‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind’: Discover the new Other-World Showcase Pavilion, The Wonders of Xandar

There’s a new location to discover at EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort: The Wonders of Xandar. The first other-world showcase pavilion in EPCOT’s history is teeming with excitement and new, futuristic things including a trip to space aboard a Nova Corps Starcharter. What could possibly go wrong?

The brand-new family thrill coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, takes guests on a cosmic adventure like they’ve never been on before joining the Guardians — Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot — on a mission to save, well, the galaxy (again). But how to take something as big as the Guardians and make it something possible to experience?

“In the making of the first film, there was a word called ‘grandiosity’, which matched the scale and magnitude of that film,” Wyatt Winter, a Senior Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, explains. “That was something we kind of talked about using here. I think the thought was that the scale of this attraction, and the humor, were two big things that we wanted to match with the films and the characters themselves just because they're over-the-top, ridiculous, that type of thing.”

Taking a step inside the Wonders of Xandar building, visitors quickly realize just how big, fun, and funny the whole experience is from start to finish. So, what can you expect? Discover a little bit more about what awaits inside and outside — what it takes to save the galaxy.

The Starblaster

A brand new icon for EPCOT sits outside of the Wonders of Xandar pavilion and instantly creates a clear message: all of this is happening right here on Earth. There’s no need to travel to a different planet, let alone galaxy, as the Xandarians have come here to us to share their lifestyle and culture with EPCOT guests — just like any of the pavilions you might find traveling through World Showcase. Passing by, you just might hear the ship’s engine’s hum.

Galaxarium

Welcome to the Galaxarium, the entryway into the Wonders of Xandar. Stepping inside the pavilion brings visitors into the presence of Worldmind, a Nova Corps sentient supercomputer who is busy explaining the culture and planet of Xandar — while also bridging the gap between that and Earth. Worldmind has a lot to say and teach about Xandar, and is pretty fascinated by some Earthly items. Listen closely, and you just might hear the AI call out some familiar things to visitors, like Peter Quill’s mixtape and…a turkey leg?

The Xandar Gallery

Traveling further into the pavilion takes guests on a winding path through different displays, models, and videos showcasing the people and places of Xandar. Additionally, some of these presentations convey just how alike Terra (that’s Earth) and Xandar really are — you might even catch a glimpse of Walt Disney himself and the original plans for Epcot.

Speaking of original EPCOT, Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and more of the Guardians make an appearance in the Gallery, too. However, someone’s going to have to break the bad news to Quill that the “dinosaur ride” he’s hoping to see again is long gone…

The Phase Chamber and Cosmic Generator

While taking a nice tour through the Galaxarium and Xandar Gallery are certainly good ways to spend the afternoon, there’s a real reason guests are visiting the pavilion today: to see the Cosmic Generator! The Cosmic Generator is what helps create jump points through space — aka, a very quick way to travel from one location to another. The Xandarians have invited everyone for a demonstration, which will actually take place aboard a Nova Corps Starcharter orbiting Earth.

Thanks to an introduction from Nova Prime Irani Rael, leader of Xandar and the commander of Nova Corps, and assisted by Nova Prime’s top officer, Centurion Tal Marik, get ready to travel into space (it’s completely safe, don’t worry). However, while the Cosmic Generator demonstration starts off smoothly, soon it’s interrupted by the arrival of a Celestial, Eson, who steals it for himself.

In a situation like this, there’s only one person- er, group, who can save the day: The Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Starjumpers

While the Guardians are en route to help recover the Cosmic Generator, they’re going to need some help in the meantime. That’s where this cosmic tour turns into a cosmic adventure. Centurion Marik informs everyone that they should head out to the Starjumpers, which are shuttles that launch from the Starcharter. However, they’ve now been programmed to follow Eson as he travels back in time thru the mutant jump point, in hopes of helping stop him before the Guardians arrive!

What happens next? Climb aboard a Starjumper to find out!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a brand new, family-thrill coaster developed by Walt Disney Imagineers just for this attraction. It’s an Omnicoasterthat will amaze guests as it rotates 360 degrees throughout the attraction so the focus is always on the action, and additionally will feature a reverse launch on a coaster, never before seen in Disney Parks. It is also one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world, which means it lives up to and matches the enormous scale of adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy films!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens May 27th at EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort.