Mouse Extra

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting this morning that Epcot’s iconic attraction Spaceship Earth will be reopening for previews in mid-December, only a couple of weeks away.  There was speculation earlier this fall that work on this project was moving slowly and that previews would not happen until well in 2008.  But now we find this apparently huge project will soon be completed and guests will be allowed back into the big golf ball.

We also now have confirmation that Judi Dench, the actress who plays M in the most recent James Bond films, will in fact be the new narrator.  But the report is predictably short on details, as Imagineering tends to speak in generalities when it comes to such things…

The ride was closed earlier this year as the entire system also has been updated with new show scenes, lighting, costumes, set decorations, interactive features for riders and a new narrator, Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench.

There is also a new score coming, that Imagineering has apparently put a lot of effort in to…

“To have that score transition smoothly as vehicles travel from one time period to the next is extremely difficult,” said Walt Disney Imagineering show producer Bob Zalk. “The first time we rode through the attraction accompanied by that music, we were amazed.”

Reworking older attractions seems to be the popular project at Walt Disney World these days.  Sweeping changes to older rides, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, have been mostly met with critical praise.  This project, however, appears to be the most expansive of these projects.  It seems they have put an amazing amount of time and resources into revolutionizing Spaceship Earth.  Being one of my favorite attractions on property, I am both excited and nervous about the outcome.