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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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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gerarar4 days ago

900 days since the ride opened and the ride is still on its VQ!

mergatroid15 days ago

That's fair enough.

MisterPenguinOct 07, 2024

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/big-list-of-forum-abbreviations.939248/

UNCgolfOct 07, 2024

I'm not a big fan of Cosmic Rewind -- it's fine, but I don't think it's remotely a special attraction -- so I wouldn't mind losing those things for something better. I also think the half a billion price tag is a problem, not a good thing (spending half a billion on a ride certainly could be a good thing, but CR doesn't have the content to justify that price). Regardless, I'm certainly not suggesting the Imagineers don't care or aren't trying to design the best possible attractions. Just because CR doesn't work very well for me doesn't make it bad; most people seem to love it. It doesn't really matter how I personally feel about something if it's an overall success.

zipadee999Oct 07, 2024

Would this be a retrack or a full-blown rebuild with a new layout like Tokyo? I feel like that would make it too much like Cosmic Rewind or even Tron right next to it. Right now Space relies on its 1975 charm as a form of differentiation, so I hope that any overhaul keeps the general structure of the attraction intact. I’d be happiest with a re-track and re-profiling by either Vekoma or S&S since Arrow Dynamics isn’t around anymore, a new cable-lift system that removes the un-immersive lift hill noise, on-board audio, and new effects/projections during the coaster layout. Those are all upgrades they could do to modernize and make the attraction vastly more enjoyable while still retaining the original Space Mountain

JayspencyOct 07, 2024

Tdo?

Marc Davis FanOct 07, 2024

Wouldn't that require a complete rebuild? This doesn't seem like something Disney would fund absent an IP, which makes me nervous...

FigmentFan82Oct 07, 2024

Wait so, theme updates to Space Mountain in MK? Would this be when they refresh the tracks as well?

MisterPenguinOct 07, 2024

Jack occasionally posts here: @IveBeenJack

UNCgolfOct 07, 2024

It's too bad they didn't just do that at EPCOT instead of Cosmic Rewind. Then maybe they could have built a good Guardians attraction elsewhere. Note that I'm not calling Cosmic Rewind a bad attraction (although I don't think it's a great one) -- just that it's a bad Guardians attraction in terms of capturing what makes the IP interesting/fun. Cosmic Rewind would be just as good, if not better, if it was a space themed coaster without the misused Guardians.