Space Mountain Earthrise Using Cosmic Rewind-Style Spinning Vehicle

Sleuths on social media have spotted ride vehicles behind the brand-new Space Mountain Earthrise attraction, uncovering a coaster that’s similar–but not identical–to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Here’s the latest on this ride being built in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland, which is almost certainly the most expensive attraction ever made by Walt Disney Imagineering.

Originally announced back in 2022, the new attraction–rumored among Japanese fans to be called Space Mountain: Earthrise–will maintain its original concept as an indoor roller coaster journey through outer space, but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills on this exciting rocket ride. These will give guests even more thrills throughout their journey and will provide a greater connection between Earth and the universe.

Walt Disney Imagineering Producer Kathleen Davis had this to say about the new Space Mountain: “I’m thrilled to introduce this attraction to guests. It’s not only a whole new ride experience, but the story also has so much emotion. Through the queue and then on the ride, we see our connection to our planet and gain a new perspective for how special it is in all the universe. It’s a roller coaster with both thrill and heart.”

In addition to the attraction, an all-new plaza in Tomorrowland will represent a future where humans are in harmony with nature. It will also give guests areas to rest and relax, while enjoying various icons and design elements that will create a sense of hope for the future. In the evenings, guests can enjoy lighting and sound effects that will further enhance their experience in this new area.

“With the overarching story of appreciating our home (Planet Earth), we are making this change to spread awareness of caring for our Earth and what she’s gifted us throughout time as we know it,” added Owen Yoshino, Senior Creative Director for Walt Disney Imagineering.

This is a construction project we’ve been watching take shape for the last couple of years. It’s exciting as fans of Tokyo’s Tomorrowland and Space Mountain, and it’s also the first blockbuster attraction for the next generation of Imagineering post-COVID.

When the reimagined Space Mountain was first announced, OLC revealed that the investment would be approximately 56 billion yen. That was a staggering sum that would have made it one of the most expensive Disney attractions of all-time. Fast forward a few years, and OLC upped the already blockbuster budget to 70.5 billion yen in its most recent quarterly report.

As we previously, explained it’s tough to put that number into context due to the current strength of the dollar and weakness of the yen. (For more on the exchange rate, see Is It Cheaper to Visit Tokyo Disney Resort Than Walt Disney World in 2026?) Using the exchange rate from 2019 or the two decades prior, that would’ve been around $700 million USD. Now, it’s closer to $500 million.

Of course, OLC is not spending dollars–they’re spending yen. Meaning that once the investment cost is localized, it is the biggest budget attraction that Imagineering has built to date. At least, that we know of and for now.

Due to higher labor and materials costs, along with overall inflation, there’s a near-certainty that multiple attractions currently under construction at Walt Disney World and Disneyland will surpass Space Mountain: Earthrise.

Inflation isn’t just impacting this project. OLC has also indicated that they’re investing approximately ¥29.5 billion on the new Wreck-It Ralph ride (also opening in 2027 in Tomorrowland), which is roughly $200 million. That’s a staggering sum for an attraction that was believed to be a ride reimagining that would utilize existing infrastructure. I will be really, really curious to see where all of that money is spent.

In all likelihood, the new Space Mountain: Earthrise will hold the crown, at least briefly, as the most expensive attraction Imagineering has ever built as of its opening in 2027. The only other candidates as potentially costing more that come to mind are Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, Avatar Flight of Passage, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Speaking of Cosmic Rewind, we’ve been discussing the parallels between that and Space Mountain: Earthrise for the last several years. Since this was announced, it’s been widely expected that Space Mountain: Earthrise would be a successor, either in spirit or more directly, to Cosmic Rewind as another one of Imagineering’s blockbuster family-friendly roller coasters.

The latest clue comes from sleuths on social media, who have shared a first look at the the ride vehicles for Space Mountain: Earthrise. Here’s a look:

新スペースマウンテン：アースライズ
ライドビークルに回転機構の可能性
これによりGotG: Cosmic RewindやFast and Furious Hollywood Driftといったものと同様のスピニングコースターとなる可能性が高くなってきました pic.twitter.com/PGXLb0DyJR

— WD23 (@WD23_Studios) April 26, 2026

WD23 also has a YouTube channel that posts regular updates on Space Mountain: Earthrise, so if you’re feeling especially invested in the attraction development, check out that.

The photos and video reveal a covered ride vehicle that looks similar to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is the first Disney Omnicoaster. Back during the Cosmic Rewind marketing cycle, Disney made a big deal out of the Omnicoaster, which is technology patented by Walt Disney Imagineering and features controlled rotations to ensure guests are always engrossed in the action.

In a press release about the Omnicoaster, Disney likened it to how Imagineers advanced the Omnimover ride system (used for Haunted Mansion, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, and Spaceship Earth) to fulfill the attraction’s needs.

“Our Disney Imagineers actually created this new technology and hold a patent as to how it is accomplished,” said Wyatt Winter, Senior Show Producer. “What makes it unique is the ability to program and control that rotation to specific locations or times and allow guests to focus on the show taking place around them.”

Winter continued: “It’s really an evolution of that original Disney ride system that has been around for decades [and was patented in 1968]. We wanted the idea of having specific vistas or views while on the ride, like Haunted Mansion has, but now do it at high speeds! Good ideas never really go away at Walt Disney Imagineering, and this shows that something good just continues to evolve and become something new.”

In addition to the Omnicoaster vehicle, Cosmic Rewind was a collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and roller coaster manufacturer, Vekoma. Cosmic Rewind is the first Walt Disney World roller coaster able to do a reverse launch, and the ride profile with the Omnicoaster feels a bit like dancing.

Cosmic Rewind had an out-of-this-world budget, so it makes sense that Disney would’ve wanted to sell OLC on the attraction. It also would’ve made sense for OLC to buy.

The intensity of the OmniCoaster seems perfect for Japanese guest sensibilities, and we saw a larger-than-normal delegation from OLC and Walt Disney Attractions Japan touring EPCOT back when Cosmic Rewind opened.

There’s only one minor problem. Vekoma is not the manufacturer of the roller coaster being used on Space Mountain: Earthrise. So it’s definitely not a complete one-for-one clone of Cosmic Rewind.

Back when construction first began, we observed coaster track being installed inside the new Space Mountain. We weren’t the only ones. Eagle-eyed roller coaster enthusiasts identified one section as being drop track manufactured by Intamin. (I cannot corroborate that one way or the other, but it’s the clear consensus. I examined the same up-close track photos they did and my only conclusion was, “yep, that’s a roller coaster, alright.”)

Intamin is one of the ‘big’ roller coaster manufacturers that’s behind other Disney rides, including Raging Spirits at Tokyo DisneySea, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril at Disneyland Paris, Incredicoaster at Disney California Adventure, and RC Racer in the various Toy Story Lands outside Walt Disney World.

Intamin has also collaborated with Universal, including Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure and on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders at Epic Universe. More notable for our purposes is the upcoming Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift Roller Coaster at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.

Universal Studios has revealed that Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is an Intamin multi-launch spinning model that also features controlled 360-degree rotation of the individual ride vehicles as they rocket guests up to 72 MPH, along 4,100 feet of elaborate track.

The fully rotational ride vehicles will create a seamless sensation of drifting cars as guests spin in motion at furiously fast speeds while being catapulted along an aerial track that winds its way over sections of the respective theme parks.

That sounds a lot like a more intense version of Cosmic Rewind, and presumably, Space Mountain: Earthrise. (I would be shocked if the new Space Mountain is as intense or fast as what Universal is building.)

The Vekoma vs. Intamin distinction definitely matters to hardcore roller coaster enthusiasts, but honestly, is fairly meaningless to me. It feels eerily similar to the Indiana Jones Adventure vs. DINOSAUR debate that played out among Disney fans for years, except almost the opposite, since those were the same underlying ride systems.

The point I’m trying to make is that the platform only matters so much. Indiana Jones Adventure and DINOSAUR were dramatically different experiences despite being fundamentally or foundationally the same. Similar sentiment applies to virtually everything using an Omnimover ride system.

In the end, it doesn’t much matter whether the ride system is technically more similar to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift than it is Cosmic Rewind. Even without knowing more, I’ll be willing to bet it ends up feeling more like Cosmic Rewind just based on guest demographics and preferences.

What I think will be most interesting (I have to concede that this is a bit ‘inside baseball’ in a different way that’s nevertheless meaningful to me) is whether Imagineering markets Space Mountain: Earthrise as another Omnicoaster despite using a different roller coaster manufacturer.

Disney owns a patent for the ride vehicles; are they sufficiently versatile to use on a different track? Is the whole Omnicoaster platform actually something of substance that Disney plans to use again and again, or is it mostly marketing? Just like the Intamin vs. Vekoma debate, I don’t think this really matters to 99% of end users, but I personally find it fascinating.

The bottom line is that we now know that Space Mountain will be a “storytelling coaster,” which is to say it’s a roller coaster with a show component, just like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. We assumed as much before given the full rebuild of the attraction and its blockbuster budget, but the sneak peek of the ride vehicles confirms as much.

There have been rumors over the years that there was a pitch for Cosmic Rewind minus Marvel. In our review, we also called it a next-generation twist on Space Fantasy at Universal Studios Japan. This new Space Mountain sounds like it’ll basically be a mix of that, regardless of whether the core coaster is made by Intamin or Vekoma.

Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to watch the new Space Mountain continue to take shape. Our expectation is that Space Mountain: Earthrise is on-track to open alongside the new Wreck-It Ralph ride, which already has an official opening season of Spring 2027. Both attractions and this new-look area of Tomorrowland will likely all officially open on April 15, 2027, which is Tokyo Disneyland’s anniversary.

This means OLC and Walt Disney Imagineering should officially pull back the curtain more on the ride in the months to come, potentially revealing a ride vehicle model at the 2026 D23 Expo along with a first look inside the attraction and more. Even though we’d prefer a blockbuster dark ride, we’re really looking forward to the revitalized Tomorrowland.

Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.

YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on the Intamin vs. Vekoma debate? Excited for another Omnicoaster or “story coaster” or whatever OLC/WDI end up dubbing this? What do you think of the new Space Mountain rising in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland? Surprised that this is currently (probably) the most expensive Disney ride ever? Agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions? Share your thoughts in the comments!