Disney’s New Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Coaster Will Open at EPCOT on May 27

Disney’s latest roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, has an official opening date. It’ll start welcoming guests at EPCOT at Disney World on May 27, the company announced today—just in time for Memorial Day.

Cosmic Rewind will blast guests through a Guardians-style space adventure to save the people of Xandar (y’know, that planet Glenn Close hangs out on in the first movie) and just maybe a whole dang galaxy, too. Set in the former Universe of Energy pavilion (the longtime home to that EPCOT attraction with the dinosaurs and a mid ‘90s Ellen DeGeneres), Cosmic Rewind gives a head nod to EPCOT’s original mission by theming its building as a world’s fair-style pavilion set up on Earth by the people of Xandar. There’s also a bit of backstory about Peter Quill visiting EPCOT when he was a kid in the ‘80s, before getting abducted into space and becoming Star-Lord. (If he hasn’t been to EPCOT since the ‘80s, he’s in for a shock.)

The first Disney World attraction based on a Marvel Comics property is also touted as an interesting innovation on the roller coaster. Disney calls the ride system an “omnicoaster,” after the Omnimover system found in attractions like Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, and so many of the classic ‘80s EPCOT rides. That doesn’t mean Cosmic Rewind runs on a constant conveyor belt-like system, as those rides do, but that the coaster’s car can spin and angle itself to focus the rider’s attention on specific points within the ride, like the Doom Buggies do in Haunted Mansion. As with almost all Disney coasters, the goal here isn’t just to give you some high-speed thrills, but to tell a story at the same time, and the omnicoaster concept aims to make that possible. As part of that story, expect to see some familiar faces from the movies; Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, and Glenn Close will all reprise their roles, with CGI fan faves Rocket and Groot rounding out the cast.

Originally targeted for a 2021 launch, Cosmic Rewind got delayed a bit by a little pandemic you might’ve heard something about. It might’ve missed Disney World’s official 50th anniversary, but it’s still opening during the resort’s 50th anniversary celebration, giving Disney World a new high profile E ticket attraction and marking the first roller coaster in EPCOT’s 40 year history.

Here’s a new teaser trailer Disney released earlier today alongside the announcement. Apparently everything inside the Wonders of Xandar pavilion at EPCOT starts to mysteriously disappear. Bummer. The only people who can save ‘em are a spaceship full of misfits who seemingly have a comprehensive collection of ‘70s and ‘80s pop music on a single cassette tape, and, presumably, you, who just happens to be a guest at EPCOT when all this mess goes down.

If you want to get more of a feel for how the ride will operate, here’s a behind-the-scenes clip that premiered on Good Morning America last October. It takes you inside the show building alongside an Imagineer, and is a pretty interesting look at the ride’s inner workings. And finally, at the very bottom of this page you’ll find the official banner announcing the new release date. Paste will be checking out the new ride earlier in May, so keep your browser pointed our way to learn everything about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.