Disneyland’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! – What Should I Be Afraid Of?

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disneyland Resort may be described as fast and thrilling in Disney ride reviews, but how scary might it be – and what exactly might you be afraid of? Our Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! ride review covers everything you need to know.

When visiting the Disney California Adventure side of Disneyland Resort, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! is hard to miss. With its pops of cosmic color, out-of-this-galaxy design, and towering height, it's easy to spot this ride from almost anywhere in the theme park.

Oh, and did I mention the screams you hear as you approach the ride?

This ride is certainly a must-do for all you thrill seekers. But what about the guests who aren't quite sure if they can handle it? We've ridden Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! countless times and understand the ins and outs of it like the back of our hands.

This is why we at MickeyVisit put together this comprehensive ride review of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! so you have a clear idea of what to expect when riding it.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Scare Rating

In an effort to clearly define just how scary a ride is, we developed an ultra-scientific backed-by-research rating system.

We call it the Mickey Visit Ride Rating System – MVRRS for short (pretty clever, huh?)

The MVRRS goes as follows:

• Wimp Proof: Not scary at all
• Wimp Proof-ish: Seems scary at first, but after, you feel it's nothing to worry about
• Scary but Survivable: Moderately scary
• Scary: Definitely scary, but you'll be able to sleep at night
• Bravest Riders Only: The scariest ride you'll find in a theme park

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Ride Overview

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! puts you on a mission with Rocket to rescue the Guardians of the Galaxy from the Collector's fortress.

Formerly the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! still utilizes the same ride system its predecessor used: a free-fall drop tower ride system. This system takes you through a series of randomized drops from different heights.

So the story goes, Taneleer Tivan (AKA The Collector) brought his unique collection of items from across the galaxy to earth for the very first time. He's offering to show you his newest acquisition: The Guardians of the Galaxy.

However, Rocket has other ideas.

Rocket escapes and commandeers a gantry lift, but needs your help to save his fellow Guardians. With your help and one of Star-Lord's awesome mixtapes, you'll use the gantry lift to destroy the fortress' energy source, causing chaos – but more importantly, allowing the Guardians to escape.

If you’re a fan of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios, you’ll definitely be a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!.

Here’s some important information to review before riding Guardians Mission: BREAKOUT!:

• Access: Disney Genie+, Rider Switch
• Height Requirements: Guests must be at least 40″ (102)
• Highest Speed: 39 mph
• Length: 2 minutes
• Highest Ride Height: ~131 feet
• Loops: 0
• Other Features: Randomized free-fall drop tower ride system

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Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Queue: What You Need to Know

Both the standby queue and Genie+ Lightning Lane queue for Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! start just after you walk under the ride’s signage.

The merge point for both queues also happens right before being directed into 1 of 2 pre-show rooms. Part of the standby queue is shaded but outdoors (and in the California heat), while majority of the Genie+ Lightning Lane queue is indoors.

Once you enter the indoor portion of the queue, you'll have a chance to marvel at many of the items in The Collector's vast intergalactic collection (including Figment high above you!). You'll also see the captured Guardians of the Galaxy on-screen in the back of the room.

Once inside the pre-show room, the lights dim as you learn about the mission that Rocket is about to give you to help free his fellow Guardians. From here, the rest of the queue is in a low-lit area and is designed to look like The Collector's basement full of random, dust-collecting items from his collection.

Lastly, it's important to review the 2 chicken exists should you choose to skip riding Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

The 1st one isn’t the most convenient: if you decide to sit this ride out while in the queue, you can simply turn around and walk back out the way you entered. The 2nd chicken exit is at the boarding area, where you tell a Cast Member that you want to exit. You'll be directed to a separate area where you can walk to the ride's exit.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Ride Vehicle Information

Once you make it to the boarding area, a Cast Member will ask how many guests are in your party and will then direct you to a numbered row.

You'll then step down into your ride vehicle and put on your seatbelt. The ride vehicle – a free-fall drop tower ride system made to look like an elevator lift with benches – sits a total of 21 guests across 3 rows. When seated, your feet are touching the ground and you have small metal handles on either side of you to hold on to when riding.

Each ride vehicle also has its own on-board audio that allows the vehicle's motion to sync with the ride music.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Ride Experience

Although this ride is a rethemed version of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the ride experience is completely different than its predecessor.

From the moment the Cast Member closes your ride vehicle door, you're in for an extremely thrilling dance party. Rocking out to a song chosen at random (from a soundtrack of 6 songs), your ride vehicle starts with an upward launch, bounces several times, and launches up and down several times before coming back down to the ground level.

The majority of the ride is in the dark with a few exceptions. When you're not launching up or down, you're looking at the on-ride screen show scenes showing the Guardians of the Galaxy making their dangerous escape out of The Collector's tower. Additionally, when you've reached the very top of the ride (~130 feet), you get a bird's-eye view of Disney California Adventure (and a PhotoPass picture taken of you!).

Let's review the aspects of the ride that that make Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! thrilling and add to its MVRRS rating:

• Launch Sequence: The launch sequence, unlike Incredicoaster or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, sends you upward instead of forward or backward.
• Drop-Tower Experience: The drop-tower ride system sends you up and down at a speed faster than freefall. This may make it unsuitable for guests with a sensitivity to motion sickness
• Speed: Guardians Mission: BREAKOUT! reaches a top speed of 39 mph, which makes it slightly slower than Radiator Springs Racers and much slower than Incredicoaster
• Audio-Visual Effects: The ride’s dance-worthy soundtrack (which features 1 of 6 songs chosen at random) along with the on-ride screens showing your encounters with different characters along the way are synced with the ride to add to its overall storyline
• Length: At about 2 minutes, Guardians Mission: BREAKOUT! is about the same length as Incredicoaster and much shorter than Space Mountain at Disneyland Park

Every single effect adds up to a very thrilling-but-absolutely-fun ride.

Favorite Moment of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

Here's why you need to consider riding Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! even with its level of thrill and scariness.

When Disney California Adventure still had Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I felt a little scared before every time I would ride it. Not because of the drop sequence, but because of the moment of silence right before the launch sequence started. I was more afraid of the anticipation than I was of the drops themselves.

This feeling changed dramatically when Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! showed up.

Now, my favorite part is that moment of silence right before the launch sequence starts. Not because of the drops, but because of the anticipation of what song I'll experience next.

Even if you're not a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you're guaranteed to love the soundtrack for this ride. The soundtrack is what makes this thrill ride feel more like a dance party. From the moment the doors close and your ride vehicle gets into position, you're guaranteed smiles and laughter the whole way through.

I firmly believe that the ride’s soundtrack makes even the most thrilling parts of this ride much easier to manage.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! Scary Verdict

So, from our ride review, how does Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! stack up against our MVRRS?

MVRRS VERDICT: Wimp Proof-ish: Seems scary at first, but after, you feel it's nothing to worry about

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! certainly has elements that make it very thrilling – certainly more thrilling than Radiator Springs Racers. Its free-fall drop tower ride system gives it an element of scariness since it's taking you for a vertical ride at a fast speed. However, I'd argue that the ride is not as scary as a traditional drop tower ride since most of the ride is inside.

This makes it impossible to put into perspective just how high you are when riding, making you forget about the ride's height aspect.

More than that, however, is that this ride is literally a dance party. Between any of the 6 songs you'll hear, you're bound to smile, laugh, throw your hands up in the air, and dance in your seat. Your ride sequence even matches the rhythm of the song, adding an extra element of fun to your experience!

Barring sensitivity to motion sickness, you will absolutely love Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

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