Who would have expected Rocket Raccoon to co-exist with Mickey Mouse? The ascension of the Guardians of the Galaxy from a cult property, filled with characters few were familiar with if they didn’t read comic books, to a giant, globally popular franchise has been amazing to behold. And now that has expanded even further with the Guardians getting their own Disney theme park ride at Disney California Adventure called Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout.

(L-R) Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment, Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Zoe Saldana, Benicio del Toro, Michael Booker, Pom Klementieff, James Gunn and Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, at the grand opening of the new Guardians of the Galaxy–Mission: Breakout attraction at Disney California Adventure park

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Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout Queue and Ride Images 59 IMAGES

Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout Opening Event 13 IMAGES

The guiding force of the Guardians rise has been James Gunn, who has written and directed both of the films (and is already set to return for a third installment). Gunn was also involved in Mission: Breakout, which includes most of the core cast from the film (including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista), in a very entertaining, exciting experience that finds you helping Rocket free his teammates from the Collector – as you plummet up and down an elevator, in a notably effective re-tolling of the building formerly used for Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.At the recent kick off event for Mission: Breakout, I sat down with Gunn to discuss what it’s like seeing his movie characters turned Disney theme park stars, and his continuing role in the Marvel comic universe.I think the strangest thing is how normal it’s all become. But this was a lot of fun for me because I’ve been making movies for 22 years… Longer if you consider the stuff I did when I was young. I think of myself as being someone who loves my job and is passionate about my job, but like any job, it sometimes becomes like washing dishes. This was an opportunity to go and do something I knew nothing about, to be a beginner, to learn from the imagineers. It’s a whole different way of communicating. It’s not the same type of thing as making a movie. It’s a whole different type of storytelling. For me, that’s been a pleasure from the moment we started.[Laughs] I know, oh my god. I think if you told me when you first pitched Guardians of the Galaxy as a movie to me if they were like “Oh hey, this is going to be a ride in five years” I’d be like “what?” But it lends itself to it very well. It’s a lot fun, it’s a different way to experience the characters. It’s fun for me.A lot. I got the script early on, so I would go over the script and throw in a joke here and there, add some stuff. Drax is always a hard character for other writers to write so I deal with him a lot. Rocket is a bit easier but his voice is very specific so I helped with that. Then we took a day off in the middle of the [Vol 2.] shoot and I directed the actors for the stuff that you see. It was all done basically in a day, outside of the Benicio del Toro stuff and the Bradley Cooper recording. It was a lot of that and every couple of weeks they’d send me a cut or send me some art for something they were going to put in there. I’d come down here, ride the ride or see some stuff they were doing. I went to an early version of the ride where they first started to craft the ride, which was a fascinating experience. I guess I was a pretty big part of it. I don’t know what I’m called exactly, but a true consultant. I consulted every step of the way.Yeah, I think they feel at home here. For me, when they first said there was going to be a ride, I was excited about it but of course I’m like “let’s treat these guys right” and I didn’t know how big of a part of it I was going to be. Them saying “Come aboard and do all this” happened a few weeks later. I’m always very concerned with how the Guardians are treated and making sure that they remain true to themselves and that doesn’t matter what format it’s in whether it’s movies or TV or this. That was the most important thing from the beginning, making sure they didn’t denigrate what was done in the movies and that it was a way to grow from what the movies were.I think my situation with Infinity War is almost exactly the same was what my situation with this is. It’s dealing with the characters, changing what needs to be changed, saying what’s being done well and checking in and making sure everything is going to plan.We talk about it all the time. It’s already a part of what I’m doing with Marvel and the conversations that Kevin and I have every day. When we’re talking about Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and that story, that’s a story that will lead to other stories. It’s innate to the DNA that that’s the end of a trilogy but it’s the beginning of a whole other element of the Marvel Cosmic universe. That’s a part of what I’m doing now.They’re called Kronans, is what they are, and they’re specific characters. You might see them somewhere else in the future…

Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout is now open at Disney California Adventure.Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman , IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman