Exterior construction on the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT theme park appears to be picking up. New panels have been installed and it appears prep work is being done for scenic additions as well as what might be solar panels for the roof.

Disney has recently revealed that this new roller coaster attraction will officially open some time in 2022, but they have not yet set a specific opening date. Many are hoping that more details, including at very least an opening season, will be discussed at the Destination D23 event this weekend.

Leaked Construction Plans

Last week, what appeared to be select blueprint images for interior sections of the ride and queue building were found online. Originally discovered in an artist’s portfolio, these plans appear to show a partial layout for the ride’s track, as well as the queue configuration.

Disney has not confirmed or denied if these plans are genuine, but they have since been removed from the website where they were found.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Blueprints Leaked Online https://t.co/gdSk1dCgvV

— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) November 9, 2021

The plans themselves don’t tell us much more than we already knew however. As we talked about in our recent “Everything We Know” story, most of the ride itself is held in a massive building set behind the original Universe of Energy building, while the queue and load areas will be set within the smaller structure you first enter.

New Official and Unofficial Footage

Kicking off the theme park industry’s massive IAAPA Expo convention this week in Orlando, Disney shared footage from various projects they are working on. One of them included a brief, (and I mean VERY brief,) look at the coaster trains in action for Cosmic Rewind.

New footage from Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT! pic.twitter.com/wnGM6kthJP

— Drew (@DrewDisneyDude) November 15, 2021

While the leaked plans and very brief clip are exciting developments, there is one more fun thing to keep us occupied while we wait with bated breath to see if Disney actually releases more details at Destination D23 this weekend. Our good friend Tommy Hawkins has released an even more accurate track layout POV video.

Now, keep in mind, this video still doesn’t include the attraction’s rotating coaster cars, which will be integral to how the ride is experienced, and help Disney with storytelling aspects of the ride—including a backwards launch!

Watching Tommy’s video above, you get a better sense of just how much track may actually be inside the gigantic building. This is going to be a very, very long roller coaster, and certainly the longest indoor coaster in the world.

Recent Exterior Installation

Imagineer Zach Riddley shared photos this week as the first pieces of metallic silver panels were installed on the ride’s future entrance. “These metallic silver panels bring a sleek, intergalactic aesthetic that fits perfectly in our World Discovery neighborhood,” he said.

Zach Riddley also shared a photo of a “greeter structure” being installed along the front of the building. In a caption for the photo, he said: “This massive new structure will serve as our primary entry and be where Cast Members greet all Terrans who are here to behold the Treasures of Xandar that await inside.”

Below is the most recent piece of official concept art for the entrance to this attraction, to get an idea of what it should all look like when it will be complete.

Construction Update from Inside the Park

In the photo above you can compare how the entry structure appears today, versus what the completed project should look like in the concept art. There’s still a lot to be done, but the good news is, the ride system itself is rumored to have been completed for months now!

Work appears to be ramping up on the exterior, and was previously focused on queue and preshow areas, according to rumors and official photos from Disney in recent months.

We’ll get back to the exterior updates, but first, let’s start outside of the theme park itself. From the EPCOT parking lot we can get a good look at the enormous 140 foot tall building, where most of the ride will take place.

At the park’s entrance, we can see the side of this structure. The slanted part contains the launch into the big building, as well as the track leading back out of it to unload.

Inside the park, if you head towards World Discovery, (the area of the park formerly known as Future World East,) you’ll have to pass through a maze of work walls. This pathway takes you by the entrance building for Cosmic Rewind.

I couldn’t help but notice that these painted sections of walls on the side of the building are still two different colors. And some of the painted areas appear to have been damaged or patched and will require new paint anyway.

From this side angle, as we approach the front of the ride entrance, we can spot the new metallic sheeting and greeter structure that was just installed. It’s very futuristic looking, and fitting for the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and for EPCOT.

The greeter structure is even more apparent when viewing from the front, as seen in the photo below.

Cut out shapes for the tops of doorways for the ride entrance can be spotted, as well as lighting that looks to have been recently installed above.

Looking to the roof, it seems like preparation may be underway for the installation of solar panels? While Disney has not yet confirmed it, many folks believe that solar panels will be installed atop the roof. This would continue a tradition set by the original Universe of Energy pavilion.

Workers on the roof were tending to a section with some sort of protective coating on it. Another similar section could be seen on the left side of the roof as well.

There are many differently shaped slabs organized in rows along the roof. It will be interesting to see if solar panels are in fact installed, or if this will be their final look.

Things are still looking somewhat rough where all the edges meet, as there are still many layers of siding and themed elements to be installed I am sure.

Additional landscaping may also be required to hide certain things, like where the launch tunnel lines up with the entrance building on the back-right.

While not very apparent when standing directly in front of the entrance to Cosmic Rewind, the launch tunnel (and of course the massive coaster building itself,) can be more easily viewed when walking further away. The following photos taken from in front of Mission: Space, also located in World Discovery.

When walking around the rest of the park, it’s hard not to notice the massive building. While it may have been painted sky blue, it doesn’t always blend away into the sky. These next two photos were taken in World Showcase, between the France and United Kingdom pavilions.

That’s all for now, but if you’d like to take a bit of the parks home, check out SouvenirScents.com. They offer plenty of scents inspired by theme park attractions, including several from EPCOT, like the baking bread smell on Ratatouille, all the scents on Soarin’, and more on the way. Use promo code PARKSTOP10 to save 10% at SouvenirScents.com.

For more information on the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster, including what the ride experience is rumored to be like, check out our Everything We Know story or the video below. And stay tuned for more news on this new attraction as it happens!

Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Original Photos: Alicia Stella | Official Concept Art: Disney | Other Images as Captioned

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