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“Come on, shake your body, baby, do the conga.”
Not 80s lyrics you’d expect to hear related to the Walt Disney World Resort. But then again, this is Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy.
Walt Disney World Resort’s newest family-thrill coaster will see Guests arriving from the planet Xandar to create the first “other-world” showcase at EPCOT – the Wonders of Xandar pavilion. The highly-anticipated new attraction will be Disney World’s first reverse-launch roller coaster and one of the world’s longest enclosed roller coasters, with what we expect to be Disney’s famous level of theming.
And now, Disney Parks has provided a look at some backstage secrets about how Imagineers designed the EPCOT ride.
Credit: Disney
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is technically already open for some lucky Guests at Walt Disney World.
Cast Member previews are in full swing at the EPCOT theme park, with Walt Disney World Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members being treated to early access in May. The ride itself launches to the public on Memorial Day weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort.
For those anxiously awaiting their turn, however, Disney provided some secrets into the behind-the-scenes design process of the new EPCOT attraction in a fun video giving Imagineers a chance to explain their vital roles. Disney Parks Blog shared a look into the work of an Audio Media Designer, who takes Guests into never-before-seen parts of the upcoming ride:
Which song are you most excited to hear on #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy : Cosmic Rewind? ? #Disney #DisneyParks #DisneyWorld50 #EPCOT #Imagineering #DisneyCastLife #Music
@disneyparks Which song are you most excited to hear on GuardiansOfTheGalaxy: Cosmic Rewind? 🎶 #Disney #DisneyParks #DisneyWorld50 #EPCOT #Imagineering #DisneyCastLife #Music
It’s so interesting to hear how Walt Disney Imagineering developed the family-thrill coaster, including the revelation that they had more than 150 potential songs to narrow down for the Starjumpers’ onboard sound system! As Disney explains, “the team rode the attraction over and over again testing how various tracks fit with the spirit and the movement of the coaster”, which is certainly a job we’re sure none of us would say no to.
The video highlights the work of Disney’s Audio Media Imagineers and that without them, many of our favorite rides would not be the same. They provide the sounds, the effects, and the audio that sparks the magic and ambiance into the attraction.
Think about those creaking doors in Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom, voices of audio-animatronics in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or the sounds of nature in Na’vi River Journey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. All of these sounds are chosen specifically by this team to create a fantasy world for Guests to enter and forget reality.
Credit: Disney
The video does reveal that Imagineers finally settled on an “Awesome Mix” of six songs that Peter Quill would be proud of. The Disney Imagineer in Disney Parks’ video explains, “since this is Guardians of the Galaxy, picking the songs for the attraction was one of my favorite parts. We listened to over 150 songs and narrowed it down to:”
- “Disco Inferno” – The Trammps
- “I Ran” – A Flock of Seagulls
- “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” – Tears for Fears
- “One Way or Another” – Blondie
- “Conga” – Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
- “September” – Earth, Wind, and Fire
That’s right, folks. The Conga is officially making its way to Walt Disney World! We are so excited to hear these songs on the ride, and just like on Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! in the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort (which replaced the beloved Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), each time you ride will be completely different.
Credit: Disney
According to Disney, “You won’t know which track you’ll hear each time you ride until you actually blast off with the Guardians on an intergalactic chase through time and space.” Expect fans to ride numerous times just to get the soundtrack they desire!
Marvel recently revealed that the main antagonist in the ride will be the Celestial Eson. Eson is already known to Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot and also once held the Power Stone, one of the six Infinity stones featured in Kevin Feige’s Infinity Saga in the Marvel Universe.
The ride’s launch date of May 27 can’t come soon enough so we can experience Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and see all our favorite MCU characters at the EPCOT theme park. We can’t wait to Conga with Rocket the raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord, played by Chris Pratt), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (Vin Diesel), Drax (Dave Bautista), and Zoe Saldana’s Gamora before heading to World Showcase.
