Before executives told Walt Disney Imagineering to create a “Guardians of the Galaxy” coaster for EPCOT, Imagineers were developing a coaster based on the Big Bang. They were also already developing the idea of the Omnicoaster system eventually used for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Imagineer Wyatt Winter revealed the original idea during an interview with D23, saying, “We had the idea for – we didn’t even call it the Omnicoaster then – but a coaster that we could turn and rotate you into the show. So that idea, along with an idea for a coaster that was about the Big Bang, singularity, kind of going through the cosmos, those were two ideas that were out there.”
Winter said they then got the call to put “Guardians of the Galaxy” in EPCOT and, “We kind of mashed all those ideas together.”
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens to the public on May 27. It replaces Universe of Energy, which closed in 2017.
Do you wish an IP-free Omnicoaster inspired by the Big Bang had been built instead of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Let us know in the comments.
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A Big Bang story would have fit in EPCOT so much better than Guardians. I rode Guardians a couple weeks ago at Passholder preview and admittedly it is a great ride. But I think most everyone agrees that Guardians belongs in Hollywood Studios and doesn’t make much sense in EPCOT. EPCOT was supposed to be inspiring, and it just isn’t anymore, and that’s disappointing. Further they aren’t letting the imagineers to be as creative as they could be. They had a great idea that would have fit EPCOT perfectly, but no….slap some characters on it, sell sell sell sell sell. That’s all they care about money money money.
Yes, I would prefer that EPCOT attractions have some basis in real science or world culture.
Fine with the IP, esp. if it was going to be Big Bang themed instead – as it’s likely it would’ve been pretty similar to what we got. In fact, if they ever dumped the Marvel IP, seems it would be easy to do so. Would’ve liked more show scenes during actual ride, though.