The Experience: The first true Marvel superhero ride in North America

The Trick: A more modern theme befitting its titular comic book team

Image: DisneyWhen The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009, theme park analysts expressed confusion over the transaction. After all, Universal Studios owned airtight rights to the primary Marvel comic book superheroes in perpetuity at Walt Disney World. What would Disney get out of the transaction?

That reasonable question returned a shocking answer. Disney intended to build its own new set of iconic superheroes. They mined the vast Marvel back catalog to unearth a team that would check off all the boxes for a popular Disney character. They needed cute and adorable heroes to sell toys, but they also needed plausible warriors to anchor the team. With the Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney struck gold in both ways. They sold plenty of Groot and Rocket Raccoon merchandise while simultaneously elevating Chris Pratt to superstardom as Star Lord.

These newly adored Marvel characters weren’t tethered to the same contract constrictions as many of The Avengers, giving Disney full reign to use them at North American parks. The company did just that in renovating the Tower of Terror space for its new heroes. In the process, they hinted at a future version of Disney California Adventure (DCA) that wholly sidestepped the park’s original theme, California, in favor of licensed characters from Disney’s massive intellectual property library. The DCA of tomorrow is a blissful marriage of Marvel and Pixar.

Image: DisneyTo reach that point, Disney had to start somewhere, and their first step forward was into a new galaxy. After the shocking success of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, Disney execs felt confident that they’d found the perfect property to reboot not just Tower of Terror but DCA in its entirety. They embarked on a daring plan to shoot extra scenes during the filming of the sequel. The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, including new additions such as Mantis, also comprises the cast of Mission: Breakout!

This new footage would become the basis for a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. It would mirror aspects of the second film; however, Disney went out of its way to note that the story told on the ride would vary slightly from the two films. Yes, Mission: Breakout! exists in its own private Marvel universe. If you see anything that conflicts with the story of the two films, that’s intentional. The attraction stands on its own as a singularly unique comic book adventure. But it absolutely drills the tone and style of the two films. For example…

The Experience: A six-song soundtrack that determines your trajectory

The Trick: Six song-based variations of the same general ride experience

Image: DisneyFrom the very first trailer, Guardians of the Galaxy hooked its target audience on a feeling. That first commercial employed an AM Radio classic by Blue Swede to set the mood for the weirdness of the guardians themselves. An unconventional superhero team, they are led by a kid whose mind is sort of stuck in a late-1970s time warp. The music of that era defines part of his personality.

In the movie sequel, Star Lord aka Peter Quill evolves a bit, or at least lets time catch up to him. Some of his music advances into the 1980s, the MTV era. And several of those tracks populate the list of ride possibilities on Mission: Breakout!

Whereas Tower of Terror had a sort of randomness to its elevator chutes, the Guardians of the Galaxy version has a tell. When you hear the first notes of the music play, you know exactly which of the six variations of the ride that you’re about to experience. The action onscreen will mirror the musical accompaniment to an extent. Some of the cinematics are only available when certain music tracks play. In other words, the audio drives the video more than the reverse.

Those six songs are:

• "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 Winter Group
• "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley

And yes, that’s quite the eclectic mix. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn actually had rare input on the selections. He suggested the music that would best fit the tone of each ride trajectory. The soundtrack is a reflection of the journey, just as is true for Peter Quill in the movie franchise.

From a rider perspective, knowing the song will give you a sense of familiarity about repeated trips through Mission: Breakout! The instant the guitar riff triggers for Hit Me With Your Best Shot, you know that Baby Groot is about to get everyone else in trouble. For Free Ride, you’ll jump into the middle of an outer space firefight. Each iteration has a musical identifier, something that’s never been done an attraction previously. Disney wanted to give the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction something special, and they fittingly chose music for the backbone of the journey.