Walt Disney World Resort’s EPCOT theme park has long been a destination for those who love science, technology, and culture. Walt Disney’s Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow was originally supposed to be a real, working city where families lived and played on a daily basis.
Although this plan didn’t come to fruition, EPCOT is a global destination with the iconic Spaceship Earth at its center and neighborhoods like the incredible World Showcase surrounding it.
Now, as EPCOT undergoes a massive reimagining that will truly propel it into the 21st century, an unexpected intellectual property — Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy franchise — might be the spark that completely changes the popular Disney World Park, cementing it as a must-visit location for future generations.
One of the most intriguing things Disney confirmed about the highly-anticipated thrill ride is that it will be in its own new pavilion, similar to a World Showcase pavilion like Morocco, France, Norway, or any of the other eight global pavilions.
Ashley Levine, Senior Project Controls with Walt Disney Imagineering, shared that this pavilion is only the first “OTHERworld” that EPCOT has to offer — this insinuates that there will be additional out-of-this-world locations for Guests to visit in the future:
“We are so excited to be welcoming our first Guests next year. But we’re not just welcoming our first Guests, we’re also welcoming the Xandarians to EPCOT. Similar to what you may have experienced in the World Showcase, we’re going to have our very first OTHERworld Showcase, where we get to explain the culture, the heritage, the history of the Xandarians.”
Levine also teased the storyline that Guests will experience onboard the first-of-its-kind roller coaster, noting that they will be thrown into the heart of the action alongside popular Marvel Cinematic Universe characters:
“Something’s going to happen and you’ll be joining the Guardians on an incredible adventure through space and time into the cosmos.”
Levine went on to tease possible appearances by Guardians of the Galaxy characters — perhaps including Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt in the MCU), Groot (Vin Diesel in the MCU), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper in the MCU), Gamora (Zoe Saldana in the MCU), and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista in the MCU).
She teased, “We’ll be announcing more as we get closer.”
Begin your adventure by touring the Galaxarium—a planetarium-like exhibition showcasing the similarities and differences between Xandar and Earth’s galaxies. You’ll even get to discover some of the incredible wonders of Xandar and learn about their technology.
Just as you are about to reach the culmination of the tour, everything goes sideways, and you are called into action to help the Guardians of the Galaxy. Are you ready to rock out on an awesome quest across the cosmos to save the galaxy? It’s all up to you!
This family-friendly attraction features the first ever reverse-launch on a Disney coaster and is one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world! A new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering—this storytelling coaster rotates 360 degrees so you can focus on the action!
Are you excited for how the Guardians may mold the future of EPCOT?
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!
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Credit: Marvel Studios
