Video: Introducing "The Collector's Fortress": Disneyland's Ugly-Looking Attraction Building For 'Guardians Of The Galaxy - Mission: Breakout'
A massive transformation is now underway now at Disney California Adventure park, as the Hollywood Tower Hotel (the building that houses Twilight Zone's Tower Of Terror) is being remodeled into The Collector's Fortress. The lettering has been removed, and the building is now covered with scaffolding. Tower of Terror will make its final drop later this year, which doesn't give the Walt Disney Imagineers much time to transform the attraction into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! opening Summer 2017.
To prepare for The Collector's arrival in Disney California Adventure, the mouse house has released a new video giving us an extensive look at the new attraction building. Hit the jump to check out The Collector's Fortress.
Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Executive Joe Rohde describes the building as a "warehouse, fortress-like power plant" designed to be intimidating and imposing, but also shimmering and regal. He says its "surging with power, rising up into the sky and packed with all of his rare, irreplaceable collectibles from around the world."
When the new ride was first rumored, I was as cynical as the most die-hard Disneyland fanatic, but when the concept art was unveiled at Comic-Con this year, I found myself coming around to the idea. I suddenly became excited about the Guardians of the Galaxy taking over Tower of Terror.
Above is the side by side. I know concept art is always much cooler looking than the end product, but the scale model shown in this new video looks like a cheap high school science project compared to the concept illustrations. The colors look cheap and ugly; I hope the finished attraction doesn't look nearly this bad.
Here is what Rhode has previously said about the project:
"The setting is a kind of fortress that's owned by the mysterious Collector and it's packed with creatures and his latest acquisitions from across the universe. Now he has imprisoned the Guardians of the Galaxy and they're hanging in display cases over a giant abyss. The captor doesn't know it but Rocket Raccoon has escaped and is enlisting our aid—all the guests—to help the Guardians in a breakout scheme. And the rest is comical chaos; a very funny, very irreverent story and a really wonderful addition to Disney California Adventure."
In the storyline, The Collector's Fortress is the "ideal location for The Collector to secure and show off his most prized acquisitions, the Guardians of the Galaxy." Previously we learned that one member of the group, the intrepid Rocket, has escaped, and he calls upon brave visitors for help. Guests board a gantry lift which launches them into a daring adventure as they join Rocket in an attempt to set free his fellow Guardians.
The new attraction will add new visual and audio effects to the free-fall ride, creating a variety of ride experiences through multiple, random and unique ride profiles in which the rise and fall of the gantry lift rocks to the beat of music inspired by the film's popular soundtrack. No word on which songs will be used in the ride, but I'm assuming it will be the best hits of the first film's soundtrack.