Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made the announcement during Marvel's presentation at the San Diego Comic-Con today, with Disney following with a post on the official Disney Parks Blog featuring a promotional video with Imagineer Joe Rohde. The Tower of Terror will close next spring for its transformation into Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout!
The storyline for the new attraction matches what I wrote here on Theme Park Insider in May. Essentially, Disney is taking the TokyoSea storyline for that Tower of Terror (which does not include "The Twilight Zone"), and swapping The Collector (Taneleer Tivan) for Harrison Hightower and Rocket for the Shiriki Utundu.
As Rohde explained, "the setting is a kind of fortress that’s owned by the mysterious Collector and it’s packed with creatures and his latest acquisitions from across the universe. Now he has imprisoned the Guardians of the Galaxy and they’re hanging in display cases over a giant abyss. The captor doesn’t know it but Rocket Raccoon has escaped and is enlisting our aid... to help the Guardians in a breakout scheme."
Disney won't be changing the physical structure of the ride, but it will be adding random drop profiles as on Florida's Tower of Terror, which will retain its Twilight Zone theme. Disney also will add music from the Guardians soundtrack to the ride, but if Disney also brings over the Pepper's Ghost effect in DisneySea's Tower preshow for this Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, that alone could help make this new version of the drop ride a hit.
Of course, anything Marvel starts with a huge reservoir of goodwill among fans. Feige said that the new Guardians ride will be Disney's first step in creating a Marvel-themed land in Disney California Adventure. Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout will open next summer.
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If they follow suit in Orlando, I will definitely blow a gasket.
P.S: We held a poll on this topic on Disboards, and over 90% said that this was a lousy idea. Is Disney paying the least bit of attention to their fans??
DCA's version in my opinion was half-baked and nothing really special, don't really care to see it go...
Again!, Really hope Disney leaves the original alone! There's not enough superlatives to describe its perfection.
While I'm not dead set against this change, I must admit that the video didn't exactly make me feel excited for the new version of the attraction. I'm a huge fan of Guardians of the Galaxy and I would love to see them get a theme park attraction, but I feel like the results will be subpar due to adapting the IP onto an attraction that isn't the best suited for the IP (I still say Avengers Tower would have been the proper Marvel retheme). The current version of the ride is one of the few I would consider perfect, and I do hope that near perfection can be achieved again. If not, I'll probably take a break from Disney for a couple years and go enjoy Justice League and Harry Potter one county north.
I am curious, however, if Disney has a contingency plan in place should this attraction flop. While it can be difficult to predict, I seriously think that a poor redo of this ride could break the AP bubble that currently supports the Disneyland Resort. Even the loss of Aladdin did not cause the level of negativity I'm seeing around the internet now. That makes me question this: If Mission: Breakout fails, does that ruin the future of Marvel attractions?
As Robert says, this is a good fit and I suspect the crowds will love it. Disney are a business and they exist to make money and entertain people. If their fans like it then all to the good but the fans don't drive decisions.
I'm sad to see TOT go, but the theming will make sense if Hollywood Land is developed into Marvel Land in the near future.
Three classic attractions ripped out in one year: Aladdin, Soarin' Over California and now Twilight Zone.
There is no reason to ever go back to California Adventure. Sure the scenery is pretty, but beautiful scenery can be enjoyed all over California, and for a lot less money.
The parallel rumor is Universe of Energy will get the Guardians makeover. I don't think Disney works the same theme for different ride systems at the same time.
Jack: Your concerns about the break in theming, the storyline problems, and the expansion of Marvel should be responded in one way: one at time. I just don't think they will fix the plot holes or the various issues for the Disney theme parks were never really consistent with the generic land where attractions were installed with a passing relationship to the land theme. I do have to laugh when you think there's a "gravity" problem with Guardians. When you're on a planet, there's gravity. On a spaceship there's no gravity, but all comic books suggests there's gravity devices.
As long as they don't convert the DHS Version, I'm fine. The DHS version is in my opinion the best and most coherent theme park attraction in the world. And would be a big loss to the world of theme parks if it would be converted as well.
Now, on the plus side, WDI has got their top dogs working on this project. Rohde is arguably the best Imagineer since Baxter, and the team around him is top-notch as well. If the pre-show experience is even close to the Tokyo version, this will be a great experience. On to the broader picture, I think WDI has pretty much confirmed the development of the long rumored Marvel Land expansion coming to DCA, which, on the whole, is great news. I'm going to project an announcement of the project after the completion of Star Wars Land, so we probably won't see any ground-breaking on further expansion until 2020 at the earliest.
Still waiting to see if they will build a Winchester Mystery House facade and we can finally get Mystic Manor.
Anon I thought that if they were going to put Marvel back behind the ToT that Bugs Land would have to be removed. I'm not sure if that's really the reason they decided on Hollywood Land instead. I think it makes more sense to take an existing land that not really working and remaking it. At least they can use preexisting buildings in the interim. That why they are converting TZToT. It's a way to bring Marvel to Anaheim without the expense of building all new attraction until after Star Wars is opened. Eventually they will add aa Avengers-themed Rock-n-Roller coaster where the Monsters ride is now. That's the rumour anyway.
So says David Brown above.
The public has spoken. Who do you think is on social media, anyway, a few freaks in their basement? This is 2016, everyone is on social media. The reaction to this godawful decision is overwhelmingly negative. If Disney wants to build a Guardians ride, they should stop cheaping out and build one from scratch. Don't mess with our Tower!
I personally think the problem with adhering to this IP rule is that, yes, theoretically there's less risk (since there's already a built-in fanbase for that IP), but the thing that might backfire is that the built-in base knows what to expect on some level, and the attraction might not meet their expectations. So then what? You have a fanbase that's not thrilled, and the rest of the general population that wasn't all that excited to begin with. So now you have a property that needs another quick makeover, but will probably sit there gasping for air for 10-15 years.
I am totally in agreement with keeping the ToT themed to Hollywood on some level, since it sits in Hollywood Land on BV Street, but creating a new attraction theme based on the Society of Adventurers and Explorers (or something along those lines). Disney is known for high-level creative and premiere execution – why don't they pour the honey that's sitting in the pot for redeveloping this property into something that will create a new and Unique Disney IP??
With respect to placement, I do agree that it seems like Disney is slowly losing respect for the industry that they themselves built, and that people across the board love: theming. Specifically, theming to lands. Highly themed attractions are one thing, but if you ignore the overall setting, then you're removing the visitor from their general suspension of disbelief when visiting the Disney parks, and essentially dropping them right into a Universal park (or Cedar Fair park, or Merlin park, etc.). This speaks to Frozen in EPCOT, GoG in EPCOT, etc.
Everything is clear in hindsight, I know, but the real mistake was not building WestCOT, in my opinion.
I've seen a few Twilight Zone episodes and I'm not the biggest fan. I did, however, enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy.
I admit it's more fun to be a hater towards Disney. The accusations of 'a lack of capital spending' have been proven wrong. The accusations of poor ride/attractions quality have been proven wrong.
The doom and gloom predictions for the Frozen ride have been proven to be way off. And, the predictions the Frozen stage show would never meet the attendance of Aladdin, also wrong.
Here's to more Disneyland 'exclusive' rides and attractions.
As it's being quoted, it must have millions of comments.
Let us not forget the Tiki Room Under New Management.
Take it from this WDW Pro, Disneyland fans and ticket holders, you are in danger!
I am still thinking this is some kind of joke. This has to be the worst Disney move I have seen in a long time!
Personally, I'm on Team-Totally-Okay-With-This, so long as Orlando's stays intact. Like Robert says, it could actually end up being a better fit, particularly if it anchors a new land. I love variety between parks, rather than straight clones, so long as it's done well.
And judging from the artwork, that building has the potential to look stunning at night.
I hope they don't use RnRC as the model for whatever coaster they work into the eventual Marvel land though. Let's take the TRON design and turn it into a Black Widow motorcycle ride, yeah?
Tower of Terror is not a classic, it's just over 12 years old.
DCA TOT was hated when it opened because it was compared to DHS version, people said it felt cheap.
Majority of you complaining will go visit the new ride when it opens.
TOT is far enough away from the main Hollywood Land strip to be included, or excluded from any makeover.
Marvel overlays will be a huge draw, again, Disney does not fall to complaining from blogs. They plan and analize projects for a long duration.
WDCo has already committed to converting the majority of the Hollywood Pictures backlot into Marvel. We are not privy to the plans. But, our consistent questioning is well placed. But, an answer will not be known for sometime.
DCA, as it's now called, is still suffering from a lack of eTicket attractions that generate excitement that translates into admissions that translates into revenue.
Over the next decade DCA will dramatically evolve. And we will cherish the new eTickets just like we cherished everything that's been added to Disneyland POST Walt.
And remember...
The DCA version of TofT has always been TRASHED when compared to WDW. And rightfully so!
Removing Twilight Zone is only the latest sign that Disney does not care about us. It's incredibly stupid and insulting of Disney to remove an attraction that is ranked a "must do" 9 out of 10 on Theme Park Insider. And it is totally unnecessary. There is plenty of space at Disneyland for GOG without trashing Twilight Zone.
Iger and Chapek seem determined to destroy Disney. Let it rot. I'm taking my business to Universal and Knotts Berry Farm.
Then this. ToT was one of the most popular rides DCA had, and now Disney is replacing it with GOTG. Guardians was an ok movie, but not as good as Avengers. Most people I know haven't even SEEN it. Not the best choice right now, Disney.
It all started with inflating the prices of everything ($12 for a CHEESEBURGER?!?), and people played along because, after all, it is "the most magical place on earth".
Then came the overpriced extras (the dessert parties, PAYING OVER $100 to get into a park early, etc. etc.) and people played along because, after all, it is "the most magical place on earth".
Then the rethemes started (Maelstrom=Frozen Ever After, Aladdin=Frozen Live) and people played along because, after all, it is " the most magical place on earth".
Then this. NOW people aren't playing along anymore. There was a slight uproar over Aladdin, but not as much as this. Disney simply went too far. A beloved attraction rated as a "must do" on this website and so many other travel guides, eliminated on the sole complaint that it wasn't based on a recent franchise.
I encourage everyone to keep giving Disney pushback for this decision. Maybe if they see what a mistake they've made, they might change.
But I'm interested in know how this ride is going to work. You are in the collection room, which looks like the boiler room of ToT, and I'm assuming that Rocket Raccoon is helping you to escape by the elevators, or are they escape pods? If so, you are escaping by shooting up, then the Collector would presumably try to pull you back down.
So the movement would be pulling down, not falling. And how would you help the Guardians escape? By triggering some device which releases them? Would they then appear in the hallway like the ToT apparitions? I'm sure that Rohde and Co. have things figured out, but just this little mind game that I'm playing doesn't sound like it could be all that great.
Regardless on which ToT is better, DCA's was one of the most popular attractions in the park. They just spent a ton of money redoing that section of the park and now they are abandoning the theme.
This seems like one long and elaborate April Fool's Day prank since there is nothing about this that makes any sense. It makes the Frozen ride at EPCOT look reasonable.
"East or West of The Mississippi – permitted uses shall be limited to the use of specific Marvel characters and Marvel may not permit a licensee to use the name “Marvel” as part of the attraction name or marketing."
This basically means that although Disney can have Marvel themed attractions at Disneyland, they cannot call this new comic based area Marvel land. This makes me wonder why in the world are they even bothering to do this in the first place.
By the way, this info is from the most recent article posted on TPT I just read.
The difference now is they have stopped hiding profiteering behind a glittering wall of magic and wonder, they now just ram franchises into the faces of weary parents, watching kids go nuts for something just to fit in rather than be genuinely amazed.
It is sad, time for the next Disney the next Imagineer to come along and start something new. This will probably mean losing all those parks we love so much to bad management and declining attraction quality. But I would give my right arm to relive the magic again wherever it may be.
As noted by several keen eyed commenters, what do you do with Hyperion Theatre and the Red Car Trolley. Both will stick out like sore thumbs. The real questions are... Can they continue to serve a purpose? If yes, in another area or park? If not, will demolition offer more land for higher capacity rides/attractions?
These questions are being addressed by Team Anaheim as they plan for the long-term buildout of what's currently called DCA.
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