Disneyland's Avengers Campus Just Opened — Here's What It's Like

The only place on Earth where you can shoot webs and hang with Captain America.

Hi, I'm Mike and this is my 8-year-old son, James. This week we got a chance to check out the newly opened Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park!

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Thinking of taking your kids? Here's a look from a parent's perspective on what you and your family can expect:

First, let’s discuss the most buzzed about part of the campus — the new attraction WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.

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The 3D, interactive ride starts with a hologram of Tom Holland (aka Peter Parker/Spider-Man) showing off his latest invention — the Spider-Bot — which quickly multiplies at an alarming rate and wreaks havoc on the campus.

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You're then given 3D glasses and asked to help Spidey stop the marauding Spider-Bots on the screen in front of you. To do this, you shoot webs (à la Spidey) by waving your arms in the direction you want your web to go.

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There is a lot of cool stuff you can do, like shoot a web at a box, and then — by pulling your arms back — rip the box forward onto a Spider-Bot!

The ride is especially great for kids because it has no age or height restrictions. So even young kids can enjoy the ride, and participating is easy — all they have to do to shoot webs is wave their arms!

James' verdict? He loved it, especially because his favorite ride at California Adventure has long been Toy Story Midway Mania! (where you also wear 3D glasses and shoot targets). If you're familiar with that ride, you'll have some idea of how this works, and just like the Toy Story ride, you are given a score at the end that you can try to improve upon the next time you ride it.

FYI, you can't bring a stroller into the ride, but the good news is there's a stroller parking area right in front of the entrance.

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The other ride on the Avengers Campus is Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, which has been there since 2017 (and previously was The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror).

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Parent tip: If you're unfamiliar with this ride, it can be kind of intense, shooting you high up in the air and then dropping you back down, so you definitely want to take that into mind before riding with younger or skittish kids. Also, kids must be 40 inches or taller to ride.

At the center of the campus is the Avengers Headquarters, complete with an impressive plane on the roof. There's almost always a superhero patrolling the balcony and interacting with park guests below.

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The balcony is also where you can see action-packed performances by the superheroes. Below, Black Widow dispenses with a couple of invading baddies, and as you can see, the choreography is as impressive as you'd expect from the movies.

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From the looks of it, these performances happen on an unannounced schedule, so keep an ear open for sound cues, which accompany the start of them.

Another performance happens at the Ancient Sanctum (next to Avengers Headquarters), where Doctor Strange shows off his powers in a very kid-friendly performance.

Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort

Kids will also love the performance that happens outside Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! where Star-Lord and Gamora lead a goofy and fun dance party.

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But the must-see performance is by Spider-Man. Tip: Don't make the mistake we almost made of waiting for it to happen at Avengers Headquarters. It happens atop the WEB building on the Grizzly Peak side of the campus.

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First look at #spiderman from #avengerscampus 🕸🕷 @disneyparks #tomholland #disney #disneyparks #disneyland #californiaadventure #avengers #marvel

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This TikTok has some eye-popping footage of Spidey's short but very cool performance.

The superheroes don't just stay up on the balcony or perform — they also interact with park visitors and take photos.

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Above, James gets a photo with Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man. Later, we spotted Ant-Man's counterpart The Wasp meeting fans too!

We were also able to get up close and personal with Thor, Spider-Man, and Black Panther.

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Kids love to meet characters, so one minor quibble I've had with Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is that at times there aren't enough Star Wars characters around. Based on our visit to the Avengers Campus, though, that doesn't seem to be an issue here — there was almost always at least a hero or two in plain sight.

The cast members were fantastic — very charming, chatty, and ready with a quip. Thor especially gave off a "funny uncle" vibe, so younger kids who might be nervous to take a photo with these large people (some of whom they just saw fighting on the balcony) will likely be put at ease.

In addition to the heroes mentioned or shown above, your kids might meet:

General Okoye and the Dora Milaje, Iron Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Loki, and Taskmaster.

Now about the food — we ate at Pym Test Kitchen where, inspired by Ant-Man, the food items have either been enlarged or shrunk beyond their normal scale.

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I ate the Not So Little Chicken Sandwich, a fried chicken breast with teriyaki and red chili sauces, pickled cabbage slaw, and a brioche bun that — unlike the chicken — didn't get blown up in size, lol.

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As someone who has eaten his way around Disneyland and California Adventure, I can say this was very, very good. Definitely recommended.

James — like a lot of kids his age — is a super-picky eater (basically, he looks askew at anything that's not a plain cheese quesadilla). He got the The Subatomic Chicken Sandwich, which is the kid meal version of the Not So Little Chicken Sandwich, and he loved it!

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He loved the sandwich, but flipped for the yogurt (which had popping boba in it).

But — no surprise, I suppose — he really loved the dessert, a "bite-size" candy bar that was blown up to epic proportions.

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Parent tip: This dessert is super clever and delicious, but it is way too much dessert for a kid. I ended up eating half of it myself, so keep in mind there's probably no need for you to order yourself a dessert if your kid gets one of these.

Another fun option for kids at the Pym Test Kitchen is the PB&J Flavor Lab — featuring peanut butter and jelly in a little Petri dish where kids get to build their own sandwich.

David Nguyen / Disneyland Resort

There are a LOT more food options at the Avengers Campus (at Pym's and three other dining spots). You can learn about them here.

As is to be expected when Disney opens a new land, there's a lot of cool merchandise that comes with it.

Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resorts

However, of all the merchandise, there are two toys your kids will probably have their eye on. The first is a Spider-Bot (yes, one of those troublemakers from the ride) that can be controlled via remote control.

Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resorts

These are a lot of fun and can do a lot of things, like project an image of a spider on the floor and even "self destruct" (where it pops its top off...don't worry, it goes back on).

Here is one IRL!

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The other item is a WEB Power Band, which allows guests to enhance their experience on the WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure ride by unlocking multi-fire webs those without one can't.

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That's right...owners of these will have extra powers when on the ride. It's the first time Disney has done something like this for a ride.

These WEB Power bands also do cool things off the ride. For example, the Iron Man and Rescue-inspired Repulsor Cannons blast air that can keep a small ball aloft!

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I hear you thinking, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's all that gonna cost me?" Well, it's not cheap, but not as costly as some other must-have theme park memorabilia. The Spider-Bot costs $80, and the WEB Power band costs around $60.

Parent tip: The good news is that on campus this stuff is only sold at WEB Suppliers, the gift shop across from the ride. So if you just don't go in there, your kids more than likely will have no idea this stuff exists. That is, unless they've seen it online. In that case, tell them to start saving!

So, parents, the Avengers Campus was a definite thumbs-up from me and my little guy! If you've visited and have any tips that I missed, please leave them in the comments!

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Avengers Campus officially opened June 4 at Disney California Adventure Park! Click here to purchase your tickets now.

Note: Per California state guidelines, Disneyland is currently operating at a limited capacity. Everyone attending this preview event was temperature screened, required to wear a mask, and practiced social distancing at all times. To learn more about Disneyland Resort's Phased Reopening, please visit their site.