Oooga-chaka! We now know when Epcot guests will be able to blast off with Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. After initially being announced to be open in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was delayed due to last year’s park closures and construction slowdowns. As part of their 50th Annivesary Overview on Youtube, Disney World revealed that Epcot’s first roller coaster will open up next year, in 2022.
Before this announcement, we knew that the Guardians coaster would open up sometime during the 18-month 50th Anniversary celebration, which runs from Oct 2021 – March 2023. This announcement makes it official that Guardians was delayed its original opening date in 2021, but will open before 2023.
Rumor has it that the ride itself is fully constructed and ready, and the big delay is due to the footage that needs to be shot with the Guardians of the Galaxy actors. For California Adventure’s Mission: BREAKOUT attraction, director James Gunn was able to shoot the ride footage in conjunction with the Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 shoot. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 was delayed for a few reasons, including the events of the past 18 months, but filming will reportedly start up next month in November, and the shoot should run for a few months.
James Gunn gave Disney World a nice birthday shoutout on Twitter, and hinted that his work on the new attraction has started. Based on the timeline of the Guardians 3 shoot, it probably means he’s in the preproduction phase, but it’s possible that the ride footage will get shot early on in their filming schedule.
Happy 50th Birthday #DisneyWorld. I’m working on our birthday present for you. It will be there soon. 🎁🥳 pic.twitter.com/zYqedysWbL
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 1, 2021
A couple of other tidbits revealed by the Disney World 50th Anniversary Overview:
- The pavilion will be called “The Wonders of Xandar.”
- Disney is referring to Wonders of Xandar as Epcot’s first “other-world showcase pavilion,” which is very cute.
- The coaster, which features a backwards launch, will be an adventure through time and space. The attraction is rumored to take guests all the way back to the big bang.
Are you excited to Epcot’s first roller coaster? Let me know in the comments below!
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