Why Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy Ride Coming to Epcot Is the First Coaster of Its Kind
Disney has released more details (and a video!) showing off its much-hyped Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
The indoor coaster, dubbed “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind,” was first announced in 2017, and the park has slowly been revealing features of the massive attraction, which will open in Epcot’s Future World in 2021 ahead of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Now, Disney has shared exactly what the ride vehicles will look like and the unique way in which they’ll move. The coaster will be one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world, according to Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek, but it will also maneuver along it’s track in a completely different way. Each four-seat car of the coaster will also spin 360 degrees to direct riders attention to different parts of the attraction as they pass through it.
As Chapek put it, “Instead of whizzing by the action, you’ll be fully immersed in the story from the minute you launch.”
The ride will also feature what Disney is calling the first “reverse launch” on one of its coasters — a moment which appears to be captured in a video that Chapek debuted at an industry conference in 2018. In the clip, the coaster appears to reach the end of a track and then the cars rotate 180 degrees. The launch itself, however, is not shown.
According to the official Disney Parks Blog, the Cosmic Rewind experience begins inside the Galaxarium, “a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of the formation of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar.” Needless to say, things go off the rails, so to speak, when the Guardians of the Galaxy turn up and “adventures across the cosmos ensue.”
The ride building will also be massive. Per Chapek, the structure that houses the “storytelling coaster” could fit four Spaceship Earths inside of it.
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The new ride is part of a much larger overhaul of Epcot. According to the Disney blog, the park will be divided into four neighborhoods: World Showcase, where you’ll still be able to eat and rink your way across continents; World Celebration, a central corridor that includes the iconic Spaceship Earth sphere; World Nature, home to attractions themed to Finding Nemo and Moana; and World Discovery, where the Guardians will reside within the cheekily named “other-world showcase.”
World Discovery will also include an expanded Mission: SPACE pavilion with a new restaurant, and PLAY! a gaming-centric attraction.
