Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT! puts fans in the driver’s seat of fantasy resistance
Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT! is one of Disney’s newest rides. A precursor to the Avengers campus in Anaheim’s second gate park California Adventure, Mission: BREAKOUT! (MB) opened in 2017 replacing the long beloved but increasingly defunct Hollywood Tower of Terror. MB is an E-ticket attraction and it’s drop tower mechanics make it easy to see why; sudden drops, stops, a heart pounding 70’s soundtrack, and the rush of going on this adventure alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy makes MB a worthy entry to the Disney thrill ride cannon. But what makes MB truly special is the advanced theming and guest interaction that makes the ride so completely immersive. Additionally, much like Galaxy’s Edge, MB is set in a Marvel border planet of “Nowhere” which allows the ride to further play with ideas of guest-created resistance within the world of the ride.
Entering the ride is like entering another world. More specifically, the world of Taneleer Tivan also known as The Collector within the MCU. Already Henry Jenkin’s idea of continuity comes into play. Defined by Jenkins as the “ongoing coherence of a cannon”, the continuity employed in Taneleer Tivan’s collection is showcased through references to past MCU films. For the casual ride goer, The Collector’s home is still breathtaking but to anyone familiar with the MCU, the various items make for extreme drillability. Guides online are available to die hard and casual fans to help them unpack the wealth of easter eggs littered about the queue line.
Furthermore, the line area gives fans the opportunity to dive ever deeper into the world of Guardians of the Galaxy. The collection, despite only ever being glimpsed once in the films, is expansive and so walking through the queue line, it is impossible to not be impressed by the scope of the building. The pretext for the ride is that we, the guests, have been granted a tour. Thus MB invites guests into the world, literally through a holographic greeting by Benicio Del Toro’s Tivan, and invites them to actively participate.
Del Toro’s Tivan invites not only entrance into his collection but also the possibility of subjectivity, the transmedia principle which explores previously overlooked parts of a given world. Tivan’s collection is one such locale, a passed over corner of the Guardians of the Galaxy world which fans can experience on their own terms without the prescription of an “official” camera perspective.
The fact that guests have arrived for a tour is critical as it means guests are able to get past the security scanners. By raising their hands in the air, thus submitting themselves to be “scanned”, the audience is able to exercise their guest privilege to move freely. Before entering the ride loading area, guests enter Tivan’s office where a very impressive and recently escaped animatronic Rocket Raccoon makes an appearance. He reveals that the Guardians have been taken captive and that he needs our help to break them out. Because we have access to the building, he needs us to get into the gantry lift and raise our hands in order to get the lift moving. Then he can put his plan into action.
To authors Christopher Chavez and Diana Leon-Boys who have written about the labor done in Disney’s various Frontierlands, the work performed by the audience is designed to allow guests to “create new opportunities by resisting or starting rebellions” . What was intended to be a simple tour has now morphed into a rescue mission and the audience are actors with agency. Although our choice is small, raise hands or don’t raise hands, even this small call to action is enough to fully immerse the audience into the story. Furthermore, to Chavez and Leon-Boy’s point that Disney’s celebration of unified Others in border towns is a new but growing phenomenon, we the audience are invited to push back against Tivan’s status quo alongside our new found family, the other people on the ride with us.
