We’ve all heard it, been asked it, or seen it on Facebook. “Why would I want to go to Disneyland? Isn’t it, like, a lot smaller than Disney World?”
And even if the question may make Disney history fans seethe, it’s a fair one for casual theme park goers to ask. How can the 200-acre Disneyland Resort complex that could entirely fit inside Epcot compete with the “Vacation Kingdom of the World?” In some ways, it can’t…! In real, quantifiable ways, Walt Disney World simply can’t be beat.
Especially if you grew up east of the Mississippi (or outside of the United States altogether), it’s likely that Walt Disney World is your home base for magic. And in that regard, it’s exactly what it was designed to be: an international destination righting the wrongs of the narrow paths and 1950s infrastructure of the tiny, landlocked Disneyland with the power of hindsight and a successful blueprint to work off of.
Of course, real Imagineering fans know that the “Disneyland vs. Disney World” debate is absurd and unwinnable. So next time a friend questions why Disneyland is worth a visit, here are just a few things Disney World fans should be jealous of Disneyland for getting first (or at all). And don’t worry – we won’t fall into the rabbit hole of “it’s the original,” “Walt stepped here,” “the weather is perfect,” or “Park-Hopping is simple!” Instead, we’ll stick to the rides and attractions that make Disney World fans jealous…
1. New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square is often regarded as the most beautiful classic Disney Parks land on Earth. It was also the last project Walt himself oversaw. With intricate streets of labyrinth-like alleys, plazas, and staircases, the land is alive with the musical, jazzy spirit of the French Quarter in the 20th century. It was also the first of Disneyland’s areas to reflect a real, physical place you’d find on a map (though still passed through a lens of fantasy and romanticism).
Guests can spend a whole evening relaxing on the wrought-iron, vine-covered patios of the French Market or Cafe Orleans where real jazz bands play. Forget “Disneyland” t-shirts; the shops of New Orleans Square include authentic offerings, like a jewelry store and perfumerie.
What’s more, New Orleans Square practically invented the idea of exclusive in-universe snacks (later taken to its extreme with Butterbeer and Blue Milk) with guests dining on non-alcoholic mint juleps and Mickey-shaped beignets as the park’s two massive riverboats sail by on the Rivers of America. It’s the kind of land you want to spend time in.
And to top it all off, there may be no Disney Parks land on Earth that can best its attraction lineup, either. New Orleans Square includes Haunted Mansion (in a spooky white plantation house on the edge of the elegant city) and Pirates of the Caribbean (with a ride time about twice that of Magic Kingdom’s, and often regarded as the best classic dark ride on the planet). It’s also where you’ll find the park’s most memorable restaurant, the Blue Bayou, located inside Pirates of the Caribbean with diners cast as guests at a plantation party from the point-of-view of riders. At the end of the day, New Orleans Square is one of a kind, and while Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square may be its counterpart, they’re really apples and oranges by design.
2. Indiana Jones Adventure
Quite simply, there may be no E-Ticket on Earth quite like the Modern Marvel: Indiana Jones Adventure. The perfect fusion of Disney’s technology and storytelling, the cinematic ride is perhaps the highlight of the cinematic, big-budget ’90s attractions pioneered by Michael Eisner and his determination to make Disney Parks cool, hip, thrilling places with modern stories and heroes. The dark ride sends guests deep into the lost Temple of the Forbidden Eye where an encounter with the ancient god Mara promises either otherworldly gifts… or doom…
Indiana Jones Adventure’s legend is one of the strongest and most powerful in the Disney Parks canon, and we even rank Mara among our list of the best characters created for the parks. Then layer on one of the most physical, visceral rides Disney’s ever designed (thankfully, just before screens became commonplace) and a multi-million dollar technological ride system (the motion-simulating EMV) and you end up with a true blockbuster ride experience.
Not only is Indiana Jones Adventure one of Disneyland’s headlining rides; it also acts as a centering force for the park’s Adventureland, drawing the Jungle Cruise, the nearby Bazaar, and the Tropical Hideaway into its 1930s lost river delta story, wherein guests are cast as nouveau riche Europeans drawn to an exotic port by black-and-white news media surrounding the temple’s discovery. In fact, once you’ve experienced Indiana Jones Adventure and the way it truly anchors Adventureland in a specific time and place, no other castle park’s Adventureland feels quite right without it…
Indiana Jones Adventure alone should be enough of a draw for most Walt Disney World regulars to price out a trip to Anaheim, and is definitely a major reason to be jealous of Disneyland’s stellar lineup.
3. Big Thunder Mountain reimagining
On any given day, it’s estimated that nearly a third of guests at Disneyland are Annual Passholders, while another substantial chunk is local to Southern California and the surrounding region – a huge difference from Orlando, where guests overwhelmingly come from outside the state and country. (We’ll see that difference be the impetus for a number of Disneyland projects on this list.) Enter projects like this one – examples of the kind of “plussing” Disneyland often undergoes just to keep its heavily local guests coming back for more.
In 2014, Disneyland’s version of the coaster was completely rebuilt from scratch in a massive 14-month refurbishment. The real talking point, though, was its finale. The third lift hill – which used to feature massive rocks rumbling as if being dislodged by an earthquake – got a texture mapped projection makeover, with fuses lit by a tipped lantern chasing the train up the lift and igniting boxes of TNT, blasting massive clouds of fog overlayed with projections of explosions. It’s a thrilling, memorable, and iconic new scene.
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The makeover was exported to Disneyland Paris shortly thereafter. Meanwhile Disney World’s version of the ride never got it. It still features the “earthquake” finale, which might be fine except that the moving rock props were turned off years ago. It makes this ride’s finale into a silent climb up a cavern. Rumors suggest that the Big Thunder reimagining might be coming to Magic Kingdom (as one of 50 new things for the resort’s 50th anniversary in 2021) but coming 7 years after Disneyland got it is… pretty frustrating.
4. Hatbox Ghost
The Haunted Mansion is a treasured favorite at both Disneyland and Disney World. That said, the ride’s duplication is one of those rare instances where fans of both resorts tend to agree that Disney World’s is better, if only for a handful of additional show scenes in the ride’s first half, and better maintanence and upkeep. That said, there is one thing that makes the Disneyland version so incredibly sought after: the Hatbox Ghost.
One of our 10 great characters created just for the Parks, the Hatbox Ghost was famously installed in the Haunted Mansion during its construction, but removed before opening to the public. Imagineers just couldn’t quite get the effect – wherein the ghost’s head would disappear off his shoulders and re-appear in a hatbox he held – to work given the ambient lighting in the ride. Despite never being in the open attraction, the genuinely-frightening, grizzled spectre was prominent in the ride’s marketing and merchandising for decades. And, in a bit of nostalgia, the character “materialized” in Disneyland’s Mansion in 2015 – just in time for the resort’s 60th anniversary celebration.
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The new-age Hatbox Ghost effect is truly mesmerizing, and it’s a highlight of the attraction to see the effect work. Naturally, you might assume Disney would have an identical figure produced to place in Magic Kingdom’s version of the ride… but, nope! The spot where he should stand is instead empty. Could this be another treat coming for Disney World’s 50th anniversary? Perhaps. Until then, it’s yet another thing Disney World fans should be jealous that Disneyland got first… or, in this case, at all…
5. Fantasmic!
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Disney “nighttime spectaculars” have become so synonymous with a day at the parks, guests can queue for hours to grab a space. But after all these years, there’s nothing that tops Fantasmic. The show – which debuted at Disneyland in 1992 – takes place on the Rivers of America, with guests seated around the river’s southern bend with all eyes on Tom Saywer Island. The 22-minute spectacle combines water, light, projections, live characters, barges, and one of the most memorable scores ever written for a Disney Park into one massive, tear-enducing show.
Disney World got its own version in 1998, including the benefit of a purpose-built stadium and stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, the Florida version’s “wins” end there, with the show relegating much of the action to water screens, updating the show to replace classic characters with Pocahontas and Aladdin, and lacking the two massive riverboats that Disneyland’s Rivers of America location provides.
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To make matters even worse for Disney World, Disneyland’s version was famously upgraded from 2007 to 2009, culiminating in the debut of one of the best Audio-Animatronics on Earth – a massive, firebreathing Maleficent dragon. And then, in 2017, while the Rivers of America were dammed for the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Imagineers took the opportunity to re-record the show’s score, refine its story, and add new projection mapping effects to the island. While some fans dislike the newest iteration of the show, at least it’s not stuck in 1998 with a dragon-head-on-a-pole like Disney World’s.
Again, it’s odd that Team Disney Orlando wouldn’t “double-dip” on the development of projections and the Maleficent animatronic to plus their own show, but again, maybe without such a dependence on locals, they just don’t have to!
6. Fantasyland classics
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When both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom opened, their Fantasylands were relatively simple: mirrored showbuildings built off of their respective castles to create inner courtyards, and pastel “tournament tent” style facades that lightly disguised those buildings as if at a Medieval or Renaissance faire. Walt was said to be frustrated by the end result, having wanted to build out a more charming, storybook tone for the land.
His wishes came true long after his passing when, in 1983, Disneyland’s Fantasyland was entirely closed with its opening day dark rides literally gutted. The Imagineer in charge, Tony Baxter, recalled seeing the facades and dark rides on his childhood torn out and wondering aloud, “What have we done?”
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But the “New Fantasyland” that debuted that year was every bit what Walt was picturing with each dark ride rebuilt to improve upon their 1955 versions: a cobblestone village of “Old World” European architecture, like a Tudor-style British hamlet containing Peter Pan’s Flight, a stately red brick Toad Hall for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, a dark Germanic castle for Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and an Italian marionette theater for Pinocchio’s Daring Journey.
Meanwhile, Disney World’s Fantasyland maintained the tournament tent style for thirty more years. Of course, the New Fantasyland it eventually recieved was inspired more by the “Wizarding World” model (letting guests step into the world’s of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and Dumbo) rather than the European village look in California, so maybe it was worth the wait!
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Still, literally all (yes, all) of Fantasyland’s dark rides have survived to today in Disneyland – even the Lost Legends: Snow White’s Scary Adventures and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride that are long gone from Magic Kingdom (not to mention the dark rides Magic Kingdom never had to begin with, like Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey).
7. California Adventure
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Okay, before you laugh, consider this. While Disney California Adventure may have had a really rocky start and may be making some odd choices today, the fact remains that Disney has never tackled a project the way they handled the reimagining of Disneyland’s second gate. Even the transformations of Epcot don’t match the scale or scope of California Adventure’s transformation, which literally tore each of the park’s lands to its thematic nuts and bolts and rebuilt them with entirely new stories.
Though you can read the incredible story of the park’s transformation in our Disney’s California Misadventure: Part I and Part II, the fact is that Disney opened a theme park with practically no rides, no Disney characters, and paper-thin lands whose sole purpose was to poke fun at modern California culture, celebrities, and Hollywood CEOs. Lacking the heart and romance people expect from Disney, the park underwent a 5-year, billion-dollar rebuild that wasn’t just about new attractions, but a new identity. The resulting park feels like a complement to Disneyland, born of the same basic idea: romanticized, idealized lands that transport guests to historic times and places.
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Is California Adventure the best Disney Park on Earth? Of course not. But it’s story is a triumphant one; a park of beautiful themed lands like Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, and yes, even Pixar Pier. And lest we forget, California Adventure’s ride count will work out to 20 – more than any pairing of Disney World’s non-castle parks combined.
8. Haunted Mansion Holiday
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Every year from the start of the Halloween season through the New Year, Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is seized by Jack Skellington and the cast of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Touchstone stop-motion film has become a cult classic, and the “spirited” overlay of the Haunted Mansion has likewise become an annual tradition.
The stately plantation is decked in thousands and thousands of candles and pumpkins. But there’s so much more. Inside, the entire house is completely reimagined as Jack and friends “wreck the halls,” adding Nightmare twists to every hallway and room. Madame Leota recites the “13 Night of Christmas,” the ballroom becomes a spectacular Christmas party around a real gingerbread house (whose annual design fans eagerly wait to see… and smell), and the graveyard is transformed into a singalong with Audio-Animatronics of Jack, Sally, and the nefarious Oogie Boogie.
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Haunted Mansion Holiday has been a part of Disneyland since 2001, and began at Tokyo Disneyland in 2004. After so many years, some fans call for the end of the yearly takeover (after all, it’s been nearly 20 years since Disneyland guests have been able to ride the real Haunted Mansion on Halloween). Maybe it’s time. Meanwhile, Walt Disney World fans would love for such a detailed, spectacular, and original overlay to their Haunted Mansion… but since so many Disney World guests visit once every few years or even once in a lifetime, seasonal overlays are generally avoided. After all, if it’s your only visit to Magic Kingdom for the decade, you want to see the real Haunted Mansion, not a character overlay of it.
9. Hyperspace Mountain
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Disneyland’s Modern Marvel: Space Mountain is another attraction with regular and anticipated seasonal overlays. The long-running Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy transforms the coaster into a dash through the cosmos escaping from a galactic ghoul, with projections throughout the mountain having the creature slash at guests, chase them around turns, and more. Then there’s Hyperspace Mountain, a Star Wars overlay that turns the classic journey into an intergalactic battle when guests’ ships are ambushed by Imperial cruisers.
To be direct: those overlays are possible at Disneyland because the ride is incredibly different from Disney World’s version. Not only is Disneyland’s a single track that passes through more enclosed show scenes during its ascent, but (like Big Thunder) was rebuilt from scratch in 2005, at which time new trains with synchronized on-board audio were installed (whereas Magic Kingdom had music added in 2005 as well, but it simply plays over speakers in the dome and isn’t synced to the ride or easily heard by riders). At the same time, the capacity for projecting show scenes was added throughout the ride. Disneyland’s Space Mountain, as a result, is smoother, significantly faster, more intense, and show-ready.
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Interestingly, Hyperspace Mountain (and Haunted Mansion Holiday and “it’s a small world” Holiday) are presented because Disneyland’s largely-local followers theoretically like to mix it up with new, limited-time draws that become annual family traditions… yet all three are the subject of much frustration for those same local fans, who largely admit to preferring the classic versions over their seasonal overlays.
Meanwhile, Disney World visitors seem to be begging for seasonal redesigns, as evidenced by Disney’s ever-so-slight changes to Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean exclusive to the upcharge, after-hours Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. New this year, Magic Kingdom’s “Deep Space Mountain” essentially swaps the ride’s usual ambient soundtrack for a more menacing one and keeps the mountain darker by turning off special effects tunnels… admittedly, not quite on the level of Ghost Galaxy or Hyperspace Mountain.
10. Critter Country
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Ah, the elusive Critter Country – the little land Magic Kingdom doesn’t have, but probably should! Basically, as Disneyland developed, its Frontierland stretched entirely along the southern half of the Rivers of America, with the Indian Village in the northwestern-most space. As we know, New Orleans Square soon moved in, cutting the Indian Village off from the rest of Frontierland. In 1972, the area was officially annexed and became the park’s seventh land, Bear Country, with the Lost Legend: Country Bear Jamboree as its anchor (the first attraction ever copied back to Disneyland from Florida rather than the other way around).
Fittingly, the land was reimagined as a dense forest in the Pacific Northwest; the perfect place to put Splash Mountain – another folk-tale style attraction with singing animals. As such, Bear Country became Critter Country. Eventually, the Country Bears moved out and Winnie the Pooh moved in, but the hunny-loving bear feels just as at home in the folksy Pacific evergreen forest. And through it all, the grassy, forested Chickapin Hill acts as the land’s centerpiece with babbling brooks, waterfalls, rustic vine-covered buildings, and Cascadian rockwork encapsulating the land.
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Critter Country, while small, fills in the park’s Rivers of America (now, circulating riverboats drift from the Old West to Jazz era New Orleans and on to the misty Pacific Northwest) and, perhaps most importantly, gives Splash Mountain a custom-built land.
Meanwhile, in Magic Kingdom, the musical water ride of singing animals is… in an 1860s Western mining town? For Disneyland visitors, the sight of seeing Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain right next to each other earns a double take. There, Disney Imagineers at least tried to downplay Splash Mountain’s greenery and re-recorded its famous songs with more banjos and twangy instruments, but it’s only once you know that Critter Country is supposed to exist that you realize how weird it is to have Splash Mountain in the otherwise historic and realistic Frontierland.
11. World of Color
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Though Disneyland’s Fantasmic will probably always be the golden standard of nighttime spectaculars, designers working on the reimagining of Disney California Adventure knew that their park needed an equivalent. Paradise Bay – the bean-shaped body of water the park’s Pier area is built along – had been earmarked for a nighttime show since the park’s early concepts, but the infrastructure to make it happen was one of the first things cut during the park’s (infamous) development, leaving only a wave machine to make the pool simulate the ocean’s movements.
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During the park’s billion-dollar renovation, the lagoon was drained and 1,200 “dancing,” programmable fountains were added, each with its own LED light ring capable of creating thousands of colors, and some capable of blasting water 200 feet high. The show was also equipped with flamethrowers, a 300-foot-long continuous water screen, a tiered Victorian leisure park viewing garden with fountains hidden in planters, and an LED lighting package on the Mickey-faced Ferris wheel residing along the bay. Unlike Fantasmic’s story leading guests through Mickey’s imagination, World of Color is essentially plotless (or as its detractors call it, “a clip show”), bookended by the iconic intro song to Disney’s World of Color TV show. Over 20 minutes, the show brings Disney music and visuals to life.
World of Color is moving, compelling, and emotional. What’s more, it’s perfect for California Adventure. While it lacks the story of Fantasmic or the scale of Illuminations, the show is exactly what it was meant to be: a “kiss goodnight” after a day at California Adventure, perfectly complementing Fantasmic as Disneyland’s.
12. Nighttime entertainment
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It’s been quite a few years since a nighttime parade has marched its way through a Walt Disney World park… meanwhile, Disneyland has seen at least three in the last decade alone, and many over its lifetime!
It all started with the fabled Main Street Electrical Parade, which began playing at Disneyland all the way back in 1972! The parade “glowed away” forever in a dramatic promotional send-off in 1996… but only to make way for the ill-fated and short-lived Light Magic nighttime show. Despite the hubbub about its retirement, the Electrical Parade returned in 2001, but at Disney’s California Adventure – part of Disney’s attempt to lure people into the new park after bad word of mouth had seen its opening crash and burn. After nine years, the parade again “glowed away” forever.
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In 2015, Disneyland opened Paint the Night – a 21st century “electrical parade” with contemporary Disney and Pixar characters. After two years, Paint the Night closed to be replaced by… the Main Street Electrical Parade. It played for a single summer – its third “glowing away” campaign. In 2018 it was replaced by… Paint the Night, at Disney California Adventure. After lower-than-expected attendance at the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney pulled out the big guns to lure guests back to the resort. You guessed it. The Main Street Electrical Parade, back from the grave for a two month “glowing away” encore – its fourth.
Be it the Electrical Parade, Paint the Night, Magic Happens, Fantasmic!, World of Color, or fireworks, Disneyland is constantly refreshed with new parades and entertainment designed for after sunset. Meanwhile at Disney World, the Main Street Electrical Parade went dark in 2016… and hasn’t been replaced. Fans would kill for a copy of Paint the Night – which currently sits in storage. It’s likely that once Paint the Night is refurbished, it’ll be returned to Disneyland or California Adventure once again.
13. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
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Maybe this is the living embodiment of why “bigger” isn’t always “better.” Though Walt always dreamed of building a “Hall of Presidents” (as part of a Main Street expansion he called Liberty Street), the nation’s 16th president was all that came of it back then. In fact, Mr. Lincoln was created for Disneyland while the original figure was still entrancing guests in the Illinois pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair! Lincoln has been upgraded many times since then, but still resides prominently in the Main Street Theater.
During the gripping and emotional presentation, the Lincoln Audio-Animatronic figure speaks of the power of America, the essence of our union, and how the combined military might of Europe, Asia, and Africa could never topple the country.
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“At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the authors and finishers.” Lincoln’s speech about division is, of course, still salient. But the highly-regarded and storied president is a figure beloved by all.
Though Magic Kingdom did recieve Walt’s bigger idea – the Hall of Presidents – Disney’s controversial decision to have Audio Animatronics of whomever the current president is stand and speak has meant that, for the last few decades, any visit to the attraction is tinged with political frustrations no matter what side of the aisle your beliefs reside on. Politics, it turns out, is dirty business. While guests bristle during the Hall of Presidents or even endure guests shouting or chanting, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is instead a unifying and emotional experience, just like it should be.
14. Cars Land
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The undisputed anchor of California Adventure’s billion-dollar redesign was Cars Land – really, only the second “Wizarding World” style land after Hogsmeade itself. The land meticulously recreates the Route 66 town of Radiator Springs precisely as it’s seen in the film, giving guests to chance to explore the neon-lit streetscape themselves. They can dine at quick-service Cozy Cones or in the doo-wop dining room of Flo’s V8 Cafe, shop in Ramone’s Body Shop, or experience family flat rides Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.
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Even though the town itself is spectacular, the highlight of the land must be the soaring Cadillac Range, the cartoon-yet-somehow-believable mountains shaped like Cadillac tail fins that cradle the land and the expansive Ornament Valley desert of hubcap-shaped buttes. The banked blacktop roadways of the land’s E-Ticket Modern Marvel: Radiator Springs Racers dart through the desert.
Set aside any hestitation you may have about Cars as the subject of a full, permanent land at Disney Parks. Cars Land is the envy of the themed entertainment design world. It’s an absolutely astounding land in every single way, singularly putting California Adventure on the international map and proving the park’s long term balancing roll in the resort. Fans schemed and dreamed that Cars Land may eventually make it to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and insiders began to report that it was possible… but with major cuts and edits. Ultimately, the purchase of Star Wars just a few months after Cars Land’s opening re-routed the Studio park’s future, but boy would Cars Land have been a big win for the Florida resort.
15. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
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Though Walt Disney World has dozens and dozens of closed classic attractions, there may be none as legendary in the memories of Magic Kingdom fans than the Lost Legend: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. That underwater dark ride really did place guests below the water to gaze out into submerged scenes of ancient cities, mermaids, and sea monsters, culminating in an encounter with a giant squid, inspired by Disney’s 1954 film (which was in turn based on Jules Verne’s world famous adventure novel).
20,000 Leagues closed forever in 1994 without so much as a warning. Four years later, the Disneyland original that had inspired it – the Tomorrowland-set Submarine Voyage – followed. The tragic “sinking” of the two sister sub rides was a pinnacle of a dark time in Disney Parks history. Until…
Image: Disney / Pixar
In 2007 – as part of the resort’s 50th anniversary celebration – Disneyland’s ride re-opened! The new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage might not have featured the spectacular physical sets or practical effects of its predecessor (replaced with clever underwater screens allowing the characters to “swim” alongside guests), but at least the Pixarification of the ride allowed a treasured ride system Walt was so proud of (debuting in 1959!) to survive.
So while the ride experience of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Magic Kingdom’s 20,000 Leagues might not have much in common, at least Walt Disney World guests can marvel at the preserved ride system and add context to their childhood memories of diving deep beneath the surface.
16. Avengers Campus
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Avatar who? The highest grossing film of all time is Avengers: Endgame, the 22nd film in the epic, unprecedented, and record-shattering Marvel Cinematic Universe… and that massive superhero story shows no signs of slowing down. Given that Disney owns Marvel and has shepherded the MCU and its combined (ready for this?) $22.4 billion gross through “phase 4’s” 23 films, you’d expect the heroes to have earned a theme park presence exceeding Galaxy’s Edge in richness and detail.
That’s not quite the case… instead, Hong Kong Disneyland has a “Stark Expo” sub-land within Tomorrowland (featuring an Iron Man simulator and an Ant-Man overlay of the park’s Buzz Lightyear dark ride), while Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Paris are soon to gain Avengers Campus lands. These hero-lands will be fit into their respective park’s stories by being cast as “recruitment centers” set up for finding the next generation of heroes.
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So rather than building out a mountainous Wakanda or Asgard, Avengers Campus will follow that “reclaimed warehouse” look Disney’s gotten too good at over the last few years. In California, it’ll have Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, the existing Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!, and an announced phase II dark ride featuring the full Avengers team.
Sorry to tell you, but neither the Avengers Campus nor anything more ambitious will be coming to Walt Disney World. It’s fairly well-known that Disney’s biggest competitor in the theme park market, Universal, snatched up the exclusive rights east-of-the-Mississippi to feature Marvel heroes in their parks – an agreement we explored in-depth in our AVENGERS: Custody War feature. While Disney squeaked by with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, you won’t find Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Captain America, or any other Avengers team hero in Florida.
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Put another way: Walt Disney World visitors have every right to be jealous of Disneyland for its upcoming Avengers Campus, even if the land probably won’t be what the heroes fully deserve. What’s worse, Avengers Campus (or that ambitious Wakanda or Asgard land) would be a perfect fit for Disney’s Hollywood Studios… But alas, if you want to join Spider-Man in all the web-slinging action, Disney World guests will either need to book a flight to California… or venture a few miles up the freeway to a ride that will doubtlessly make both Disney World and Disneyland fans jealous…
Jealous yet?
Forget “Walt stepped here” or “It’s comfortable and cozy.” Even the tiny, miniscule Disneyland has some real exclusive features that Disney World fans have to be jealous of… But before fans of Disney’s Californian campus get too cocky, you may want to make the jump to our companion list of 16 Disney World Exclusive That Should Make Disneyland Fans Jealous, where we similarly list out can’t-miss Orlando exclusives that even Disneyland fans acknowledge might be worth the flight to Florida…
