Disney has revealed new particulars, idea artwork and trip system video for Stark Flight Lab, one in every of two points of interest being inbuilt Avengers Campus in California Journey at Disneyland. This publish shares all the pieces we all know concerning the new Marvel trip plus our commentary about this information.
Let’s begin with the newest information introduced throughout Disney’s function 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 company, to share insights about the way forward for storytelling at Disney Parks and past, specializing in the intersection of creativeness and innovation. Largely numerous fluff, nevertheless it’s enjoyable.
Amongst these on stage had been Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Inventive Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering and Kevin Feige, producer and president of Marvel Studios. One of many initiatives they offered 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 save lots of the universe – once more.
Stark Flight Lab will basically practice you for the battle in opposition to King Thanos, placing you inside Tony Stark’s workshop to take a look at a number of the new tech he’s engaged on and let you try it out your self. And who higher to point out 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 residing 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 concerning the stealth of WDI headquarters. “You wanna discuss a closed set? It’s the Space 51 of enjoyable!”
In Stark Flight Lab, company will sit in “gyro-kinetic pods” and roll alongside a monitor earlier than stopping in entrance of an enormous 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 primarily based 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 middle.”
Throughout SXSW, Walt Disney Imagineering shared a brand new animatic have a look at the “gyro-kinetic pods” and trip system throughout a simulated check flight by way of the KUKA Arm expertise:
NEW: Disney shared a brand new animatic have 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 grow to be vital to Tony Stark’s lore is his beloved little robotic good friend, DUM-E. When Downey first visited Imagineering, he commented how a lot the robotic arm for Stark Flight Lab seemed like DUM-E, and that rapidly labored its approach into the attraction.
Utilizing dancers and movement seize, the workforce made a “digital mirror” to include a few of these actions into early trip mockups. The Imagineers wish to be sure the robots in Stark Flight Lab really feel as lifelike as attainable, identical to DUM-E.
And that is solely only the start of what company 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 least 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 regardless of your age or pursuits that basically brings out the child in anybody. I wouldn’t be in the least shocked if recognized fan Kevin Feige dragged RDJ alongside to WDI and so they had a blast. (Critically, 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 each time.)
Right here’s hoping that interprets into extra formidable Marvel points of interest all over the world, 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 not too long ago 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 possible discovered the arduous approach that bifurcated land openings pack much less of a punch, so we suspect the doubling of Avengers Campus will open suddenly in 2027 or 2028.
Given the relative complexity of Avengers Infinity Protection, our greatest guess is that building on that can take for much longer. On the plus aspect, the facade is already constructed and the land is basically 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 season 2028. Right here’s hoping that’s flawed, and Disney finds a strategy to condense its building timeline. In all chance, these are the following new points of interest to opening as a part of Disneyland’s upcoming growth cycle, so maybe they’ll prioritize the challenge in an try to get it completed by Summer season 2027. Perhaps in a special multiverse, Disney builds sooner 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 return in a couple of years. He was interrupted by Deadpool, who stormed the stage to pitch his personal concepts for what he thinks may be good additions to Disney Parks all over the world.
D’Amaro and Imagineer Scott Trowbridge did have a number of different Marvel points of interest to announce throughout that D23 showcase. This included new rides for the worldwide parks, and that the scale of Avengers Campus at Disneyland will double with not one however two model new points of interest 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 accountable for 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 Superb Adventures of Spider-Man. Which means he has expertise managing massive franchises, in addition to Marvel particularly and has labored with one of many trip methods that’s coming to Avengers Campus.
By all accounts, Trowbridge is an amazing expertise and is nice at shepherding one of these challenge. He additionally clearly has related expertise that’ll possible be beneficial–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 challenge at DCA. Now that Joe Rohde is gone, I can’t consider anybody else apart from Trowbridge who has helmed that kind of challenge. However I digress.
Turning to commentary, Stark Flight Lab appears candy and easy. It jogs my memory numerous Sum of All Thrills at EPCOT, however as an open air attraction. To not get too “inside baseball,” however that extinct points of interest within the former Innoventions (together with the anglerfish within the Seas with Nemo & Mates) used KUKA Arm expertise.
Sum of All Thrills was fairly cool–and clearly forward of its time. It was far and away the very best attraction in Innoventions (not a excessive bar), giving company 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 beneficial prioritizing at rope drop as a result of strains obtained so unhealthy. (Even when they had been quick, it may very well be an extended wait–we’re virtually speaking meet & greet-level capability.)
For west coast folks, 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 received’t take you on a tour of Hogwarts or Frankenstein’s Castles…to the very best of my data) however powered by the identical piece of spectacular expertise.
The animatic launched by WDI exhibits that it’s going to 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 will likely be large for hourly capability.
Actually, it’s just about needed. 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 infinite re-rideability as a result of the flight simulation will change. It appears like a enjoyable addition, and this pod conveyance ought to bolster hourly capability. It’ll nonetheless have lengthy strains 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 superb KUKA Arms had been being put to extra formidable use, as Common now has two flagship darkish rides that use this expertise (invisibly) as a part of very distinctive trip methods. I assume Common Inventive owns patents on these explicit trip methods–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 work out that sidesteps Common’s patents, although.
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Ideas for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site inns in our Anaheim Resort Opinions & Rankings. For the place to eat, take a look at our Disneyland Restaurant Opinions. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, take a look at What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, take a look at our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seashore, and lots of different SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your response to Stark Flight Lab being inbuilt Avengers Campus at Disney California Journey? Which of the 2 new Marvel rides are you extra excited to expertise? Want Imagineering had been utilizing totally different trip methods for the brand new Avengers Campus points of interest? 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 can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
