Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Is Finally Being Reimagined!
As Neil Patrick Harris was talking about outer space on the “Horizons: A Carousel of Progress” (not to be confused with the extinct EPCOT Center attraction or the currently-closed Magic Kingdom classic) on stage at the 2026 D23 Expo, the conversation started gravitating towards our favorite geodesic sphere from the ‘80s: Spaceship Earth.
Makes sense. How can you talk about the future of Walt Disney World without discussing the iconic attraction that celebrates humanity’s march from the caves to the cosmos and inspires guests to imagine, create, and build a better tomorrow. The attraction that received a refurbishment announcement at this same event 7 years ago…but no refurbishment!
Joining NPH onstage during the Parks Panel to talk about the engineering marvel were Imagineer Ali Rubinstein and YouTuber Mark Rober. This dynamic duo gave a nice refresher on the iconic opening day EPCOT Center attraction before jumping into the huge news.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, Spaceship Earth is getting a major update!
Like the attraction, the evolution of Spaceship Earth has been an exciting journey filled with chapters of progress, displays of ingenuity, and an endless future of invention.
It’s time to invent the future! At the showcase, Ali revealed that a re-imagineered Spaceship Earth will be coming to EPCOT, bringing the attraction into the internet age and beyond.
The ride currently tells the story of human communication, but the team is reimagining that focus on a broader theme that is still classically EPCOT: human connection. Although no comparisons were drawn (unsurprisingly), this sounds like it could be similar to Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story, which was shelved in 2020 (see below).
Before delving into the commentary, here are some fun facts shared about the opening day EPCOT Center icon:
- Walter Cronkite narrated a script that was added to the attraction in 1986. In fact, since opening, there have been four narrators for Spaceship Earth.
- The structure is called a “geodesic sphere” because it’s a perfectly round structure that is supported in the air by three pillars.
- The attraction stands at 180 feet tall with 2.2 million cubic square feet of space inside the geosphere.
- Spaceship Earth is one of the most complicated ride systems Walt Disney Imagineering has ever created because the ride incorporates a continuously moving train of vehicles that spiral up into the structure before turning “backward” to come back down to Earth.
- The storyline currently follows the history of human communications, from prehistoric times to the 21st century.
Spaceship Earth Reimagining Reprise
This is not the first time in the last decade for a Spaceship Earth reimagining to be revealed at the D23 Expo. As part of EPCOT’s overhaul during the last development cycle, Walt Disney World planned a multi-year Spaceship Earth refurbishment and overhaul. That was delayed indefinitely, killed by the COVID closure.
Announced at the 2019 D23 Expo and scheduled to close in May 2020 (before the parks completely closed in mid-March), Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story was to transform the ride “through the power of light” and be the “most ambitious” update to Spaceship Earth since EPCOT Center’s grand opening on October 1, 1982.
This iteration was still to focus on the story of humanity, following our long journey from prehistoric humans to today brought to life. This reimagined Spaceship Earth was to have a new narration, an entirely new musical score, and new show scenes. Most notably, guests would follow a magical “Story Light” that brings the entire experience to life in dynamic ways, tying the entire journey together.
In Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story, guests would visit Egypt, which is part of the current version of the attraction–but it would’ve been “an Egypt like you’ve never seen before, transformed through the power of light.” Many of the existing scenes in Spaceship Earth would’ve remained, but updated with new technology and blended together with new scenes to tell a story about our shared human experience.
Our Shared Story was to be Spaceship Earth’s fourth “and most ambitious” update since EPCOT Center’s grand opening on October 1, 1982. Since then, there have been three other reimaginings: in 1986, 1994, and 2007. Instead, the upcoming refurbishment will be Spaceship Earth’s fourth update.
Spaceship Earth Reimagining Timeline
Walt Disney World did not announce when Spaceship Earth will close for this reimagining. That’s not surprising, as D23 is a “good news only” event that’s heavy on pageantry and light on details. Usually, the nuts and bolts of projects like this are sorted out in the weeks after Expo.
As for closure timing, Disney has become fond of post-Christmas closures, so early January 2027 is the odds-on favorite if Spaceship Earth is next up and the project can be accomplished in under a year.
If this is a 16-month or more closure, there’s a bit more flexibility. The goal will likely be to miss only one holiday season. Winter is busier than summer, so pushing the closure until after Spring Break could also make sense. It really depends on the bigger picture plans for the park.
To my colossal surprise, both Spaceship Earth and Journey Into Imagination received reimagining announcements at the 2026 D23 Expo. It strikes us as unlikely that both will close simultaneously, and it’s my strong suspicion that Spaceship Earth will close first.
I’ve been hearing credible rumors that Spaceship Earth was “next up” among the EPCOT reimagining projects since Test Track reopened. There have been rumblings that Journey Into Imagination would be next, but it wasn’t until the last few days that reports (which I cannot corroborate) emerged that JII had been funded.
My assumption, given that, was previously that Spaceship Earth would be announced at the 2026 D23 Expo and happen in 2027, with Journey Into Imagination announced at the 2027 Destination D23 and happening in 2028. This complicates that a bit. Maybe Journey Into Imagination was just unveiled earlier than expected, and that timeframe is still roughly the plan. It’s also possible that the SSE project isn’t as involved as once thought, or that the closures will overlap.
Spaceship Earth’s Last Refurbishment
Spaceship Earth temporarily closed for a routine refurbishment last year. During that 2-month project, Spaceship Earth received routine work, meaning maintenance and generalized upkeep as opposed to a fully-fledged reimagining or any material changes.
The show scenes saw no material changes, the interactive features and screens on the ride vehicles are unchanged, and there aren’t any effects that were fixed or otherwise changed. It was a routine refurbishment in every sense of the word, aimed at addressing the underlying ride system.
The permits Walt Disney World filed for that project reinforced as much, with one being assigned to Engineering Design Services, a firm that “specializes in the technical backbone of themed attractions.” Even though it was disappointing that there were no visible improvements or enhancements to Spaceship Earth, the attraction badly needed the invisible kind of maintenance, too.
Our suspicion is that last fall’s Spaceship Earth refurbishment was similar to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster refurbishments over the last couple of the years. Those occurred in two phases and addressed the underlying ride system without reimagining the roller coaster.
That laid the groundwork for the switch from ‘Starring Aerosmith’ to ‘Starring the Muppets’ to occur in a more condensed timeframe; that project can now focus on the thematic window-dressing as opposed to the underlying infrastructure. That’s precisely what allowed the reimagining of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets to be completed in only a few months of downtime.
It seems that the same playbook is being used with Spaceship Earth. Disney accomplished urgent infrastructure work during the off-season, brought the ride back online during peak season dates, and knocked out other quick-hit projects that didn’t take as long (Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure updates). Hopefully the next piece of the puzzle is closing Spaceship Earth for reimagining sometime in 2027.
Test Track Paves the Way
It’s been our understanding for a while that Walt Disney World has refurbishment and reimagining projects lined up for EPCOT. The first of those was obviously Test Track, which reopened from its year-long reimagining last summer.
Test Track 3.0 has been a smash success, averaging the highest wait time at Walt Disney World since it returned. This is somewhat remarkable, and defied our expectations. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is starting to catch up, but it’s impressive that a full year later, Test Track is still holding its own with an 81 minute average wait time thus far in 2026.
The increased popularity of Test Track should bode well for the prospects of other ride reimaginings, as it proves that investing in attractions–even ones devoid of Disney intellectual property–is “worth it.” This has probably played a role in Imagineering’s ability to get funding greenlit for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin’ Across America, and Carousel of Progress.
The Carousel of Progress refurbishment, in particular, has parallels with Spaceship Earth. The level of ambition and amount being spent on the Carousel of Progress overhaul is noteworthy.
It’s something that wouldn’t have happened even 5 years ago. Somehow, Imagineering managed to “sell” the company on the business case for a wholesale, IP-less update to Carousel of Progress, an attraction that has no Lightning Lane, no gift shop, no sponsor, and primarily caters to history-minded Disney fans.
Even if you’re apprehensive of what’s been announced for Carousel of Progress, you’ve gotta admit that this is not the kind of project Walt Disney World has undertaken in the last decade or longer. It very much feels like we’re in the midst of a sea change, first with the Big Thunder retracking and other ‘singles & doubles’ projects, and even more so with the upcoming changes in Tomorrowland.
What Will Happen During SSE Downtime?
There’s work needing to be done on the ride system that can’t wait too much longer, and probably was not completely addressed during last fall’s refurbishment. That was likely a band-aid or duct tape project, doing everything possible keep the ride going as opposed to the larger-scale work previously planned.
When we first reported on the rumored reimagining, we shared that Spaceship Earth was overdue for track replacement. That was back in 2018. Nearly a decade later, it still has not happened. A larger project and longer downtime is desperately needed. Spaceship Earth’s infrastructure badly needs work, as evidenced by downtime and roughness of the ride.
The big question is whether it needs a track replacement or if the wizards at Engineering Design Services can simply give the ride’s technical backbone a realignment to extend the useful life of the current track and ride system, and kick that can down the road another decade.
It wouldn’t be the first time Disney has managed to successfully defer such a project, with other examples including Space Mountain and Big Thunder (until last year). Disney might opt for just the absolutely necessary TLC as opposed to the more costly, in time and money, project. Of course, that still has its own cost in daily downtime. Anecdotally, we’ve already heard that Spaceship Earth is “in better shape” today than it was back in 2019. That’s promising if true.
This will be a lengthy project regardless. But going for the TLC and show scene reimagining route could mean it’s a 6-month closure versus 12-24 months. The last time it closed for a reimagining was July 2007, and the ride reopened that December. No matter what’s done, we’d expect this project to take longer.
One thing that desperately needs to change in Spaceship Earth is the descent. This is the essentially the conclusion of the attraction, which is currently driven by interactive screens in the ride vehicle. Outside of that, there are some random triangles and curtains as show “scenes.”
The current descent has been lambasted by fans since it debuted in late 2007. As soon as the current version of the attraction debuted, there were rumors that the descent was unfinished, and would be added to over time while the attraction was operational. Despite vague signs of work being done, it did not materially improve.
Regardless of what happens with the show scenes in the first half of the ride, it’s likely that physical show scenes will be added to the descent during Spaceship Earth’s next reimagining. It’s pretty obvious that Imagineering was not satisfied with it before, and the interactive technology has not aged well in the ride vehicles.
I’d be fine if Disney didn’t even touch the first three-quarters of the ride aside from swapping out the narration, screens, and woolly mammoth hunt scene. The core of the ride could use some sprucing up, but does not need wholesale changes. It’s really just the very beginning and ending that needs help…and a lot of it. That plus new ride vehicles, nixing the interactivity, and new narration would give Spaceship Earth a new lease on life.
In all likelihood, there will be more changes than we want or need to see. Going from human communications to human connection suggests that a decent number of the show scenes will change, although the difference between communications and connection is arguably minimal. Perhaps Disney just wants a tie-in with Connections Cafe & Eatery. Synergy, baby!
Our Commentary
I’m cautiously optimistic about the eventual Spaceship Earth reimagining. The ride system needs TLC. Even with the communications vs. connection distinction, I’m still assuming that most changes will occur later in the attraction to scenes that are not particularly strong at present. From my perspective, there’s little chance that the future 180-degree top and scenes thereafter can be a downgrade from the current incarnation of Spaceship Earth. Ditto the new narration.
Moreover, Imagineering has made some tremendous strides with technology since the last Spaceship Earth overhaul, and several of those could be implemented to nice effect. The current incarnation of the attraction very much feels like something from 2007, and it’s unfortunate that this is now the longest-running version of Spaceship Earth ever.
On top of that, I wouldn’t expect this to be a wholesale overhaul like Carousel of Progress, despite the above comparison. Updates to Spaceship Earth would almost certainly be more targeted on the problem points, while refreshing what fans love about the ride without materially changing it. Again, the middle ~75% would mostly stay the same.
Even the most recent IP projects have been success stories, with the ‘recharge’ of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin modernizing that attraction, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets leveraging an underutilized IP, and the Walt Disney Studios Lot being a welcome breath of fresh air at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As we argued in All of Walt Disney World’s Redone Rides Are Upgrades, the recent track record is promising.
Beyond that, there’s the simple reality that a reimagining of Spaceship Earth is overdue. Again, the 2007 iteration is now the longest-running version of the attraction. We’re at the point where people now feel nostalgic and sentimental about the script, which was not well-received when upon debut. This needs to happen.
Fans cannot want attractions to remain stuck in the past with visible datedness simply because we’re afraid that Disney might somehow make them worse. I fully understand those fears, and there was a time when I shared them. But I’m more optimistic that Imagineering has turned a corner. Even if I weren’t, it’s unhealthy for the parks to embrace stagnation for the sake of preserving nostalgia and sentimentality. That’s one recipe for not nurturing future generations of fans, as more appears outdated and kitschy to first-timers.
Ultimately, we’re really pleased to see this Spaceship Earth reimagining project get announced. Other headliners have gotten TLC and Test Track is proving to be a smash success, so that’s paving the way for a second wave of projects–almost a stealth EPCOT phase 2 overhaul.
My biggest hesitation with this project is that it probably stands in the way of the Journey Into Imagination reimagining. Previously, I wrote that I was fine with them happening back-to-back, with SSE first. Well, that was before the announcement, when I had a beggars can’t be choosers mentality. Now that the JII reimagining is finally, really-for-real, I want that ASAP. So my hope is that this project starts soon, doesn’t involve much work to the underlying ride system, and is done by Summer 2027 at the latest. Fingers crossed!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about Spaceship Earth finally being reimagined? Thoughts on the distinction between human communications vs. human connection? How long do you expect an SSE overhaul to take? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts here? 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!
