Disney has revealed new particulars, idea artwork and trip system video for Stark Flight Lab, certainly one of two sights being in-built Avengers Campus in California Journey at Disneyland. This put up shares all the pieces we all know in regards to the new Marvel trip plus our commentary about this information.
Let’s begin with the newest information introduced throughout Disney’s characteristic presentation, “The Way forward for World-Constructing at Disney,” throughout South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas on March 8, 2025. Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Disney Leisure Co-Chairman Alan Bergman took the stage, together with some particular friends, to share insights about the way forward for storytelling at Disney Parks and past, specializing in the intersection of creativeness and innovation. Largely lots of fluff, however it’s enjoyable.
Amongst these on stage have been Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Inventive Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering and Kevin Feige, producer and president of Marvel Studios. One of many tasks they supplied an replace on was the enlargement of Avengers Campus at DCA, and the Stark Flight Lab, particularly.
Stark Flight Lab is the secondary attraction being constructed in the course of the enlargement of the Marvel land at Disney California Journey. The E-Ticket that can anchor the entire land is Avengers Infinity Protection, the place you’ll assemble with the Avengers and battle King Thanos throughout a number of worlds. Be part of alongside the likes of Black Panther, Ant-Man, Hulk, and so many different favorites to avoid wasting the universe – once more.
Stark Flight Lab will primarily prepare you for the battle towards King Thanos, placing you inside Tony Stark’s workshop to take a look at a few of the new tech he’s engaged on and assist you to check it out your self. And who higher to indicate off his tech than Tony Stark himself?
With thunderous applause, Robert Downey Jr. made a shock look at SXSW, calling the Imagineers engaged on these new experiences, “the dwelling embodiment of the Stark Enterprises mission assertion.”
“The curiosity, the eagerness, the inventiveness, the occasional aptitude for the dramatic, most of all a drive to place one thing good out into the world to make life higher, on the minimal extra enjoyable by a mile, ” Downey advised the group. “It’s the privilege of a lifetime to be invited to take part.”
Downey was additionally fairly excited simply to be invited into the Imagineering world, joking in regards to the stealth of WDI headquarters. “You wanna speak about a closed set? It’s the Space 51 of enjoyable!”
In Stark Flight Lab, friends will sit in “gyro-kinetic pods” and roll alongside a monitor earlier than stopping in entrance of a large robotic arm. This robotic arm will hoist you into the air the place you’ll make a number of high-speed maneuvers impressed by Iron Man and another Avengers. (“That I’ll choose based mostly on advantage and whomever picks up my FaceTime calls on the primary ring,” joked Downey.)
“Transferring from a monitor to a robotic arm after which again once more – nothing like this has ever been completed earlier than in a theme park, and we’re so enthusiastic about it,” Bruce defined. “Often, we disguise all of the tech behind the scenes so you possibly can deal with the story. Right here, the tech IS the story, so we’re placing it entrance and heart.”
Throughout SXSW, Walt Disney Imagineering shared a brand new animatic take a look at the “gyro-kinetic pods” and trip system throughout a simulated check flight through the KUKA Arm know-how:
NEW: Disney shared a brand new animatic take a look at Stark Flight Lab coming to Avengers Campus at Disney California Journey. The animation exhibits the trip expertise inside Tony Stark’s workshop the place riders fly like Iron Man in a “Gyrokinetic Pod” throughout a simulated check flight. pic.twitter.com/5j56hSvGZT
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2025
One piece of tech that has change into vital to Tony Stark’s lore is his beloved little robotic buddy, DUM-E. When Downey first visited Imagineering, he commented how a lot the robotic arm for Stark Flight Lab appeared like DUM-E, and that shortly labored its approach into the attraction.
Utilizing dancers and movement seize, the group made a “digital mirror” to include a few of these actions into early trip mockups. The Imagineers wish to ensure that the robots in Stark Flight Lab really feel as lifelike as doable, similar to DUM-E.
And that is solely only the start of what friends will quickly see in Avengers Campus. “Even after we end with the Flight Lab, I wish to stick with you all for the lengthy haul,” Downey advised Feige and Vaughn amid screams from the group, “This isn’t a one-time deal. You want extra me.”
Though RDJ is an efficient and charismatic actor, he appeared honest along with his enthusiasm about working with Imagineering on Avengers Campus. Perhaps he was faking it, however I wouldn’t be in the slightest degree shocked if he had an superior time visiting Glendale, seeing the tech being created at R&D and getting an opportunity to mess around and check issues out.
It’s actually cool stuff irrespective of your age or pursuits that basically brings out the child in anybody. I wouldn’t be in the slightest degree shocked if recognized fan Kevin Feige dragged RDJ alongside to WDI they usually had a blast. (Significantly, watch the final ~5 minutes of the SXSW livestream–it ends with RDJ getting “verbal affirmation” from D’Amaro that he’s welcome at WDI every time.)
Right here’s hoping that interprets into extra formidable Marvel sights around the globe, as a result of Disney has but to construct one which surpasses Common’s decades-old Marvel trip. However I digress.
Throughout SXSW, Disney additionally revealed that the groundbreaking for the Avengers Campus occurred lately and work is now underway on the enlargement.
Avengers Infinity Protection and it may, in concept, open as quickly as 2026 if Disneyland so needs. We suspect that they don’t. Disney has doubtless realized the onerous approach that bifurcated land openings pack much less of a punch, so we suspect the doubling of Avengers Campus will open all of sudden in 2027 or 2028.
Given the relative complexity of Avengers Infinity Protection, our greatest guess is that development on that can take for much longer. On the plus aspect, the facade is already constructed and the land is essentially cleared backstage already. For essentially the most half, it’s a matter of constructing a present constructing after which walling off a mostly-unused portion of Avengers Campus to attach the enlargement.
Our greatest guess is that this all opens between Christmas 2027 and Summer time 2028. Right here’s hoping that’s flawed, and Disney finds a approach to condense its development timeline. In all probability, these are the subsequent new sights to opening as a part of Disneyland’s upcoming growth cycle, so maybe they’ll prioritize the venture in an try to get it completed by Summer time 2027. Perhaps in a distinct multiverse, Disney builds quicker than Common!
Stark Flight Lab was first formally introduced throughout final 12 months’s D23 Expo.
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro provided a sneak peek at idea artwork for the long run as well as and teased what was to come back in a number of years. He was interrupted by Deadpool, who stormed the stage to pitch his personal concepts for what he thinks is likely to be good additions to Disney Parks around the globe.
D’Amaro and Imagineer Scott Trowbridge did have a number of different Marvel sights to announce throughout that D23 showcase. This included new rides for the worldwide parks, and that the dimensions of Avengers Campus at Disneyland will double with not one however two model new sights to go well with up and combat alongside a few of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
It’s additionally price touching upon the background of Scott Trowbridge, as he’s the Imagineer who’s now in command of the Marvel portfolio at Walt Disney Imagineering. You may acknowledge Trowbridge’s title because the lead Imagineer on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Previous to that, he was at Common Inventive for 15 years and helped develop the Wonderful Adventures of Spider-Man. That means he has expertise managing huge franchises, in addition to Marvel particularly and has labored with one of many trip techniques that’s coming to Avengers Campus.
By all accounts, Trowbridge is an incredible expertise and is nice at shepherding this kind of venture. He additionally clearly has related expertise that’ll doubtless be precious–and it’s most likely good (for him) to be managing a world portfolio. Actually, I used to be hoping he’d be the lead on the Pandora venture at DCA. Now that Joe Rohde is gone, I can’t consider anybody else aside from Trowbridge who has helmed that kind of venture. However I digress.
Turning to commentary, Stark Flight Lab appears candy and easy. It jogs my memory lots of Sum of All Thrills at EPCOT, however as an open air attraction. To not get too “inside baseball,” however that extinct sights within the former Innoventions (together with the anglerfish within the Seas with Nemo & Mates) used KUKA Arm know-how.
Sum of All Thrills was fairly cool–and clearly forward of its time. It was far and away the perfect attraction in Innoventions (not a excessive bar), giving friends the chance to design their very own curler coaster utilizing mathemagic and science and that sorta factor, after which trip their design.
Sum of All Thrills was additionally woefully inefficient, with atrocious hourly throughput. It was an itinerary buster, and one thing we really helpful prioritizing at rope drop as a result of traces received so unhealthy. (Even when they have been quick, it could possibly be an extended wait–we’re nearly speaking meet & greet-level capability.)
For west coast individuals, Stark Flight Lab ought to just like the trip system for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or Monsters Unchained over at Common.
Clearly, very totally different from the substance of the attraction (no, Stark Flight Lab gained’t take you on a tour of Hogwarts or Frankenstein’s Castles…to the perfect of my data) however powered by the identical piece of spectacular know-how.
The animatic launched by WDI exhibits that it’ll have a load station after which dispatch the pods to the KUKA Arms–so not fairly repeatedly loading like Forbidden Journey, however not a stationary course of like Sum of All Thrills. That alone might be big for hourly capability.
Actually, it’s just about crucial. The Sum of All Thrills may “get away” with having inefficient operations as a result of it was tucked away within the hallways of Innoventions–part of misplaced EPCOT that was fairly unpopular. I can solely think about how a lot demand will explode when Stark Flight Lab is added to Avengers Campus, given a wrapper of Marvel theme, and touted as one thing with limitless re-rideability as a result of the flight simulation will change. It seems like a enjoyable addition, and this pod conveyance ought to bolster hourly capability. It’ll nonetheless have lengthy traces for what it’s, however not perpetual 90+ minute waits.
As good of a “bonus” trip as Stark Flight Lab is, I nonetheless want the wonderful KUKA Arms have been being put to extra formidable use, as Common now has two flagship darkish rides that use this know-how (invisibly) as a part of very distinctive trip techniques. I assume Common Inventive owns patents on these specific trip techniques–therefore Disney as a substitute utilizing KUKA Arms for extra backyard selection functions like this and the anglerfish in Discovering Nemo. There’s gotta be one thing Imagineering can determine that sidesteps Common’s patents, although.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your response to Stark Flight Lab being in-built Avengers Campus at Disney California Journey? Which of the 2 new Marvel rides are you extra excited to expertise? Want Imagineering have been utilizing totally different trip techniques for the brand new Avengers Campus sights? What future plans for Disneyland Resort have you ever most and least excited? Something you’re hoping does not find yourself coming to fruition? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!