EPCOT's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind wins Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement

Nov 15, 2023 in "Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind"

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Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind complete walk-through and tour

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Posted: Wednesday November 15, 2023 7:16am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has been honored with a prestigious industry Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement – Attraction in 2024 by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA).

Internationally recognized, the Thea Awards acknowledge exceptional achievements in the themed entertainment industry and celebrate the creative teams who bring immersive experiences to life.

Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind Imagineering Team

"On behalf of all Imagineers, I would like to thank TEA for this tremendous recognition of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and for continuing to drive the themed entertainment industry forward," said Barbara Bouza, president, Walt Disney Imagineering. "As our Imagineering teams push the boundaries of creative storytelling in innovative and exciting ways, it's always the highest honor for our work to be recognized by friends and colleagues from around the world."

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind features several "firsts," including the first reverse launch for a Disney coaster and the first Disney Omnicoaster ride system, where vehicles make controlled rotations.

Guests in the loading station at Cosmic Rewind

"Congratulations to Walt Disney Imagineering on this well-deserved recognition," said Jeff Vahle, president, Walt Disney World. "A highlight of our EPCOT transformation, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind combines the Disney hallmark of great storytelling with a ride experience that literally has guests coming back for more."

Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind Imagineering Team

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DreamfinderGuy7 hours ago

Kinda funny that they left out the guy at PGAV who leaked the floor plans

corvusmd19 hours ago

I would love for them to add new songs to this ride. A couple that come to mind are Back in Black by ACDC and Fight for your right by Beastie Boys

Henry Mystic21 days ago

There’s no reason why they can’t do that in Tomorrowland.

MisterPenguinMar 15, 2024

Do you know why they would leave out the actors and Marvel gang that provided the thematic portion of the ride? Or is it just about the mechanical engineering?

JohnDMar 14, 2024

I scrolled through the credits like I would for a movie. But their accolades are well-deserved. I rode it again on Tuesday and, man, I just LOVE that ride! The exhilaration. The music. The "wind". The movement of the vehicles. I could ride it over and over and over again.

lazyboy97oMar 14, 2024

For context, this list was created to qualify for the Thea Awards and will be published on the TEA website in the awards ceremony program after the event this weekend.

DCBakerMar 12, 2024

An official credits list of those who worked on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has been posted online from an Imagineer at WDI.

HauntedPirateMar 01, 2024

Agreed. Everest at night is a completely different experience due to the complete darkness.

Rich BrownnMar 01, 2024

Every time I rode Everest there was light bleed in the backwards section revealing the inside structure. I dunno why they couldn't seal it better

BocabearMar 01, 2024

Guardians suffers from too much light and reflection in a few scenes but is still easily my favorite Disney Coaster next to Old Space Mountain. If they could use a matte paint on some of the surfaces in the Guardians show building that would help...but it would also be difficult to clean... but I really think it is a solid, super-fun ride...

Andrew25Feb 29, 2024

Not sure if it's just me, but is Tron's indoor portion easier to see now? Last few rides (different time of days each) have been very bright and easy to see that your in a warehouse. Don't have that problem on Everest/Guardians.

BocabearFeb 29, 2024

I think visually it looks completelty different from anything in Tomorrowland...there was no attempt to integrate the architecture with the area...Make it more harmonious....If they had Tron-ified the Speedway and the Speedway queue was in covered with a similar canopy and the cars redesigned to look futuristic and decked out with lighting and some sets around the course.... but there was no attempt to actually make it look like it belongs there...so to me, personally, I do not think it looks like it fits...and frankly Tomorrowland all seems to be a bit of a mess...A shuttered attraction right at the entrance, Half finished theming...it really needs some love.

SpectreJordanFeb 29, 2024

I think the theming is better in Velocicoaster. The only wow moment in Tron is the scene in the queue when the window reveals the rest of the line. But Velocicoaster has the raptor animatronics in the line, the fantastic rock work in the actual ride, etc... I think Tron works well in Tomorrowland tbh.

PhicinfanFeb 29, 2024

Sorry, but not everything has to be a mini-land. I have no issue with some IP being only attached to one ride. Now that being said, I am pretty darn sure at one time insiders had the speedway getting a "tron" update. But that got budgeted out.