During a shareholders meeting this morning, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced new details for the upcoming spider-man themed ride at the Avengers Campus, opening this summer.
Titled ‘Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure,’ the ride will give guests their own web-slinging powers as they team with Spider-Man to take on an army of spider-bots on the loose.
Walt Disney Imagineering creative executive director Brent Strong reveals,
At WEB, young inventors like Peter Parker have been brought together by Tony Stark to help create technologies that allow everyday people like us to have powers just like the Avengers. When we get inside, we find out that they’re not quite as well funded as Stark Enterprises. They’re not quite as militaristic as SHIELD. In fact, they’re not all that organized at all. These are some kids that have some amazing power, right? Vibranium from Wakanda, Pym Particles from Ant-Man. They have arc reactors from Tony Stark. In fact, they probably have a little bit more power than they have responsibility.
In a ride similar to this, Toy Story Midway Mania, guests use a blaster triggered by pulling a cord to hit targets. Superpowers don’t work like this though, and the folks at WDI had to figure out a more natural and immersive way to perform tasks on this new attraction.
What you won’t see is people holding onto a blaster, people holding onto an interface. Believe it or not, with nothing in your hands, you get to reach out and you will sling webs on this ride. In order to do that we invented a brand new interface.
This is the first time we’ve ever shown this outside [of Imagineering]. This is a gesture recognition system that we have built into every slinger vehicle and sixty times a second, we are able to determine where a guest’s head is, their shoulders, their elbows, and even their wrists. We’re able to track the motion of your body so that when you reach out and sling a web, since we know where your eyes are, and we know where your hands are, we can render a virtual web coming right out of the palm of your hand, right out of your virtual web-shooters and into a virtual world.
Strong also said that there are no age or height requirements for the ride, making it more accessible to all families.
This is something where guests of all ages get to live out that epic action, which is wonderful.
The ride will feature Spider-Man himself, as voiced by Tom Holland, who will explain the situation before loading guests into the new ride vehicles, called ‘slinger vehicles.’
During a shareholders meeting this morning, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has announced that guests will be able to meet some of their favorite adventures beginning July 18th, 2020!
The Avengers Campus is the brand-new Marvel themed area expansion to Disney California Adventure, which replaces the former a bug’s land area. In this new land of the park, guests will be recruited by the Avengers to become the next generation of super heroes.
July 18th is the scheduled date for Phase One of the area’s completion. This includes the brand new Spider-Man experience, which is the first Disney-built ride-through attraction to feature the web-slinger himself. Guests can also enjoy the currently open Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT! attraction, as a part of the land’s adventures.
Phase Two of the land, which will include the new Avengers-themed E-ticket attraction is still yet to come.
Avengers Campus will also feature the Pym Test Kitchen, an Ant-Man and The Wasp themed dining location specializing in growing and shrinking every-day food with Pym Technology.
Stay tuned here for all the latest updates on the Avengers Campus, and all over Disney parks and resorts.
Marvel Studios’ Black Widow is less than two months away, in theaters on May 1! To get you hyped on the upcoming action-packed spy thriller, Marvel has released this brand new final trailer. Check it out below!
In the trailer, Yelena gives more viewers (and Natasha) insight to the mysterious Taskmaster—he controls the Red Room, the program that churns out young women into the most elite assassins. Yelena states the women are manipulated, fully conscious but no choices. Nat hints that during her time, before the Avengers, she had made mistakes and a few enemies.
Nat expresses regret that she should have come back for Yelena. In order to take down Taskmaster, they must go back to where it all began—bringing the fam back together. With Alexei and Melina, their parental figures, Nat and Yelena have a shot in ensuring Taskmaster could never harm young women again.
We look forward to seeing the movie, so be sure to come back here to check out our review when it comes out this summer.
In addition to the trailer, Black Widow also dropped the latest theatrical poster, below:
Before this review gets started, I’ll say that this review, like all of my others, contains NO SPOILERS, so read away with no worries of ruining the story. These are merely my lasting impressions.
About a month ago, I wrote a pretty negative review about Captain Marvel. One of the biggest takeaways from this review was that I began to feel as if I was suffering from “Marvel Fatigue”. That is to say, I felt as if there were more Marvel movies being produced than I cared to enjoy. The majority of them were only entertaining at best, but did nothing in terms of great filmmaking. They were largely ‘popcorn films’ – something you can sit down and watch, and know you’ll have a good time watching it, even though it’s not anything groundbreaking. They all followed the same basic format, and utterly, it grew quite old to me.
That is, with one exception: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. Infinity War to me was the piéce de rèsistance of the MCU. I find myself still watching that movie over and over again, whereas I’ve still only seen most other Marvel movies one time. But I digress – point of the story is that to me, Infinity War was the climax of the series, and left me incredibly excited for Endgame. Captain Marvel just simply didn’t deliver on what I wanted from the MCU.
Avengers: Endgame is truly the thrilling conclusion we all signed up for back in 2008. None of us knew it back then, but this is what we were waiting for. I’ll actually keep my descriptions of it more brief than usual, since I know spoiling anything in the MCU – let alone a proper Avengers title – is basically a death sentence.
I was ultimately left speechless by this movie. Where the MCU typically left me wanting more – wishing that the stories would be developed deeper, that there was more of a richness or diversity to the arcs we saw – Endgame fulfilled tenfold.It truly was the Super Bowl of the MCU, the great single climax we’ve all been waiting for.
In my initial draft of this review, I listed my only ‘con’ as the runtime. I mentioned that at times, even though I wasn’t bored, I was wondering if this runtime was truly necessary. Now that I’ve had more time to think about it – yes, it absolutely was. Every aspect of this film was necessary, and the runtime was definitely a key player. I might even be able to say I find no ‘con’ in this movie,which is not an honor I throw around very lightly, and certainly not for a movie in the MCU.
There are moments that feel the same as when we first saw The Avengers in 2012, with all the giddy joy of seeing them come together on screen for the first time. There are moments that feel the same as Thor: Ragnarok, which was notable for its lighthearted fare and comedy throughout. And there are some moments that feel the same as Infinity War, with all of the depressing realism of coming to terms with the fact that you can’t win every fight.
If you enter Endgame seeking an end to the arc we began in Infinity War, you will find it. If you enter seeking a newer, bolder story, you will find it. If you enter wishing to reminisce on the nostalgia of all of your favorite Marvel characters, you can do so.It really is a cinematic spectacle the likes of which has never happened before, and might never happen again.
The most I’ll give away is this: pay attention to the score. It can often be overlooked in action movies, but I thought the soundtrack of Endgame was masterful. When utilized fully, the soundtrack can be the biggest single tool in the directors’ arsenal to help tell a story and create their masterpiece – Endgame definitely does this. There are actually a few times in this movie where the score is a big focus, and I don’t recall that being as much of an emotional moment at any other time in the MCU.
Now, while I did absolutely love this movie, I don’t think it’s the most amazing movie I’ve seen. I think initially I would be quite hesitant to put it at the same level as some of my favorite movies – The Favourite (2018), Birdman (2014), La La Land (2016), etc. But I also don’t think that’s what it was trying to be. It wasn’t your typical Oscar-nominated spectacle-of-theatre that you know will be looked back on as a classic. Or was it?
The performances were great. Robert Downey Jr. brought new depth to his role in this film alone unlike anything we’ve seen. And he’s not alone. Hemsworth, Evans, Ruffalo, the whole team were at an elevated level of performance. The storytelling was great. The music was great. The visual depth and experience were great. It’s not your typical Oscar selection, but I think it certainly manages to prove its worthiness as one.
What it did do was subvert every expectation I had of what an action movie could be. 11 years ago, I never thought I would care about what Thanos did, or who War Machine was. But Kevin Feige and the entire Marvel team have crafted a cultural moment unlike any other. I’ll be the first to say I haven’t enjoyed every stop along the way – like I said earlier, I got bored. Retaining the audience’s attention for this long was surely a daunting task, and it wasn’t always a successful one for me. Regardless, time after time, I showed up. And I’m very glad I did.
Endgame manages to do something right in the MCU. That is to say, it takes every boring and action-heavy flick in its roster and kicks them to the curb. Every low moment of the MCU we slogged through for the past 11 years was worth it for seeing the Avengers come to life on screen one last time in Endgame. Whatever it takes.
To say that Endgame is a great movie is actually kind of difficult. First a different question must be answered; Is it truly great, or is it great only built off the success of the 22-film MCU?
I’m a big fan of Harry Potter. And I think that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a good movie, and ended the series off in a way that I was fine with. But you certainly could not watch ONLY Deathly Hallows Part 2. I think you might be able to watch ONLY Endgame (if you somehow hadn’t seen anything else in the MCU).
Really, I don’t think I can answer that original question. In fact I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually could. It seems as though the entire world has seen at least most of these movies, so it would be very difficult to find someone who will watch Endgame with absolutely zero prior knowledge. So I think that invalidates the question. To ask if Endgame is good is to, by association, assume whomever you’re asking has prior knowledge already. And that actually makes this easier to talk about.
Endgame is a great movie. It certainly doesn’t make any groundbreaking leaps or bounds in terms of cinematic filmmaking. But it does completely change film history. Never before have 22 films culminated to one thrilling, rollercoaster of a conclusion. And I think something like this may never happen again, or at least, I hope it doesn’t.
While I definitely enjoyed this wild 11 year ride, I’m ready for it to end. In a perfect world, this would be the end of the MCU, and we would be able to look back fondly on this crazy journey and reminisce the time of year a new Marvel movie would come out. Unfortunately, I know it doesn’t end here. They’ve already announced films like Spiderman: Far From Home, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, and who knows what else is in the works.
But if I’m being honest, after Endgame, I’m actually looking forward to whatever happens next. I’m ready for it to end, but something about the masterminds at Marvel Studios has left me curious about where we go from here. So the MCU shall continue, seemingly endlessly into the horizon, as new stories are told and new heroes are born. But for now, Endgame signifies a brief moment of rest. I no longer know what the future of the MCU holds, but I’m ready for a whole new adventure to begin.
When I saw this new line of Her Universe designs my mouth dropped and I wished I was 20 again. I may have to throw my pre-conceived fashion notions out the window for a few of these new items. They are that adorable. The Loki dress is to die for, and the Tony Stark jacket is fabulous. I love them all though! Here is the official release from Her Universe below and info on the pre-sale going on at Hot Topic now before the mid-May release of this new Marvel line. Which one is your favorite??
Fangirls assemble! In celebration of the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Her Universe – the trendsetting geek girl apparel company, and Disney Consumer Products have announced a new fashion line inspired by fan-favorite Super Heroes from the Avengers films. The Marvel by Her Universe collection will be available mid-May exclusively at select Hot Topic stores and hottopic.com, with an online pre-sale starting April 21st on hottopic.com.
The Avengers-inspired line features designs by winners from the first-ever Her Universe “Geek Couture” Fashion Show held at last year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego where attendees Amy Beth Christenson and Andrew MacLaine wowed the audience with their original, handmade creations on the runway and took top honors at the event. As part of the grand prize, Christenson and MacLaine were rewarded the exciting professional opportunity to design an exclusive fashion collection with Her Universe founder, Ashley Eckstein, for pop-culture and licensed apparel destination Hot Topic. To see the making of the collection, from inspiration to sketches to fittings to ready-to-wear, visit hottopic.com/marvelbyheruniverse.
“It’s been such a pleasure to work with Amy and Andrew to create this line from their initial sketches to the final product sold in Hot Topic stores,” said Her Universe Founder Ashley Eckstein. “Geek fashion is a trend that’s here to stay. Fangirls are making a statement in the fashion community and this new Avengers collection is addressing their demand for more fashion-forward designs.”
“It’s exciting to see Marvel’s female fan base grow with the second installation of our collaboration with Her Universe, inspired by one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2015,Avengers: Age of Ultron,” said Paul Gitter, Senior Vice President, Licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “This collection brings awareness of the emerging fangirl trend into mainstream fashion by uniting stylish designs with iconic characters to create a strong statement at retail.”
The action-packed Marvel by Her Universe collection consists of stylish dresses and jackets inspired by popular Avengers characters, available in straight and extended sizes. The six piece fashion collection for Hot Topic includes:
– Captain America Halter Dress, $59.50
– Thor Sailor Dress, $59.50
– Stark Industries Bomber Jacket, $54.50
– Black Widow Dress, $44.50
– Black Widow Belted Jacket, $64.50
– Loki Halter Dress, $59.50
Click to enlarge the photos:
“Witnessing two talented designers who truly understand the fans and fan culture win a competition at Comic-Con 2014, and then seeing their spin on Avengers turn into real product at Hot Topic makes what we all do feel genuinely authentic – and so much fun,” said Cindy Levitt, Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing at Hot Topic.
In addition to the fashion collection, Hot Topic will offer a wide range of Avengers tees, accessories, gifts and more. The Avengers return to theatres in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron onMay 1, 2015.
About Her Universe
Her Universe was launched in 2010 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein and The Araca Group, a leading theatrical production and brand management company. Ashley and Araca created Her Universe to address the expanding market of female sci-fi and fantasy fans. They entered their first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for BBC Worldwide for Doctor Who, CBS Consumer Products for Star Trek, AMC for The Walking Dead, Nerdist Industries, Marvel, Hasbro for Transformers and Studio Ghibli. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein & Her Universe on Facebook (facebook.com/HerUniverse) Twitter (twitter.com/HerUniverse), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/heruniverse/) and YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/user/HerUniverseChannel?sub_confirmation=1).
Ashley Eckstein with Her Universe Fashion Show winners Amy Beth Christenson and Andrew MacLaine
It was just about a year ago that I first strolled into Downtown Disney’s West Side shop, D-Street and saw these adorable Marvel Tokidoki crossover t-shirts. Last night I was browsing again and found even more adorable new Marvel Tokidoki shirts. This time, Thor and unicorns are involved. I couldn’t ask for anything better. See the new designs below:
Marvel Tokidoki Spiderman baseball cap
Storm gets a Tokidoki makeover too!
Wolverine
Hulk vs. Spiderman
Spidey!
Back of the Spiderman date hoodie
Spidey gets a date!
Cute little Spidey on the back of the Spiderman hoodie
Marvel Tokidoki Spiderman hoodie
Hulk is smashing through your hoodie!
Marvel Tokidoki Hulk playing video games hoodie
Iron Man and the X-Men
Cap is lookin’ serious!
Captain America
Iron Man, Cap and Thor are in a rockin’ band!
Thor, riding a Tokidoki unicorn. Must have.
As mentioned above, I found these at D-Street, but I’m sure they are available in other shops on Disney property as well. I just love this crossover!
I saw a crafty Facebook friend post this link and little amigurumi style Pocket Loki instantly won me over – I knew I had to share him here. Check out the adorableness that is Pocket Loki:
Pocket-sized hand-crocheted Loki! Photo from Over the Bifrost on Tumblr.
At Over the Bifrost, Pocket Loki visits places and poses with things!
Avengers, Assemble! I’ve just now caught up on all the Avengers films leading up to the May 4th release of Marvel’s The Avengers and couldn’t be more excited to see the film tonight at a media screening. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts in an upcoming review, but until then, I have a fun giveaway to share with Zannaland readers!
The good folks at Marvel were nice enough to put together a gift pack containing:
– MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS t-shirt in adult sizes of S, M, L, XL
– MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS set of 6 buttons
– MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS one pair of limited edition 3D glasses
Avengers t-shirt
Avenger's buttons - these are really cool!
Avengers 3D glasses themed to your favorite characters!
The giveaway starts NOW and ends May 9, 2012 (11:59pm EDT) when a winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here. Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.
To Enter:
Comment below with your favorite Marvel character.
Sharing the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook – feel free to tweet or share the following: “I just entered to win a Marvel’s The #Avengers Giveaway from @zannaland and you can too! http://bit.ly/J97Yur “.
Following Zannaland at another social network (subscribe on YouTube, follow on google+, follow on Pinterest).
I have loved the LEGO/movie collaborative figures since the first LEGO Star Wars game came out and of course, was thrilled to see the Avengers LEGO stars. Check out the movie poster comparison below:
I know a LOT of people who will be very happy about the press release that just crossed my inbox, so I had to share!
–Marvel Studios announced today that they will be sponsoring a Global Twitter Chat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11 a.m. (PST) with cast members and the director of their highly anticipated action-adventure “Marvel’s The Avengers,” opening in theaters on May 4, 2012. The 30-minute live tweeting event features writer/director Joss Whedon and cast members Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg.
Fans around the world will be able to participate in the Q&A on Twitter by using the @Avengers handle and the #Avengers hashtag. Participating fans will have the opportunity to see a 10-second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl spot that will air during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5 on NBC. They will also have a chance to answer “Avengers” trivia for a chance to win “Avengers” prize packs.
International fans will be able to submit questions for the talent in their native language through a global translation tool provided by Ortsbo.com. The chat will be moderated by Marvel’s @Agent_M.
“Marvel’s The Avengers” is the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, NickFury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.
“Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.