Spaceship Earth 2-Year Overhaul Info
After years of rumors, Walt Disney World has officially announced an overhaul of Spaceship Earth. This massive reimagining will close the attraction for ~2 years, and will substantially change the ride. In this post, we’ll offer official details along with speculation about timing, history, and more. (Updated February 4, 2020.)
Let’s start with what’s official. At the D23 Expo, Disney announced that Epcot’s Future World Being Replaced by 3 New Neighborhoods. One of these will be World Celebration, which is essentially the central spine of EPCOT. It will offer new experiences that connect us to one another and the world around us. A reimagined Spaceship Earth will remain the flagship attraction of the park’s core.
With Spaceship Earth’s reimagining will come changes to the message and substance of the attraction, but not its core ride system or the nature of its show scenes. However, there will be a shift in theme: from technical innovations in communications–a vestige of its original sponsors of Bell System/AT&T–to the power of storytelling to unite the human experience…
Disney has announced that this will be accomplished via new narration, an entirely new musical score, and new show scenes. Most notably, guests will follow a magical “Story Light” that brings the entire experience to life in dynamic ways, giving each scene energy and beauty that ties the entire journey together.
The new Spaceship Earth will focus on the moments and ideas that define our shared story. To accomplish this, the current scenes that begin the attraction will be joined by new scenes and upgrades throughout Spaceship Earth. Additionally, the back of Spaceship Earth will be reworked with a new post-show.
Upon exiting Spaceship Earth, there will be a breathtaking new view of World Showcase from Dreamers Point, which will also feature a statue of Walt Disney seated on a curb. This area behind Spaceship Earth will also feature natural environments, a wishing tree in an enchanted forest, and a story fountain playing Disney music.
This isn’t the first time a radical overhaul of Spaceship Earth has been on the table. Before we discuss a timeline, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and look at what almost was–but will not be: Time Racers. This was a time travel themed roller coaster proposed for Spaceship Earth as part of an early 2000s initiative known as Project Gemini.
That comprehensive plan would have reimagined Future World into Discoveryland, which would’ve demolished buildings (including Innoventions), removed concrete, and transformed the area into a lush, green environment. This ambitious proposal for overhauling Future World was rumored to cost $500 million, and ultimately the entire thing was shelved, save for a clone of Soarin’ Over California.
Irrespective of why Time Racers didn’t happen, Spaceship Earth instead received a more modest refurbishment a little over a decade ago. While that wasn’t exactly well-received by fans, it was certainly a more welcome change in keeping with the spirit and mission of EPCOT Center than Time Racers would’ve been. We’re expecting the upcoming changes to be far more ambitious and scope-changing than the last refurbishment, but still in keeping with the spirit of the original attraction.
The official confirmation of an overhaul of Spaceship Earth came after over a year of persistent rumors. (We originally published this article well before the official announcement, and have updated it a couple of times since.) Notably, those rumors were right on the money.
These predicted that all scenes would refreshed prior to the Industrial Revolution, plus more significant changes for the scenes following that. They also indicated that 180top would be drastically reimagined utilizing the latest in projection mapping tech. These indicated that it’d be a 2-year closure with the aforementioned show scene changes, plus track replacement and extended track layout, new load and unload stations, and a new post show.
We mention these rumors because Walt Disney World has released nothing about the Spaceship Earth overhaul aside from the announcement of the “Story Light” and tonal change, plus vague details about some scenes changing and others staying put. Disney hasn’t even released any concept art–it only flashed on screen during the D23 Expo. Given that and the fact that none of the leaks have yet to be contradicted, we’re continuing to use them to “fill in the gaps” on what’s on the horizon for Spaceship Earth.
The major remaining question on the mind of many Walt Disney World fans is when will the Spaceship Earth overhaul begin? Given that the attraction will likely be down for two full years, many people are wanting to be sure to get a last ride in before the current incarnation of Spaceship Earth goes away.
Officially, Walt Disney World has not revealed a closing date. Given the status of Spaceship Earth as a beloved fan-favorite and the duration of this closure, it stands to reason that a a few months of notice would be ideal and appropriate here. However, the entire Epcot overhaul has been on a vague timeline, with interdependent opening and closing dates. As such, we doubt that a huge amount of notice will be given here.
Turning once again to rumors, it was originally expected that Spaceship Earth would be closed by late last year. As other dates have slipped, the revised (anticipated) closing date slipped to “this winter.” (Sound familiar?!) In other words, no one really knows for sure, and the actual closing date depends on a few factors.
Our guess is that Spaceship Earth will not go down until at least after Test Track returns from refurbishment on February 26, 2020. At that point, both of the Future World bypasses will be open, all three of the new movies will have debuted, and nothing else that’s major will be down for refurbishment. However, we don’t think it’ll close right away once Test Track returns–and not just because FastPass+ remain available for Spaceship Earth through April 2020.
We expect that Walt Disney World will get even more strategic with its timing, waiting until after Easter, Spring Break, and the initial rush of Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival have subsided. June through August are the slowest months of the year at Epcot. That could remain true in Future World even with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opening in Summer 2020 back in World Showcase.
The reality is that there’s no perfect way to time this. No matter when Walt Disney World opts to close Spaceship Earth, it’ll be down for at least one Food & Wine Festival, Christmas, plus the debuts of the Play Pavilion and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Spaceship Earth is a people-eater that soaks up crowds, and it being down is a big blow for all of those occasions.
With all of that said, our guess (and this is absolutely a guess) is that Spaceship Earth will close in June 2020.
Of course, with any Spaceship Earth changes comes the inevitable discussion of a new narrator. The current host is Judi Dench, who we think nicely delivers a script that’s questionable at times. When this narration was originally unveiled, it was panned by fans as being cheesy and pandering. We largely agreed with that, but it’s interesting how some of the worst lines have become the most iconic (or infamous, depending upon your perspective) over time.
It’s safe to say the current Judi Dench narration won’t return if there’s a substantive overhaul. Every fan has their personal ‘wish list’ for who might be the new narrator, me included. Personally, I wouldn’t mind Judi Dench getting another crack at it, but with a better script. Failing that, Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emma Thompson, or Tom Hiddleston would be solid picks. (Like a stereotypical American, my idea of a dignified and intellectual voice is British.) For a few Epcot or Disney-related wildcards, I could also go for Mark Hamill, Patrick Warburton, Tom Hanks, or a reprise of Jeremy Irons.
Ultimately, hat’s roughly where things stand right now. Two words that are not coming up when discussing the changes are “intellectual property.” This has me breathing a temporary sight of relief, but this is Disney, circa 2020. There’s always the chance that will change. We doubt it, though.
While this is not predicated upon any inside info, the Imagineering team behind Epcot’s reimagining seems like it’s deftly balancing general public ‘interests’ against those of purists in an attempt to appeal to both. Retaining and enhancing Epcot’s most iconic attraction that still more or less exists in the spirit of the original is a sensible move in pursuit of that end.
We’re actually cautiously optimistic about the changes to Spaceship Earth. If the “Story Light” is anything like what we’re expecting (basically, a similar effect from Mystic Manor), it could be really cool. Other than that, Spaceship Earth could use a refresh in many scenes, including both 180top and the descent. Reframing the focus from communications via technological innovations to storytelling seems like a very “Disney” move, and we hope it’s one that’s accomplished with integrity.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about the Spaceship Earth overhaul? When do you think it will occur? Are you cautiously optimistic about the Story Light? Any ‘wish list’ items for this reimagining, or a narrator of choice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We are a family that goes to Disney every year and we love Spaceship Earth! I hope Disney doesn’t change it much. I liked when Epcot was an educational based park. There is nothing wrong with actually learning things when on vacation. My kids love riding the rides that their father and I rode as kids and ones they have grown up with. I understand that things have to change with time but I think Disney needs to keep some classic rides and continue to offer rides that are fun but not just thrill rides. Spaceship Earth is a ride for the entire family. Disney is adding several rides that smaller children or grand parents aren’t comfortable riding. They need to keep all ages in mind when changing or designing new rides.
I think SSE is in desperate need of an overhaul, and I’m looking forward to seeing what will come next.
When we were there Thanksgiving week of 2017, Spaceship Earth was the first ride we got on when we got to the park. It broke down with us on it. Took 45 minutes for them to finally unload us…. Haven’t tried to go on it again since so I never got to see the 2007 refresh. Maybe this November, if I can get over the idea of it breaking down again.
Christiane Amanpour Or Shohreh Aghdashloo would both be great narrators for a “worldly” or inclusive sound both have distinct voices CA would be a throw back to the original trusted journalist vibe Cronkite provided.
We love Spaceship Earth and Judi Dench. Update of the ride would be ok but please don’t change it. It’s a fan favorite.
This may not have a lot to do with the actual topic of the article, but it was inspired by it:
We’re visiting for 8 days at the end of June for my nieces first Disney trip (she’s 9). She absolutely LOVES trains, as her father is a foreman for a railroad where we live. First, we found out that the Wildlife Express train in Animal Kingdom was closing, then we found out the WDW Railroad and Tomorrowland Speedway was also closing due to Tron being built. This is three major closures, one for good, the others a long term, but temporary closure. Then you have so many other projects ongoing in Epcot and DHS preparing for Star Wars opening. The only non-construction park is Animal Kingdom… or is it?
I am sincerely hoping that in the future, Disney keeps their closures and park projects to one or two things at a time. It really sucks trying to plan ahead only to find out there’s major construction causing multiple closures in almost all of the parks.
Is it just me or does it feel like Disney is working on too many things at once? It just seems like they could get a single project completed more quickly if they concentrated on just one at a time…
Spaceship Earth is one of the rides I look forward to because of the fun ride through history and the classic-ness of it. I love sharing it with my kids because it’s the same as it was when I was a kid. I’d hate to see it change completely. If it were to get a revamp, I’d love to hear Eddie Redmayne narrate (even though he’s with that other franchise)!
This should probably be taken with a grain of a salt but I’ll throw it out there anyway.
I recently took the Undiscovered Future World tour at Epcot. For the most part our guide (who was truly excellent, but that’s not really germane here) was very vague when it came to any questions about unannounced rumors, or even details on announced things like Guardians, the space restaurant, ect…
However, when asked about a Spaceship Earth refurbishment she said that she can confirm that there have been advanced discussions about a big refurbishment, even going as far as to say she really hoped it happened because the current version just kind of cuts off in the 80’s right now. It probably means nothing as I don’t think she had any official info to go by, but it did seem odd that it was the only one she kind of talked about being a credible rumor.
I think Bette Midler should be the narrator. She was heavily featured in the early years of Hollywood Studios (MGM) but since many of those have been replaced. I know she is not as famous as once was, but she has a huge Disney background and fan base. And just recently sang a Disney song on the Oscars. Plus her voice is instantly recognized. I love SE!!
I hope Ellen is in the running for the narrator job!
This ride smells musty & stale and of the oil that keeps the tracks running. Nothing compares to getting stuck inside it but yet it’s a quintessential ride on our family’s “must do” list. A shutdown to freshen it up would be great and I’d love to suggest James Earl Jones as narrator.
I love James Earl Jones’ voice, but in the Disney universe, his voice is closely tied to Mufasa. That might throw some kids for a loop.
You mean Darth Vader, right? 😀
I’m surprised Neil Patrick Harris hasn’t been suggested yet. While I get the whole “British voices sound more intellectual” point of view, NPH has a history without Epcot already with his highly appreciated showings at the Candlelight Processional every Xmas.
It certainly wouldn’t be his first time doing voice work for a Disney attraction (California Screamin’).
While he’s a good Candlelight Processional narrator, I think NPH’s talents are better lent to an attraction with a more lighthearted twist. He has a nice comedic delivery, and that would be squandered on SSE. (Or they’d use comedy to lighten it up in potentially unnecessary ways.)
I love NPK.
But definitely not for SSE.
NPK=NPH
I’ve actually followed this rumor, so I mostly came to the post for pretty night-time shots of SSE from Tom. I particularly liked the one with the palm tree in the foreground. Although, sadly, no monorail shots in the post! 🙂
SSE is my favorite dark ride at WDW, so I’m excited for this rumor and hope it comes to fruition. Even keeping the scenes as-is with some TLC and a better descent/post-show would be great news for me. Improving the post-industrial revolution so it doesn’t eventually become the Carousel of Progress would be even better.
I would love to see them update this. The ride was getting stale and needs to be revamped. It doesn’t have to be a thrill ride but bring it up to date. I can live with that.
They should trade out the current ride vehicles for lounge chairs, crank the AC a little higher, and make the cars move even slower.
If Disney keeps getting rid of all the rides where we can take a midday nap, what is a parent supposed to do?
Just so we’re all on the same page, there is NOT a current rumor that Spaceship Earth will become a thrill ride.
As discussed in the article, that was a proposal from the early 2000s that was ultimately cancelled. The current rumor points to it being the same type of omnimover attraction, just with some changed and some different show scenes.
simply cannot see SE turning into any sort of “thrill ride”. epcot already has TT, MS, and will have GOTG coaster. Frozen even still has a dip. But if they were to turn SE into a thrill ride, that cuts out a significant portion of epcot’s fanbase. it’s not as if it doesn’t have crowds, it has a fp for what it is now. i can understand an overhaul, story updates, narration, infrastructure, all justifying a prolonged closure if epcot is to be reimagined, but altering the core ride itself would be a big mistake. they just announced a big nod to fans with the new entrance plaza, all that positive vibe would be lost. if it is to be closed, i just hope it’s later in the fall after GE opens, so we can ride it when we go.
I am soooo glad you posted this. Spaceship Earth is one of my favorites – although admittedly in need of an overhaul somewhat. I’ve always loved Judi Dench as the narrator. Will be interesting to see how this develops!
I agree Rachel. My favourite ride at Epcot. I didn’t think it needed an overhaul at all, and loved Judi Dench as the narrator. My sons, aged 10 and 12 think this ride is incredible and were worried it would be taken away
Would love to see a newer and updated Spaceship Earth. Also, for those of us who define thrill rides by Frozen and Pirates of the Caribbean with their mini coaster drops, I’d really hate to see SE turned into an attraction more ‘thrilling’ than it currently is. That said, my choices for narrator would be Peter Coyote or David Attenborough.
Theres no way Disney shuts down this ride for 2 years and theres no way they invest money into this ride when they already have hundreds of millions committed to other attractions.