A new story coming to Spaceship Earth
This month’s Magic of the Month article posted on Disney World’s official website has some great information on what we can expect from the new version of Spaceship Earth. Imagineer Bob Zalk gives us the first truly concrete look into this major refurbishment and even tells us a bit about the new story we can expect to experience.
“We’re telling a different story this time,” he explained. “Our new story is essentially about how all the innovations of one generation influence and inspire another. There’s definitely a relationship between the caveman in the early scenes, who is writing on walls, to our era in which we write on computers. It’s a series of building blocks that add upon each other as we travel up through Spaceship Earth.”
Once you reach the top of the 165-foot diameter Spaceship Earth geodesic dome, the new, interactive touch screens on your “time machine” vehicle will invite you to create your own visions of the future and see yourself in that future.
We should also expect to find an entirely new narration, score and ride vehicles. This is much bigger than many people initially thought, as some even wondered if the narration would change much no less a completely new story. When all is said and done, Spaceship Earth should be more like a new attraction that may give you some déjà vu then just a refurbishment.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the work on this has been delayed significantly. This is a big job that probably grew as work progressed. However long it takes is fine with me. I am excited about riding the big golf ball once again.
Raidermatt said,
November 10, 2007 @ 1:27 am
It certainly sounds promising. The execution is always the tricky part though, so we’ll see. Everything described does synch with what I remember reading originally. There was to be a new score, narration, touch screens, etc. I remember because there was a thread somewhere debating who should do the new narration, and comments about the end reminding people of Horizons.
One would hope they could plan the project well enough to not have it slip so much, but things do happen when you are working on a 25 year old infrastructure and with such complex components.
Klark Kent 007 said,
November 21, 2007 @ 6:16 am
It appears that the new narration will be provided by Dame Judy Dench. I am looking forward to that.
Anonymous said,
November 21, 2007 @ 11:51 pm
So… They’re hollowing out “Spaceship Earth” so they can squeeze in “Horizons”? I’m all for building a new “Horizons” ride myself (they should have never torn down the old one, considering that the Horizons ride never KILLED anyone like Mission: Space has) but why sacrifice SE to put in a 2nd rate Horizons?
Look - We’re never getting the EPCOT Center of 82/83 back b/c the suits are stupid. Could we at least ditch the “Everything must be a thrill ride / drenched with Pixar or some other pre-existing Disney IP” philosophy instead?