Avengers Campus - Reactions / Reviews

[TP2000]

There was a point, before my wife and I had kids and the screens were still bright, that it was our favorite ride at DCA.

No kidding. The Screenz in Midway Mania are so dull and dark now. Been that way for years.

I forgot this, but you are right, they used to be much brighter and more vibrant.

I'm sure the Spiderman ride will be bright and vibrant when it opens in the fall of 2021. Then six months later it will be dull and dim for the next 40 years.

Just like how when a new ride first opens all the ride operators are perky and stick to their script and excitingly say "This way Recruits! We need your help! Pull up on that yellow tab Recruits! You will save the Galaxy!!!!"

But when you go back to that same ride a year later those same ride ops have dead eyes and sloppy untucked shirts and just say "pull up on the yellow tab enjoy your ride."

Meanwhile, the TDA President Du Jour for six to eight months has his assistant write a blog post for the Disney Parks Blog talking about how it's the Cast Members that truly make Disneyland come to life. What a bunch of puke.

 

[mickEblu]

No kidding. The Screenz in Midway Mania are so dull and dark now. Been that way for years.

I forgot this, but you are right, they used to be much brighter and more vibrant.

I'm sure the Spiderman ride will be bright and vibrant when it opens in the fall of 2021. Then six months later it will be dull and dim for the next 40 years.

Just like how when a new ride first opens all the ride operators are perky and stick to their script and excitingly say "This way Recruits! We need your help! Pull up on that yellow tab Recruits! You will save the Galaxy!!!!"

But when you go back to that same ride a year later those same ride ops have dead eyes and sloppy untucked shirts and just say "pull up on the yellow tab enjoy your ride."

Meanwhile, the TDA President Du Jour for six to eight months has his assistant write a blog post for the Disney Parks Blog talking about how it's the Cast Members that truly make Disneyland come to life. What a bunch of puke.

I can’t believe they didn’t address those screens with the Pixar Pier retheme. Or maybe I can. What could it possibly take to fix that issue?

 

[TP2000]

I can’t believe they didn’t address those screens with the Pixar Pier retheme. Or maybe I can. What could it possibly take to fix that issue?

An executive team that cares?

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

An executive team that cares?

Only at Burger King

 

[Californian Elitist]

Not gonna fix it lol

We all know that toy will absolutely sell.

 

[LastoneOn]

This one looks more fun. $17 at TargetView attachment 515381

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The Spider Bot that no one had ever heard of before Disney proclaimed it an iconic Spider-Man prop looks like one of those crappy kids toys they'd have in front of Radio Shack in the 1990s. It's also more reminiscent of Minority Report than anything. Remind Disney that Spider-Man webslings, saves MJ and fights Doc Ock and the Goblin. That's what everyone knows, not Spider Bots.

 

[Disney Irish]

The Spider Bot that no one had ever heard of before Disney proclaimed it an iconic Spider-Man prop looks like one of those crappy kids toys they'd have in front of Radio Shack in the 1990s. It's also more reminiscent of Minority Report than anything. Remind Disney that Spider-Man webslings, saves MJ and fights Doc Ock and the Goblin. That's what everyone knows, not Spider Bots.

Just be thankful they aren't these Spider Bots:

 

[truecoat]

New construction journal.

 

[J4546]

i may be in the minority but the avengers campus looks like its pretty cool to me

 

[SuddenStorm]

i may be in the minority but the avengers campus looks like its pretty cool to me

Agreed! It seems to not be the prevailing opinion here, and I worry I disagree with my friend @mickEblu yet again with this one (2020 never stops getting weirder), but I think this land is gonna do exactly what Disney wants it to do and designed it to do.

It's also replacing it's a bugs land- perhaps the most lackluster themed land at the Disneyland Resort, it's not being placed in Disneyland proper, and it's not trying to be the greatest thing in themed entertainment. It's a modestly budgeted land that's designed to act as a place to meet Marvel characters. And sell Marvel toys. And significantly widen the demographic that would use the space in the park beyond children and the occasional vlogger that thinks it's hip to film the Chew Chew Train.

I mean this is what we lost for it-

I mean just look at the giant half eaten watermelon. A hose. The popsical stick benches. So charming. So brilliant.

It didn't cost us Walt Disney's Rivers of America, benches throughout the park, the best BBQ in the Resort, and rockwork that dates back to Walt Disney. It cost us the best Pressler and Harris had to offer.

It's important to understand why the Spiderman ride is a game ride, and why they chose such a generic 'West Coast Avengers Campus' theme. The Marvel universe is purely character driven- for the most part it takes place in urban environments that aren't at all suited to a theme park. And the people that designed this land understand that. They know it's the characters that will get people coming to the land- so they had to design something that could have every Avenger without breaking theme (otherwise Wakanda would have been delightful as a land). It also has to be able to integrate new characters every few months as the brand's roster of heroes continues to grow with each new film.

Every eight year old wants to be a super hero- the films are aspirational, and in someways that theme resonates with adults as well. I mean who hasn't watched Iron Man and thought 'dang that suit would be awesome to have'. So WDI set out to design an attraction that satisfies that desire. How good it ends up being remains to be seen- but if they can hit the right emotional notes without being overly cliche the ride could really be a home run and a great D ticket.

And since this is the season of giving thanks- I for one am thankful Mr. Rohde didn't get put in charge of the color design for the entire land, that the Marvel builders discovered that pipes could be put inside the buildings, and that WDI was smart enough not to make it gold!

 

[mickEblu]

Agreed! It seems to not be the prevailing opinion here, and I worry I disagree with my friend @mickEblu yet again with this one (2020 never stops getting weirder), but I think this land is gonna do exactly what Disney wants it to do and designed it to do.

It's also replacing it's a bugs land- perhaps the most lackluster themed land at the Disneyland Resort, it's not being placed in Disneyland proper, and it's not trying to be the greatest thing in themed entertainment. It's a modestly budgeted land that's designed to act as a place to meet Marvel characters. And sell Marvel toys. And significantly widen the demographic that would use the space in the park beyond children and the occasional vlogger that thinks it's hip to film the Chew Chew Train.

I mean this is what we lost for it-

View attachment 515427
View attachment 515428

I mean just look at the giant half eaten watermelon. A hose. The popsical stick benches. So charming. So brilliant.

It didn't cost us Walt Disney's Rivers of America, benches throughout the park, the best BBQ in the Resort, and rockwork that dates back to Walt Disney. It cost us the best Pressler and Harris had to offer.

It's important to understand why the Spiderman ride is a game ride, and why they chose such a generic 'West Coast Avengers Campus' theme. The Marvel universe is purely character driven- for the most part it takes place in urban environments that aren't at all suited to a theme park. And the people that designed this land understand that. They know it's the characters that will get people coming to the land- so they had to design something that could have every Avenger without breaking theme (otherwise Wakanda would have been delightful as a land). It also has to be able to integrate new characters every few months as the brand's roster of heroes continues to grow with each new film.

Every eight year old wants to be a super hero- the films are aspirational, and in someways that theme resonates with adults as well. I mean who hasn't watched Iron Man and thought 'dang that suit would be awesome to have'. So WDI set out to design an attraction that satisfies that desire. How good it ends up being remains to be seen- but if they can hit the right emotional notes without being overly cliche the ride could really be a home run and a great D ticket.

And since this is the season of giving thanks- I for one am thankful Mr. Rohde didn't get put in charge of the color design for the entire land, that the Marvel builders discovered that pipes could be put inside the buildings, and that WDI was smart enough not to make it gold!

View attachment 515429

LOL @ your opening line. I don’t think I disagree with anything you ve said here. The land will definitely do what do what it is designed to do. I’m not sure that’s saying much though. It’s going to have a fun interactive NEW ride. Even if it’s uninspired IMO and could have been much more. The masses I’m sure will like it and those of us here who have low expectations will also probably enjoy it. Unlike Galaxies Edge where expectations were through the roof. Avengers Campus will undoubtedly be a better use of space for people of all ages. With that said, it will also look like a business park with an ugly tower in the back. Bugs Land, with all its flaws, still felt like a Disney park land to me. With all of the green and it’s condensed layout gave it a sense of depth and made it feel much more full than it really was - a bunch of flat rides packed into a courtyard. I guess where we disagree is that I did find it to have some charm like the giant spigot/ water play area.... and green/ bamboo/ trees everywhere of course. Marvel Land looks boring and slick and corporate-y. With that said, if Spider-Man is even just equally as good as TSMM, I will be spending a lot more time there than I did in Bugs Land where I just passed through 99% of the time except for the 2 times I watched ITTBAB ( I think I loved the queue more than most) and 2-3 times I took my son to the water play area and on a couple of the flats - and this was as an AP. At the end of the day, as much as I appreciate the wonderful theming and atmosphere of Disneyland and to a (much) lesser extent DCA, my day at the parks is driven by attractions... and places I like to eat.

If we want to just talk about lands at DCA, Marvel Land will be the second worst land at the park, right after Hollywoodland. So in that light, just a lateral move from Bugs Land. Of course, not lateral in merchandise sales or rides but just as a themed space or an atmosphere one desires to be in. Unless of course one prefers a warehouse/ business park with some meet n greets to a small recreation of Yosemite, an idealized 1920s Burbank, the Cadillac mountain range or a seaside amusement park filled with kinetic energy. Which I’m sure will be the case for many Marvel fans. Just wish they were giving us a a full fleshed out land. I understand the restrictions and that Marvel is character based but why wouldn’t something like an idealized San Francisco work as land for Marvel? They could do whatever they want with the rides inside the show buildings and transport us wherever they want. I feel the “character driven” thing is an excuse to do something on the cheap. It’s kind of like how Eisner specifically chose themed lands and parks that were cheap to pull off by theming everything to be a Hollywood backlot with MGM studios, the studio park in Paris and parts of DCA 1.0. So they throw in a bunch of meet n greets with popular characters, theme The Spider-Man building to be a warehouse, park the Quinjet in front of a huge show building in plain view (that’s ok because they have the Avengers logo on it), KABLAM a tower of terror into an alien fortress with a bunch of gold macaroni and voila!

It could have been much more. But that’s not what they re going for here. They tried for the home run with GE and they failed. Marvel Land is more the smart baseball player going for the base hit. And since that is the goal, they will most likely succeed.

 

[fctiger]

New construction journal.

Wow, they are BACK!!!!! I love these guys. So detailed and informational. I learned so much in this 8 minute video alone. Nicely done and just makes me more excited for it!

 

[fctiger]

i may be in the minority but the avengers campus looks like its pretty cool to me

Same! I don't know why but I'm really excited for this area. I think the look is great and 100 times better than what was there before. I do wish it was a few acres bigger but they only have the space they got.

 

[SplashGhost]

I think the biggest movie franchise in history deserves more than what it is getting. What will really determine if the land is good or not for me is if we ever get that Avengers E-Ticket. I am doubtful that will happen in the next 5-10 years.

Spider-Man deserves something far better than something like TSMM. Even after the land opens, Mission: Breakout is still going to be the main Marvel attraction of the park.

I'm also not a fan of the general aesthetic of the land. One of the last places that I want to go at the Disneyland Resort is a tech campus. I would prefer they would have tried to make this much more "comic book" like. I know it is hard to translate the MCU into a theme park, but surely there were much better options than a tech campus.

I know we already have Galaxy's Edge for a space themed land, but maybe if the land was based more on the cosmic side of the MCU, it would be much more appealing as a land.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It's painfully obvious Universal will still have the best Marvel attraction.

 

[mickEblu]

I think the biggest movie franchise in history deserves more than what it is getting. What will really determine if the land is good or not for me is if we ever get that Avengers E-Ticket. I am doubtful that will happen in the next 5-10 years.

Spider-Man deserves something far better than something like TSMM. Even after the land opens, Mission: Breakout is still going to be the main Marvel attraction of the park.

I'm also not a fan of the general aesthetic of the land. One of the last places that I want to go at the Disneyland Resort is a tech campus. I would prefer they would have tried to make this much more "comic book" like. I know it is hard to translate the MCU into a theme park, but surely there were much better options than a tech campus.

I know we already have Galaxy's Edge for a space themed land, but maybe if the land was based more on the cosmic side of the MCU, it would be much more appealing as a land.

I agree with everything except basing the land on the cosmic side of the MCU. Not that it’s not a good idea or wouldn’t make for an interesting land, I just don’t know how it would mesh with the rest of DCA. Particularly in its current plot.

 

[Mike S]

I think the biggest movie franchise in history deserves more than what it is getting. What will really determine if the land is good or not for me is if we ever get that Avengers E-Ticket. I am doubtful that will happen in the next 5-10 years.

Spider-Man deserves something far better than something like TSMM. Even after the land opens, Mission: Breakout is still going to be the main Marvel attraction of the park.

I'm also not a fan of the general aesthetic of the land. One of the last places that I want to go at the Disneyland Resort is a tech campus. I would prefer they would have tried to make this much more "comic book" like. I know it is hard to translate the MCU into a theme park, but surely there were much better options than a tech campus.

I know we already have Galaxy's Edge for a space themed land, but maybe if the land was based more on the cosmic side of the MCU, it would be much more appealing as a land.

You can always come to the far superior Spider-Man ride in Orlando.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I agree with everything except basing the land on the cosmic side of the MCU. Not that it’s not a good idea or wouldn’t make for an interesting land, I just don’t know how it would mesh with the rest of DCA. Particularly in its current plot.

All the weird space crap really throws me off. I'm not a Marvel funny book fan, but I think Spider-Man and all those guys going in to space and such is just crossing a line in to absolute silliness. DCA doesn't have any space travel theme whatsoever, but now has an alien space tower and all this weird Avenger crap where they fly into space and fight aliens.

 

[mickEblu]

All the weird space crap really throws me off. I'm not a Marvel funny book fan, but I think Spider-Man and all those guys going in to space and such is just crossing a line in to absolute silliness. DCA doesn't have any space travel theme whatsoever, but now has an alien space tower and all this weird Avenger crap where they fly into space and fight aliens.

I’m not a huge fan of any of the Marvel movies except Iron Man 1 I remember enjoying and to a lesser extent GOTG 1 and Infinity War just for the it’s blockbuster popcorn value. A spacey Marvel theme wouldn’t really fit at DCA unless you re talking something more grand in the Simba lot kind of hidden away like Galaxies Edge at DL.

As for TOT I guess the best we can hope for now is a Dr Strange retheme and for them to rethink that exterior.