The latest Disney’s California Adventure ride, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, has some fun you are Spider-Man action! The Avengers Campus opened on June 4th, more on this later, but its flagship attraction is the new Spider-Man ride. It is located past the Spider-Man photo op and around the corner next to the WEB Supplies merch store, there is a Lightning Lane queue (pay to play), and then the stand-by line which was an hour long at the time. It had closed earlier, but was up later. The hour wait time seems to be standard.
There is a long queue, the outside is just a time waster, there is a prop of several blow torches, and some kind of caged machinery. This prop is lifeless, just sitting there, no air blasts or sound effect, no purpose or explanation. The AI, S.H.A.R.O.N., talks about WEB, we see Lunella working on an experiment with Doreen and Onome, a Wakandan girl scientist, introduced in FF #19 (2012) staring at a hologram invention with Harley Keener who was in Iron Man 3 (2013) and a teen in Avengers Endgame (2019). S.H.A.R.O.N. introduces project lead, Peter Parker, to talk about the Spider Bots and the WEB Slinger vehicle and how to sling webs.
WEBSLINGERS Open House with Peter Parker, photo by the author.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) works on the Spider Bot and we also see there is a pic of Peter, Lunella, and Doreen on the attraction. There is similar tech with actors that was made eleven years ago(!) in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (2010). It is supposed to replicate the experience of seeing the actors and characters IRL. We are introduced to the Spider Bot, red with a massive abdomen, it really like a crab, “Crab People, Crab People.” The Interactive Remote Control Bot goes for $79.99, save it!, the ride has you destroying the bots, why pay that much when you web sling the other bots?
I think a better toy would be web shooters, $25, that Lazer Tag tiny, unmoving Spider-Bots about $10 or $15 so you can buy several to act as targets, you know like the ride? Kids would love movie accurate webs shooters more than useless toys. You also don't need the base model WEB shooters, $35, it is not shown in the ride video so not necessary. Also the Spider-Man, Ghost Spider, Iron Man and Rescue models for $30 more, your arms are just needed to web sling. There is no use for the power bands outside of the ride so why buy them? Back to the video, it starts to build other Spider-Bots, self-replicate, and then gets out of control. Sharon contacts Spider-Man so Peter walks out and on video he smacks a bot with the all silver Cap shield.
Invent@WEB poster featuring Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl)!, author’s photo.
S.H.A.R.O.N. notes that the bots are swarming Avengers Campus and hopes they don’t reach the "alien fluid." Then, he returns as Spider-Man. I’m not certain if this is the live action Spider-Man, Holland or stuntman, but he looks more CGI to fit more with the ride? You pick up 3D visors, “WEB vision targeting glasses.” Then, you head to the loading area and pass the lockers of the Avengers. You reach the showroom, Stark Motors is on the brick wall to the left and riders enter WEB SL1NG//R vehicles. The ride vehicles are loaded four seats on one side and four on the other. The action each rider needs to do is just sling your arms forward, this is very similar to the Ninjago: The Ride at Legoland which opened in 2017, four years ago!
So the innovation in this attraction is not new, but what about the story? You move through Test Bay 68 with a Gamma Testing sign, Spider Bots wave to you from vents, then the WEB SL1NG//Rs move through Dock 78 Negative Zone Test (a Fantastic Four reference!). Finally at Dock 202 Prototype Garage, a factory floor, Spider Bots crawl around for you to web. The audio is poor so it is difficult to hear S.H.A.R.O.N. during the ride. There is a graphic explaining you can hit buttons or twist some kind of control, but I didn’t notice any such things this first ride. They should be more obvious, bright colored like yellow or Spidey should point out to hit a button as he swings past you. Basically, the ride is shoot, shoot, shoot.
Next you move to the Pym Kitchen, the building is next door not connected to the Spidey ride, there is a giant pretzel and donuts, but I didn't identify all of these locations. I think this could easily be explained by a video showing around Avengers Campus and focusing on the areas explored in the attraction. A Spider Bot grows to mecha size by Pym Particles, you wrap it up with your webs, and it falls into green, alien fluid. This goes to The Collector’s Tivan Collection so this would be at Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT about a block away. Spidey falls into a capsule swarming with Spider Bots, but he manages to shatter it and land.
The next scene is the Quinjet Hangar across from the Web Slingers attraction, the bots manage to jump on a quinjet, but it crashes. The glowing green Mecha Spider Bot is defeated and Spidey cheers the victory. This ride would be innovative maybe ten years ago. The Imagineers have fallen short. Universal Studios Islands of Adventures has at Marvel Super Hero Island the first Spider-Man ride. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (1999) has a more impressive queue, The Daily Bugle, and more action in the cartoon-like CG screens. Web Slingers reminds me too much of other rides, but the chance to get into Spider-Man action, especially for Spidey fans, maybe worth the queue!
#WEBslingers, #AvengersCampus, #WEB, #LunellaLafayette, #DoreenGreen, #PeterParker, #TomHolland, #Onome, #HarleyKeener, #SHARON, #SpiderBot
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