EPCOT Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind attraction confirmed for Epcot

[James Alucobond]

If they themed it, it would really out compete Spaceship Earth.
It would render Spaceship Earth the lesser visual, when it's supposed to be the centerpiece of the park.

Given its placement, I think it would be fine, especially if they opted not to illuminate the upper extent of it at night. It's really only a visual disaster from locations where its scale relative to Spaceship Earth doesn't matter as much, e.g. the parking lot, the World Showcase, the monorail, etc. You don't really even perceive it within the confines of Future World. Yeah, it shouldn't be overly gaudy like Mission: Breakout, but a simple, sleek design would not detract much from the approach and certainly would not be any worse than what's there now.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The best option would have been to build a themed show building that wasn't larger than Spaceship Earth. Make the coaster smaller or use a different ride system.

Rumored to have been overheard during the executive meeting to review design proposareplace UoE:

“well, this one is about energy and science…”
“This one has a science component but…”
“This one uses a big huge box for a roller coaster”

Bob: “Here’s what I just heard - Blah blah blah, science science science… BIGGER! And bigger is better!”

(yes, that was a “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” reference.)

Edited to fix a typo

 

[TikibirdLand]

Fair. But I’d still consider the giant shed a greater sin.

Saw a video the other day of the EPCoT monorail opening. As they came to EPCoT, the MASSIVE gravity building overshadowed Spaceship Earth. You couldn't take your eyes off it. As one Vlogger says, "Would you look at the size of that building!".

 

[Incomudro]

Fair. But I’d still consider the giant shed a greater sin.

I don't know...
Would I want a highly Guardian themed monstrosity looming to the side of Spaceship Earth?
It would become the focal point of that side of the park.

 

[Incomudro]

The best option would have been to build a themed show building that wasn't larger than Spaceship Earth. Make the coaster smaller or use a different ride system.

Or find a way to camouflage it with a berm and trees, which as we know - couldn't be done giving the existing space constraints.

 

[Missing20K]

I don't know...
Would I want a highly Guardian themed monstrosity looming to the side of Spaceship Earth?
It would become the focal point of that side of the park.

Would I want it? Definitely not. Would it be an improvement over what’s there? My humble opinion says it would. I’d rather a billboard with an 80 foot tall Peter Quill holding a 4 foot tall Walkman. It works for the POP/AllStars.

Idk, it seems like it’s the focal point of that side of the park anyway (I’ll find out in person soon enough). Might as well make it spiffy.

 

[vikescaper]

Or find a way to camouflage it with a berm and trees, which as we know - couldn't be done giving the existing space constraints.

Even if they would have found some way to streamline the building, it would have been better. But the probably would have added another 5 years of construction…

 

[Incomudro]

Would I want it? Definitely not. Would it be an improvement over what’s there? My humble opinion says it would. I’d rather a billboard with an 80 foot tall Peter Quill holding a 4 foot tall Walkman. It works for the POP/AllStars.

Idk, it seems like it’s the focal point of that side of the park anyway (I’ll find out in person soon enough). Might as well make it spiffy.

I I don't share this sentiment.

 

[Missing20K]

Even if they would have found some way to streamline the building, it would have been better. But the probably would have added another 5 years of construction…

Streamline how? It’s a 130 foot tall box. Not being snarky, I’m just not sure how to streamline something so large and imposing.

I I don't share this sentiment.

I was being facetious with the billboard comment (sort of). I suppose I could reserve further critiques until I see it in person. But every photo/video I’ve seen doesn’t make me hopeful.

 

[James Alucobond]

I suppose I could reserve further critiques until I see it in person. But every photo/video I’ve seen doesn’t make me hopeful.

It's worst while coming in and from the World Showcase. With the walls as they are now, it's actually kind of difficult to notice it in the area immediately around it or from anywhere else in Future World, for that matter. Yes, there are angles where you can see it, but it's not intrusive in the same way that it is when you glance back from the Showcase or see it towering beside the parking lot or monorail. I'm not sure if this will still be the case when the walls come down, though.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Streamline how? It’s a 130 foot tall box. Not being snarky, I’m just not sure how to streamline something so large and imposing.

I was being facetious with the billboard comment (sort of). I suppose I could reserve further critiques until I see it in person. But every photo/video I’ve seen doesn’t make me hopeful.

It draws your eye. Just wait until you walk towards WSL…

 

[rreading]

I don't know...
Would I want a highly Guardian themed monstrosity looming to the side of Spaceship Earth?
It would become the focal point of that side of the park.

fwiw, I agree with this sentiment. I don’t love it, but it’s effectively in the parking lot. We could complain about SW:GE’s spires on a stick from behind or Pandora from the parking lot or Everest’s open side. Any of those are interesting/compelling as they definitely don’t look right. This thing is big but uninteresting. I do fine thinking “that’s big!”, and moving on to enjoying Epcot.

As it happens, I can complain much easier about the obvious eyesore in the middle of World Showcase

 

[Jones14]

If the building had Xandarian architecture it would fit the look of Future World (Discovery) just fine.

The problem is that you don’t get a great look at the gravity building when in front of the attraction, so most of that theming would be ‘wasted’ in the place where it would be most useful.

Perhaps that was their justification for trying to make it “go away”, but the sheer height of the building makes that impossible from a good chunk of the park.

 

[Incomudro]

If the building had Xandarian architecture it would fit the look of Future World (Discovery) just fine.

The problem is that you don’t get a great look at the gravity building when in front of the attraction, so most of that theming would be ‘wasted’ in the place where it would be most useful.

Perhaps that was their justification for trying to make it “go away”, but the sheer height of the building makes that impossible from a good chunk of the park.

It could certainly have been themed to fit, then it would be the dominant structure of the park.
The location they had to work with, and it's limitations is fraught with problems.
If it was designed as part of the park from the beginning, they would have hidden it.
But it's shoehorned in.

 

[HauntedPirate]

It could certainly have been themed to fit, then it would be the dominant structure of the park.
The location they had to work with, and it's limitations is fraught with problems.
If it was designed as part of the park from the beginning, they would have hidden it.
But it's shoehorned in.

Imagine if they hadn’t shoehorned it into the wrong park.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It could certainly have been themed to fit, then it would be the dominant structure of the park.
The location they had to work with, and it's limitations is fraught with problems.
If it was designed as part of the park from the beginning, they would have hidden it.
But it's shoehorned in.

What limitations? It’s a new build on a site cleared for the project.

 

[Incomudro]

What limitations? It’s a new build on a site cleared for the project.

They didn't have the space to move the building further back, which would have allowed for a berm.

 

[Incomudro]

Imagine if they hadn’t shoehorned it into the wrong park.

The days of Epcot being the wrong park for it were gone 20 years ago.

 

[lazyboy97o]

They didn't have the space to move the building further back, which would have allowed for a berm.

Why couldn’t they move the building back? There’s a whole bunch of land to the north that was cleared.

A berm large enough to obscure a building this size would be a huge expense. Why build a giant mound and still have a mass of trees looming over your buildings when you could do something else like change the massing of the building and/or sink it down?

 

[HauntedPirate]

The days of Epcot being the wrong park for it were gone 20 years ago.

Continuing the bad decisions of the late Eisner/entire Iger era is no excuse, Epcot is still the wrong park for this ride.