A year ago, west-coast Disney fans learned that California Adventure favorite Tower of Terror would sadly be closing for a new experience based on the popular Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy movies. While the original Tower of Terror remains open to hapless guests at Walt Disney World, the new Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT at Disneyland brings a whole new adventure that is a thrilling throwback to the 1980s and genuinely fun!
You’ll still find a tower looming over Hollywood Boulevard in California Adventure. The ride’s operating system and shell stayed the same, but all of the decorations, graphics, and characters changed.
The Cast Member costumes look comfortable, but not nearly as impressive or iconic as the Tower of Terror bellhops
In Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT, a statue of your host Tanaleer Tivan, the Collector, greets you at the entrance. As in the original Guardians of Galaxy movie, he’s rounded up an assortment of intergalactic creatures for your entertainment.
Inside, you get to preview a portion of his collection in the lobby. Look up and all around you. The standby line, which wraps around the room, gets the best view of this area. The FastPass/MaxPass line only skirts the edge before entering Tivan’s office (formerly the library). The screen also plays a short interview with the Guardians, where they find out the unflattering labels they have been given in the collection.
If you know your Marvel movies well, you’ll recognize most of the critters and artifacts. If not, they give you something to look at while waiting.
Inside the office lies another set of treasures. You’ll need many rides to pick out all of the Easter eggs, but the above photos show a few of the items displayed. Be sure to find Star-Lord’s Walkman and keep an eye on it at the end of the office presentation.
And here comes trouble: Rocket escaped first and now needs your help to free the rest of the gang. This detail definitely improved the storyline — a reason we are all part of the mission. The animatronic looks cutting edge with a lot of range. Hint: Stand at the back of the office to see more of Rocket.
Still thinking he’s in charge, the Collector sends us to the boiler room/basement to take the tour. While the room and most of the basics remain the same, you can also spot some great nods here. Harold the Yeti (from the Matterhorn) shows up in the collection. Plus alien chow, empty cases, etc.
Finally your turn arrives and your party boards the gantry lift. If you want to see the ride in motion you can watch it on YouTube, but I’d wait and be surprised. Because you’ll get many surprises — six song choices that play randomly, with different drop sequences and scenes that appear with each. Over the course of four tours, we were accompanied by “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” (twice), “Burning Love,” and “I Want You Back” (my favorite sequence). And don’t relax, because when you think it’s over … it’s not.
You can play “spot the blogger” in my ride photo
I couldn’t stop smiling during the ride. I’d rank it as one of the most entertaining rides I’ve been on. I’d call it “Tower of Terror: Awesome Remix.” You’ll want to experience it several times — to catch all of the details in the queue and ride to different music. It scores very high on the re-rideability scale.
Additionally, Disneyland announced that during this Halloween Time, Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT will turn into Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark in the evenings. Seems the Guardians accidentally left Baby Groot behind while escaping. They need your help distracting the recently-freed creatures while sneaking Groot out. Now I need to ride it again! Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark will run at night between September 15 and October 31, 2017.
How do you feel about a new attraction taking Tower of Terror’s place.? Have you experienced Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Did you like this article? Make sure to share it with your friends! Check below for easy ways to share!