Thrill rides at theme parks are supposed to make you feel like you’re in danger, without anybody actually being in real danger. But a new trend on TikTok has guests putting themselves, as well as others, in potentially real danger on the Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout attraction at Disney California Adventure. And now the park has responded, with warnings and threats of removal.
The TikTok trend in question instructs riders on the Guardians of the Galaxy drop ride to improperly secure their seat belts, in such a way that it will give the rider more “air time” when the elevator car drops. According to the Orange County Register, Disneyland Resort has apparently seen an increase in reports of unsafe rider behavior, which has now prompted the park to put new signs outside the attraction. The signs warn riders that anybody not following Cast Member instructions in securing their belts may be asked to leave the park.
Guests are always expected to follow Cast Member instructions and can be asked to leave the park if they do not. However, we rarely need to see this spelled out at a specific ride. It's simply assumed and understood. For Disneyland Resort to take the step of adding additional signage, there is clearly a problem happening here.
Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout was previously the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and is a “drop ride” that raises guests up nearly 200 feet before not simply dropping them, but pulling the ride vehicle down, causing the fall to be greater than the force of gravity. I rode the attraction recently during a press trip to Disneyland Resort and nearly lost my press credential lanyard when it flew off my neck during one of the drops, to give an example of how fast the ride moves.
We see all sorts of wild things become trends on TikTok, and usually, it’s just a silly dance or something else fun, but this could really cause problems. While a rider could obviously hurt themselves if they end up bouncing around the ride vehicle, they could also hurt other people by colliding with them as they fall. Can we all just be a little considerate of everybody else on the attraction who is trying to have fun?
Hopefully, threats of being removed from the park will be sufficient to stop people from doing this. Theme parks, including Disneyland and Walt Disney World, have become very popular places for people to create social media content, but if you get kicked out, there’s no more content to produce. It’s unclear if Disneyland plans to simply remove guests who violate safety for the day. Disneyland has banned people from the park for less than that.
