Marvel star Paul Rudd stops by Hong Kong Disneyland for launch of new Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle ride
Team up with Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as you help S.H.I.E.L.D. protect their tech from the evil Armin Zola and his army of swarmbots
Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man, was in Hong Kong for the launch of the Nano Battle ride.Ant-Man fans today swarmed to Hong Kong Disneyland for the opening of the park’s latest attraction, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! Even Paul Rudd himself, who plays Ant-Man in the Marvel movies, and Peyton Reed, the director of the Ant-Man films, were there to celebrate its launch and test out the new ride.
The highly ant-icipated attraction was announced in January last year, and is now officially open for the public to try. It is the world’s first attraction featuring Marvel heroes Ant-Man and The Wasp, as well as the first Marvel-themed attraction to feature a female super hero as a title character.
At the launch ceremony, Rudd said the new addition to the park is “huge”, and Reed joked that it’s “really ultimately all about getting small”. Guests of the attraction will “shrink” down to ant-size as they board a Defence/Assault Ground Rover, otherwise known as The Dagger, so they can help Ant-Man and the Wasp fight the evil Arnim Zola and his army of swarmbots.
The mission story of the new attraction is connected to the park’s existing Iron Man Experience attraction, in which Armin Zola attacks Stark Tower to steal the Arc Reactor. Arnim Zola is also after a Data Core which is housed at a nearby facility and contains S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most valuable technological research. It will be the guests’ mission to protect the Data Core from falling into the wrong hands.
The experience is similar to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride, which was replaced by the new attraction, as it is also requires guests to shoot targets with a laser gun. But instead having to aim at “Z” targets with infrared Astro Blasters, guests will use EMP blasters to disable swarmbots, while their vehicle’s on-board computer tracks their hits.
Nano Battle is located in the newly opened S.H.I.E.L.D Science and Technology Pavilion facility at Stark Expo in Tomorrowland. The facility showcases S.H.I.E.L.D.’s latest technology, including the Destroyer Armour Prototype Gun used by Agent Phil Coulson in the Avengers movie and the Mouse Hole laser cutter used by Nick Fury in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which guests can view as they line up for the ride.
Win a pair of tickets to see Ed Sheeran perform live at Hong Kong Disneyland!
If you pay attention, you’ll also notice that a signature Hong Kong food appears during the battle and you can also hear Ant-Man and The Wasp speak a bit of Cantonese during the ride.
The long-anticipated launch marks Hong Kong Disneyland’s second Marvel-themed attraction and the continued development of an ultimate hub for Marvel Super Hero action in the region – a third Marvel-themed attraction is said to be in the works. As part of the multi-year expansion, we can also expect to see a renovated castle, new stage shows, and a new Frozen-themed area where park guests can meet royal sisters Elsa and Anna.