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There are rumored plans in the works to transform The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure into a Guardians of the Galaxy experience. This is to be a part of a re-theming of the Hollywood Land section of the park that will incorporate a dedicated Marvel presence and introduce an entirely new E-Ticket thrill ride themed to Marvel’s superheroes.
For now, we should take this as “rumor” rather than “fact” until Disney makes an official announcement, but it’s always fun to speculate on what may or may not come to pass.
The story has spread through the theme park fan community, and the idea of a Guardians replacement has been met with mixed reactions. Disney has been on a streak of success as of late, especially where it’s theme parks are concerned, culminating with the announcement of the new Star Wars Land. Seemingly, it can do no wrong.
All of a sudden, fans seem to be saying, “Wait a second, you’re going to replace what with what now?”
It isn’t necessarily the idea of getting rid of the 1930’s Twilight Zone concept that seems to be the problem, nor the transformation of the land into Marvel.
This Hollywood section of the park has never quite had the same energy as it’s Hollywood Studios counterpart in Orlando.
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! has been a nice dark ride but probably wouldn’t be missed if replaced.
The MuppetVision theater space continues to be repurposed from the original attraction and is no longer even listed on Disney’s web site.
The shops and stores are cute, but merchandise doesn’t exact fly off the shelves. The Hollywood Tower Hotel is the obvious E-Ticket anchor, and it’s such a successful and iconic attraction that it will always have riders “checking in.”
Yet, an entire Marvel Land with all new theming, characters walking around, and new attractions, could be exciting and electric and bring a great energy into this section of the park.
It’s not any of this that is upsetting the fans.
It’s the idea of this ride becoming Guardians of the Galaxy that seems to have people perplexed, and if there is any truth to this rumor, I wonder if perhaps there’s a missed opportunity that isn’t being realized here.
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is a massive icon. It’s a true beacon of Disney California Adventure. You can see it from the esplanade outside the entrance turnstiles. You can even see it from within Disneyland. And throughout DCA itself, it always seems to be in sight.
To do a complete transformation, to potentially reconstruct the facade of the hotel itself, the concept needs to be massive, and I’m not all too sold on Guardians being the answer. The rumor is that the Tower becomes an experience tied to the Collector from the film. Hmmm. The connective tissue for a seamless transition from Twilight Zone to Guardians of the Galaxy just seems awfully thin. It feels forced.
But if a Marvel Land is inevitable, if change is coming, isn’t there something more iconic, more recognizable, inherent with the Marvel franchise, that can serve as an epic and exciting replacement?
The answer is obvious.
Stark Tower.
Transforming the decaying 1930’s Hollywood hotel facade into the shiny metallic futuristic Stark Tower would be instantly exciting. Stark Tower itself is a symbol of The Avengers, and the Avengers represent the best and brightest of all of Marvel coming together. Seeing this beacon from the esplanade is a way of saying to park visitors, “Marvel is found here.”
Sure, an alien-looking Collector’s prison might look neat.
But is it impactful?
The last shot of the original Avengers movie showed a heavily damaged Stark Tower, with only the “A” remaining.
When we look at the lightning-damaged concept of the Hollywood Tower, and think of a battle-damaged Stark Tower, the transition to the new attraction seems remarkably seamless.
This could be a Stark Tower that has just been through a battle, where the land itself isn’t necessarily Tomorrowland-polished, but rather, a bit more weathered, more war-torn. It would instill a sense of “urgency” with the heroes we encounter as we walk through the land, putting us in the middle of something important, making us a part of the story.
When thinking about the elevator-drop concept of the ride, I can envision a storyline where we’re on a tour of Tony’s infamous eco-friendly building of the future when there is an enemy resurgence, and we find ourselves in the middle of a battle where the building is literally being torn apart in front of our very eyes.
When we go from the thrills of a drop to suddenly stopping, it can be Iron Man himself who saves us from plummeting to our demise. When he releases his grip to fend off the bad guys, we drop again and the thrills ensue only to be caught again in the nick of time!
This could be so awesome!
In Disney we trust, and we can’t be critical when there isn’t anything official. But if they are exploring Marvel concepts for this attraction, even though the Tower isn’t a brand new creation, there is still a massive opportunity to transform this into something just as epic as its original incarnation and this shouldn’t be underestimated.
I’m all for a new Marvel Tower. I just want Stark Tower.