Have an interplanetary blast on Epcot coaster
Review of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
As part of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration, it will be opening Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind on May 27. I got a sneak peek of the new attraction. Here is my review.
4.75 (out of 5)
With the advent of themed roller coasters, that is, coasters that attempt to tell stories, I’ve long had a dream. I have envisioned an attraction housed inside a show building large enough to accommodate a world-class coaster as well as massive-scale, rich storytelling elements that would register to passengers roaring past them at high speeds. My dream just came true.
The first coaster at Walt Disney World’s Epcot, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a superbly themed, thrilling (but accessible to a wide audience), unique, and wholly satisfying roller coaster.
The attraction is located in a recently rebranded section of the sprawling park. Disney is in the process of subdividing the front half of Epcot, which had been known as Future World, into three lands: World Celebration, World Nature, and the new attraction’s home, World Discovery.
What are the Marvel do-gooders doing at Epcot? Future World’s attractions have generally been designed for edutainment and loosely based on “the future,” while the pavilions lining the park’s World Showcase celebrate a contingent of countries and their people. Cosmic Rewind is on the site of the former Universe of Energy and is housed in the Wonders of Xandar, which Disney describes as Epcot’s first “other-world” pavilion.
The experience begins with a very edutainment-like presentation of the accomplishments and culture of the planet Xandar. It has been developed and curated by Xandarians, who have traveled from the faraway Andromeda galaxy to foster peace and goodwill with the people of Earth.
Guests first enter The Galaxarium, which features an overhead, planetarium-like depiction of the cosmos. The queue then snakes through the Xandar Gallery and its exhibits.
“We get to talk about Epcotian things through the guise of Xandar,” explains Tom Fitzgerald, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. He adds that the attraction includes a nod to the original Epcot, as envisioned by the Florida theme park resort’s namesake. “The Xandarians say that they discovered we had a visionary, Walt Disney, who had a dream of a futuristic city very much like Xandar.”
The people of Xandar want to give us a piece of technology they developed, the Cosmic Generator, that would allow us to explore deeper in the universe. In order to demonstrate its capabilities, guests are teleported to a ship orbiting the Earth. Disney has developed a jaw-dropping effect that reminds me of the gone-but-not-forgotten Star Trek: The Experience that once beamed visitors up to the Enterprise in Las Vegas.
In typical theme park fashion, everything goes horribly wrong fairly quickly. It’s up to the Guardians–and somehow us–to make things right and, you know, guard the galaxy.
Wait, what? I have to save the galaxy?
It seems that Eson, a rather large and foreboding Celestial, who had issues with the superheroes in the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie, turns back time and space and prevents the big bang that formed Earth. Have no fear. The Guardians of the Galaxy—Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot—step in to save the day. They recruit Earthlings to help counteract the baddie’s plan.
By the way, this isn’t the first time that Peter Quill, the Guardians’ Star-Lord, has made his way to the Florida resort. According to Disney, when he was a child (Star-Lad?), his folks took him to Epcot. With the galaxy in peril, however, he doesn't have much time to check out Soarin’ or go drinking around the world during this visit.
Boarding “Starjumper escape shuttles,” guests learn about their mission from the Guardians, who are projected onto enormous, wraparound screens. The ride experience then kicks into high gear with a reverse launch–a Disney first. (Tip: If you board the ninth car in the 10-car train, you’ll end up with an unobstructed view as the train launches. The other primo position is the first car.)
The launch is exhilarating, but does not feel out of control. It sends the train racing up, with a nice pop of positive Gs, into a huge–and I mean huge–dome. The coaster soars along in partial darkness, and with its ultra-smooth ride, the track almost seems to disappear. Instead, passengers are focused on the engaging story elements that are embedded all around them.
Are you wondering whether the ride may be too intense for your or your park posse? Check out my article, “Could you handle Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind?” in which I break down the ride’s elements and compare it to other coasters and attractions.
Disney pivots with its latest ride innovation
What helps set Cosmic Rewind apart is its Omnicoaster ride system. It is based on the concept of Disney’s Omnimover ride vehicles, which are used for attractions such as the Haunted Mansion. They have the ability to pivot and therefore direct passengers’ attention to key scenes as they move through show buildings. Similarly, the new Omnicoaster cars can rotate 360 degrees and point guests in the direction of the action–except Cosmic Rewind’s vehicles are zipping along considerably faster than the Haunted Mansions’ Doom Buggies.
That‘s not to say that the Epcot ride is a spinning coaster like the defunct Primeval Whirl at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Spinning coasters incorporate cars that freely and randomly spin based on the weight load and distribution of their passengers and have been known to induce motion sickness. Since the vehicles on Cosmic Rewind carefully control the whirling and only rotate a bit at any one time, there is virtually no danger of nausea.
With the cars’ ability to pivot, the coaster gives a ride unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Even though it is not especially tall or fast and doesn’t include any inversions, the experience nonetheless feels intense and thrilling. The height requirement on the family coaster is 42 inches, compared to 48 inches for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
“Because we can turn your vehicles as you’re moving along the track, we can really lean into the curves, which is a different sensation,” Fitzgerald says. “It almost feels like snowboarding.”
It wouldn’t be Guardians of the Galaxy without a retro, cheesy mixtape. The classic hits rocking the attraction’s soundtrack, which play randomly, include “September,” “Disco Inferno,” “Conga,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “I Ran,” and “One Way or Another.”
Not to give anything away, but the planet is, in fact, spared total destruction–not before the recruits are subjected to some of the Guardians’ trademark humor, however.
It’s a coaster. It’s a dark ride. It’s two attractions in one!
Disney is describing the attraction as a “storytelling coaster.” But, really, the company has been designing themed coasters since it opened Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland in 1959. (That ride is notable, as well, for being the world’s first tubular steel coaster.) Space Mountain embraced storytelling even more.
Recently, Disney and Universal have introduced more sophisticated attractions that combine the thrills of a roller coaster with the scenic design, media, special effects, animatronic characters, soundtracks, and other elements of dark rides. These include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at the Magic Kingdom, Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida, and Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. (It should be noted that VelociCoaster also features Chris Pratt, the guy who plays Star-Lord. No stranger to theme park attractions, the busy A-list actor is a key performer in Jurassic World – The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood and Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure as well.)
So, how big is the show building? As hard as it might be to envision, Disney claims that it could fit four Spaceship Earths into the space. At 5,577 feet, Cosmic Rewind is one of the longest indoor coasters in the world. In comparison, Space Mountain and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster are about 3,200 feet.
Keep in mind that my 4.75 rating for the attraction is a reflection of the entire experience. As a launched family coaster, Cosmic Rewind is a load of fun. But combined with its compelling story, innovative ride system, and massive scale and scope, it is a stunning achievement.
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My expectations for this attraction were pretty low since I'm not a fan of the way Disney is forcing IP into EPCOT, but after reading your review I'm excited to give it a chance when I visit Walt Disney World this summer.
It'll be funny seeing Chris Pratt both on this attraction and on Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure.