Anthony Mackie and Captain America Help Unveil Disneyland Avengers Campus

Media preview of Disneyland Avengers Campus on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Credit: Anita Bennett)

Disneyland officially opened its newest attraction on Friday, June 4 — a Marvel Comics-themed land called the “Avengers Campus.”

The campus is located at Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort complex in Anaheim. At a media preview, the attraction’s creators joined Disney and Marvel Studios execs, along with Paul Rudd who plays Ant-Man on screen, and Anthony Mackie who portrays Sam Wilson/Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Mackie discussed his role in the MCU and gave a costumed Captain America his new shield.

“I’ve loved being a part of these movies and now, on Disney+, the series,” Mackie told reporters. “When Sam Wilson finally became Captain America, it was a moment that was all about the future, a moment where kids of all races can look at Captain America and maybe see a little bit of themselves. I’m so proud to be a part of the Cinematic Universe and now a part of all of this.”

[Watch the video below]

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The six-acre Avengers Campus immerses visitors into the worlds of the various Marvel characters.

“We had 70 years to pull from and 23 films,” said Scot Drake, a portfolio creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige noted that the campus brings sets from the MCU to life.

“For our films, for our shows, we build these elaborate sets, but they’re temporary and they only exist on screen,” Feige told the crowd. “But here in a Disney theme park, our sets can be permanent. Now at Avengers Campus, all of our fans can walk around and experience these places.”

The centerpiece of the attraction is the “WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure” ride, where Peter Parker’s spider-bots get stuck in replication mode and escape from a WEB Workshop. Guests board a WEB Slinger train and can use web shooters to help demolish the spider-bots.

In the coming weeks, the campus will add more superheroes and more performances.

“I think it’s going to be really exciting,” said Dan Fields, executive creative director of Disney Live Entertainment. “There are more heroes coming.”

Other features include costumed Black Panther characters training guests to become Wakandan warriors.

For now, the Disneyland Resort is only open to California residents because of the state’s stringent COVID-19 restrictions. But that will change on June 15, 2021, when businesses and theme parks across the state are allowed to fully reopen.


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About Anita Bennett

Anita Bennett is the editor and founder of Urban Hollywood 411. She can be reached on Twitter @tvanita.