Over the weekend, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembled to celebrate the dedication of the Marvel Avengers Campus in a launch ceremony at Disneyland Paris before it officially opens to the public on Wednesday, 20th July 2022.
Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and Captain America joined Disney CEO, Bob Chapek, Disneyland Paris President Natacha Rafalski and ‘Captain Marvel’ star, Brie Larson to unveil the new themed area.
“Our Imagineers, Marvel Studios teams, and everyone involved have truly outdone themselves to bring you this action-packed world” said Chapek. “I think our Guests will be astounded by the detail and creativity at Avengers Campus as they explore and become part of a bigger universe.”
MCU star Brie Larson, well-known for her portrayal of Captain Marvel, a role she reprises in one of the new attractions, shared that she was thrilled to be a part of the Marvel Avengers Campus premiere in Disneyland Paris, adding that it is especially exciting to see these stories and characters have a place to come to life.
Joined by Captain Marvel, Captain America, Spider-Man and Iron Man, the team initialized an arc reactor to power up the land, culminating in a mesmerizing firework display over the Quinjet platform.
“This is such an amazing year for Disneyland Paris. Back in March, we kicked off our 30th-anniversary celebration inviting guests to enter into a new era with us. As part of this tremendous milestone for our resort, Marvel Avengers Campus marks a significant step forward in the ongoing expansion of Walt Disney Studios Park and our overall transformation, with original storytelling and a uniquely engaging experience,” remarked Rafalski.
Rafalski also announced plans to honour 20,000 everyday superheroes, including healthcare workers, and children and families who need magic most, by inviting them to be among the first to experience Avengers Campus throughout 2022. More than 1,200 invited guests were the first to experience Marvel Avengers Campus following the dedication, including international celebrities and their families.
Summoned around the Quinjet for the grand finale, guests danced the night away with International DJ The Avener, who dropped beats under the stars. The evening ended with 500 drones forming a series of Avengers icons in the sky above the Quinjet, orchestrated by Doctor Strange himself.
What is at Marvel Avengers Campus in Disneyland Paris?
Whilst I wasn’t in Paris for the launch, somewhat ironically, I was actually at the Marvel Avengers Campus at Disney’s California Adventure this weekend as the news of the Paris launch dropped. There are a few differences between the LA Avengers Campus and Paris, most notably the Avengers Assemble: Flight Force ride, which is exclusive to the Paris site.
Avengers Assemble: Flight Force is a high-speed rollercoaster where “recruits” team up with none other than Captain Marvel herself and the one and only Iron Man on a mission which flies up through space in a vehicle that Stark has equipped with a homing device, to lure a threat away from planet Earth. Iron Man in this attraction is a new generation Audio-Animatronic figure and the first-ever Avenger Audio-Animatronics figure in a Disney Park.
Another unique Paris building is the Hero Training Center which gives “recruits” the opportunity to meet Spider-Man, Iron Man or Captain Marvel. There you can take a dynamic “freeze frame” video sequence, created by Disney PhotoPass with 27 cameras all around the action.
The other big ride, which is also at the California site so I did get to try it, is the Spider-man W.E.B. Adventure. This was great fun, and gives all visitors the ability to shoot webs, just like Spider-man! You enter the building, which is a lab run by Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland in a very impressive hologram). He explains about these brilliant self-replicating Spider-Bots which they are working on… which, of course, immediately start to go out of control, and you have to help Spidey out by shooting them down. You fire webs from your wrists, just like Spider-man using innovative technology that recognizes body movements and gestures. It’s a really fun experience, and you get a score at the end showing how well you did, so you can go back and try again to beat it!
There are also lots of food options, although the one that really stuck out to me (and is also at the California site) was Pym Kitchen, which has some brilliantly wacky food options. As you might expect from the name, it uses “Pym Particles” to create unexpectedly giant or tiny versions of food. So things like a huge pretzel, tiny burgers and cakes, or a salad with one massive crouton!
In addition to all of that, there are various heroes wandering around the campus and staged-timed events. They include an interactive dance-off with Star-Lord and Gamora, alongside Black Widow and Black Panther teaming up to protect Avengers Campus from the dangerous Taskmaster and his agents.
Marvel Avengers Campus officially opens to the public on Wednesday, 20th July 2022 at Disneyland Paris.
