Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Opening & Info
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a Marvel-themed roller coaster under construction at Epcot. This attraction will be the first of its kind at Walt Disney World, and is one of the biggest additions for the 50th Anniversary. This covers everything you need to know about the ride: when it’s likely to open (and whether it’ll be delayed), concept art, and more. (Updated November 16, 2020.)
The saga of a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at Walt Disney World dates back many years, well before its official announcement. First, there were rumors that it would replace the Twilight Zone theme of the iconic Tower of Terror attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That didn’t come to fruition in Florida, but it did in California with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout (an attraction that is, frankly, better than it has any right to be).
Then there were rumors that the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction would replace the nearby Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (an overlay that actually would’ve made a ton of sense). That never gained much traction, and seemed to fizzle out pretty quickly. Finally, rumors settled on the Marvel misfits replacing the dinosaurs of Universe of Energy. That rumor ended up being confirmed two D23 Expos ago, with the reveal of a roller coaster based on Guardians of the Galaxy…
At the time, specifics were sparse. Disney merely released some concept art and revealed that Epcot’s next new E-ticket attraction will be based on the rockin’ and action-packed world of Guardians of the Galaxy and is the next step in how guests can encounter these characters at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Among EPCOT Center purists, it was already a controversial decision, but one specific line in the announcement was like salt in the wound: “Epcot just may be the perfect place for a Guardians-inspired attraction – Peter Quill (aka Star Lord) actually visited Epcot as a kid!”
For regular readers, it’s no secret that I’m an EPCOT Center purist. I’m skeptical of Guardians of the Galaxy fitting with the mission statement and goals of Epcot, but I have accepted the reality of what the future holds for the park. Hopefully, this attraction is shoehorned in via the queue and pre-show.
Regardless, this is an info post aimed at addressing frequently asked questions about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, not another chance for me to rehash my Epcot edutainment editorial. (If you care, my thoughts on the attraction are here–they’re pretty much unchanged since the ride was first rumored.)
Since the initial announcement, Walt Disney World has slowly revealed more and more about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Here’s everything else we know, along with recent construction photos and all concept art released to date…
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be located in the new World Discovery area of Epcot, which will showcase science, technology, and intergalactic adventure. Other attractions in this section of the park will include the Play Pavilion, Mission Space, and Test Track.
Construction has now progressed to the interior of the main attraction building, which is the former Universe of Energy attraction building. As the exterior nears completion and solar panels are reinstalled on the roof, a bypass path now routes guests from the front of Epcot past Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
This building is quite large–the previous attraction was 45 minutes long, but this building will only be home to the queue, pre-show, load/unload, and opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
In addition to this main entrance and exit, there is a large gravity building located backstage near Epcot’s parking lot. The set-up here is similar to that of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which also launches into a hidden gravity or show building.
The main difference here is that this towering show building for the main roller coaster segments of the attraction is visible throughout Epcot. Despite being painted shades of “blend-in blue” and “go-away green,” it competes with Spaceship Earth for attention.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be the first other-world showcase pavilion at Epcot. The adventure starts in the “Galaxarium,” a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of the formation of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar.
The conceit is that the Nova Corps have arrived on earth (that’s a Star Blaster parked out front) and are inviting guests to learn more about the treasures Xandar has to share. The premise is likely to be that the main building houses a science museum type exhibition.
In the teaser video for the attraction in Epcot Experience, a recorded video of a Xandarian welcomes earthlings to the installation before being interrupted by Rocket Raccoon for being boring. (When the feed is restored, we hear the Xandarian say, “…and now you know the secret of the universe.”)
The expectation is that the actual attraction will play out along these lines, with the pre-show involving an edutainment component that pays homage to the original message of EPCOT Center. That will likely be interrupted when the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive, culminating in the Big Bang, and an adventure across the cosmos ensuing.
Walt Disney World is touting Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as a “storytelling coaster,” which is to say it’s a roller coaster with show scenes. Disney has indicated that it’s a family-friendly attraction–but it’ll still probably have a height requirement.
Walt Disney Imagineering is calling this an OmniCoaster ride system, and it’s a collaboration between WDI and Vekoma, a Netherlands-based roller coaster manufacturer. Cosmic Rewind’s vehicles will be able to rotate 360 degrees and do a reverse launch–a first for Walt Disney World.
In November 2020, Walt Disney Imagineering released the above new video of the the OmniCoaster ride system (presumably on Vekoma’s test track in the Netherlands, and not on-site at Walt Disney World or even in Glendale, California).
Next, the elephant in the room: Epcot’s closure, reopening, and the subsequent delays of numerous projects all around Walt Disney World. More specifically, how will that impact progress on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Will its opening be delayed?
For its part, Disney has consistently stated that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open “in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort in 2021.” However, that was before all of this. Since the closure/reopening, Walt Disney World has not offered any official statements about the opening timeline for the attraction.
Our bet is that Walt Disney World will simply modify Cosmic Rewind’s opening timeframe to something along the lines of, “debuting during the 50th Anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World Resort.” If the festivities last 18 months as anticipated, this means that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind could open in Summer 2022 or even Christmas 2022 and comport with that.
We remain (perhaps foolishly) optimistic about the timeline for this project. Our original prediction was that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind would debut on May 26, 2021. That date was the sweet spot towards the end of Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival and start of Diet Epcot. However, that date is now out the window.
It should go without saying that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be delayed. How much of a delay is the big question. With Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Harmonious likely to be the big 2021 draws at Epcot, it’s likely that Walt Disney World aims to debut Cosmic Rewind the following year, as a “second push” during the 50th Anniversary.
In our view, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a trio of attractions least likely to be negatively impacted by the closure. The general park-going public will love it and it’ll generate a lot of publicity (including the free kind) for the Walt Disney World park most in need of it.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has a ton of marketing potential. It could convince Marvel enthusiasts (and there are a lot of them) to not just visit Epcot, but to book Walt Disney World trips. That alone could be what ends up keeping Cosmic Rewind fast-tracked. Between that and the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s highly unlikely that the attraction is delayed more than a year. (If it comes down to prioritizing TRON Lightcycle Run or Cosmic Rewind, Disney will almost certainly delay TRON.)
Of course, a lot could happen and change between now and then. It’s thus impossible to make any sort of credible predictions about when Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open. It could be as early as Fall 2021, or as late as Summer 2023. Both of those dates are likely extremes, with the middle ground of sometime in 2022 being the most likely scenario.
Whenever it does open, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will instantly blast into the #1 attraction spot at Epcot. Regardless of how we might feel about how it fits into Epcot (both thematically and physically), this is undeniably a blockbuster attraction with a colossal budget and a ride system that’s likely to give it wide appeal to guests of all ages.
In short, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is likely to be a crowd-pleasing attraction that wows guests with both its thrills and technology, plus its layer of Imagineered detail and storytelling, plus popular music and the irreverence of these Marvel misfits. It’ll likely rival Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Tron Lightcycle Run, and Avatar Flight of Passage for the longest wait times and most coveted FastPass+ selections in all of Walt Disney World.
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Your Thoughts
Are you excited for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? If you’re also an EPCOT Center purist, are you apprehensive that this will fit the park, or do you think the storyline and pre-show will sufficiently weave things together? When do you predict that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open? Do you agree or disagree with any of our thoughts? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Call me an old-fashioned. curmudgeon. When I took my kids to WDW/Epcot in the late eighties/early nineties, they actually learned something in a fun way. Anyone remember “The Story of Me”? Made my job explaining the facts of life much easier…and it was hilarious hearing my four year-old accurately explain the facts of life to my husband’s boss and then tell him she learned it at DisneyWorld. How about the film about the middle schooler dealing with wacko brain chemistry? And the Norway pavilion taught something about water and the North Sea. Even my now adult children miss the old Epcot. Yeah, missing the good old days.
On the Disney parks YouTube channel today they released a video showing a montage of construction footage for upcoming attractions. Cosmic Rewind was there. TRON was not. Coincidence? I think not.
I’m expecting Disney to fast track Guardians as the new Guardians 3 just got greenlit as we heard on the investor call, which means they can film footage for the ride simultaneously. Plus, EPCOT was mid-massive transformation. MK is fine as is.
RIP TRON.
what does it mean to be a “gravity building”?
It’s just the large structure that houses the roller coaster track. Looks like a sound stage or giant warehouse from the outside.
Good
My mom and her friend have read your posts, really good I formation!
Besides the question of how rapidly Disney wants to complete the ride is the question of construction worker availability. From what I could tell as an outsider, between WDW, Universal, and the housing boom around Orlando a lack of skilled workers was already delaying projects.
My guess (and if you can tell me how long people need to stay indoors it will improve my guess significantly) is that project cancellations and delays will result in fewer construction delays for those projects which do have funding when things start up again, with the wild card being how bad the economic effects last.
Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that–at the very least–construction costs will go down as the construction labor market goes from shortage to surplus in Central Florida.
I wouldn’t bet on Disney being willing to take advantage of that opportunity to its fullest, though. (Understandably–so many of the company’s business units are getting hit hard by this.)
Disney has a long term plan for the resort as a whole. This is not a fit for MK theming, (Tron can arguably tie in with Space Mountain). The Studios while the logical choice is full to the brim and now has the increased draw of the Star Wars area and Toy Story land. Animal Kingdom is in no way a consideration since it is a completely different theming. EPCOT is the logical choice since its current “main” ride attractions are limited when compared to the other parks’ offerings. Guardian’s location in the old Universe of Energy pavilion is in close proximity to Mission Space, Test Track and Spaceship Earth which have a “STEM” spin to them. Depending on how far along construction is I think it will be completed sooner than later with The Ball going down for reimagining. I also don’t think that manpower will be the issue as the construction crew that has been working on it all this time will more than likely be the ones tasked to finish it. Whenever it is completed (probably this year or early 2021) I look for it to be extremely popular and a much needed draw for EPCOT until all of its projects are completed.
I didn’t care for Ellen’s version but I LOVED the previous Universe of Energy! Still sad It’s gone but looking forward to a great new attraction. I don’t blame them for halting construction, but construction is still going on everywhere, it even falls under Governor DeSantis’ “essential” jobs that can continue during lockdown so not sure why Disney construction stopped when it is still happening everywhere else. I will say a cool dark ride like Pirates of the Caribbean would be nice instead of so many roller coasters! Roller coasters are everywhere but Disney is the only place with good non-coaster rides. don’t be like everyone else Disney!!
I agree with JB. The sample video of the ride doesn’t appeal to me at all. I would not be able to ride that even once.
Who is the Imagineer leading this project? I would love for it to be Joe Rohde. I think he did a great job with Mission Breakout considering it’s an overlay. Do you know what projects he is working on now?
Sometimes this boggles my mind. I completely understand the criticism, but I feel like people may be looking through this through a very narrow lens.
I prefer Disney to make rides free of IP, but obviously if they do it correctly IP rides are great, sometimes you don’t even need to care about the IP, flights of passage as an example.
If this ride has some edutainment at the beginning, or throughout, then what’s the problem? I know, EPCOT, is real world, and sacred ground. But if we are honest Ellen’s energy adventure was IP, it was Ellen and Bill Nye as IP. When that ride was put together (1996) it would be the equivalent of making an energy themed ride staring the cast of Big Bang theory today.
But when Disney makes something new we all complain, until it’s good, or it’s 10 years old and then it’s a classic.
Aside from the dinosaurs, Ellen’s energy adventure was a 45 minute boring excuse to take a nap that revolves around the celebrity (IP or brand) of TV star Ellen DeGeneres (an Ellen themed ride in Disney world? Can you imagine if the internet was around then?).
I would prefer a non IP ride with as well, but come on, this is an upgrade.
I will concede the show building is obtrusive.
Tom, I love the pic with the clouds and sunset in the background! Looks like Spaceship Earth sitting just below a mountain range. Wouldn’t that be a cool site!
I’m just so glad they didn’t turn either ToT or RnR into a Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride esp. ToT. I’m looking forward to the evolution of Future World knowing that this theme doesn’t fit perfectly but Epcot needs this, a high tech themed thrill ride. I do miss Universe of Energy which was my #2 in old Future World but time to rip off the band aid! I’m mostly worried the World Showcase will lose its edutainment down the road. No other theme park to my knowledge has something like the World Showcase so please don’t screw it up WDW!
Tom, what do you think the time line is for TRON being completed and open? How soon after WDW reopens? Thanks
Meh, RnR is quite dated IMO, and I am 100% of the Aerosmith era. It could have gotten an entirely new theme, and I would’ve been fine with that. I would at least like to see a refresh…I think a variety of bands would be more appropriate to increase longevity.
If we can’t have a fifth gate, than maybe deconstructing EPCOT is the next best thing.
With all the new rides opening recently (and eventually) at Epcot and HS, do you think they will ever get rid of the fastpass tier systems at some point?
That’s definitely a long-term possibility, but I think it’s more likely to have some current headliners “downgraded” to a lower tier in the near to mid-term.
I’m not an Epcot purist. It is a theme park. I know people want it to be some sort of frozen-in-time homage, but it is a theme park that charges guests over $100 a day and it has to evolve to draw in new generations of guests–it can’t just cater to nostalgia.
Batuu and Toy Story Land don’t really have anything to do with Old Hollywood. Nor does Pandora really have anything to do with animals. The fact is, all Disney parks are a hybrid: some of the entertainment is “on theme” for the park’s concept, and some is more of a stretch, but if it is well executed and a good experience, why complain?
The way people talk about Epcot reminds me of how my husband (who I love) gets incensed whenever a movie features spaceship engine or explosion noises or in outer space. Yes, yes, we all know there is no sound in space. Now can we please just enjoy the movie already?
I think the rub is that everything pre-2010 is the core of the current themed experience all around Walt Disney World, whereas everything new is just thrown wherever. I think most people are reasonable and can accept some thematic incongruity. (Personally, I’m totally fine with DHS being a movie IP dumping ground. That’s “close enough” for me in terms of theme.)
I don’t want the parks to be frozen in time–I know nostalgia is a powerful drug and appreciate a ton of new additions. What I want is all four parks to have clear thematic distinctions from one another.
I’m fine with all of this but have a question. My understanding is that Walt wanted the Florida project to be what EPCOT was supposed to be correct? So isn’t Celebration close enough so we can move on?
Well, I am an EPCOT Center purist, and I do not like the destruction of symmetry with demo of the Communicore West buildings, fountains, etc. Now it won’t have a central spine, in spite of them calling it such. Sure, some things will change over the years, but it’s going in the wrong way.
This article actually made me think this might be a lot more fitting in Epcot than I thought. So far I only heard of this as the “guardians of the galaxy coaster” so I thought they went “ok so guardians of the galaxy is sci-fi, sci-fi fits in future world, that’s a good enough connection”. But it seems like it has some actual educational elements with the science museum like preshow and even the coaster itself to my understanding goes through the history of the universe from the big bang. Even if the focus is on the guardians story having that as a backdrop can be educational by itself.
Compare that with frozen ever after, which is actually a good ride IMO but not a good fit in the world showcase. It only celebrates the IP itself and not the culture of the country it’s supposed to showcase. If they showcased actual Norwegian cultural elements in FEA like they do in the three Caballeros, it would be much better. IMO IP integration in Epcot is not a problem by itself, it can get people interested and even I’d say it makes things more fun. But it should complement and not come instead of the original educational vision.
Whoopee! Another rollercoaster with a backstory and a theme. Just what Disney / Epcot needs. Does anyone remember that EPCOT was supposed to stand for something like Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow? So in the future we’re all going to be riding rollercoasters with a talking raccoon? I love Marvel and enjoyed Guardians, but if the description is accurate, this ride is not only misplaced but lacks any real imagination.