EPCOT Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind attraction confirmed for Epcot

[zulemara]

Everything was working today. It was my first time and I literally cried with joy. That was just so much fun! I can’t wait to go again!

 

[G00fyDad]

The ride actually has a story and without the pre-show it doesn't make much sense. The first time I went, the pre-show broke down while we were in the room; it just never started and we walked to the ride, then all this stuff happens on the ride that references the pre-show and I had no idea what it meant. The second time I went, the pre-show worked and it all tied together. You can still enjoy it as a roller coaster and just figure "oh, we're... doing something to... save... the Earth?" but the pre-show really is integrated into the story of the ride. And there is actually a pretty neat effect in the pre-show that is worth experiencing.

I never paid attention to the preshow when we went. It was working but I was too busy looking at everything to pay any attention to what they were saying.

 

[dreday3]

I hate pre-shows with a passion (Rise pre-show(s) is ridiculously long) and for once I actually enjoyed the pre-show! It wasn't too long, that one effect was pretty awesome and I like the music. Of course our first (and only so far) time on the ride we got stuck in the room after the big reveal but before you see the ride for 30 minutes.

Strangely the waiting calmed me down but made me husband get extremely anxious.

 

[TheGenXer]

I hate pre-shows with a passion (Rise pre-show(s) is ridiculously long) and for once I actually enjoyed the pre-show! It wasn't too long, that one effect was pretty awesome and I like the music. Of course our first (and only so far) time on the ride we got stuck in the room after the big reveal but before you see the ride for 30 minutes.

Strangely the waiting calmed me down but made me husband get extremely anxious.

I think you’re looking for a Six Flags then. A really odd thing to hate with a passion if you’re a Disney fan. You do realize the alternative is just a line, right?

 

[Hawg G]

The ride actually has a story and without the pre-show it doesn't make much sense. The first time I went, the pre-show broke down while we were in the room; it just never started and we walked to the ride, then all this stuff happens on the ride that references the pre-show and I had no idea what it meant. The second time I went, the pre-show worked and it all tied together. You can still enjoy it as a roller coaster and just figure "oh, we're... doing something to... save... the Earth?" but the pre-show really is integrated into the story of the ride. And there is actually a pretty neat effect in the pre-show that is worth experiencing.

Few people follow the story, Which is pretty sketch anyway.

And the preshow effect is nowhere near as “wow” as it is in other implementations

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Moving some thoughts over from the Moana/Zootopia thread:

I'll agree to disagree on Cosmic. The story is incomprehensible but it's the most fun I've ever had on a theme park ride. I love the teleportation part of the pre-show, the music adds so much to the coaster & I really like the theming even if it's just darkness for "space".

I think Disney needs to see how Zootopia 2 does before committing to a land for it. I definitely agree that there's not a lot for it just yet.

If they go through with these plans, it seems like Disney already knows that atleast since it just seems to be the area around the Dinosaur ride. While Oceania (hopefully not solely Moana) gets the land.

I agree the Gaurdians Coaster is one of my fave rides in any Disney park as well and I usually get sick feeling on coasters but its just so smooth I loved it. You can argue it should have gone in another park but the ride I think is a great addition to Epcots lineup.

Come on, Guardians is great. A lot of fun.

I am not saying I don't miss UoE, but Guardians is good time. I was lucky to ride it twice this past December.

Add me to the choir here. Guardians is so much fun - you could strip the story entirely and still have a next-generation Space Mountain on steroids. That comparison comes up a lot, and I think it holds well.

At this point, MK's Space Mountain feels clunky, jerky, and sad. So much potential with the iconic architecture and queue, but the ride itself is unfortunate. Guardians and Tron both reinvent what Space Mountain's ride experience should be, IP or not, and while I haven't experienced stateside Tron yet, I'm grateful we have both (no intention of visiting Shanghai again).

Epcot is still a mess, and I'm so sad we might not ever see a worthy RoE successor + new World Showcase pavilion, but it needed something like this.

That's not my point, though. It can be a ton of fun without being a great themed design -- as I said, I think it's a great coaster.

Slinky Dog Dash is super fun (and no, I'm not suggesting SDD is on the same level as Guardians because it isn't), but that doesn't mean it's an amazing design.

I just don't see Guardians as anywhere near the same level as rides like Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Great Movie Ride, Spaceship Earth, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest, Rise of the Resistance, etc. from a themed design standpoint. That doesn't mean people can't have more fun on it than any of those attractions, though.

You're not wrong about the themed design + storytelling aspects of Guardians, but I think the magnitude of each (design, storytelling, and fun) matters as well.

From a design standpoint, Guardians isn't far behind what it replaced, with the biggest downside being the atrocious gravity building. They've made that one easier to swallow by making the same blunder across all four parks (though their egregiousness varies) and cluttering the skyline with ugly, boxy towers as well. The Cosmic Rewind box, while unfortunate, isn't a lone offender.

Then there's the storytelling aspect. Perhaps Cosmic Rewind aims to tell a more ambitious story than Space Mountain, and if you factor in the queue + pre-shows, it absolutely does, perhaps to a fault. But those also make the experience feel more appropriate to Epcot, so (while I wish they were skippable) I'm glad they were included. Space Mountain offers a similar on-ride 'story,' and the physical sensations it generates can be downright painful.

Finally, fun. Sure, Slinky Dog punches above its weight, but personally, I don't think it's that fun. Bonus points for the nighttime lighting package. Guardians, on the other hand, is possibly the most fun ride I've been on anywhere, and that's comparing all 12 Disney parks, two Six Flags parks, UOR at its best (Hagrid & VeliciCoaster), etc. Not nearly as thrilling as the last one, but it doesn't need to be.

If you asked me to pick one of WDW's three futuristic, cosmic, blue-lit coasters for demolition tomorrow, I know which I'd be picking, and it isn't close.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I think it's a great coaster but I'd argue it's actually a design failure from a theme perspective (certainly not close to being a masterpiece or one of Disney's best); you could remove everything but the music and it would have very little effect on the ride.

The praise generally revolves around how smooth it is and the fun music. It should offer a lot more than that to be a great theme park design -- I personally don't think it's even one of the best themed coasters in Orlando.

That doesn't mean it's a bad attraction, of course. Just that it's not a shining example of themed design.

I love the space portal effects (even if they're just screens), they feel exactly like how they are in the movies. The first one you go through with the Guardians theme blasting was a super memorable moment for me, it felt like I was in some of my favorite movies of all-time. The Moon & Earth bits are fantastic too. I always have a blast there.

I don't think it's as well themed as Everest or Mummy, physical sets will always be king. A Guardians ride set on an alien planet would've been preferable. But I think it does a great job of making me feel like I'm in space.

Now that doesn't mean it belongs EPCOT, I agree that it doesn't. Cosmic Rewind should've been in DHS, probably as the start of a Marvel land there.

Cosmic Rewind is definitely a case where doing less with the story would have made the attraction better. Like, just ditch the Celestial stuff and make it an intentional trip back to observe the Big Bang using the Time Stone or whatever. Makes more sense with EPCOT in general and doesn’t require you to pay attention to the inaudible banter to make out what’s happening. Do that, add Rocket and Groot animatronics to the pre-show, attach the currently awkward exit to the gift shop, and make the show building slightly more aesthetically pleasing and I can live with it.

Yeah, this sounds better. I feel like they only included the Celestial to make the ride feel more "super hero-y" & give guests a bad guy to "beat". But I think this idea would've been better, you could have the Guardians trying to rescue guests because going to the Big Bang is actually a bad idea lol

Not every early EPCOT ride had a realistic conceit. What happens to facilitate exploration of the body in Body Wars, for instance, is not remotely plausible. Even if you surround it with Marvel technobabble, learning about (in the Galaxarium) and experiencing firsthand (in the ride) the Big Bang in an effort to better understand the cosmos is not totally off the rails for the park. Or at least it’s more on track than capture-the-Celestial. I agree Marvel is not ideal for EPCOT, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to make it fit better than it does.


Which is what I’m saying. Cut all the ship and Celestial chaos and just make it about the majesty of space and the Big Bang.

Anyway, that’s probably my last response not because I don’t enjoy the discussion but because I’ve probably gone off topic at this point.

If they could use him, Iron Man could've been a good fit. The ride could start off as a tour of Stark Industries' various technologies, comparing them to real world tech & then the classic "Something goes wrong" happen into a more thrilling part of the ride. You could potentially do the same with Ant-Man & the Fantastic Four, but they can't use them either lmao

That would require them to want to do that instead of instantly going to "Saving the city & beating the bad guy" though.

 

[UNCgolf]

If you asked me to pick one of WDW's three futuristic, cosmic, blue-lit coasters for demolition tomorrow, I know which I'd be picking, and it isn't close.

I've never been a huge fan of Space Mountain (BTMR and Everest are much better IMO), but I'd take it over TRON, which I think is basically a waste of space -- it's both a mediocre attraction and very poorly placed.

 

[SpectreJordan]

I've never been a huge fan of Space Mountain (BTMR and Everest are much better IMO), but I'd take it over TRON, which I think is basically a waste of space -- it's both a mediocre attraction and very poorly placed.

I haven't rode it yet but it seems like it's good for capacity at the very least. A roller coaster will always be popular & eat people up.

 

[UNCgolf]

I haven't rode it yet but it seems like it's good for capacity at the very least. A roller coaster will always be popular & eat people up.

Well yeah, I agree it's better than having nothing for capacity reasons.

I just think they could have built something significantly better, and the placement causes problems if they ever wanted to replace the Speedway (which they should).

 

[SpectreJordan]

Well yeah, I agree it's better than having nothing for capacity reasons.

I just think they could have built something significantly better, and the placement causes problems if they ever wanted to replace the Speedway (which they should).

I imagine they discussed the Speedway when they were planning Tron. I guess they decided they were going to keep it for a long time, sadly.

I'm not a fan of it either, but I guess it's a hit with kids or something.

 

[Bocabear]

TO me, TRON is ruined by the constant trim brakes along the ride and it's length. Space Mountain could be amazing with new track and some love... The star fields seem to be a fraction of the brightness they originally were back in the 70s...They have added more trim brakes, and the entire experience could use a refresh....without losing the core and style of the original ride... New technology silent faster lift hill would add a lot...onboard audio would also make a huge difference... Completely redoing the exit displays and restoring the speedramp would be amazing, and I think they should lean into the 70s version of the future...allow it to be retro...bring back the home of future living...or something like it (Where are all the sets and figures from Horizons?) and as a side note, the original sound track and theme song were recorded without the Sponsor name ....so it could even be resurrected. Isn't it time to imagine a fun future instead of the steady diet we are fed of a dystopian post apocalyptic world? I am ready to think about a world of possibilities....

 

[SpectreJordan]

TO me, TRON is ruined by the constant trim brakes along the ride and it's length. Space Mountain could be amazing with new track and some love... The star fields seem to be a fraction of the brightness they originally were back in the 70s...They have added more trim brakes, and the entire experience could use a refresh....without losing the core and style of the original ride... New technology silent faster lift hill would add a lot...onboard audio would also make a huge difference... Completely redoing the exit displays and restoring the speedramp would be amazing, and I think they should lean into the 70s version of the future...allow it to be retro...bring back the home of future living...or something like it (Where are all the sets and figures from Horizons?) and as a side note, the original sound track and theme song were recorded without the Sponsor name ....so it could even be resurrected. Isn't it time to imagine a fun future instead of the steady diet we are fed of a dystopian post apocalyptic world? I am ready to think about a world of possibilities....

Hopefully they'll just copy whatever Tokyo is planning on doing.

 

[James Alucobond]

Hopefully they'll just copy whatever Tokyo is planning on doing.

Not outside, I hope.

 

[Bocabear]

Hopefully they'll just copy whatever Tokyo is planning on doing.

I saw the art on the exterior and really really REALLY hate it... WDW's Space Mountain was the first version and the building is beautiful and iconic... as far as the exterior goes, and the track layout, I don't think you could create a better version...It just really needs to be brought back to something closer to the original style...

 

[SpectreJordan]

Not outside, I hope.

I saw the art on the exterior and really really REALLY hate it... WDW's Space Mountain was the first version and the building is beautiful and iconic... as far as the exterior goes, and the track layout, I don't think you could create a better version...It just really needs to be brought back to something closer to the original style...

I'm not really familiar with what it'll look like on the outside. I don't think they'd change it in MK, but I imagine they could recreate the track layout or something similar.

 

[J4546]

Id love for them to copy the tokyo version cause imo it looks great, the biggest problem is that it will need a massive showbuilding behind the front (like GotG) so it would be quite big

 

[UNCgolf]

I'm not really familiar with what it'll look like on the outside. I don't think they'd change it in MK, but I imagine they could recreate the track layout or something similar.

 

[Kamikaze]

I saw the art on the exterior and really really REALLY hate it... WDW's Space Mountain was the first version and the building is beautiful and iconic... as far as the exterior goes, and the track layout, I don't think you could create a better version...It just really needs to be brought back to something closer to the original style...

As to the exterior - iconic, absolutely. Beautiful? I don't think that fits.

The track layout could definitely be better. Its the worst of all versions currently.

 

[gerarar]

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind officially opened 1 year ago today on May 27, 2022.

The longest virtual queue window was on November 30, 2022 – when the 1pm drop lasted for 7 hours and 30 mins! The park that day was open until 9:30pm, reaching a max of BG 184 called at 8:32pm.

7am drop

• Quickest: May 28, 2022 with 3.4 secs.
• Longest: Feb 7, 2023 with 2 hrs 41 mins.

1pm drop

• Quickest: Aug 1, 2022 with 3.04 secs.
• Longest: Nov 30, 2022 with 7 hrs 30 mins.

6pm drop

• Quickest: May 30, 2022 with 2.79 secs.
• Longest: Oct 31, 2022 with 3 hrs 24 mins

The virtual queue system remains in place to today.

Here is a scatterplot of all the VQ drops for the past year, 364 data points/days of drops total (1 day missing due to Hurricane Ian closure).