Shanghai Disneyland’s new Spider-Man roller coaster has officially entered testing…
…with a ride vehicle inching through the attraction at just one centimeter per second.
I have never been so invested in something moving so slowly. (For context, my own walking pace at the end of a long park day is faster.) But this is a big milestone for Disney’s first land dedicated entirely to Spider-Man.
Shanghai Disney Resort and Walt Disney Imagineering shared two images of the test vehicle on the track and a behind-the-scenes video explaining the process. It’s called push-pull testing, and it involves slowly pulling a ride vehicle along the completed track while Imagineers and crew members take measurements to make sure there’s enough space between the vehicle and everything around it. Reach envelope devices attached to the vehicle check the clearance between riders and the ride’s theming elements and equipment. In the video, Colin, a Senior Ride Development Engineer, and Grace, a Ride Project Coordinator, explain that three large envelopes are attached to the vehicle to represent guests. There are three because the vehicle rolls and leans during the ride, so multiple envelopes help the team check multiple angles. Imagineering called it one of the slowest parts of the project, while Shanghai Disney Resort summed it up with the line “A high-speed adventure with Spider-Man starts with an ultra-slow test.”
It’s a common step for roller coasters around the world, and it’s the first stage of on-track testing. The timeline to get here has been steady. Shanghai Disneyland broke ground on the land in May 2025, the coaster went vertical that September with its first steel column, and track installation began in January. Shanghai Disney Resort shared a first look at the track in April and announced in June that track installation was complete, with the push-pull testing beginning last week.
The land itself is a big deal. Once it opens, it will be the ninth themed land at Shanghai Disneyland, located next to Zootopia, and the first Disney parks land dedicated entirely to Spider-Man. It was first announced at D23 in 2024, and although Spider-Man is the focus, other Marvel characters will appear too. The coaster is part of the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, or W.E.B., the same concept featured in the Spider-Man attractions at Avengers Campus, and the ride vehicles in the new photos look a lot like those on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT.
There’s still plenty we don’t know. Disney hasn’t announced a name or an opening date for the coaster or the land, though the coaster has been expected to open sometime next year. From here, the usual next steps include more on-track testing and eventually full-speed runs, which Shanghai Disney Resort has already teased for fans.
Marvel’s presence at Disney’s international parks is growing, too. Hong Kong Disneyland is developing a Stark Expo area with a new Spider-Man attraction as part of an extended Tomorrowland, including a new Avengers pavilion with a tower experience, as Disney revealed at D23 this summer.
We’ll keep tracking the Spider-Man coaster as testing continues, so check back with Theme Park Scope for updates, and follow us on social so you don’t miss it.
Would YOU want to see a Spider-Man coaster like this come to a Disney park closer to home?
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