Change is inevitable, especially at Disneyland. The place that Uncle Walt built operates under a simple edict. Its founder once proclaimed, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
Even half a century after his death, Disney’s edict has placed constant pressure on Imagineers. They know their leader’s expectations for the park that bears his name. They feel compelled to honor Disney’s stated desire about Disneyland. And that’s how unprecedented change arrives at the Happiest Place on Earth.
One of the most recent examples came in early 2017, when Disney California Adventure unexpectedly shuttered one of its most popular and beloved attractions, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. That same “tower” would shut down long enough to receive a new theme, one that prioritized superheroes over the supernatural. In only a few short months, Imagineers converted something wonderful into an attraction that many feel is superior. Let’s take this opportunity to go Behind the Ride to learn how Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! rose from the ashes of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
The Experience: Replacing a tower with a collection
The Trick: A new coat of paint
Image: DisneyThe striking part of Disney’s announcement about the closure of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was the timeline given. The Rod Serling masterpiece would operate for the final time on January 3, 2017. The intended launch of its replacement was roughly the same time as the release of the second movie in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, which opened on May 5, 2017.
The seemingly impossible schedule allowed Imagineers only four months to create something entirely new. Sure, they would repurpose many of the existing elements of the building, but the stated deadline was brutal. To their credit, cast members effectively reconstructed the drop tower dark ride in only four months and 22 days. Basically, Disney built an entirely new ride in a single semester. No pressure, college students!
In order to have an entirely new ride ready within five months, Imagineers obviously had to make some sacrifices. They couldn’t fundamentally alter the structure of the building. It would remain a drop tower ride, but the style and tone would change almost overnight.
The original version of the attraction was a gothic take on an abandoned hotel, a building that somehow existed in an alternate dimension. The modified take on the premise is in our dimension…but it is entire galaxies away. And I mean it when I say that the primary difference on a surface level is a new coat of paint.
Image: DisneyDisney modified the façade of the tower, eliminating the darker tones in favorite of extremely bright colors and oddly alien designs. These cosmetic changes were easy to achieve but changed the perception of the attraction from a distance.
The new tower is inviting rather than foreboding.
Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! is like one of those makeover montages from teen romantic comedies. The dorky shell of Twilight Zone, the part that Disney wanted left in the past, was discarded in favor of a new outfit that forced everyone to reevaluate their preconceived notions of the tower. The addition of a few shiny baubles changed more than just a building façade. It also hinted at a dramatically different Disney California Adventure in the offing…
The Experience: The first true Marvel superhero ride in North America
The Trick: A more modern theme befitting its titular comic book team
Image: DisneyWhen The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009, theme park analysts expressed confusion over the transaction. After all, Universal Studios owned airtight rights to the primary Marvel comic book superheroes in perpetuity at Walt Disney World. What would Disney get out of the transaction?
That reasonable question returned a shocking answer. Disney intended to build its own new set of iconic superheroes. They mined the vast Marvel back catalog to unearth a team that would check off all the boxes for a popular Disney character. They needed cute and adorable heroes to sell toys, but they also needed plausible warriors to anchor the team. With the Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney struck gold in both ways. They sold plenty of Groot and Rocket Raccoon merchandise while simultaneously elevating Chris Pratt to superstardom as Star Lord.
These newly adored Marvel characters weren’t tethered to the same contract constrictions as many of The Avengers, giving Disney full reign to use them at North American parks. The company did just that in renovating the Tower of Terror space for its new heroes. In the process, they hinted at a future version of Disney California Adventure (DCA) that wholly sidestepped the park’s original theme, California, in favor of licensed characters from Disney’s massive intellectual property library. The DCA of tomorrow is a blissful marriage of Marvel and Pixar.
Image: DisneyTo reach that point, Disney had to start somewhere, and their first step forward was into a new galaxy. After the shocking success of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, Disney execs felt confident that they’d found the perfect property to reboot not just Tower of Terror but DCA in its entirety. They embarked on a daring plan to shoot extra scenes during the filming of the sequel. The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, including new additions such as Mantis, also comprises the cast of Mission: Breakout!
This new footage would become the basis for a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. It would mirror aspects of the second film; however, Disney went out of its way to note that the story told on the ride would vary slightly from the two films. Yes, Mission: Breakout! exists in its own private Marvel universe. If you see anything that conflicts with the story of the two films, that’s intentional. The attraction stands on its own as a singularly unique comic book adventure. But it absolutely drills the tone and style of the two films. For example…
The Experience: A six-song soundtrack that determines your trajectory
The Trick: Six song-based variations of the same general ride experience
Image: DisneyFrom the very first trailer, Guardians of the Galaxy hooked its target audience on a feeling. That first commercial employed an AM Radio classic by Blue Swede to set the mood for the weirdness of the guardians themselves. An unconventional superhero team, they are led by a kid whose mind is sort of stuck in a late-1970s time warp. The music of that era defines part of his personality.
In the movie sequel, Star Lord aka Peter Quill evolves a bit, or at least lets time catch up to him. Some of his music advances into the 1980s, the MTV era. And several of those tracks populate the list of ride possibilities on Mission: Breakout!
Whereas Tower of Terror had a sort of randomness to its elevator chutes, the Guardians of the Galaxy version has a tell. When you hear the first notes of the music play, you know exactly which of the six variations of the ride that you’re about to experience. The action onscreen will mirror the musical accompaniment to an extent. Some of the cinematics are only available when certain music tracks play. In other words, the audio drives the video more than the reverse.
Those six songs are:
- “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar
- “Give Up The Funk” by Parliament
- “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
- “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
- “Free Ride” by The Edgar Winter Group
- “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley
And yes, that’s quite the eclectic mix. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn actually had rare input on the selections. He suggested the music that would best fit the tone of each ride trajectory. The soundtrack is a reflection of the journey, just as is true for Peter Quill in the movie franchise.
From a rider perspective, knowing the song will give you a sense of familiarity about repeated trips through Mission: Breakout! The instant the guitar riff triggers for Hit Me With Your Best Shot, you know that Baby Groot is about to get everyone else in trouble. For Free Ride, you’ll jump into the middle of an outer space firefight. Each iteration has a musical identifier, something that’s never been done an attraction previously. Disney wanted to give the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction something special, and they fittingly chose music for the backbone of the journey.
The Experience: You battle The Collector to escape from his fortress
The Tricks: Good, old-fashioned Disney theming with a modern-day technological spin
Image: DisneyThe ride itself is much more structured than Tower of Terror. For the original version, Disney told the backstory via a monologue and a video introduction from Rod Serling. It was awesome, but it was also a bit dated.
Mission: Breakout! uses a different storytelling structure. The scenes filmed especially for the attraction drive the action. The experience is kinetic for the viewer since so much action is taking place right in front of them…while they’re bouncing up and down. Still, it’s a structurally sound story, a Guardians of the Galaxy short film, if you will.
Disney doesn’t do anything special on this part of the attraction. Instead, Imagineers returned to basics. They used classic tricks integrated with new technology to build something new and original.
The story is that a nefarious villain named The Collector has attempted to trap the Guardians of the Galaxy, making them permanent residents of the Tivan Collective. Our heroes ain’t having it and plan to escape. Notably, the worker bees in The Collector’s employ are on the side of the Guardians. They too were captured and enslaved here and want to do their part to help everyone break out. As you stand in the line queue, you’ll hear whispers and hints from disembodied voices.
At the actual start of the ride, Rocket Raccoon (in animated form) announces his plan. He’s going to shut down the power on the cages, giving everyone a chance to escape. What follows is a crazed race to the generator room and a few choice encounters with monsters. The tentacle creature from Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is in most iterations, but a gargoyle and a rat thing also make appearances in some variations. You may even encounter multiple monsters on your ride!
Image: DisneyThe entire experience plays out like a classic Hollywood action scene. Stuff gets shot, clever lines of heroism get recited, and everyone inevitably makes it out in one piece…save for the tentacle monster, who really needs a better agent.
The beauty of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! is that it fulfills a promise offered long ago by the original Star Tours. This revamped tower ride actually feels like a Choose Your Own Adventure set to rock music. Each iteration is slightly different in storytelling, but the sensation is still the same.
You bounce up and down in an elevator shaft, just as you always did on Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The difference is that there is now a giant digital monitor in front of you, and it offers a mirrored onscreen video accompaniment to your springing up and down. It’s a subtle but brilliant themed illusion that modernizes many of Disney’s classic Imagineering tricks.
Disney didn’t reinvent the wheel with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, but I would argue that they did perfect it.
