Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth
Ride information
Park	Epcot
Land	Future World (1982-TBD) World Celebration (TBD-)
Designer	WED Enterprises
Attraction type	Dark ride
Theme	Human Communication
Opening date	October 1, 1982 (Original)
Closing date	March 12, 2020 (Original)
Hosted by	Vic Perrin (1982-1986) Walter Cronkite (1986-1994) Jeremy Irons (1994-2007) Judi Dench (2008-2020)
Music	Bruce Broughton
Vehicle capacity	4 (2 per row)
Guests per car	2
Ride duration	16:00
Total height	180
Track height	163
Sponsored by	Bell System (1982-1984) AT&T (1984-2004) Siemens AG (2005-2017)

Spaceship Earth is the name of the iconic attraction at Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort.

One of the most recognizable structures at the Walt Disney World Resort, it is not only the centerpiece and main focal point of Epcot but also the symbolic structure and attraction that houses the fundamentals of the park. The 18-story geodesic sphere houses a 16-minute dark ride using the Omnimover system that explores the progression of human communications from cavemen to the dawn of the internet and beyond.

On February 25th, 2020, it was originally announced on the Disney Parks Blog that Spaceship Earth would close on May 26, 2020 for refurbishment.

However, the attraction was closed earlier than previously announced on March 12, 2020 for refurbishment, due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The attraction will reopen in its current form in July with the rest of the park with the refurbishment being delayed indefinitely.

Summary

Spaceship Earth tracks the history of civilization through communication and innovation while offering guests an opportunity to write their future. The current version of the attraction is narrated by Judi Dench.

As guests depart, they begin their journey back into time in prehistory, where they witness ancient hunters battling a mammoth for its meat and fur. Entering a cave, a caveman shaman tells a story of the great hunt while artists paint images on a wall. Together this illustrates our beginnings with creating written language and through cave paintings, saving our ideas for future generations.

We then enter ancient Egypt where reeds are being pounded into papyrus, one of the earliest forms of paper. A pharaoh is also seen dictating a new decree to one of his scribes, with his hieroglyphic writings serving as an example of early written language.

As we enter ancient Greece, we first encounter a boat of Phoenecian merchants selling their wares. To better allow for trade between several different civilizations with different languages, the Phoenecians created a common written language that would serve as the basis for our modern Alphabet. Within the Grecian city, we see one of their schools with a man teaching mathematical concepts to his students. Earlier versions of the attraction had the scene take the form of a Greek theater performance.

We then enter the Roman Empire, where Caesar is in the midst of a conversation with a chariot messenger. With the vast reach of Rome and its vast network of roads, messages carried by chariot would travel fast throughout the empire, though this prosperity would come to an end.

Passing through the collapse of the Roman Empire and the burning of the great Library of Alexandria, we learn that some if not all of their knowledge was fortunately saved by Jewish and Islamic scholars making copies of their books. Christian monasteries' efforts in copying books are also shown, with one monk scribe having fallen asleep at his desk from writing for so long.

With Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in 1456, the reproduction of books is made much easier and faster, thus kickstarting the Renaissance. We see books being read, artists at work creating paint, sculpting fine marble statues, and Michelangelo at work painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Taking another leap in time, we enter the 19th and 20th centuries and the age of modern innovation and invention. A newspaper printing worker inspects a story at the end of the Civil War, with a nearby paperboy selling papers with a call of "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!". The rise of other new forms of communications can also be seen such as telegraph operators, a 1930s radio station, an office of telephone operators, a movie theater in the 1950s, and finally, a living room where a family watches the 1969 Apollo moon landing broadcast on television during the evening (as the young girl is seen wearing pajamas).

From here we enter the dawn of the computer age and travel through a mainframe computer room in the 1970s and the construction of personal computers in California garages in the 1980s by a figure strongly resembling Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Passing through a tunnel of lights representing the dawn of the internet in our current time, we emerge out in space to see the Earth, reminding us of how small and yet interconnected our world is and how together, we can all shape the future and make a better world for all. The vehicles turn backward and begin their descent back down to ground level, the narrator instructing guests to remain seated to avoid any falls. Through screens in our vehicles, guests can answer a few simple questions to create their animated future vignette, utilizing photos taken at the beginning of the ride. As the short video concludes the narrator remarks that while we don't know what the future may hold, it is an adventure that we will all share, with guests disembarking into the Project Tomorrow post-show experience.

Ride History

There have been four versions of the ride over the years.

1982-1986

The original version of Spaceship Earth debuted on October 1, 1982, on the opening day of EPCOT Center. Though there has been some disagreement over the years over who narrated the ride originally, the original narrator has since been confirmed to be Vic Perrin by WED Enterprises casting director Mark Eades . This version of the ride ran until 1986.

Originally the ride had numerous effects that would be removed in subsequent years. These included fog effects in the ascension at the beginning of the ride. Additional animatronic figures such as an Egyptian worker standing on scaffolding, a boy assembling a type kit in the Gutenberg scene, and a woman in the network communications map scene.

When guests originally arrived at the Earth view scene, they passed by two communications satellites with astronauts working on repairs and then under a large space station with an animatronic woman at the controls. This scene would be mostly removed in the 1994 version to focus on the Earth view, with the space station partially disassembled and fully painted black to be hidden, the satellites were dismantled and discarded and the astronauts being sent to Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom. The animatronic woman sitting in the space station was left intact however with her widow being blackened out and her animatronic coverings removed.

1986-1994

The second version of Spaceship Earth opened in 1986, featuring Walter Cronkite as the narrator. This version also featured the new theme song Tomorrow's Child, which served as the attraction's musical finale. Additional elements were tweaked including the removal of the accent fog machine and the addition of two new computer related scenes on the left side of the network communications area. These two scenes included a boy in his bedroom at a computer (the boy animatronic was moved from the type kit Gutenberg scene), and a woman working in a paperless office (woman animatronic was moved from the network communications map area).

1994-2007

Jeremy Irons, the voice of Scar in The Lion King, was the narrator for the third version of Spaceship Earth, which debuted in 1994. This version introduced scenes touching upon the future of communications technology with fibreoptics, video chat, and the world wide web.

2007-2020

The current version of Spaceship Earth officially opened in February 2008, after a soft opening in December 2007. Judi Dench is the English-language narrator. For the first time, the ride audio became multi-language so audio language can be chosen by the riders on each seat row. Rewrites and changes to the story would shift focus from just communication to the history of technology in general.

New scenes showcasing the early history of computers would replace the previous video chat scenes. The descent show scenes were removed or covered up, with the focus being put onto onboard screens that would allow guests to create their own future for an ending.

Attraction timeline

• March 1, 1982
  • Spaceship Earth opens with the opening of EPCOT Center.
  • Sponsored by the Bell System.
  • The narrator is Vic Perrin.
• May 26, 1986
  • Attraction reopens from a first major renovation.
  • AT&T is now the sponsor, having signed on in 1984.
  • New narration by Walter Cronkite
  • Finale music changed to "Tomorrow's Child".
• August 15, 1994
  • Closes for a second major renovation.
  • "Home Computer", "Office Computer", "Network Operations Center", and "Space Station" scenes were removed.
  • New final scenes installed and replace old final scenes.
  • Earth Station closes.
  • "Tomorrow's Child" ending removed.
• November 23, 1994
  • Attraction reopens.
  • New ride narration by Jeremy Irons.
  • New ride score by Edo Guidotti.
  • The Global Neighborhood replaces Earth Station.
• September 29, 1999
  • The Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is dedicated to "2000" over Spaceship Earth.
• November 24, 1999
  • The Global Neighborhood is replaced with The New Global Neighborhood, a new exhibit space serving as a hands-on playground for Spaceship Earth's post-show.
• May 2001
  • The Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is changed to say "Epcot" over Spaceship Earth.
• January 1, 2003
  • AT&T sponsorship ends.
• April 2004
  • The New Global Neighborhood is removed and the area is boarded up.
  • AT&T references removed.
• November 2005
  • It was announced that Siemens AG will sponsor Spaceship Earth for twelve years.
• April 11, 2007
  • Major changes coming to Spaceship Earth are announced.
• April 25, 2007
  • The new exhibit space in Spaceship Earth's post-show called Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future opens.
• July 5, 2007
  • Epcot Vice President Jim Macphee announces the removal of the wand structure in time for the park's 25th anniversary on October 1, 2007.
• July 9, 2007
  • Spaceship Earth closes for a fourth renovation.
  • Removal of the wand structure begins.
• August 24, 2007
  • Removal of the wand structure completed.
• December 2007
  • Guest Reviews of the fourth edition begin.
  • For the first time ride becomes interactive and multi-language.
• February 15, 2008
  • The fourth edition opens to the general public after renovations.
  • New narration by Dame Judi Dench.

• March 4, 2008
  • Spaceship Earth is rededicated.

• August 25, 2019
  • The fifth edition announced at the D23 Expo. The attraction said to be refocused onto a general story of the human spirit, with a new "Storylight" host as a narrator. New scenes to be added, with a scene about Polynesian Voyagers shown.

• October 1, 2019
  • Epcot Experience Center exhibit gives the new Spaceship Earth the subtitle "Our Shared Story".

• March 12, 2020
  • Spaceship Earth closes earlier than previously announced for the "Our Shared Story" refurbishment. It was originally set to close on May 26, 2020, due to the Coronavirus outbreak. 

In other media

Disney Kingdoms

Spaceship Earth appears in both of the Disney Kingdoms Figment titles. While the first series ends on the image of Figment and Dreamfinder flying over it, the sequel goes into further details and establishes it as an enigmatic object of unknown origin that spontaneously appeared at the Academy Scientifica-Lucida's Florida campus in the 1980s. It has been tapped into as an energy source, but it has proven to be unreliable with occasional disappearances, with it vanishing again during a presentation by the Dreamfinder. The blame put onto him by the angry dean of the school ends up awakening his inner doubts as to the Doubtfinder. After this threat is defeated, Dreamfinder and Figment begin a new quest to search for it.

Video Games

As an iconic feature of Epcot and Walt Disney World in general, Spaceship Earth has made occasional appearances in video games, such as Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour and Disney Infinity.

Trivia

• Ray Bradbury, author of the novel Fahrenheit 451 and an avid Disney fan, helped design the 180-foot-tall Epcot ball as well as pen the attraction’s original storyline.
• 10-time Emmy winner Bruce Boughton conducted a 63-piece orchestra and 24-voice choir for his musical score. If you listen closely, you’ll notice that the music for each scene features styles and instruments appropriate to the era, transitioning seamlessly into the next.
• The exterior is very frequently mistaken as a giant golf ball. Young children and even older Guests (the latter just for laughs and nostalgia) often mistake the geodesic sphere for a giant golf ball on legs.
• In the Renaissance scene, an artist is painting a still-life - bowl of fruit, bottle, etc. Three of the grapes are heavily outlined to form a Hidden Mickey.
• The geodesic sphere is made up of 11,324 alucabond tiles and is estimated to weigh close to 16 million pounds.
• The entire sphere could be entirely submerged in the aquarium tank at The Seas!
• The top of the dome with the starfield and projection of Earth was originally meant to be a scene depicting a moonbase. The effect was found to be unconvincing, yet many props remained in place and could be seen in the darkness if one looked closely, before being removed during the 1994 refurbishment. Two astronaut figures can now be seen on the lift hill for Space Mountain.
• It appears in the late 80s, early 90s opening of The Wonderful World of Disney where the camera zooms around it than above it to reveal Sorcerer Mickey casting a spell.

Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future

After your ride, check out challenging games and engaging displays showcasing the latest in high-tech medicine, transportation, and energy efficiency in this interactive play area for all ages, sponsored by Siemens AG. The exhibit opened in 2005.

Previous Post-Show exhibits include:

• Earth Station (1982-1994)
• Global Neighborhood (1994-2004)

VIP Lounge

A VIP lounge, operated by the pavilion sponsor, exists above the post-show area of Spaceship Earth. Employees of the current sponsoring company and their guests can relax in the lounge while visiting Epcot. The sponsor can also hold receptions in the space as well as conduct workshops and business presentations. When Spaceship Earth was without sponsorship from 2004–2005, the room was utilized for private events such as weddings and conventions. The layout is small and curved in shape, with one wall consisting of large windows where visitors can look out onto the park.

When Siemens AG took over as sponsor, the lounge was given the name "Base21." In 2012, the name was dropped and it is now simply known as the "Siemens VIP Center." In August 2017, Siemens quickly left the lounge, and Disney took it over.

Shops

• Pin Traders- Camera Center

• Gateway Gifts

Gallery

Spaceship Earth as the Death Star for a Rogue One promotional event.

Entrance

Spaceship Earth decorated for the Millennium Celebration

Logo and Posters

Spaceship Earth logo

2007-2020 pavilion logo

Spaceship Earth (Original) attraction poster

Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story attraction poster produced for the Epcot Experience Center poster collection.

Spaceship Earth (Concept Art)

Spaceship Earth entrance mural

Phoenecian Merchant boat concept

Concept Art for Space Scene

Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story (Concept Art)

References

v - e - d

World Celebration Spaceship Earth • Imagination! (Journey into Imagination with Figment • ImageWorks: The What-If Labs) • !Celebración Encanto! (Opening on June 10, 2024) • Dreamers Point World Nature The Land (Awesome Planet • Soarin' Around the World • Living with the Land) • The Seas (The Seas with Nemo & Friends • SeaBase • Turtle Talk with Crush • Mr. Ray's Pop Quiz • Bruce's Shark Challenge • Finding Dory's Friends) • Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana Seasonal: Living with the Land: Merry and Bright Nights World Discovery Mission: SPACE • Test Track • Wonders of Xandar (Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) • PLAY! (Animation Academy (Opening in 2024)) World Showcase Mexico Pavilion (Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros) • Norway Pavilion (Frozen Ever After) • China Pavilion (Reflections of China • Wondrous China (Opening in 2024)) • Germany Pavilion • Italy Pavilion • The American Adventure • Japan Pavilion • Morocco Pavilion • France Pavilion (Impressions de France • Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along • Remy's Ratatouille Adventure) • International Gateway • United Kingdom Pavilion (Mary Poppins (Opening in 2024)) • Canada Pavilion (Canada: Far and Wide) • DuckTales World Showcase Adventure Resorts Disney's Yacht Club Resort • Disney's Beach Club Resort • Disney's BoardWalk Resort • Disney's BoardWalk Villas • Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort • Disney's Riviera Resort Current Entertainment Luminous: The Symphony of Us Former Attractions and Entertainment Future World Universe of Energy • Journey Into Imagination (Journey Into Imagination • Upstairs Image Works • Magic Journeys • Captain EO) • Imagination! (Honey, I Shrunk the Audience • Captain EO Tribute • Journey Into Your Imagination) • Ellen's Energy Adventure • Horizons • World of Motion • Wonders of Life (Body Wars • Cranium Command • Goofy About Health • The Making of Me) • CommuniCore • The Land (Symbiosis • Kitchen Kabaret • Food Rocks • Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable) • Splashtacular • The Living Seas • Innoventions World Celebration Odyssey (The EPCOT Experience Center) World Showcase China Pavilion (Wonders of China) • Norway Pavilion (Maelstrom) • Mexico Pavilion (El Rio del Tiempo) • Canada Pavilion (O Canada!) • Epcot Forever • Harmonious • IllumiNations • IllumiNations 25 • IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth • The Soul of Jazz • Agent P's World Showcase Adventure • Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure Seasonal: Millennium Village • Tapestry of Nations