If Little Mermaid cost $260 million (as rumored), this is easily ~$500 million or more. And for the same reasons-- cost over runs in trying to reuse existing structures and lots of pointless inconsequential details to cater to Imageers egos.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind - Reviews, Media, & Spoilers
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- Jul 8, 2019
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It was not even half of that.
I’ll say this - generally the figures that wind up online from reputable sources aren’t wrong per se, it’s just that there’s a source of record that lacks a lot of context and more often than not numbers get plucked and just become the conversational number, sans context.
The real way to know how wasteful Disney is on something is to know their number and also know what the GC thinks the number is. Those are always different.
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Just got home from my AP slot. The short version: this is the funnest ride in Epcot and among the most fun in the whole resort.
The long version (putting in spoilers so not everyone is subjected to my self-indulgent and long-winded take):
Alright, now everyone tell me why I’m wrong
The long version (putting in spoilers so not everyone is subjected to my self-indulgent and long-winded take):
Overall Thoughts:
This is a great ride in the same way that a Big Mac is a great burger. I had an amazing wagyu steak a few nights ago, but I’d rather eat a Big Mac right now. I came off disappointed and my girlfriend (who absolutely LOVED it) pressed me about what ride I’d prefer to ride again right now and honestly, that list was short. It’s more FUN than Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Rise, etc. but doesn’t hit the level of “artistry” those rides do. On one hand, nobody expected it to, but on the other, I think I still kind of overestimated it.
Comparisons
This is the best indoor Disney coaster in Florida. It’s surprisingly zippy and forceful to the point that I (a pretty seasoned rider) came off a little dizzy. If you ever looked to the side during the turns on Space Mountain to get that stomach-churning feeling…this is like that for a whole ride. I’d go as far as to say it’s more intense than Rock N Roller Coaster minus the first inversion. But I still wouldn’t call it “intense” overall—snappy and smooth are better descriptions.
Aesthetically, it reminds me of a lesser version of Paris’s Space Mountain. SM out East is a total darkness experience with crisp screens along the way—it’s totally disorienting and doesn’t give you any sense of being in a larger space. How they achieved this when it’s 30 years older (and has a hole at the top of it) I’m not sure. But on this ride I was very aware I was in a warehouse the whole time. There is one WOW moment when you FIRST exit the launch (it’s really impressive and matched with some good G-forces) but that trick gets tired quickly. The helices around the planets are fun in theory, but it’s very obvious you’re looping around props set on the floor.
One more comparison—the sequence before you launch is Mummy turntable-room levels of bad. You’re not in space so much as a big carpeted room with poor projection effects. This was the most disappointing part of the ride by far.
Story
The general conceit is actually fine. The role the Guardians play isn’t *too* contrived. It’s better than the average “you’re a recruit you have to fight” storyline. But the villain comes from nowhere with no real motivation…like at all. Even then, I could look past that if he was built up to in the queue or something. As it is now, he just appears in the pre-show and it’s just not well-thought-out.
Music
We got Conga—it was fun. I had a smile the whole time. The start of the song and launch synced up well.
Epcot Fit
I didn’t hear or see any references to old Epcot rides…I’ve been pretty vocal that I don’t mind that. I will say, though, the aesthetics of the queue are VERY in-line with what Epcot is supposed to feel like. Regardless of your opinion on the fit of the IP in the park, I feel confident that going ride to ride at Epcot, this will not FEEL jarringly different. It’s actually pretty well done IMO.
Budget
Again, I don’t really care…but I have thoughts. Knowing very little about the costs of theme park CAPEX, I dont know if Disney got a good bang for their buck or not. Comparatively speaking, though, I understand why this costs more than your average Universal ride. The materials used in the queue seem a bit heftier than, say, the faux columns in Gringotts. The queue rooms are designed 360 degrees around compared to, say, the blatant warehouse ceilings at Kong. There was also a clear attempt at designing things from the ground up…character designs, Xandar models, music, etc., which all cost a lot (and from what I understand Imagineers fancy themselves big-time Hollywood artists without the pressure of studio budgets reigning them in). The time it took to craft all of this original content (and pay the A-list actors involved) certainly cost money. Hell, having just built a new house I was noticing the floor tile in the queue thought, “dang I know that was expensive.”
I think the question isn’t, “was the ride overpriced?” I think it’s, “Do you appreciate where that money went?” Did we need to pay an Imagineer their fee to design a full-sized model of a planet only seen in brief glimpses in a Marvel movie? Did we need a huge planetarium? Did we need original music or Glenn Close and Terry Crews? Probably not. But it definitely adds an extra dimension to the experience as a whole…your mileage may vary as to whether that matters to you or not. Me, personally, I do wish we could’ve gotten dividers in the main ride building to eliminate some light bleed, and would kind of laugh if that got eaten up by Glenn Close’s salary.
Summary
Like I said, there are few rides at Disney I want to ride again right now. At Universal, the list would be a little longer but I think a fast little family coaster still would have a place there too. But as a fan of the Guardians IP, I don’t think it accomplished being reflective of the characters or stories from the movies. As a fan of theme parks, I don’t think it brought anything new to the table. But I’m glad to finally have a good thrill ride at Epcot, though, and would gladly wait 45-60 minutes for it again (especially after a few drinks around the world).
This is a great ride in the same way that a Big Mac is a great burger. I had an amazing wagyu steak a few nights ago, but I’d rather eat a Big Mac right now. I came off disappointed and my girlfriend (who absolutely LOVED it) pressed me about what ride I’d prefer to ride again right now and honestly, that list was short. It’s more FUN than Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Rise, etc. but doesn’t hit the level of “artistry” those rides do. On one hand, nobody expected it to, but on the other, I think I still kind of overestimated it.
Comparisons
This is the best indoor Disney coaster in Florida. It’s surprisingly zippy and forceful to the point that I (a pretty seasoned rider) came off a little dizzy. If you ever looked to the side during the turns on Space Mountain to get that stomach-churning feeling…this is like that for a whole ride. I’d go as far as to say it’s more intense than Rock N Roller Coaster minus the first inversion. But I still wouldn’t call it “intense” overall—snappy and smooth are better descriptions.
Aesthetically, it reminds me of a lesser version of Paris’s Space Mountain. SM out East is a total darkness experience with crisp screens along the way—it’s totally disorienting and doesn’t give you any sense of being in a larger space. How they achieved this when it’s 30 years older (and has a hole at the top of it) I’m not sure. But on this ride I was very aware I was in a warehouse the whole time. There is one WOW moment when you FIRST exit the launch (it’s really impressive and matched with some good G-forces) but that trick gets tired quickly. The helices around the planets are fun in theory, but it’s very obvious you’re looping around props set on the floor.
One more comparison—the sequence before you launch is Mummy turntable-room levels of bad. You’re not in space so much as a big carpeted room with poor projection effects. This was the most disappointing part of the ride by far.
Story
The general conceit is actually fine. The role the Guardians play isn’t *too* contrived. It’s better than the average “you’re a recruit you have to fight” storyline. But the villain comes from nowhere with no real motivation…like at all. Even then, I could look past that if he was built up to in the queue or something. As it is now, he just appears in the pre-show and it’s just not well-thought-out.
Music
We got Conga—it was fun. I had a smile the whole time. The start of the song and launch synced up well.
Epcot Fit
I didn’t hear or see any references to old Epcot rides…I’ve been pretty vocal that I don’t mind that. I will say, though, the aesthetics of the queue are VERY in-line with what Epcot is supposed to feel like. Regardless of your opinion on the fit of the IP in the park, I feel confident that going ride to ride at Epcot, this will not FEEL jarringly different. It’s actually pretty well done IMO.
Budget
Again, I don’t really care…but I have thoughts. Knowing very little about the costs of theme park CAPEX, I dont know if Disney got a good bang for their buck or not. Comparatively speaking, though, I understand why this costs more than your average Universal ride. The materials used in the queue seem a bit heftier than, say, the faux columns in Gringotts. The queue rooms are designed 360 degrees around compared to, say, the blatant warehouse ceilings at Kong. There was also a clear attempt at designing things from the ground up…character designs, Xandar models, music, etc., which all cost a lot (and from what I understand Imagineers fancy themselves big-time Hollywood artists without the pressure of studio budgets reigning them in). The time it took to craft all of this original content (and pay the A-list actors involved) certainly cost money. Hell, having just built a new house I was noticing the floor tile in the queue thought, “dang I know that was expensive.”
I think the question isn’t, “was the ride overpriced?” I think it’s, “Do you appreciate where that money went?” Did we need to pay an Imagineer their fee to design a full-sized model of a planet only seen in brief glimpses in a Marvel movie? Did we need a huge planetarium? Did we need original music or Glenn Close and Terry Crews? Probably not. But it definitely adds an extra dimension to the experience as a whole…your mileage may vary as to whether that matters to you or not. Me, personally, I do wish we could’ve gotten dividers in the main ride building to eliminate some light bleed, and would kind of laugh if that got eaten up by Glenn Close’s salary.
Summary
Like I said, there are few rides at Disney I want to ride again right now. At Universal, the list would be a little longer but I think a fast little family coaster still would have a place there too. But as a fan of the Guardians IP, I don’t think it accomplished being reflective of the characters or stories from the movies. As a fan of theme parks, I don’t think it brought anything new to the table. But I’m glad to finally have a good thrill ride at Epcot, though, and would gladly wait 45-60 minutes for it again (especially after a few drinks around the world).
Alright, now everyone tell me why I’m wrong
I have heard that number being floated by insiders on Magic, too. Somewhere close to $450M. It shouldn't have even cost $200M. The building costs however much (not a building project guy). The ride, even as a new prototype, should only have cost $50M at most. Screens and the other thematic elements should not have cost as much as they probably charged.
This project, like the Little Mermaid, had a lot of additional costs with having to demolish and retrofit an existing structure. That always seems to cause more issues than it solves on a Disney building project, as well as additional costs. I've heard stories of a lot of things that were supposed to be simple on these projects where they discovered issues that needed to be addressed which were unexpected and caused cost overruns. It's looking more and more like demolishing the existing building and starting from scratch is the smarter/faster way now.
- Feb 15, 2012
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Disney will eat the costs of something, while Universal will demand staying in budget.
- May 26, 2012
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Finally rode on Friday. Was lucky to ride twice with Boarding Group and then Lightning Lane. The first ride I got I Ran (So Far Away), and the second time I got Conga.
It's probably one of the most fun rides at Disney, but not the "best". I don't like how you can see the room in the initial launch area.
Otherwise, solid addition.
It's probably one of the most fun rides at Disney, but not the "best". I don't like how you can see the room in the initial launch area.
Otherwise, solid addition.
- Jul 8, 2019
- 1,265
- 2,416
The more I go on the ride, the worse this room gets to me - I think I've figured out that it's from the projectors shooting across the room. They needed to either use rear projection or short-throw projectors.
It's as bad as the turntable room on Mummy, and for all we know they're fixing that.
- Feb 15, 2012
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- Jul 8, 2019
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Probably speakers - when I went on it I noticed there is definitely at least one projector that shoots across the room from near where you enter it.
Even if it was short throw, there’s the general issue that the projection itself on the screen will reflect off light, or whatever the proper term is. I think people kind of overlook it on the first ride, but as time goes on it’s like…. Ugh.
Problem is the room is way too small and the screens are too close that since the trains are long the perspective shifting is very jarring for the front/back. Also you can just see the floor and ceiling. Should have done a led dome to give a more full sense, I mean that building is huge so idk how that room is size constrained. I get the coaster returns underneath but they could have made that room bigger with a further screen setback which would have helped a bit I think. It's the most jarring thing from ride povs and is worse in person. Feels cheap.
I think some fiber optic lights on the floor or ceiling to simulate stars would go a long way in helping the illusion. As it stands, nothing except the screen does anything to convince you you’re in space.
- Feb 15, 2012
- 17,123
- 47,012
- Feb 15, 2012
- 17,123
- 47,012
My larger thoughts on Cosmic Rewind along with my thoughts on the Epcot redo on the whole:
www.parkscope.net
Epcot Updated: Musings and Thoughts
Epcot has never been EPCOT. Walt's 1960s vision of a techno-utopia in the middle of central Florida's swamps died with him. Throughout the 7...
My larger thoughts on Cosmic Rewind along with my thoughts on the Epcot redo on the whole:
Epcot Updated: Musings and Thoughts
Epcot has never been EPCOT. Walt's 1960s vision of a techno-utopia in the middle of central Florida's swamps died with him. Throughout the 7...
I disagree with plenty of stuff in here (the new music loops are not upgrades!), but I think your overall assessment of the park still being "off" despite all the work is totally dead-on.
I stand by my belief that the “Beacons of Magic” show around Spaceship Earth is by far the best and most Epcot-worthy addition of the entire makeover so far, even though it's a very small attraction (if we can even call it an attraction). It really feels like it was done thoughtfully and by people who care about what Epcot should aspire to be.
- Feb 15, 2012
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Just this one point, it's different for sure but I think it hits the same way the new wave did in the 90s. It's just not a classic yet because it's new. Give it time. And if you want classic epcot music, that is part of the Connections loop.
The saga continues:
blogmickey.com
Disney Modifies Trash Cans at Cosmic Rewind Exit to Further Assist With Motion Sickness Concerns
Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond
blogmickey.com
