Disney Accused of Stealing Ride Design for Rise of the Resistance

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019 and it continues to be one of Disney World’s most popular rides.

Rise of the Resistance utilizes several different attractions and scenarios for a 25 minute experience involving a battle with the First Order, and now an individual is suing Disney and claiming that his ride design was stolen and used in Rise of the Resistance.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Louis Alfieri is suing Disney for allegedly using his drop ride mechanism design in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. He claims to have submitted his “Ultra Tower Show Experience” proposal to Walt Disney Imagineering in 2014.

Alfieri’s now patented technology is for a “vertically-aligned amusement ride apparatus” that allows guests to experience a ride that moves in sync with a video on screen, and Alfieri’s suit alleges that Disney used this technology in the Rise of the Resistance escape pod drop scene.

Alfieri formerly worked as a creative director at Universal, and he is now the chief creative officer of Raven Sun Creative, an entertainment design company. His suit seeks damages from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for allegedly infringing on his patent and profiting from his technology.

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