Big changes are coming to EPCOT soon, but one ride that fans of Disney World (DIS) have been looking forward to for a while is almost here.
Disney’s EPCOT park was launched in 1982, and it’s always had a science-oriented, educational flair. But it’s still a Disney theme park, so it has to have at least a few roller coasters, and the latest one finds Disney dipping into one of its most beloved properties.
What’s The Deal With Disney’s Latest Ride?
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind,” will open on May 27th.
A classic immersive Disney “storytelling coaster,” it utilizes characters and actors from Marvel’s space adventure franchise during show scenes, with actors Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldaña making appearances throughout the ride.
It features the characters Star-Lord, Gamora, and everyone’s favorite talking racoon, Rocket, on a time-bending adventure to, once again, save the universe. (We’ll avoid spoilers, but there is a time-travel element at play.)
This is, surprisingly, the first time Disney has utilized its Marvel characters in a theme park-rollercoaster since acquiring the company in 2009.
The ride features an appropriately rocking soundtrack reminiscent of Star-Lord’s awesome mixtapes, and is located in the newly-rebranded World Discovery area, near the front of the park between Spaceship Earth and Mission Space. It replaces the old Universe of Energy pavilion, and is instead now the Wonders of Xandar pavilion, part of what Disney is calling the “Other-World Showcase” pavilion. (Xandar is one of the main alien worlds in the “Guardians” films.)
Before the ride even begins, guests can queue up and learn all about Xandarian science in what the company calls its Galaxarium, a planetarium-like installation that mixes science and Marvel continuity.
But once guests are finished learning about alien cultures while waiting in the line, the ride offers a number of features to make sure it’s worth waiting for, including what the company says is the first to feature a 360-degree rotation and a reverse-launch on a Disney roller coaster, as well as one of the world’s largest fully enclosed coasters.
While it doesn’t open to the public for a few more weeks, Disney recently had a media preview, and newspaper and theme park bloggers got to experience the ride first hand, and now those first takes have begun to hit Twitter.
Disney
What Is Twitter Saying About “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind” ?
The reviews are in, and SFGate calls it Disney's "most intense new roller coaster in years."
Theme park bloggers and some Disney superfans were also invited to check out the ride early, and they were mostly thrilled with the thrill ride.
Reviewers appreciated the ride and attention to detail, and Disney superfans were likely already inclined to give it a rave. But you can't please everyone, and at least one person had to throw down a "but does this fit with EPCOT?" take.
