For weeks now I’ve spent my evenings watching live streams and reviews from Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure, The opening of Disney’s Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel yesterday really brought it home that Paris is getting its own Avengers Campus, and its just around the corner. See below the concept art photograph I took on my last visit in February 2020.
The new mini land is the first of three major expansions to come to the Walt Disney Studios Park to freshen it up and broaden its appeal. If the front lot is a peek behind the scenes of movie making then the further you go into the park the more immersive the lands will become until you reach Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus and you are effectively inside the movie. Its an elegant transition that gives the Walt Disney Studios Park a much needed identity and differentiation from its neighbour Disneyland Paris.
Back to Avengers Campus, Paris will be getting attractions lifted straight from Disney California Adventure including Web Slingers: A Spiderman Adventure, which will be located where the old Armageddon Experience was and will no doubt feature a bilingual Spiderman. There is no news on whether the incredible stuntronic Spiderman robot will also be coming over, I really hope so, 3 seasons of Westworld have not put me off! Paris is also getting a smaller version of the Avengers HQ with Quinjet, for meet and greets and, presumably, scaled down stunt shows. for dining options Paris is also getting a version of the Pym Test Kitchen where guests enter through a quantum tunnel. The Test Kitchen is taking over the area where the Hollywood restaurant was so it will be interesting to see how much of the DCA menu translates to a sit down dining experience. What is especially interesting is how this restaurant will differentiate from the Ratatouille restaurant Remy’s which also features oversized props to simulate the feeling of having been shrunk down to the size of a mouse for the dining experience. The Pym Test Kitchen is playing in a similar sandbox with the DCA version featuring giant beer cans and sauce bottles amongst other oversized props. Its a good bet that the Shawarma van will carry over as well (the DCA version has a Paris sticker easter egg on it).
Although there is a fair amount of lift and shift from DCA to Disneyland Paris there are also unique elements that will be exclusive to Disneyland Paris. The Rock N Roller Coaster is being transformed into an Iron Man attraction with the preshow featuring an animatronic Iron Man and the ride itself including huge screens to simulate an adventure, which will include Iron Man and Captain Marvel, along the same lines as the Star Wars elements of Hyperspace Mountain. As a huge fan of Aerosmith and the Rock n Roller Coaster I am hoping that the musical elements of the ride carry over as well with ACDC and other rock and roll tracks blasting out during the adventure. The next exclusive element will be the Stark Café which will feature a full size Hulkbuster Armour and will take over the space formerly occupied by the Blockbuster Café, which was a pretty soulless warehouse style café. The presence of two Iron Man specific attractions means that Iron Man could be regarded as the signature character of the park, which ties up with the promotional artwork that was released by Disney when the Avengers Campus was first announced. Building work continues and the land should be ready in 2022, between this and the Marvel Hotel it really feels like Disneyland Paris is the premiere Disney/Marvel location!
Disney Parklife 