HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

SFX CONSIDERS RELOCATING OFFICES AFTER A VISIT TO AVENGERS CAMPUS AT DISNEYLAND PARIS

- DARREN SCOTT

WHERE IS THE MOST Marvellous place on Earth? Why, the Avengers Campus at Disneyland Paris, of course.

Opened with a lavish event this summer, it's the only Marvel theme park in Europe and the only one globally to boast the Disney Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel, a themed destination for fans to stay on-site. As well as that, it's also the only Disney park that's home to the new high-speed roller coaster Avengers Assemble: Flight Force. But even that's not all...

CITY LIVING

Walt Disney's Studios Park, one of two located at Marne-La-Vallée, Paris, celebrates 30 years in 2022 and, following the Anaheim launch of a similar expansion based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is now home to a host of heroes. Of course, SFX was going to check it out - it being a mere hop, skip and hero-landing via Eurostar.

Our adventure begins in the aforementioned hotel - this actually opened in 2021, but we all know why even Earth's mightiest had to stay at home. It's breathtaking from the moment you arrive with huge statues of iconic characters overlooking the lake outside and high ceilings inside housing 350 pieces of artwork, 50 of which can only be viewed at Disneyland Paris.

Iron Man suits encased in vast glass cabinets watch over you as you check in - but it'll take you a while to actually reach your room because there's just so many Easter eggs and distractions. "Hang on a second, just let me get a picture of this..." becomes something of a mantra from the start. From comic covers on the walls, to ones you can step into and actually become a part of, it's unlike any other hotel experience we've had. We even stopped to look at luggage carts, such is the attention to detail.