disneylands new guardians of the galaxy ride opening soon

[alldinoman17]

recently Disneyland have made a new attraction but just rethemed the Hollywood tower of terror to guardians of the galaxy breakout the trailer has already relased on youtube and will be opening soon to the public and what are there thoughts are on this new rethemed ride and marvel comics is expanding Disneyworld in to a marvel section in a couple years

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

My thoughts?

You've just joined. you've made 5 posts and created three new threads, garnering -34 reputation (average of 8.5 downvotes per post so far), and the first two threads you created have been locked as there is already a topic on the boards.

This topic is already on the boards too, so most likely it will be locked shortly as well.

I also think you should consider investing in some full stops and an enter button so that you can space things out a little better, and write in cogent sentences that people can read without stabbing their eyeballs out.

Like my advice to @Theme Park in another thread, my advice would be to ease back, sit back and watch a little.

Feel free to ask some questions about things if you don't know them, and if you come across absolutely breaking news feel free to post it - but if you happen to come across something that's just opened, or is about to - go back and check when it was announced - chances are we've already discussed it in depth. (in some cases, we discuss things to death BEFORE it's announced too!)

[alldinoman17]

thanks man

[alldinoman17]

guys why me all I wanted is to show my opions but every one hates me I am over it

[Gazza]

23 minutes ago, alldinoman17 said:

guys why me all I wanted is to show my opions but every one hates me I am over it

Yeah but why do you have to shout them in CAPITAL LETTERS? Why can't you write them properly with punctuation?
And why can't you post in existing threads on particular topics?

[rappa]

So the ride is now open and here's my thoughts... 

 

I think it looks like the worst idea Disney ever had for a ride redo since Rocket Rods.

What a fail, sure the theming and pre show is top notch, but the ride theme in no way fits the ride system and at the expense of what was an amazing ride and theme (albeit not as well executed as it's siblings).

The original theme, story, experience, was pure Disney. This incarnation belongs at Universal, I'm left wondering where the 3D glasses and water spray is going to happen. The ride experience lacks any coherent story, suspense or just real 'WTF just happened' factor.
I think it's best summed up by the sign out front, that's something I would expect to see in a Six Flags park.

I'm actually shocked that they are opening Pandora and this biscuit at the same time.

To me holding off and re theming Star Tours to Guardians would have made much more sense given the film is pretty much centred around flying on a space ship and foreign worlds, and the entire pre show/que could also be themed that way. That and the fact Star Tours makes little sense being in Tomorrowland once the new land opens. About as much sense as a giant Guardians tower makes in an old world Hollywood part of DCA which would be much more suited to say, and Old abandoned Glamorous Hotel.... hey wait a minute.

[MickeyD]

I think people are going to be pretty divided on this one and sorry @djrappa but I am going to have to disagree with almost all of what you don't like about it.

- the new preshow and internal queue is vastly more entertaining with tonnes to take in and one of the best AA figures ever done. 

- the ride system's capabilities are being maximised with a far greater variance in motion, it's fast paced from  start to end and is randomized.

- the show itself is randomized with 6 different offerings, making it highly repeatable.

- the entire attraction is beautifully irreverent and  with the music back ground it  just feels so damn fun! Just  like the movie!

- the overall ride experience is longer and more thrilling from beginning to end.

For those who want the original Twilight Zone experience, the original Florida tower always has been the better experience with the 5th dimension room.

I agree that much of GOTG looks very Universal, tbh it's a theme that is meant to be cheesy and given how well it has been executed I believe the ride is going to be a huge hit for Disney. Personally  I can't wait to ride it  😃

[joz]

It's like a fidget spinner to me.  Very popular and people seem to love it, but I just don't get it at all.

[rappa]

You've listed a bunch of great parts there. But they don't make a whole. 

It's all disjointed without one component tied to the next. 

Ask yourself this. If you were building this ride from scratch would you choose to use an elevator as the ride system?

Ive no doubt it's a fun ride but it's a waste and not one part makes sense if you weren't just slapping this on something you already had. 

 

Full disclosure: I love the Guardians films so my dislike for this has nothing to do with the films. 

Like I said, should have gone into Star Tours

[MickeyD]

I get what you are saying Rappa and it feeling disjointed. I thought that was why so much more effort went into the preshow story because it's totally lost without it.

I just don't see too many people feeling disappointed when they get off but it will be interesting to look at the reviews as they come in. Ultimately, the experience seems to be a lot of fun so it will be interesting to see how it's received. I’m happy so long as they leave the Florida one alone.

My greatest concern for the ride in it's current state is how well it will age over time.

As for star tours, well isn't that a strange one given no plans to relocate the ride once SWL opens.. It will indeed seem out of place in Tomorrowland. On the subject of simulators, I am expecting a SoCal version of the Iron man experience as part of the new Marvel area in California Adventure in coming years.. Maybe that could be a relocation and reimagined Star Tours ride?

[Santa07]

I thought this was a terrible idea when I first read about it, but after seeing it in action I actually take that back and don't agree with those who still sit in that boat.

Sure, it doesn't have the nostalgia ToT did, or the same atmosphere that ride gave, but Disney certainly hasn't dropped the ball with theming, in fact I would dare say that they have upped their game with this ride. Okay, the Twilight Zone was popular, but it's getting quite old now and the youth of today are definitely going to jump for a GotG-themed ride over a Twilight Zone-themed ride. As @MickeyD said, it feels fun, and I think that's what Disneyland is all about.

I do think I would've preferred to ride it as ToT, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with this ride, except for the whole "don't fix what's not broken" thing - but Disney has done it now, so I see no reason to complain because it still looks like a great ride.

[MickeyD]

There are some great videos on line showing off the ride's drive engines at the top of the tower. I am just really looking forward to experiencing the capabilities it has always had, until now not fully explored. It's a fascinating piece of engineering and having been on the original Twilight Zone one numerous times before I am really looking forward to the opportunity of falling in love with the ride all over again.

Rocket looks incredible!

[rappa]

Here's a question for you MickeyD from both yours and Santa's comments...

 

How do you think this ride sits for anyone who HASN'T seen the films? I take your point about how the pre-show needs to set it up. But I think it won't have anywhere near the impact for someone who hasn't seen the film franchise as it will for those of us that has.
Having said that, I don't think you needed to have seen one single episode of Twilight Zone for Tower of Terror to work because it really was a self contained/explained story. That's another point of difference I think Disney USUALLY has over Universal. Here I think you kinda need to have seen the film to appreciate the ride. Much like Harry Potter.

 

In comparison I haven't seen Cars, and I don't think I'm missing anything from that ride experience as a result, and I mean who needs to have seen Song of the South in order to enjoy Splash Mountain, same with Indiana Jones. I think this is maybe the biggest reason this is falling flat for me... that and the fact I don't think it will be timeless like was mentioned above.

 

 

Having said that the vast majority of people will probably LOVE it, so what does my opinion matter

[Zanstabar]

Looks like we're getting quite mixed reviews on this one. 

I remember as a young kid being asked if I wanted to ride the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and all it took was one look at the surroundings to tell me exactly what I need to know. It was ominous, mysterious, and looming over almost all of the Anaheim skyline. From sight alone, it set up the story. Walking throughout the desolate gardens and the lobby only helped emphasise this. Every interaction was set up in such a way that I was walking into my own episode of the Twilight Zone, and that scared me because it felt, in a way, so real. 

Then I take a look at what it's become...

The footage of the ride certainly looks like an enjoyable experience, let me clear that first. What I think is missing is that sense of journey and adventure. The original incarnation had a sense of progression, from empty rooms, a journey into another dimension, all the way to the very climax at the very top as you take in the view of the Disneyland resort. Mission Breakout feels very much to me like a quick comic book romp featuring Star-Lord and the gang. Does it suit the personality of the franchise? Well, in a sense, yes. Everything I love about Guardians of the Galaxy is present in this ride. The humour, the characters, the music. I just think that it's missing that sense of story. Rather than building its way up, it appears that you just board the elevator before getting right into the action. 

At the end of the day, I shouldn't complain too much. It still looks like fun and I'm not going to act as if I won't ride it multiple times and enjoy my experience. I just don't think it's at the level of the original, where I would go to the park, out of my way, just to experience it. If DCA was a festival lineup, Mission Breakout would be a sideshow rather than the headliner that it used to be. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Zanstabar

[MickeyD]

Dusty at Miceage has just reviewed the new ride and I found it well worth the read if anyone is interested. I pasted the summary below:

Is this attraction perfect? No. But the attempts to dazzle with props, lighting and special effects goes a very long way in hiding the flaws. And the ride itself is high energy with fun music, beautiful digital animation, and a new set of drop sequences which will help keep guests engaged and wanting to return.

The story is a simple one. The Guardians are trapped in cages by the Collector. Rocket has escaped and needs our help to free his friends. What could go wrong?

Is this attraction better than Tower of Terror? That’s very hard for me to say, and I’m going to need to let some of the dazzle of this shiny new object wear off a bit before making a decision. But, whether it is better or not, it is fun. I REALLY enjoyed myself. They’ve managed to create an experience which is similar to the previous ride but with more energy, solid storytelling, and is relevant to a younger generation than the Twilight Zone.

The ride opens to the public today and Disney is planning for epic lines (I heard they are prepared for 6 to 7 hour waits)  OUCH!

[rappa]

See I like that review but the end gets me. 

People need to stop saying it's more relevant than twilight zone because that ride is no way whatsoever relied on the twilight zone franchise for its appeal. 

 

This is version though 100% relies on Guardians and it will be as outdated as Back to the Future the ride in 10 years time. 

[xRazzBerryx]

Just watched a POV and... yeah nah, not a fan. The ride looks real tacky & weird. I agree with @djrappa that it doesn't fit the ride system & star tours probably would've been perfect for the retheme. 

The ride looks fun. The themeing looks great. However it doesn't tick any sense boxes for me. I'm glad I got to ride the original.

A bit off topic but does anyone know what is happening to Star Tours once Star Wars Land opens?

[MickeyD]

16 hours ago, djrappa said:

Here's a question for you MickeyD from both yours and Santa's comments...

 

How do you think this ride sits for anyone who HASN'T seen the films? I take your point about how the pre-show needs to set it up. But I think it won't have anywhere near the impact for someone who hasn't seen the film franchise as it will for those of us that has.
Having said that, I don't think you needed to have seen one single episode of Twilight Zone for Tower of Terror to work because it really was a self contained/explained story. That's another point of difference I think Disney USUALLY has over Universal. Here I think you kinda need to have seen the film to appreciate the ride. Much like Harry Potter.

 

In comparison I haven't seen Cars, and I don't think I'm missing anything from that ride experience as a result, and I mean who needs to have seen Song of the South in order to enjoy Splash Mountain, same with Indiana Jones. I think this is maybe the biggest reason this is falling flat for me... that and the fact I don't think it will be timeless like was mentioned above.

 

 

Mike Celestino from Inside The Magic has provided the most detailed review of the new ride yet (about 16 minutes long). Over 2 days of Media previews he had the opportunity to stay on the ride and experience all sequence variations, taking 17 rides in total... LUCKY HIM!

Like myself, his first experience of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was decades earlier in Florida, years before DCA even existed. The Florida ToT remains in the top 5 experiences of all time for many Theme Park fans.

Enter the California version of the ride and since then it has been compared by many as the brawny, shorter and all round inferior little brother to the Original. Despite this, Disney has long defended it as the benchmark model in terms of versatile design and capabilities, spawning versions for Paris and Tokyo since.

In this case I think it's important to see what the right fit is for each version of the ride. For the Florida version, it will always be perfect as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and could only be enhanced with effects that compliment the eerie and unique nature of the ride. To me, the SoCal version has always fallen short in the eyes of it's big brother. It is quite a different experience and in it's TZ format, never had the chance to show off it's mad skills.

As GOTG it can finally step out of it's big brother's shadow and come into it's own as something that is totally unique for West Coast Disney.

It's not really an issue of losing appeal in 10 years time because they have already proven just how versatile this version of the ride's system can be. I agree with the ill felt sentiment that Disney is moving away from the  'generic' themes of the past (space mountain, haunted mansion etc) and that there is a genuine risk by going overboard with specific IPs of today (Guardians/Pandora). So long as they keep up on the quality of the experience, I can forgive Disney for a need to evolve using their current core brands  (Marvel/Star Wars).

 

 

[AllegroCrab]

On 5/27/2017 at 3:24 PM, Santa07 said:

Okay, the Twilight Zone was popular, but it's getting quite old now and the youth of today are definitely going to jump for a GotG-themed ride over a Twilight Zone-themed ride.

Grrr I hate this argument.

The theme itself is from the past, so it doesn't matter one bit that the ride is somewhat dated. It's supposed to be a creepy old hotel from 1939. The original ride system was tailor made for the theme and story, and it is probably the best ride/experience combination I've ever ridden.

The most recent installation of the ride was in 2007, that's only 10 years ago, where Disney thought the ride experience was still of a high enough quality to be put in as a brand new attraction at one of their parks.

The Twilight Zone is still a well known name amongst 'the youth of today' because of the rides at Disney parks. They're attractions that carry themselves, where the ride experience matches the theme perfectly. A good ride doesn't have to have a successful movie series behind it to get people through the gates to ride it. And ride themes that are relying on a franchise to get people through the gates will not last.

This has to have been Disney's worst idea ever.

[wikiverse]

This ride looks like a lot of fun.

It fits in perfectly with the entire 'fun' atmosphere of DCA.  From all the videos i've seen, people are laughing and enjoying themselves the entire time.

Disney is planning to release new GOTG films every 3 years or so.  In 10 years time they will be up to the 6th film release in the franchise.  So the GtoG theme will have at least 20 years of longevity.  I don't think the Guardian's franchise becoming dated is going to be an issue.  Kids growing up today will feel nostalgic for these films in the future.

I can understand Disney's reasoning for wanting to exploit their IP.  The ride will sell toys, it will get people who haven't seen the films to watch the films, and the films will be an extra selling point for DCA.

Plus, the story elements of the ride can easily be updated since they're mostly digital - which means they could have a different variation of the ride to match future films.

I'm excited to ride it myself.

[Santa07]

I also think it's nice to have a bit of variations between the four Disney tower rides now. DCA's and Walt Disney Studios Paris basically had identical rides, except one was in English and the other is in French. Hollywood Studios has the "bigger" version of the ride, but is still the same theme and storyline. Tokyo's is a completely different theme and storyline. Now that this one's been changed to GotG, all four of the towers are all pretty different, so now if I've been to DLP, I can go to DCA and get a completely different experience, or vice versa. I don't think Disneyland will change any more of there towers for this reason.

[webslave]

I just watched this video;

Full disclosure: I saw the first film, and I liked it but at the same time I gave it a pass on the basis that it was the best of a bunch of cinema that didn't appeal to me at all at the time and I had free tickets that I needed to burn.  As I walked out I said to my wife that I thought it was good, but that it was not something that I was going to be in a rush to get a hold of later on.  That proved fairly true.  I've not seen the second one, but probably will get a hold of it in a few months if I'm at a loose end.

Further disclosure: I have ridden ToT at DCA, but nowhere else.  I've never seen a single episode of the Twilight Zone.

...what the hell did I just watch?  If I'd not seen the image of the sign out front earlier in the ride I would have no idea that this was meant to be themed to a break-out.  Did this video lose something of the experience and is there one out there that better showcases it? God, I hope so.  In my estimation the sole motivator for riding this ride would be an affection for the characters, or the motion of the platform.  It doesn't tell me a story in any meaningful way, which is a real strange one for Disney given I can usually work out the start, middle and end of their rides.  It's all the more strange because we aren't talking about trying to do storytelling with something linear and with a lot of space like a roller-coaster, but instead we're working in a confined space with plenty of digital ability and absolute control of a variable ride experience.

To watch this video: 

I don't have to know or care what the Twilight Zone is about.  The storyline is coherent and accessible to me - it's a hotel that in the old days was hit by lightning which meant it ended up strange and haunted.  That's why the inside of the place looks so old-world Hollywood glamorous.  I've gotten into the elevator which is a piece of machinery that I understand the rules of as a member of the public.  I'm taken and shown some cool visuals that reinforce the whole haunted hotel theme with narration to back it up, and then the rules of the elevator break.  It's got good longevity because the hotel is stuck in the past anyway, and even if the Twilight Zone show itself is not exactly timeless I'd suggest that the theme music is - and even without the show tie-in the narrative is able to stand alone.

You might be tempted to think that I'm anti-progress for Disney, and see this ride as a hasty cash-in on something popular and without substance.  Not so.  I rode ToT once, and have no real affection for it any more than I would any other ride at any other park.  If they want to go with GotG for a ride experience I have no problem with that, although I do think it's better suited to a more traditional motion simulator.  I think @djrappa is right on the money here.

[Santa07]

19 minutes ago, webslave said:

...what the hell did I just watch?  If I'd not seen the image of the sign out front earlier in the ride I would have no idea that this was meant to be themed to a break-out.  Did this video lose something of the experience and is there one out there that better showcases it? God, I hope so.  In my estimation the sole motivator for riding this ride would be an affection for the characters, or the motion of the platform.  It doesn't tell me a story in any meaningful way, which is a real strange one for Disney given I can usually work out the start, middle and end of their rides.  It's all the more strange because we aren't talking about trying to do storytelling with something linear and with a lot of space like a roller-coaster, but instead we're working in a confined space with plenty of digital ability and absolute control of a variable ride experience.

A Disney ride starts the moment you step into the queue line. If you take a look at the queue and pre-show, I think it explains the story perfectly well.

[Original]

On 5/27/2017 at 3:30 PM, MickeyD said:

There are some great videos on line showing off the ride's drive engines at the top of the tower.

Do you have the link to these? I'd love to see the drive motors in action.  

[MickeyD]

Here you go!! 

http://www.industrytap.com/engineering-disneys-tower-of-terror-ride/5209