KEY POINTS

  • Despite COVID-19 constraints, Disney World has some exciting new attractions planned for the coming year
  • High-profile titles like Guardians of the Galaxy and Moana will be getting their own rides and areas
  • There are also some subtler renovations, like an update to Epcot's French corner with a Ratatouille ride and restaurant

It’s been a rough year for Disney’s theme parks, but the company is working to complete renovations and construct new attractions with an eye on post-COVID-19 crowds. Despite virus precautions forcing new attractions to halt construction or delay opening, a number of projects are on track to debut in 2021 at Disney World.

Epcot Park is home to the most high-profile additions. A Disney press release revealed that Marvel’s cinematic universe is getting a rollercoaster with “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.” That ride has completed construction on its rail and scenery but lacks a definite opening date, according to WKMG, a CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida.

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A Disney Imagineer oversees “push/pull” testing of vehicles on the track for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the new attraction in development inside EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The out-of-this-world coaster experience will take guests on a thrilling adventure across the cosmos with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Disney

Epcot’s French section is also seeing a substantial overhaul, with a new Beauty and the Beast movie accompanying “Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure” and La Creperie de Paris for food.

Next door will be the expansive “Harmonious” multicultural nighttime show and the Regal Eagle Smokehouse.

All of these attractions were delayed by the pandemic, but expect to open sometime in 2021.

Meanwhile, the World Nature section will have its own new documentary and the “Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.” That attraction aims to both educate about the water cycle and entertain by using water itself as a character in the same manner as its namesake film.

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Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana at EPCOT will be the first experience inspired by the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios film. This lush exploration trail will invite guests to meet and play with magical, living water. Disney

Not all attractions seem to be on track, however. Conspicuously absent from the press release were previous plans for a new Mary Poppins attraction and a three-story event building next to the iconic globe. The ultimate fate of these is unknown, but their exclusion can’t be a good sign for their prospects as a cash-strapped Disney looks to cut costs amid a profit-maiming pandemic.

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