Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! is an attraction located in Hong Kong Disneyland, featuring the Marvel Comics characters Ant-Man and The Wasp. It opened on 31 March 2019.[1]
| Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! | |
|---|---|
 SHIELD Science and Technology Pavilion, which houses the ride | |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
| Area | Tomorrowland (2019-2023) Stark Expo (future) |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | 28 March 2019 |
| Opening date | 31 March 2019 |
| Replaced | Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Shooting Dark ride |
| Manufacturers | Sansei Yusoki |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | Ant-Man and The Wasp |
| Music | Ant-Man and the Wasp (soundtrack) |
| Capacity | 1670 riders per hour |
| Vehicle type | Omnimover |
| Riders per vehicle | 3 (2 guns) |
| Duration | 4min 09s (Full Speed) |
 Wheelchair accessible | |
Plot
When a routine trip to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science and Technology Pavilion at Stark Expo takes an unexpected turn, guests join forces with Ant-Man and The Wasp in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s state-of-the-art vehicle to fight against Arnim Zola and his army of Hydra swarm-bots in a heroic battle.[2]
Ride
Differences with the previous attraction
The ride uses the exact same ride layout and ride system (omnimover) as the former Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction. The show scenes and ride vehicles have been modified to fit the new storyline and the shooting system has been upgraded for more precision, using laser technology. However, the building's exterior and queue have been entirely overhauled to fit the new theme of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Science and Technology Pavilion, with no visible traces of the old queue and ride exterior. Another difference to note is that the ride vehicles can no longer be directed by the guest and follow a precise orientation along the path.
Experience
Guests enter the newly opened S.H.I.E.L.D. Science and Technology Pavilion at the Stark Expo in Hong Kong Disneyland, were they are supposed to discover technological innovations showcased by SHIELD. In the lobby, guests discover through screens featuring Leslie Lam, Ant-Man, The Wasp and Iron Man that the Pavilion is under attack by Arnim Zola and his army of Swarmbots. Their goal is to steal the "Data Core", precious data stored by SHIELD in the Pavilion. During the queue guests are asked by the protagonists to participate in the fight along with Ant-Man and The Wasp using the Daggers (ride vehicle) and EMP-Blasters (shooter gun). Many Easter Eggs are hidden in the actor's video appearances, such as Rudd and Lilly speaking Cantonese. Visitors are also able to browse select artifacts from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the Destroyer Armour Prototype Gun Agent Phil Coulson used to confront Loki with in The Avengers (2012).[3]
Guests then board their ride vehicles and use their guns to shoot targets disposed in the different scenes in order to destroy the swarmbots. Ant-Man and The Wasp are featured during the ride fighting alongside the guests through screens and audio. At the middle of the ride, guests have the illusion of being shrunk by the superheroes in order to destroy the bots from the inside. At the end of the ride, guests and superheroes defeat Arnim Zola. After being congratulated by all the protagonists (which featured clips from past Marvel movies), guest disembark from their vehicles and enter the attraction's gift shop, Pavilion Gifts.
Cast
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
- Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp
- Toby Jones as Arnim Zola
- Jessica Hsuan as Leslie Lam
Development
The attraction was announced on 22 November 2016 as part of the new expansion plan coming to Hong Kong Disneyland. At the time, it was described as a "brand new experience for guests to fight alongside the icons of the Marvel Universe",[4] with no further details on the experience, except a concept-art featuring Ant-Man. This attraction is currently featured in the Avengers Campus, along with the Iron Man Experience and the upcoming Avengers E-ticket attraction.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters closed on 31 August 2017 to make way for the new attraction,[5] which will use the same overall infrastructure.
On 13 February 2018, it was announced at the D23 Expo Japan that the new attraction would be centered around Marvel superheroes Ant-Man and The Wasp fighting against Arnim Zola.[6]
The attraction, along with its opening date, were officially presented to the public on 8 January 2019 by the imagineers in charge of the project.[7] It was announced that the ride would share a common narrative with the other Marvel attraction present at Hong Kong Disneyland, Iron Man Experience, and that the team from the eponymous movies, including Peyton Reed, Christophe Beck, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Toby Jones were involved in the attraction, with the actors reprising their respective roles of Ant-Man / Scott Lang, The Wasp / Hope Van Dyne and Arnim Zola in the attraction. Bryan Thombs, senior creative director of Nano Battle from Walt Disney Imagineering, stated a key part of the experience would be the difference in scale between the normal world and the gigantic size of everything as seen from a miniature perspective.
Before Opening, it was announced that Jessica Hsuan, a Hong Kong-based actress, would play the role of Leslie Lam, a SHIELD scientist, making the link between the superheroes and the guests.
Opening ceremony
The launch ceremony was held on Thursday 28 March 2019. It was attended by more than 1,000 guests, including Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, Jessica Hsuan, who plays a Hong Kong-specific Marvel character named Leslie Lam, Paul Rudd,[8] Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Marvel Entertainment's chief creative officer Joe Quesada, Ant-Man director Peyton Reed and producer Stephen Broussard.[9]
See also
References
- "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! set to open on March 31, 2019". Hong Kong Disneyland. 8 January 2019.
- Thomas Smith (25 July 2018). "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! Coming to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2019". Disney Parks Blog.
- "HK Disneyland's newest Marvel attraction 'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle' to open in late March, here's what to expect". South China Morning Post. 9 January 2019.
- "Hong Kong Disneyland Set for Multi-Year Transformation with All-New Attractions and Entertainment". news-en.hongkongdisneyland.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- "Hong Kong Disneyland to bid farewell to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters to prepare for future development and another exciting Marvel attraction". news-en.hongkongdisneyland.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- "New Details on Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion Unveiled". news-en.hongkongdisneyland.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! set to open on March 31, 2019". news-en.hongkongdisneyland.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- Kanis Leung (29 March 2019). "Hong Kong Disneyland introduces Leslie Lam, the city's first Marvel character, as theme park continues HK$10.9 billion expansion plan". South China Morning Post.
- Christine Dinh (29 March 2019). "Paul Rudd Kicks Off Launch of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! in Hong Kong Disneyland". Marvel.com.
