Being one of Disney’s most well-known properties, it’s a real shame that the Marvel universe can’t be used in Disney’s flagship theme parks in Orlando. However, that doesn’t mean Disney can’t use the comic book superheroes at their other parks. Thankfully, Disney has taken full advantage of that.
While Universal Studios controls the rights to Marvel at any Orlando theme park, Disney has gone into overdrive to incorporate Marvel into its numerous other parks across the world.
We’ve recently seen Disneyland Hong Kong open the Iron Man Experience, a motion simulator ride that puts you right into battle alongside Tony Stark. Meanwhile, Disneyland Shanghai is also hard at work on its first Marvel project. The park is slated to open an Ant-Man themed dark ride in the near future.
While Iron Man and Ant-Man might be the first full-fledged Disney and Marvel collaborations, they certainly won’t be the last. Disneyland California has a Guardians of the Galaxy dark ride in the pipeline, as it will take over the former Tower of Terror. The ride will be the first Marvel/Disney attraction in North America.
The big question is whether or not Disney Orlando will soon gain access to Marvel properties on their rides. It’s unfortunate the busiest of all the Disney parks can’t receive the superhero treatment. But if it does indeed become reality, there is a massive amount of real estate to incorporate Marvel into Walt Disney World if the time does come.
[DanielG]
It’s no secret that Tomorrowland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is in need of some serious updating. How about taking the infamous Buzz Lightyear ride and re-modeling it with a Guardians of the Galaxy space adventure? In fact, the entirety of Tomorrowland sets itself up for Marvel refurbishment.
What about the front half of Epcot? There are numerous innovations pavilions that would serve as great choices for a Stark Expo attraction. There is also the option of re-branding Mission Space or Soarin to incorporate more superhero-esque moments.
Why stop at just theme park rides and attractions? There is the possibility of Marvel hotels and restaurants, or anything else Disney can get out of the Marvel license. This would not only serve as a fun experience but with a little Disney magic, it could really put them over the top in the crowded Orlando theme park scene.
Any of Disney’s major parks in either Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, or California can incorporate the aforementioned Marvel upgrades at any point. While Orlando will be behind the eight ball, there is no excuse for Disney Imagineers to not milk every bit of Marvel they can at their other parks, setting them up for the possibility of Orlando expansion.
The Marvel universe opens up a lot of intriguing possibilities for Disney’s future. Even with the exclusion of Orlando, the floodgates have been opened to finally give Disney Parks a dash of superhero magic.
Follow Daniel James Gentile on twitter @dgentleman9288
On the subject of the Marvel characters…can the artists who work drawing characters at the Disney Park art stores now draw Marvel characters? I can imagine those selling well.