Walt Disney World has announced that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open on May 27th in Epcot, in time for Memorial Day Weekend. The attraction has been in the works for years and replaces the Universe of Energy Pavilion. In this post, we’ll break down the news and share a little bit of commentary on the upcoming attraction.

Cosmic Rewind is a family-thrill coaster attraction that will feature different storytelling scenes. While Disney has been promoting the family friendly aspect, the ride will have a height limit. Here’s the Disney announcement on the subject. I’m including it because it might have some backstory, but I’m not sure how important it is. At the very least, the video is well done:

What do we already know about this awesome new family-thrill coaster attraction at Walt Disney World Resort? Well, we know people from the planet Xandar are coming to Earth and creating the first “other-world” showcase at EPCOT – the Wonders of Xandar pavilion. We know we’ll learn more about their technology and culture as we move through the pavilion, and discover how our two worlds are similar in so many ways.

But what actually happens? I’ve got an idea – or 12% of an idea, at least – based on the new commercial spot we’re debuting right here on the blog. Check it out below, and then let’s break it down!

OK so … what exactly did we just see?

• Someone shouts, “This is an SOS from Nova Corps … Our outpost on Earth’s EPCOT is in danger!” The Nova Corps is Xandar’s peacekeeping team serving as protectors of their planet and the broader Andromeda Galaxy, which is where Xandar is located. This must be a Nova Corps officer alerting us to an urgent situation.
• Clearly the Xandarians have come to EPCOT to oversee the Wonders of Xandar pavilion. I can tell because Spaceship Earth is visible outside the window, gleaming in all its glory. Oh, and because it says “EPCOT – Walt Disney World Resort” right there on the screen (nothing gets by me, I tell ya). But something is amiss because …
• Someone who appears to be a Nova Corps soldier shouts out, “Everything is disappearing!” And, yep, we see things – people, clouds, you name it – literally zipping backward out of existence. Rewinding, perhaps? Hmm …
• The officer is holding up a viewscreen communicator, and then we flash to the other end of that line … to the familiar confines of an M-Ship cockpit, where Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, and a few of our other favorite Guardians of the Galaxy are relaxing between missions.
• Rocket is absorbed in apparently trying to “fix” Quill’s Awesome Mix tape. Thankfully, Groot is at least paying some passing attention to what’s happening on the screen in front of them and unmutes the volume – just in time to hear a distress call …
• “Help the galaxy – before it’s too late!” the officer urges – and then she, too, disappears … along with Spaceship Earth! Now we have Rocket’s attention, too, even if Star-Lord is peacefully snoozing away. (He’s been asleep this whole time? Typical.)
• Always considering himself the captain of the ship anyway, Rocket promptly takes the controls and decides to blast off for EPCOT. Because, as he says, “It’s save the galaxy time – again.”
• This is where we’ll come in, I think. As Rocket fires up the ship, we see other people zooming around the screen in Starjumpers, a type of Xandarian spacecraft. And just as the clip ends, Rocket takes the M-Ship into a jump point – the technology that allows Xandarians to travel vast distances of space in mere moments. And that’s it!

That’s a very thorough breakdown of a 30 second video but it does seem to set up the ride. Looking ahead, there isn’t any information yet on whether the Cosmic Rewind will take part in a virtual queue, Genie+, or Individual Lightning Lane. I would hazard a guess that the Individual Lightning Lane would be the choice as I’m sure people will be willing to pay to skip the line at a new attraction. There should be plenty of room in the queue to host a standby line so I don’t know if a virtual queue makes sense, even though that would be my preferred method.

While we have trepidations about the Guardians of the Galaxy fitting in Epcot, that (galactic) ship has sailed a while ago with Frozen in Norway and a number of other choices. Cosmic Rewind will open after Connections Cafe, meaning that the left side of the park is beginning to take shape. Praise be to the end of the construction wall maze! There are still a few projects in the works, including the Play Pavilion that’s right next to this new attraction. Everything has been very quiet on that front though so maybe the project is being reconsidered.

The fit may not be perfect but it’s hard not to be bullish on the budget set aside for Cosmic Rewind. At over 400 million dollars, this is one of the most expensive attractions Disney has ever built. That doesn’t always pave the way for a classic ride but it certainly doesn’t hurt. The Dodgers have a better chance of winning the World Series than the Oakland A’s. Why? In short, because they spend about 4 times the amount of money. The same goes for theme park attractions!

We’ll be sure to update when there’s more news on the attraction as Memorial Day draws ever closer!

Are you excited for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our WDW Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends and like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!