When news broke last night at a D23 event in Japan that Iron Man was taking over the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster space in Disneyland Paris I was naturally excited by the news.
Though I love Aerosmith, many people growing up now simply have no idea who the band are, the transformation of the attraction to include one of the MCU’s most beloved characters makes a lot of sense.
That aside, it also poses the question, is that enough to bring a bit more excitement to the Walt Disney Studios Park?
In short, no.
Having visited Walt Disney Studios just last week it is safe to say that most of the attractions that exist in the park (and were operating) are excellent. In addition to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster you have Tower of Terror, Crush’s Coaster and Ratatouille (to name just a few). The issue with the park is, there just isn’t much to do outside of the few core attractions, when its quiet it isn’t just a half day park, it’s a park that can be done in a couple of hours.
What Walt Disney Studios needs isn’t just an overlay to a pre-existing attraction, it is a complete rework to most of the park and I truly hope that this Iron Man transformation is just the beginning.
Armageddon: les Effets Spéciaux, Studio Tram Tour: Behind The Magic and Moteurs…Action! Stunt Show Spectacular are all attractions that wouldn’t really be missed by many fans and would open the back half of the park up to more attractions based on characters from the Marvel Universe. This isn’t a question on whether this should happen or not, it must happen for the park to succeed in the years to come.
Toy Story Playland is also in desperate need of an attraction that doesn’t just feel like a fairground ride, adding Toy Story Midway Mania would be my first move here and I am genuinely surprised that Disney hasn’t already done this.
Walt Disney Studios also needs to be much better at covering events, when they say Season of the Force they need to mean it and go all out. I am a huge Star Wars fan and I was disappointed by what was on offer at Season of the Force. It still feels relatively half arsed compared to events that happen in America which is a huge shame.
While it is great to see a new experience coming to the park and I don’t want to take away the excitement from that, Walt Disney Studios needs around 3-4 brand new attractions in a new themed land (ideally Marvel or Star Wars) to really take the park to the next level.
Do you agree with my thoughts here or are you happy with the way that Walt Disney Studios is currently? Let me know in the comments below!
Ryan has been attending theme parks since as long as he can remember and his first proper memory comes from when he was just three years old sitting in Main Street USA drinking a Nesquik milkshake from a carton while the piano was being played outside Casey’s Corner.
