Disney Experiences is at South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual festival in Austin, TX, that focuses on the “most important breakthroughs in technology, film, culture, and music.”

The festival will take place from March 7th through March 15th. Disney Experiences is leading a panel on “The Future of World-Building at Disney,” and a MAJOR celebrity just crashed the party!

While we are hoping for some magical announcements from Disney today, we were also so excited to see the one and only Robert Downey Jr. take the stage. That’s right — RDJ is in the house! He joined the presenters, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, and we may or may not have let out an audible gasp when he walked out on stage. As RDJ hit the stage, he spoke fondly of Disney Imagineers working in this new attraction and called them “the living embodiment of the Stark Enterprises mission statement.”

That’s right — Tony Stark himself worked alongside Disney Imagineers to craft this attraction. I mean, who better than a real Avenger to help tailer our official training, right? RDJ went on to speak about the creativity and passion that was poured into creating this attraction for Avengers Campus, calling his time with Imagineering “the privilege of a lifetime to be invited to participate.”

He was equally impressed with the stealth at which Imagineers develop and test new technologies and referred to WDI Headquarters as “the Area 51 of fun!”

In the upcoming Stark Flight Lab, you’ll visit Tony Stark’s workshop to see what he’s been tinkering with, and if you’re lucky, find yourself practicing for battle, too. Avenger trainees will sit in “gyro-kinetic pods” and roll along a track before stopping in front of a giant robot arm. This robot arm will then hoist you into the air, where your vehicle will make several high-speed maneuvers inspired by Iron Man’s own movements as well as a few other familiar Avengers. RDJ joked that which Avengers will be mimicked during Stark Flight Lab’s rides will be left up to his discretion, and will be chosen “based on merit and whomever picks up my FaceTime calls on the first ring.”

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From there, the ride vehicles will transfer from a track to a robot arm and then back again, which Disney is very excited to unveil when the ride officially opens later. “Nothing like this has ever been done before in a theme park,” said Bruce Vaughn. “Usually, we hide all the tech behind the scenes so you can focus on the story. Here, the tech IS the story, so we’re putting it front and center.”

Speaking of tech, one notable highlight to watch for is Tony Stark’s beloved robotic friend, DUM-E. What started off as a passing comment RDJ made about a robotic arm for Stark Flight Lab while visiting Imagineering quickly turned into an easter egg worked into the attraction.

As they began to wind down their segment teasing Stark Flight Labs coming to Avengers Campus, RDJ told Feige and Vaughn, “Even after we finish with the Flight Lab, I want to stay with you all for the long haul.” He was also heard screaming from the crowd, “This isn’t a one-time deal. You need more me.”

Stay tuned to DFB for all your Disney news, including a recap of Disney’s panel at SXSW! Disney said they are “rolling out the best of the best for South by Southwest,” so we are hoping for some fun announcements!

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