Disney has made a strong claim for the best new theme park attraction of the year with the debut this month of Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Epcot’s first roller coaster is Disney’s second attraction themed to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, following Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout at Disney California Adventure. Mission Breakout reskinned the old Twilight Zone Tower of Terror drop ride at DCA, and Cosmic Rewind remakes the old Universe of Energy pavilion at Epcot, which most recently housed Ellen’s Energy Adventure.

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Disney did not repurpose the old moving theater system from that ride, opting instead to gut the old Universe of Energy structure and build a massive new show building behind it to accommodate the company’s longest indoor roller coaster. The result is a plussed Space Mountain, with cars that use controlled spins to create a unique ride sensation while also focusing your attention on the ride’s handful of projected scenes. Cosmic Rewind also borrows Mission Breakout’s shtick of using one of six different Gen X pop tunes to soundtrack the ride, accompanied by the Guardians’ sassy banter.

The coaster thrills amplify Cosmic Rewind’s sense of joy without overwhelming you. It’s the best new attraction I have been on since the pandemic began — one that will leave you smiling and laughing throughout.

Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind also provides an excellent example of how the right set-up can pay off with an enhanced ride experience. It’s the latest step in an industry trend to erase the distinction between pre-show and main attraction.

EPCOT guests visit the Galaxarium as part of their experience in Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. (Photo by Kent Phillips, courtesy of Disney)

The attraction initially presents itself as the “Wonders of Xandar” pavilion in Epcot’s World Discovery land. A planetarium-like ceiling projection greets visitors in the lobby, from which guests proceed into the Xandar Gallery to learn more about the planet from the original “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie. Scale models and video screens fill the gallery, creating a modern museum-like experience. As one of my YouTube commentors said, “Why is this a better space pavilion than Mission: Space?” referring to Epcot’s NASA-themed exhibit next door.

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The gallery leads into a small theater, where Glenn Close as Nova Prime appears on screen, telling us that we will be teleporting onto a Nova Corps Starcharter cruiser orbiting Earth for a demonstration of Xandar’s hyperspace travel technology. That’s where everything goes terribly wrong, as it must on all great theme park attractions.

The walk through the Xandar Gallery chips away at our disbelief for this outlandish premise, helping visitors better enjoy the adventures to come. But not every visitor will experience this vital set-up. Disney has laid out the Lightning Lane for this attraction to skip the Xandar Gallery. Disney’s Imagineers have poured immense talent and money into creating a new, immersive experience, only for the company to upcharge visitors to skip it.

Is spending extra money to save some time really worth missing the experiences that you paid to see in the first place?