EPCOT Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind attraction confirmed for Epcot

[celluloid]

The backstage hallway is super stupid and most guests won’t get it. I already said this a few pages back but just wanted to reiterate. Yea I’m sure the die hard Disney fans know that the backstage entrances have a mirror and a sign that says cast members only, no videography/photography allowed, etc. but this was a poor theming idea

And the thing is there is a right way that they could have conveyed the same idea. A small loop of media with a PR person as if a training video reminding ambassadors for the pavilion how to present themselves and what EPCOT is all about. This would have tied the inspiration and humanity of the park into the attraction in a very simple way rather than a parody of what is around C gates at Walt Disney World.

Countdown To Extinction does an Industrial backstage gag set up while still being a gift shop with the security footage and radio transmissions as a small loop. It shows that there is a better way to do it.

 

[Patcheslee]

The backstage hallway is super stupid and most guests won’t get it. I already said this a few pages back but just wanted to reiterate. Yea I’m sure the die hard Disney fans know that the backstage entrances have a mirror and a sign that says cast members only, no videography/photography allowed, etc. but this was a poor theming idea

I wonder how many people are going to stop to fix their coaster hair lol

 

[No Name]

I thought the whole thing was "since the tour didn't go as planned, they bring you back through "backstage"". That's why there's the "smile, you're onstage" sign is at the end.

Sure but they chose that because it was the cheapest possible option. Just because it may make sense doesn’t make it a compelling idea.

The vast majority of Disney guests have no frame of reference so they'll have no idea it's supposed to be themed like a backstage hallway.

I think they’re hoping most guests don’t give it an ounce of thought. Otherwise the design of the entire “re-entrance” to the pavilion makes little sense.

 

[tommyhawkins]

The backstage hallway is super stupid and most guests won’t get it. I already said this a few pages back but just wanted to reiterate. Yea I’m sure the die hard Disney fans know that the backstage entrances have a mirror and a sign that says cast members only, no videography/photography allowed, etc. but this was a poor theming idea

You're referring to this as backstage because of the mirror gag?

The stairs from unload kick right out the exit. Nothing backstage about it, it's the same colours as the rest of the unload stuff. It was going be snakes down to the shop. They clearly decided they wanted s bigger shop, so made a steep staircase instead.


You lot create the weirdest non issues to complain about.

 

[solidyne]

You're referring to this as backstage because of the mirror gag?

The stairs from unload kick right out the exit. Nothing backstage about it, it's the same colours as the rest of the unload stuff. It was going be snakes down to the shop. They clearly decided they wanted s bigger shop, so made a steep staircase instead.


You lot create the weirdest non issues to complain about.

The mirror itself isn't the problem. That's actually clever. It's the stretch of emptiness rationalized as a "backstage theme." The mirror merely explains it.

Without the mirror, it's "oh why didn't theme anything at all back here?" With the mirror, it's "oh that's what this is supposed to be back here? [eyeroll]"

 

[Anteater]

The mirror itself isn't the problem. That's actually clever. It's the stretch of emptiness rationalized as a "backstage theme." The mirror merely explains it.

Without the mirror, it's "oh why didn't theme anything at all back here?" With the mirror, it's "oh that's what this is supposed to be back here? [eyeroll]"

I can't tell... Is this area larger than the unloading area of Star Tours? I always wondered why that hallway was so long. It's theming was simply travel posters. But, I never gave it much thought.

 

[disneyC97]

I can't tell... Is this area larger than the unloading area of Star Tours? I always wondered why that hallway was so long. It's theming was simply travel posters. But, I never gave it much thought.

Long depending where you exit…you have to go past up to 5 other starspeeder cabins when exiting Star Tours (less in California).

 

[tommyhawkins]

I can't tell... Is this area larger than the unloading area of Star Tours? I always wondered why that hallway was so long. It's theming was simply travel posters. But, I never gave it much thought.

It's a steep staircase and then like 20ft to the door. They haven't retconned the hallway for those people who over analyse hallways on Disney message boards with the mirror gag to make it make sense as being implied. It's literally just a short exit with a gag. Not coming up with some outside shaded extended queue is a bigger

 

[UNCgolf]

It's a steep staircase and then like 20ft to the door. They haven't retconned the hallway for those people who over analyse hallways on Disney message boards with the mirror gag to make it make sense as being implied. It's literally just a short exit with a gag. Not coming up with some outside shaded extended queue is a bigger

I definitely agree that building an essentially unthemed shop and no outdoor queue is a much bigger issue, especially since that hallway is so short.

 

[MisterPenguin]

All exits seem quick and easy compared to flight of Passage where you have to go down flights of stairs and then climb down the mountain and are forced into a gift shop.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I definitely agree that building an essentially unthemed shop and no outdoor queue is a much bigger issue, especially since that hallway is so short.

The issue with the gift shop seems to me to be the same as with the queue and preshow - Xander doesn't have a recognizable, distinct aesthetic, so anything built in that "style" comes off as exceedingly generic. Look at the Broker scene in GotG on which the gift shop is based - the shop looks like an upscale, vaguely modernist mall jewelry shop. Mission: Breakout demonstrates what a much more recognizable GotG aesthetic would look like.

 

[UNCgolf]

The issue with the gift shop seems to me to be the same as with the queue and preshow - Xander doesn't have a recognizable, distinct aesthetic, so anything built in that "style" comes off as exceedingly generic. Look at the Broker scene in GotG on which the gift shop is based - the shop looks like an upscale, vaguely modernist mall jewelry shop. Mission: Breakout demonstrates what a much more recognizable GotG aesthetic would look like.

I agree that the Broker's shop in the movie isn't especially memorable, but it also doesn't look anything like the gift shop. I know I've said it repeatedly, but the video screen and the single Groot figure are the only thing (at least in the photos we have) that differentiate it from an airport terminal storefront selling random baubles.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

"Can't wait to see the dinosaurs, ride Horizons, and watch some Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit"...

...ouch.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I can't tell... Is this area larger than the unloading area of Star Tours? I always wondered why that hallway was so long. It's theming was simply travel posters. But, I never gave it much thought.

You have to walk past the other simulators. Did Star Tours cost nearly half a billion dollars?

 

[James Alucobond]

The issue with the gift shop seems to me to be the same as with the queue and preshow - Xander doesn't have a recognizable, distinct aesthetic, so anything built in that "style" comes off as exceedingly generic. Look at the Broker scene in GotG on which the gift shop is based - the shop looks like an upscale, vaguely modernist mall jewelry shop. Mission: Breakout demonstrates what a much more recognizable GotG aesthetic would look like.

I actually don't think anything that canonically takes place in the pavilion is supposed to be terribly "Xandar-themed". It feels to me that it's supposed to be consistent with the general look and feel of World Discovery to emphasize the dramatic shift in style, color, and lighting design after being teleported to the Xandarian ship. Even though Xandarian artifacts are on display throughout, both ends of the queue are more or less aligned with the aesthetic of Space 220 and Test Track, for instance.

Whether or not this was a good design decision is obviously open to debate.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I agree that the Broker's shop in the movie isn't especially memorable, but it also doesn't look anything like the gift shop. I know I've said it repeatedly, but the video screen and the single Groot figure are the only thing (at least in the photos we have) that differentiate it from an airport terminal storefront selling random baubles.

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with you - I just think that the boring store is a manifestation of a much deeper, more profound design issue with the entire attraction.

I don't know that anyone has mentioned it yet, but the Celestials did play a role in GotG that extended beyond flashbacks - Knowwhere, where the Collector and Cosmo live and which DOES have a distinct GotG aesthetic, is housed in the severed head of a Celestial. Seems like if they wanted to involve the Celestials, that might have been a more logical place to start (although, again, my suspicion is the Celestial was a very late addition after they cut the more elaborate preshow and numerous "Rewind" effects in the ride itself).

 

[Casper Gutman]

I actually don't think anything that canonically takes place in the pavilion is supposed to be terribly "Xandar-themed". It feels to me that it's supposed to be consistent with the general look and feel of World Discovery to emphasize the dramatic shift in style, color, and lighting design after being teleported to the Xandarian ship. Even though Xandarian artifacts are on display throughout, both ends of the queue are more or less aligned with the aesthetic of Space 220 and Test Track, for instance.

Whether or not this was a good design decision is obviously open to debate.

I disagree, but you might be right - the problem is that the Xandarian aesthetic is virtually indistinguishable from the modern Future World aesthetic. They're both generic, sleek, slightly Apple-y sci fi. So any given room could be one or it could be the other. I disagree that the aesthetic becomes more distinct on board the ship - the color scheme adds more red, but nothing in the design reads as Marvel-y, let alone GotG-y.

 

[wdwmagic]

Our video of the full Cosmic rewind experience including the queue, reshow and onside POV.

Obviously contains spoilers.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I agree that the Broker's shop in the movie isn't especially memorable, but it also doesn't look anything like the gift shop. I know I've said it repeatedly, but the video screen and the single Groot figure are the only thing (at least in the photos we have) that differentiate it from an airport terminal storefront selling random baubles.

I think there must be an initiative at Disney to purposely make the retail spaces bland so the merch is the star; so the merch is what folks look at. At the same time it’s cheap to build and maintain.

This is the opposite of Universal tribute stores. These fantastic tribute stores at Universal are more like walk through attractions that pull folks in to look around and while in there they buy stuff..

 

[Bocabear]

Let's face it, Gideon's wouldn't sell half the merchandise if there were no theming of the building at all...Theme helps sell product... An engaging atmosphere sells..., The shops at Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley have proven that time and time again... Heck the original Disney Stores did an amazing business until they dumbed them down...