriate because it hears them on tv and then directs them towards people when he upset or angry, like his pre-school teacher. To the point where my wife is basically telling him those words aren’t ok to use. Just because it’s so bad.

I think she is ok with them going on the rides. I just wanted to help them appreciate it more is all.

 

[Geemo]

Appreciate your thoughts. My son using the words is more inappropriate because it hears them on tv and then directs them towards people when he upset or angry, like his pre-school teacher. To the point where my wife is basically telling him those words aren’t ok to use. Just because it’s so bad.

I think she is ok with them going on the rides. I just wanted to help them appreciate it more is all.

The kids will appreciate the ride in a different way than you since you know the movie.
I have not seen any of the movies (other than the original Star Wars) and I enjoyed the ride all the same.

 

[dieumeye]

My daughters were 5&7 when they first went on Rise. They’ve only seen about the first 10 minutes of A New Hope and otherwise only know Star Wars from cultural exposure. They both enjoy Galaxy’s Edge and Rise even though they don’t know any of the characters.

Go for it as long as they are willing to ride. But don’t force them if they don’t want to go.

 

[shosh1530]

When my kiddo was that age he hadn't seen any of the movies, but was a huge fan because we had done numerous Star Wars picture books and some books on CD (20 minute version of the original trilogy and force awakens) that we listened to in the car. He especially loved those because it incorporated the Star Wars music. I liked them because it softened some of the violent language (e.g. saying a character destroyed the other somehow felt better than killed).

So maybe a trip to the library before your trip?

I will say though when we went to Disneyland when he was 5 (before Galaxy's Edge opened) I thought he would love all the Star Wars stuff but he was very overwhelmed. They did the Jedi training back then and he would only watch it from far away (he was sensitive to loud noises).

Maybe you could try riding Star Tours first and see how they do? Then tackle RotR if all goes well.

 

[ZeonStar]

Appreciate everyone advice and just wanted to say thank you. We ended up just watching the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special as a way to introduce them to the world and they enjoyed it. Then I had them watch some scenes of Force Awakens like the intro to Rey’s character and when her and Finn first meet.

My wife believes they will be fine for the ride. (She always did, it was the idea of watching Force Awakens that worrried her.)

The OTHER Star Wars rides at DL kind of slipped my mind. We will Definitely have them go on those too.

Thank you all again.