All the way back at D23 2019, Disney showed off concept art for a roller coaster themed around the Guardians of the Galaxy, with the goal of it being available to the public at Epcot this year to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. (That… didn’t happen.) But now, it’s time for Marvel’s Guardians to make their grand debut at Walt Disney World, as Disney has revealed the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride will hit in 2022.
The ride’s big innovation, other than being set on Xandar — y’know, the planet that got trashed in the third act of James Gunn’s first film and then later ruined completely by Thanos off-screen in Avengers: Infinity War — is that it’ll launch in reverse, a first for Disney parks. In the official Disney Park blog, it’s also described as an “omnicoaster” that rotates in 360 degrees from start to finish and is “one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world.”
That may make your stomach churn just thinking about it, but in the above interview with the Inside Disney podcast, imagineers Ashley Levine and Wyatt Winter assuaged concerns for those with motion sickness. More than anything, the goal was ensuring that Rewind would be something that would be perfect for families and not a ride that would make people lose their lunch.
“We found really innovative ways to ensure we deliver on the thrill and excitement the Guardians bring,” Levine acknowledged, “but we absolutely don’t want anyone to get sick.” Winter thought of Rewind as a perfect transitional ride: “It’s way more thrilling than the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but it’s not a rocking roller coaster … everyone’s going to graduate up as they do those other coasters and move up before they do something else.”
Joining the Rewind ride is the “Wonders of Xandar” pavilion currently under construction. The blog boasts the pavilion’s planetarium presentation that’ll feature Xandarians sharing their technology and people with parkgoers. The pavilion comes as part of a larger effort to reinvigorate Epcot Centre after it’s fallen by the wayside in recent years. With an upgrade to Spaceship Earth, a Ratatouille ride, and a new Moana experience themed around water (obviously), Cosmic Rewind may be just what the Epcot needs. Just cross your fingers that it’s significantly cheaper than trying to fulfil your Star Wars fantasies.
On the subject of Star Wars, Inside Disney also got a look at the upcoming Galactic Starcruiser resort that opens March 1, 2022. The two-night cruise will let you become your own hero aboard the Halcyon starcruiser as it makes its way to the Outer Rim and Baatu, home of Galaxy’s Edge. “It’s the next generation of immersive experience,” boasted producer Travis Finstein. “We really want you to feel like you’re in a Star Wars movie.” Previously, Galactic Starcruiser was described as a mix between immersive theatre, role-playing game, and a themed environment. The rooms offer a view of space and look like you’re onboard a massive vessel making its way across the universe.
But that price, though… as stated earlier, it’s pretty costly. For a family of four, it’s $US6,000 ($8,254), while having just a party of two at $US4,809 ($6,616) and three at $US5,299 ($7,290) is just barely cheaper. If you want you to go and choose how you live in the galaxy, hopefully it’s as someone with a lot of credits to spend.