After my trip to Disney California Adventure in August. I have had a lot of thoughts. Most of them are about Avengers Campus. One of the hot topics regarding Avengers Campus is Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure.
I was able to successfully get a boarding group for the attraction. While waiting in line and while experiencing the attraction. I never once thought about Universal Orlando’s The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Even though I love that attraction it never came to mind.
Most people when reviewing Web Slingers compare the two but in my case, I never thought about the other one while I was on Disney’s Spider-Man attraction. For that reason, I don’t think the two attractions are fair to compare. Both came to life under completely different circumstances. As a side note, however, if Disney wanted to build a blockbuster Spider-Man E-Ticket they could’ve. Easily.
Web Slingers is full of easter eggs. In the queue and in the pre-show. Posters in the queue show off fellow W.E.B. inventors and Marvel characters Lunella Lafayette, Onome, Harley Keener, and Doreen Green.
One of the best parts of Web Slingers is the fact Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker/Spider-Man on the attraction. I see why Disney opted not to use an audio-animatronic during the pre-show. The updated pepper’s ghost effect pre-show with Holland was super cool.
Once you’re on the attraction. You have your 3D glasses and you’re in a roomy ride vehicle. You’ll also never forget your first web sling. Despite this technology being utilized elsewhere it was cool to see the web slings and how smooth they were. Web Slingers is really the evolution of Buzz Lightyear/Toy Story Mania and that is perfectly fine as those attractions are fan favorites. I honestly didn’t need a scoring element involved. I think too many Disney attractions these days are obsessed with roles for guests and scoring elements. This attraction would probably have been better off without the scoring system even though it’s clearly like Toy Story Mania.
Another thing that Walt Disney Imagineering could’ve done better is the CGI. I felt at some points it was a little weird how cartoonish everything looked once you were in the attraction. I wish they would’ve used the MCU-level photorealistic CGI. Maybe this was an issue during development. But I hope when the Avengers Quinjet attraction ever comes that it brings out the best in the MCU photorealistic CGI and doesn’t opt for this cartoonish Web-Slingers CGI.
Web Slingers also could have benefited from using more physical sets in some areas. I understand this was a largely screen-based attraction but there was some potential here to build better sets and props.
Also, this probably asking too much as this attraction isn’t a true E-Ticket but in the future, if Walt Disney Imagineering could use this same motion sensor technology but put us in a vehicle that allows us to swing with our webs and the screen. That would be awesome. We actually covered a patent a while back that we thought was for Web Slingers. Just imagine Web Slingers plus Soarin’/Star Tours? That would make a next-level attraction right there.
Also, some have issues with the fact Web Slingers sells add-ons to make different experiences. Even though I personally didn’t partake in the upgrades I think the idea is great synergy between consumer products and Imagineering. I bet more add-ons in attractions will be coming.
The attraction also clearly has its own style and has a lot of heart behind it. At the end of the day, it was just a fun attraction. I’m not going to say it’s one of the best attractions ever because it isn’t but this clearly wasn’t meant to be anything more than a fun family attraction with Marvel’s most family-friendly intellectual property in Spider-Man.
If this attraction opens without the boarding group system, and along with the Avengers Quinjet attraction then there is probably zero debate around it.
The attraction has good bones and will be easily updated. I’d keep your eyes out for news on that with Spider-Man: No Way Home release just around the corner.
Web Slingers does a lot of things right. There is also some things it can improve upon. At least with Avengers Campus nothing ever stays the same for too long. But in the end, Web Slingers is still worth it and it plays a pivotal part in both the present and future of Avengers Campus.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
