Disney's newest attraction based on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy only just opened this past May. However, the ride is already set to go through some major changes thanks to the upcoming Halloween holiday. Several rides at Disney Parks get facelifts for Halloween and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission - Breakout will now be one of them as Disney has officially unveiled Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark, which will change things up on the ride beginning in mid-September and running through Halloween. However, as the name implies, it will only happen after dark.
The original premise of Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission - Breakout is that the GotG have been captured and put on display by The Collector, and Rocket has enlisted the help of the park guests to free his friends. Interestingly, the Monsters After Dark setup is essentially a sequel to the first part of the ride. The rescue mission has happened and it was a success...mostly. In an attempt to beat a hasty retreat, Rocket discovers that Groot has been left behind. Now, Rocket needs the guests' help again to distract all the monsters that were freed during the original breakout, so that he can rescue Groot.
In addition to the new ride setup, the lobby of The Collector's fortress that guests move through while they wait will be transformed. It will now be full of creepy sounds and flashing alarms, all a result of everything that has been set loose. Another key element of the ride has been the music, several different classic pop tunes get played along with the traditional experience, making every ride a little bit different for guests. Monster's After Dark will put a slight twist on that formula. Rather than using a classic song, the ride will include a brand new song called "Monsters After Dark" which has been written by Guardians of the Galaxy composer Tyler Bates. Disneyland's press release calls the song a "1970s-style punk rock song," so while the music will be new, it will still feel like it's part of the traditional Guardians soundtrack.
A handful of rides get rethemed for Halloween across the plaza at Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion is given over to The Nightmare Before Christmas which lasts all the way through both holiday seasons. Space Mountain becomes Ghost Galaxy. This is the first year that something similar will happen over at Disney's California Adventure.
What sets Monsters After Dark apart is that, rather than being a permanent change that will last through October 31, the changeover will only take place when the sun sets. During daylight hours Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission - Breakout will still be the standard ride. This is a great move for several reasons. The most important of which is that, since the ride is still brand new, there are countless people who still haven't had a chance to ride the standard version, like say, this writer as one example. The new Halloween theme won't force those people to miss out. They can ride the normal ride in the morning and then jump back in line that evening to get the follow-up story.
Of course, that does mean the lines for Monsters After Dark will likely be nuts as everybody will want to check it out, and the time period for experiencing it will be limited. One wonders if there will be a separate FastPass for the evening rides or if we're going to get crowds of people waiting around for those blocks to open up.
Halloween is always a fun time at Disney Parks and with this change the season just got that much more exciting. Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark will open at Disney's California Adventure beginning September 15 and will be available until October 31.
Image Courtesy DisneylandNews/Disney
