PHOTOS & VIDEOS: We Rode Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT — Come INSIDE With Us!

It’s FINALLY time!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

After months, nay, YEARS of waiting — we finally got the chance to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT! The ride officially opens to the public on May 27th, but we got to step inside a few weeks early and check out the hype for ourselves. So without further ado, we present to you — an official first look inside the ride!

Warning! This post does contain some spoilers in terms of the story of the ride and photos inside the attraction. If you’re trying to stay TOTALLY spoiler free and don’t want to know anything about the story behind the attraction, why you and the Guardians have to save the galaxy, or any peeks inside the ride — you’ve been warned!

Overview

As a general overview, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a family-friendly coaster themed to characters and stories that pull from the Guardians of the Galaxy films.

©Disney

It is actually one of the LONGEST fully enclosed coasters in the entire world and is the first Disney coaster to feature a reverse launch. The attraction vehicles rotate 360 degrees as it is an “omnicoaster.”

You’ll find the ride over at World Discovery in EPCOT. The height requirement is 42 inches.

There are signs for it now at EPCOT!

In terms of getting on the ride, it will utilize a virtual queue and will also be available through the paid Individual Attraction Selection service (pay-per-ride).

The Building

We’ve been able to check out the building itself from afar for a while (and from glances up above on the monorail) but now we get the chance to see it up close! You’ve got the iconic Nova Corps Starblaster Ship out front. This is actually the first full-size version of this ship that has ever been built!

Guardians

You’ll find some special other-worldly symbols and plants outside near the Starblaster.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Outside, you’ll also find some other Guardians of the Galaxy-specific theming. You’ll find Nova Corps symbols in various spots…

©Disney

…and a “Wonders of Xandar” sign out front. That’s because this is the Wonders of Xandar pavilion.

©Disney

So the story goes, Star-Lord visited EPCOT as a kid. He loved it SO much that he “suggested the Disney park as the perfect place for Xandarians to connect with Terrans.” So the Wonders of Xandar pavilion was created to connect our worlds and people.

Now let’s head inside and see what it’s like in there!

The Queue

The Wonders of Xandar pavilion actually has 3 different spaces.

The Galaxarium

First up is The Galaxarium. This is a “planetarium-style space showcasing planets, stars and other intergalactic wonders that connect Terra and Xandar – reinforcing the notion that we’re all born of the same space dust.”

©Disney

This exhibit will introduce guests to the planet of Xandar and the similarities we have with the Xandarians. The entire show within the planetarium is more than 30 minutes and features things like a familiar mix tape and other details.

©Disney

As Disney notes, “The Xandarian supercomputer, Worldmind, provides narration in the Galaxarium and gives context to the stunning visuals.”

©Disney

This part of the queue is actually meant to be dynamic and is organized around a radial grid. Through a variety of ramps, guests wind around the space and have lots of viewpoints from which to see the Galaxarium.

Xandar Gallery

Next we have the Xandar Gallery. This is where guests can learn more about Xandar and its people, its heroes, and its protectors.

©Disney

There are “specially crafted displays including models of starships and a Xandarian city.”

©Disney

You’ll also get to see some “excerpts from ‘Good Morning Xandar,’” a show where “a host interviews the Guardians of the Galaxy about their heroic deeds.”

Phase Chamber

Then, it’s time to get to the last part of the tour — the Phase Chamber. In this part of the tour, “guests instantly teleport from EPCOT to a Nova Corps Starcharter cruiser orbiting Earth.”

First, you get to hear from Nova Prime Irani Rael. And yes, Glenn Close reprises her role from the Guardians of the Galaxy film as Nova Prime (that’s the leader of Xandar and the commander of the Nova Corps)!

Nova Prime!

Nove Prime shares how our worlds were born of the same moment — the Big Bang — and that we are galactic neighbors. But if you wanted to travel to Xandar it would take 2.5 MILLION YEARS, assuming you even get a ship to fly at the speed of light!

That’s why Xandar decided to come to us!  Then you get the chance to learn “about the Cosmic Generator, a piece of Xandarian technology that creates jump points – artificial tunnels in space allowing for rapid travel across vast distances.”

 

What’s the plan? Well, you’ll head off into the Phase Chamber where you’ll be able to teleport to a Nova ship above Earth for a demonstration of the Cosmic Generator!

You’ll then get to hear a bit from Nova Prime’s top officer, Centurion Tal Marik. He’ll advise you on some things you’ll need to do before you get into the chamber — like turn off your Terran devices!

Pre-Show

Then it’s off to the chamber you go!

©Disney

Once inside, Centurion Tal Marik will give you some more instructions and some…less than super confident information about the fact that they’ve NEVER teleported Terrans before. Oh my… .

©Disney

Spoiler alert — it works! You end up on the ship, where you’re supposed to get a preview of the Cosmic Generator.

We’re Inside!

But things don’t exactly go to plan.

Then Things Get…Interesting

As you reach the Starcharter, things get a little interesting! Suddenly, the power goes out and the cosmic generator goes MISSING!

Uh Oh!

Turns out there’s an evil villain with a plan of his own — Eson, a celestial!

Oh My

Eson actually once had possession of the Power Stone (one of the 6 Infinity stones).

Turns out Eson has been watching Earth for a loooooong time and now he “intends to use the Cosmic Generator to jump back in time and change the course of humanity.” NO GOOD.

 

Nova Prime Irani Rael then commands Centurion Tal Marik, to get into action and contact the Guardians of the Galaxy to get their help! You’ll then see some very familiar faces pop up on the screen — Groot, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, and Drax too!

So where does that leave YOU in all of this? Well, you’ve gotta get out of the ship FAST, so you evacuate by using “Starjumper shuttles – small escape pods that launch from the Starcharter cruiser” and it turns out your Starjumper shuttles will actually be the ones to follow Eson until the Guardians can arrive!

Getting on the Ride

Next you’ll head to the ride loading area. You’ll see a number of Nova Corps symbols here.

 

According to Imagineer Zach Riddley, “Angular designs, striking use of colors, and materials all help tell the story of a Nova Corps facility. The railings, station gates and floor markings.” You are heading to an escape pod, after all, so the area has an industrial feel to it.

Loading Area

The ride vehicles themselves are a striking blue and gold color and seat 4 guests.

Loading Area

Ready to get on the ride?

Let’s go!

The Ride

One of the big things you’ll notice is that the ride actually has a REVERSE launch — that’s a first for Disney!

©Disney

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is also what Disney calls an “omnicoaster,” and it’s the first ride of its kind at a Disney park. The unique ride system turns you 360 degrees to follow the action…and BOY is there some action on this ride!

©Disney

Once the Guardians arrive to save the day, they’ll actually “reprogram the Starjumpers so guests can help them track down Eson.” That’s right — YOU get to help save the galaxy!

©Disney

Together with the Guardians, you’ll follow Eson through a jump point and on to an intergalactic chase!

The Music

Another thing that makes this ride unique is its soundtrack! There are 6 different songs that guests could get when riding, but you won’t know which song you’ll get until you’re actually on the attraction!

The 6 songs include:

  • “September”
  • “Disco Inferno”
  • “Conga”
  • “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
  • “I Ran”
  • “One Way or Another”

Once you’re done with the ride, don’t forget to head on over to the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind gift shop — Treasures of Xandar — to check out some brand NEW merchandise collections.

Click here to see more about the gift shop!

First Impressions

Our first impressions of the ride were that it feels like a combination of Space Mountain and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Older kids will like this, but we think younger ones will need to be more of the thrill-seeking type. We’ll be sharing more thoughts soon (including our feelings about how nauseous the ride could make you and more), so stay tuned to DFB for updates. We’ve got you covered with the latest!

Click here for everything you need to know about the Guardians of the Galaxy ride!

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Are you excited to visit this ride in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ

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