''Guardians of the Galaxy'' – Mission: Breakout!

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! is an accelerated drop tower dark ride attraction at Disney California Adventure. Inspired by Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy film series, the attraction depicts Rocket Raccoon recruiting guests to attempt to free the remaining Guardians of the Galaxy from display within the Collector's fortress.^[1]

The attraction, the first major Disney attraction to be based on Marvel Comics characters within the United States, is a retheme of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, using the same infrastructure and ride system as the previous attraction.^[3] Mission: Breakout! features several cast members from the film series reprising their characters.^[4] The attraction opened on May 27, 2017, twenty-two days after the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.^[1][2]

Development

Announced at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, the attraction replaced The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which closed on January 3, 2017.^[1][5][6][7] It is the first Disney attraction based on Marvel Comics characters in the United States, and may be followed by other Marvel-themed rides at Disney California Adventure.^[8][9] Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Benicio del Toro, and Bradley Cooper reprise their roles as Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, The Collector, and the voice of Rocket, respectively.^[10][11] Due to Marvel's 1994 contract with Universal Parks & Resorts (pre-dating Disney's 2009 purchase of Marvel Entertainment), the Marvel brand is not allowed to be used as part of the ride's title or advertising.^[12] James Gunn directed all of the scenes involving the cast.

Tyler Bates, composer of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, wrote the incidental music for the attraction's queue.^[13] The attraction also features six songs for the ride's six drop profiles, some of which were suggested by Gunn.^[14][15]

• "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar
• "Give Up The Funk" by Parliament
• "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf
• "I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
• "Free Ride” by The Edgar Winters Group
• "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley

Cast

• Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord
• Zoe Saldana as Gamora
• Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
• Fred Tatasciore as Groot (voice)^[16]
• Bradley Cooper as Rocket (voice)^[13]
• Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan / The Collector
• Pom Klementieff as Mantis^[17]
• Stan Lee as himself^[18]
• Seth Green as Howard the Duck (voice)^[19]

The attraction is not a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but is instead part of its own universe, the Marvel Theme Park Universe (MTPU), which links to the MCU.^[20][21][22]

Plot

The attraction is based in the Collector's fortress-esque collection called the Tivan Collection, as seen in the film Guardians 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]

Queue and preshow

Guests enter the main floor which is meant to resemble the interior of the Collector's archive. The archive itself houses a number of interactive artifacts. A video plays on loop of the Collector and his new assistant revealing that they have a new addition to the Tivan Collection, the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves. It's revealed through their banter that the Guardians, 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 so that the team cannot escape, yet Rocket is still determined to get out (and later, it is revealed that he managed to escape his case). The Collector reveals to the guests that they can access the facility due to their hands being coded into the system and all they have to do is raise their hands to be scanned.

Afterwards, the guests are led into the Collector's office where another video of himself begins playing. Suddenly Rocket, portrayed through an audio animatronic, enters the room through a vent and hijacks the video to explain his plan for rescuing his friends. The guests will use their access passes (their hands) to enter the gantry lift while Rocket rides on top to blow up the generator so that the Guardians, as well as the other creatures in the collection, 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's walkman.

Ride

After guests are seated in the gantry lift, Rocket unplugs the system and inserts Quill's walkman starting one of the songs listed above. The lift quickly rises up to the generator 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. Rocket finally restores power and the lift drops down to show the Guardians reunited along with Mantis and Cosmo the Spacedog. The Guardians thank the guests, but as the lift resets itself, Drax is heard wondering why they should be thanking the guests as all they did was sit through the whole ordeal 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. Howard the Duck can also occasionally be heard, mocking the Collector's misfortune and reminding guests to buy merchandise.

There are six different versions of the ride, each with its own song, visuals, and drop sequence. The six songs, and their sequences, are as follows^[23]

• I Want You Back - The Jackson 5 (1969): The first scenario is of the Guardians jumping from their confinement, only for Drax to get captured by a tentacled monster The second scenario shows Quill kicking a rat-like creature into the cages before being attacked by a group of them.
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar (1980): The first scenario shows Peter Quill shooing away the tentacled monster, ending with the both of them and Gamora (who is in the same scenario) running from a fleet of security drones. The next scenario shows a giant, gargoyle-esque monster jumping up and spitting out Drax, with the latter then punching the former and telling the guests, "You're welcome!"
• Give Up The Funk - Parliament (1975): The first scenario has Quill and Gamora in the tentacles of the tentacled monster, with Quill and Gamora asking Rocket for help. The following scenario shows Quill kicking a rat-like creature into the cages before being attacked by a group of them.
• Free Ride - The Edgar Winter Group (1973): The first scenario is of the Guardians shooting at the oncoming attacks before Baby Groot pushes a red button that turns off the artificial gravity.The next scenario, respectively, shows everything floating while Quill tells Baby Groot to press the button that puts on the artificial gravity. He does, but everything in the collection falls, including the Gantry Lift.
• Burning Love - Elvis Presley (1972): The first scenario is of the Guardians jumping from their confinement, only for Drax to get captured by the tentacled monster. The second scenario shows the giant, gargoyle-esque monster jumping up and spitting out Drax, with the latter then punching the former and telling the guests, "You're welcome!"
• Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf (1968): The first scenario has Quill and Gamora in the tentacles of the tentacled monster, with Quill and Gamora shouting at Rocket for help. The following scene, respectively, shows Quill shooing away the monster, ending with the both of them and Gamora (who is in the same scenario) running from a fleet of security drones.

Collector's archive

Within the waiting area, guests are allowed to view the many items in the Collector's archive. The artifacts are expected to be in rotation.^[24] Various items from Guardians of the Galaxy, the Marvel Universe, and inactive audio-animatronics from Disney attractions are present including:

• An Ultron sentry from Avengers: Age of Ultron with light up eyes that blinks occasionally, and will randomly activate quoting lines from the film.
• Cosmo the Spacedog.
• A Nova Corps uniform.
• Adam Warlock's cocoon. (Listed as "Cocoon of Unknown Origin")
• Warlock's Eye.
• Kree weapons and orb. (From Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode Failed Experiments)
• Rocket Raccoon's Laser Cannon.
• Terrigen crystals.
• Einherjar uniform.
• Brazier of Bom'Galiath
• Crystal of Conquest.
• Celestial masks.^[25]
• Stormbreaker. (Beta Ray Bill's hammer)^[25]
• Atlantis artifacts.
• A book describing the Dark Elves and one of their daggers. (From Thor: The Dark World)
• Figment from Epcot's original Journey Into Imagination.^[26][25]

More items are located in the Collector's office including:

• An invoice from X-S Tech.^[25]
• A Bellhop's hat and a luggage tag (used as a bookmark) from the Hollywood Tower Hotel.^[25]
• Books from the Hollywood Tower Hotel.^[25]
• A jar that contains a tentacle from Davy Jones's beard.
• Loki’s shackles. (From Thor: The Dark World)^[25]
• Loki’s optical torture device. (From The Avengers)^[25]
• A Hydra soldier's helmet and weapons.^[25]
• Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. (From Doctor Strange)
• The hollow head of an It's a Small World doll.^[27]
• Mickey and Minnie tin toys.^[25]
• 1955 Disneyland maps.^[25]
• Peter Quill's Walkman. (Rocket grabs it before leaving the room)
• The bionic leg.

In addition, in the video message from the Collector there is a maquette of a ghost dog from Haunted Mansion on the table.

When guests enter the maintenance room before entering the gantry lift more items can be found such as:

• The original abominable snowman from Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds.^[26][25]
• A painting from the Hollywood Tower Hotel.^[25]
• Dolores the octopus from Disneyland's defunct Country Bear Vacation Hoedown.^[25]
• A Kamar-Taj dragon statue.^[25]

Incidents

On April 6, 2017, a construction worker suffered a minor knee injury while working on the attraction. The worker was lowered down by a harness and rescued by firefighters.^[28]

See also

• Iron Man Experience
• List of amusement rides based on film franchises

References

External links

• Official website