It’s save the Galaxy time at last! Disney’s first Marvel themed attraction for Orlando Fl, arrives as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens to the public on May 27, at EPCOT.
This has been a long time coming for the house of mouse, as it has been a difficult journey to get a Marvel Comics themed attraction to Disney World in Florida due to an old grandfathered in contract that Universal Orlando has with Marvel that does not allow any theme park to use any Marvel characters located in Marvel Superhero Island in Islands of Adventure east of the Mississippi river. This means Disney cannot use any Spiderman, Fantastic four, X-men or any characters who have ever been a part of the Avengers team such as Captain America and Iron Man in their east coast theme parks. Luckily for Disney, Guardians of the Galaxy are the exception.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is one of many firsts for Disney. This is the first rollercoaster at EPCOT, the first reverse launch coaster and the first ‘Omnicoaster’ for the company (meaning the ride vehicles will rotate as they move along the track).
The Ride Queue
EPCOT is known for its different lands throughout the park as having pavilions to teach guests about different aspects of the planet and cultures around the world and the pavilion for this new Guardians ride is no different.
Wonders of Xandar is the pavilion which houses the new coaster replaces the former Ellen’s Energy Adventure and has the Xandarians that that were showcased in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy film teach Terrins (a.k.a humans) more about their planet and the interworking’s of how their society handles energy and uses it throughout their planet. You will see miniatures of their cities as well as a miniature of the massive Starblaster cruise ship that greets guests as they make their way to the entrance of the ride.
Guests will need to keep their eyes out for screens located throughout the queue that show different members of the Guardians of the Galaxy such as Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora and Starlord himself, Peter Quill being interviewed by a reporter from, a “Good Morning Xandar” talk show.
A fun segment to look for is when Quill is being asked about his thoughts of Epcot, to which he replies how he loved going as a kid(before he was abducted and taken to space) and can’t wait to come back and ride Horizons. The ride Horizons closed in 1999, who’s going to tell him, right?
Walt Disney himself makes a cameo in the Queue as he explains the innerworkings of EPCOT that Xandarians are studying.
The Story
Nova Prime(once again played by Glen Close) the leader of the Nova Corps police force on planet Xandar tells guests in the preshow that they will be teleported to a Nova cruise ship via the Cosmic Generator to witness a ‘demonstration’ of how it powers parts of their planet.
Prime is joined by none other than Terry Crews. Yes, you heard that right, the former football player turned actor joins the Nova Corps as Centurion Tal Marik, a member of the Nova Corps and commander of the Starcharter that helps you teleport to their Nova cruise ship when things of course get out of hand as a massive Celestial named Eson steals the generator and says he is going to “correct a mistake” that is the human race and go back to the beginning of time to wipe earth from existence.
That is when the Guardians of the Galaxy are called in to save the day. All original actors reprise their roles as the guardians and ask guests to join them to help travel with them as they try to stop Eson from destroying the galaxy.
Verdict:
The ride seats two guests per row and only four per coaster, so if you have a large group of friends and family accompanying you on this ride be prepared to split up into different groups.
The first thing to know is that this coaster is a smooth ride from start to finish and is groundbreaking in its innovative ability to become a premier “story coaster”, combining massive Screens and physical sets to immerse you in space as you travel through time and space with the Guardians take on their villain.
Your experience will change each time you ride with a different song playing as you make your way through the galaxy. There are six 80’s themed options from Peter Quill’s playlist that you may experience such as:
- “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
- “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps
- “Conga” by Gloria Estefan
- “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
- “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls
- “One Way or Another” by Blondie
While this is rollercoaster with an impressive reverse launch sequence, this is not one of Disney’s more thrilling attractions. Test Track, also located at Epcot along with Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and Rocking Rollercoaster located as Hollywood studies and even Space Mountain are far more intense thrilling rides
With that being said, “Rewind” is a great ‘family themed” ride and in my opinion the best ride at EPCOT and one of the best rides at Disney World in general, with Rise of the Resistance still holding the top stop in terms of immersive and storytelling aspects go.
Is this the best Marvel ride in Florida? In short, yes, this is the best Marvel Coaster ride in Florida(Sorry Hulk). The best way to describe this experience is the combination of the guardians of the galaxy, space mountain and a classic EPCOT/spaceship earth pavilion.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a truly unforgettable experience that the whole family will enjoy. Whether you are a Marvel, Disney or just a rollercoaster fan, you will find yourself grinning ear to ear from start to finish and will be eager to ride again with one of Marvel’s favorite ragtag teams.
Cosmic Rewind opens May 27 to the public at Disney’s EPCOT.
