A first-of-its-kind Quinjet E-ticket attraction put on hold by pandemic-related financial constraints is back on track as the Disneyland resort announces plans for the second phase of the new Marvel-themed land.
Disneyland will expand Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure with a new attraction, according to Disney CEO Bob Chapek.
Chapek made the DCA Avenger Campus expansion announcement during the Legends Ceremony on opening day of the D23 Expo earlier this month.
The Quinjet E-ticket attraction was initially announced with much fanfare during the D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center in 2019, but has not been mentioned very often since then — leading industry observers to wonder if the ballyhooed attraction would be canceled amid pandemic-related budget cuts.
Chapek said during an annual shareholder meeting in March that the Quinjet E-ticket attraction planned for DCA was in a “holding pattern” and will “hopefully” get built once the company’s post-pandemic cash-flow situation improved.
DCA’s Avengers Campus debuted in June 2021 after a yearlong pandemic delay with the Web Slingers interactive dark ride, Doctor Strange magic show, Ant-Man and the Wasp restaurant and Marvel character rooftop stunt shows.
The custom-designed, full-sized Quinjet that serves as the centerpiece of the Marvel-themed land sits atop an Avengers Headquarters building that is intended to double as the entrance for the planned E-ticket attraction. Disney uses the balconies on the building facade as a stage for Marvel super hero stunt shows.
Riders on the planned Quinjet E-ticket attraction will embark on a mission to the Black Panther world of Wakanda to battle menacing winged aliens alongside the team of superheroes, according to Walt Disney Imagineering.
Concept art for the Avengers attraction shows riders hovering in jetpack seats. The sweeping scene depicts Captain Marvel firing an energy beam, Iron Man unleashing a repulsor blast and Thor wielding his hammer while surrounded by the flying extraterrestrials. On the ground, Hulk pummels the winged creatures, Black Panther engages in hand-to-hand combat and the Dora Milaje throw warrior spears as a supersized Ant Man towers above the action.
Additional concept art shows a walk-through pre-show area with Avengers aircraft on a docking bay — suggesting an active superhero hangar. An interior view of the attraction shows two rows of jetpack seats aligned in front of a glowing heads-up tactical display. Overhead, a massive glass ceiling-like screen provides views of the ship’s command deck and the outside world.
Concept art is just that — conceptual illustrations created to give a sense of possibilities and design intentions. Imagineering often refines and modifies attraction plans as the creative arm of the company moves forward with a project.
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