| Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Attraction facade | |
| Disney California Adventure | |
| Area | Hollywood Land (2017–2021) Avengers Campus (2021–present) |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 25, 2017 |
| Opening date | May 27, 2017[1][2] |
| Replaced | The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Drop tower,dark ride |
| Manufacturer | Otis Elevator Company |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | Guardians of the Galaxy |
| Music | Score byTyler Bates |
| Height | 183 ft (56 m) |
| Drop | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Speed | 39 mph (63 km/h) |
| Vehicle type | Elevator |
| Riders per vehicle | 21 |
| Rows | 3 |
| Riders per row | 7 |
| Duration | 2:10 |
| Height restriction | 40 in (102 cm) |
| Pre-show host | Rocket |
 Lightning Lane Available | |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! is an accelerateddrop towerdark ride attraction atDisney California Adventure atDisneyland Resort. Based on thenamesake group from theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it depictsRocket recruiting guests to attempt to free the remaining Guardians of the Galaxy from display within theCollector's fortress.[1]
The attraction uses the same infrastructure and ride system as the previous attraction,The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.[3] It features several actors of the cast from theMarvel Studios film series reprising their characters.[4] While the attraction is inspired by the MCU, it is set in a separate shared universe along with the otherAvengers Campus attractions.[5][6][7]
It opened on May 27, 2017, to coincide with the release ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.[1][2]
Announced at the 2016San Diego Comic-Con, the attraction replacedThe Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which closed on January 3, 2017.[1][8][9][10] It is the first Disney attraction based on theMarvel Comics characters in the United States, and was incorporated intoAvengers Campus atDisney California Adventure in June 2021.[11][12][13][14] It was then surrounded by a layer of markings on the ground that imply a cosmic energy which resulted when the fortress was transported from across the galaxy to the campus. The markings are inspired by theKirby Krackle, based on the artwork ofMarvel Comics artistJack Kirby.[15]
Chris Pratt,Zoe Saldana,Dave Bautista,Benicio del Toro, andBradley Cooper reprise their roles asPeter Quill/Star-Lord,Gamora,Drax,Taneleer Tivan/The Collector, and the voice ofRocket, respectively.[16][17]Vin Diesel did not reprise his role ofGroot, and was replaced by voice actorFred Tatasciore.James Gunn directed all of the scenes involving the cast.
The attraction is themed to the Collector's fortress-esque collection called the Tivan Collection, as seen in the filmGuardians of the Galaxy. The Collector (Taneleer Tivan) is showing off his latest acquisitions, the Guardians of the Galaxy, in customized display cases. However, Rocket has secretly escaped his case and asks the guests for help. Guests then board a gantry lift, where they help Rocket try to free the other Guardians.[1]
Guests first pass through the entrance sign and begin in the outdoor queue area. There are extended queue areas on both sides of the path. After passing a gold statue of the Collector, guests enter the main floor of the Collector's archive.[18] The main floor houses a number of artifacts and creatures, includingCosmo the Spacedog. A video plays on loop of the Collector and his new assistant Apheta. The video shows off some of the artifacts and lifeforms in the collection, includingStan Lee. The video also reveals the newest addition to the Tivan Collection, the Guardians of the Galaxy. It is revealed through the Guardians' banter that they, specifically Peter Quill, were tricked into coming to visit as they thought they too were going to be given a tour of the facility. The Collector has their glass cases electrified and suspended over an abyss so that the team cannot escape, yet Rocket is still determined to get out. The Collector reveals to the guests that they can access the facility once their biological signs are scanned into the system and then all they have to do is raise their hands for clearance.
Afterwards, the guests are led into the Collector's office, where another video of himself begins playing. Suddenly Rocket, who had escaped his case, enters the room (portrayed throughAudio-Animatronics) through a vent and hijacks the video to explain his plan for rescuing his friends. The guests will use their access passes (their hand scan) for access in the lift while Rocket rides on top, taking control of it and taking them to the control room to blow up the generator and cut off all power in the facility, which will open all of the cages so that the Guardians can escape. The Guardians will then reunite with Mantis who will arrive with their ship so that they can make a quick getaway. On his way out of the Collector's office, Rocket grabs Quill'swalkman. In the event that the animatronic is non-functional, aCGI version of Rocket already in possession of Quill's walkman will appear on the video screen to hijack the Collector's spiel.
Mission Breakout has three "gantry lifts", two boarding levels and one shaftway, allowing guests to board one lift while the shaft is in use by the other. Both gantry lifts are pushed into and pulled out of the shaftway by a mechanical arm in front of the exit doors.[19]
After guests are seated in the gantry lift, the Collector tells the riders that "this is the moment you've been waiting for." However, Rocket unplugs the system and inserts Quill's walkman, cued up to one of six songs from the '70s and '80s. The lift quickly rises up to the generator control room where Rocket blows it up, opening the cages and freeing the team, but also cutting the power to the gantry lift. Rocket tries to regain control as the lift accelerates up and down, and guests see the Guardians entangled in various situations, as well as getting a brief view ofDisneyland. As soon as theon-ride camera takes photos of the riders, the lift begins to drop once again. Rocket finally restores power and the lift drops down to show the Guardians with Cosmo as Rocket rejoins them and gives Quill his walkman back. They then reunite with Mantis who has arrived with their ship. Quill and Gamora thank the guests for their help, but as the lift resets itself, Drax is heard asking why they are thanking them as all the guests did was sit through the whole experience and did not actually do any fighting.
As guests leave the gantry lift and exit down a corridor, the sounds of the escaping creatures can be heard. The Collector can be heard over the intercom, upset over the loss of the Guardians and his creatures. At one point, Stan Lee can be heard over the intercom asking if this is part of the tour.Howard the Duck can also occasionally be heard, mocking the Collector's situation and bidding guests farewell.
Tyler Bates, composer of theGuardians of the Galaxy films, wrote the incidental music for the attraction's queue.[20] There are six different drop sequences of the ride, each synced to its own visuals and songs,[21] some of which were suggested byJames Gunn, director of theGuardians of the Galaxy films.[22][23]
In the indoor portion of the queue, guests can view the many items in the Collector's archive. The artifacts are expected to be in rotation.[28] Various items fromGuardians of the Galaxy, theMarvel Universe, and inactiveAudio-Animatronics from Disney attractions are present including:
More items are located in the Collector's office including:
In addition, in the video message from the Collector there is a maquette of a ghost dog fromThe Haunted Mansion on the table.
When guests enter the maintenance room before entering the gantry lift more items can be found such as:
In August 2017, it was announced that the attraction would receive a new experience during Halloween Time at theDisneyland Resort calledGuardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark. The experience is offered after sunset each night from early September through October 31. The storyline of Monsters After Dark takes place chronologically after the events of Mission Breakout!; the Guardians have just escaped but accidentally left Groot behind. Rocket returns and has guests distract all of the escaped creatures so he can find and rescue Groot. One of the creatures in Monsters After Dark isSurtur's Fire Dragon, which also appears inThor: Ragnarok. The experience also features a new song titled "Monsters After Dark" written byTyler Bates.[34][35] On October 31, the attraction operated as Monsters After Dark all day.[36] The song was released as a digital single on iTunes on November 2, 2017.[37] It returned for the Halloween season in 2018 and 2019 with no changes.
Theghost ofYondu Udonta (Michael Rooker) briefly appears wandering the hallways of the archive in the pre-show.[38]
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