Spaceship Earth Rehab (Update)

[MJMcBride]

I still miss Walter Cronkite.

I'm with you. The ride hasn't been the same since good old Walt left.

 

[DC7800]

I'm not opposed to updating, but it is scary when they mess with the biggies

I can think of a lot of attractions in WDW which need updating far worse than Spaceship Earth, and the summer closure doesn't seem like such a good time to do this anyway. While there have been many changes to the ride experience, SE is one of the few Future World attractions which is still recognizable as the same attraction which was there on opening day. Actually, I particularly liked some elements of the current SE descent, so any changes are going to have to meet high expectations.

Indeed, fears of the Journey into Imagination redo immediately come to mind, which probably says a great deal about my level of confidence that Disney won't mess this up.

 

[DigitalMermaid]

Wow, its great that its getting a rehab thing, I love that ride!

 

[Donaldsfan176]

First they close the Haunted Mansion for extensive rehab during the summer months NOW Space Ship Earth will be down for the Summer?

If any Disney Suits monitor this board.. Your timing on rehabing major attractions STINKS!!!!

 

[ChrisFL]

I can think of a lot of attractions in WDW which need updating far worse than Spaceship Earth, and the summer closure doesn't seem like such a good time to do this anyway.

I agree about the ride not really needing updating except the track really needs to be smoother, it's showing its age...it makes a lot of noise and takes away from the experience now.

Naturally Siemens thinks they need to make the ride showcase more of their stuff, like AT&T used to, so its no surprise that they're updating it.

 

[EUROPACL]

Maybe the wand removal has something to do with the timing. Didn't someone (AV Maybe?) say it was basicly falling down?

 

[DC7800]

Didn't someone (AV Maybe?) say it was basicly falling down?

I certainly hope so, and yes, AV did comment (as I recall) that with increasing maintenance costs the wand would be coming down.

But would they have to close the attraction to do that? Perhaps it is just convenient (translation: cheaper) to do both jobs at the same time - maybe the wand won't wait until fall or something.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I had actually heard that the wand had potentially damaged the integrity of the Spaceship Earth structure in someway.

One rumor indicated that removing it might actually be more problem than better supporting it ...

So many rumors...

Knox

 

[crazy4wdw]

We have liftoff
The Epcot ride is evolving via 'Project Tomorrow.'

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 12, 2007

The first changes are in the post-show area (reopening this month) including:
20-foot-high globe offering an ever-changing collage of images of the future.
3-D game called "Body Builder" enabling visitors to assemble a digital human body.

Walt Disney World and Siemens AG are giving Epcot's Spaceship Earth a new spin, updating the ride and its technologies.

Work already has begun in the attraction's post-show area, which is now closed as Disney installs new interactive features to transform it into "Project Tomorrow: Inventing the World of Tomorrow." Broader changes, including updates throughout the ride, will be phased in over the next few months, forcing a closure of the ride later this year.

Spaceship Earth, housed in Epcot's signature structure, a 180-foot geodesic sphere that can be seen for miles, offers visitors a slow, circling, indoor train ride past a series of panoramic scenes depicting the march of time, technology and creativity from cavemen through the late 20th century.

The ride has had minor updates since it opened with Epcot in 1982, but no major overhauls until now.

"We're building on Spaceship Earth's existing attractions and taking it to the next level," said Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez.

The first changes take place in the post-show area, which will reopen late this month with three of several planned new exhibits. The new features will be a 20-foot-high globe offering an ever-changing collage of images of the future; a 3-D game called "Body Builder" enabling visitors to assemble a digital human body; and a driving simulator showcasing motor-vehicle accident and avoidance systems.

Those features and others that will be wired into the ride are based on technologies developed by Siemens. The Munich, Germany-based company with operations in Orlando is involved in a variety of technology fields including automobiles, high-speed rail, water, wind energy, medical equipment and light bulbs. Siemens and Disney signed a sponsorship deal in late 2005, in which Disney pledged to spend $100 million on Siemens' technologies over 12 years.

Cara Allen, another Disney spokeswoman, said the globe renovations will take place later this year, updating everything from the lighting and audio effects to the exhibits themselves. There even will be interactive touch screens installed in ride cars, enabling visitors to create their own visions of the future.

Spaceship Earth's overhaul is not expected to affect the controversial, giant Mickey Mouse arm and wand structure that was added in 1999. The structure has been the target of heated criticism from some Epcot fans who say it clashes with the park's architecture.

Allen said all the changes will be on the inside.

Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.

 

[croach]

I never rode it when Walter Cronkite was the narrator but I sure hope they don't get rid of Jeremy Irons - I can hear the start now "Like a grand and miraculous spaceship (I think it is spaceship). I guess they probably will though.

I also hope the changes to the scenes aren't drastic. I know alot of people probably find it boring but I think it is a great attraction.

 

[YoHo]

Dang, no way to get down there before they change it.

 

[vancesmom]

I just wish they would have timed this better with Epcot's Anniversary. It would have been a great way to celebrate - versus having it down for the count during October.

 

[All Aboard]

Spaceship Earth's geodesic dome

From Walt Disney World's media site??? Dome, eh? Have they had a look at the structure?

 

[MJMcBride]

http://www.mouseextra.com/

 

[°O°Joe]

Here's an interesting take on the reported planned Spaceship Earth changes by EPCOT Central:

Back to being critical, I'm sorry to say.

Siemens and Disney have announced that Spaceship Earth will be getting a major overhaul soon. That should be good news. Why do I feel it’s not?

With this renovation of Spaceship Earth, it appears Imagineering is putting the final nail in the coffin of EPCOT’s once-grand theme – exploring our world and our place in it by examining overarching subjects.

No one reading this needs a history lesson, but to put it in context, EPCOT Center was designed to take guests on journeys through subjects that are critical to our understanding of our world: energy, health, transportation, imagination, the land and the seas. When the much-missed Horizons was added, it served to bring all of these concepts together – we could see how all of these coalesced into a whole, and what they might mean to our future.

Central to all of it was the idea that communication – both in concept and application – was vital to our lives. Spaceship Earth was the literal and figurative centerpiece of EPCOT Center. It reminded us that as much as man strives to better himself and his world, nothing can be accomplished without effective communication systems.

EPCOT Center took the idea of a “theme park” to new heights. The theme was the whole reason for the park. Even if World Showcase seemed like a separate concept, it wasn’t – after we learned about the ideas of the world we live in, we had a chance to meet the people with whom we share our planet and our hopes.

Over the years, EPCOT’s theme has eroded, and the description of the “new” Spaceship Earth degrades it further. At this point, EPCOT Center is truly gone; Epcot is all that’s left. Here’s the description:

On a trip through time inside the Spaceship Earth attraction, guests discover how each generation of mankind has invented the future for the next generation, and how the spirit of innovation has moved people from the caves to the cosmos.

So much for communication. So much for helping us understand how everything at EPCOT fits together. So much for the dream (no matter how wild) that the brilliant theme of EPCOT Center might ever make a comeback.

“Innovation” is the new theme, and it feels wholly generic, as if there is no passion left anywhere for EPCOT, as if Disney and Siemens are simply struggling to find something interesting to put in the attraction – an attraction that, even as it is now, is something of a classic. (Remember what Dear Abby used to say, “If it ain’t broke ...”)

They seem to have seized on the idea of “time machines” (which is, funnily enough, what the vehicles have always been called) and the oh-so-trendy idea of allowing riders a level of interactivity.

There’s not a lot to go on from the reports, very little that’s concrete, other than the loss of the “communication” concept and, by extension, the effective end of the ideas, concepts and vision that originally brought EPCOT Center to life.

This was an opportunity for Imagineers to look deeply at EPCOT and say, “How can we revive some of what made it so special, some of that theme that was such an intrinsic part of the park’s creation?” They did have that opportunity, and it appears they didn’t take it, that they opted instead for something that can be easily marketed (“travel into the past – and into your future!” – wait, didn’t they shut down a ride like that, called Horizons?) and easily sold as an “adventure.”

I guess I can’t fault anyone for taking the easy way out, because, hey, it’s the easy way. But they had an opportunity here. And they missed it.


(P.S. Guess what? Disney appears to say the wand's not coming down, either.)

It's interesting to note that EPCOT Central's article points out that the wand will Not be coming down with these updates:

Spaceship Earth's overhaul is not expected to affect the controversial, giant Mickey Mouse arm and wand structure that was added in 1999. The structure has been the target of heated criticism from some Epcot fans who say it clashes with the park's architecture.

Allen said all the changes will be on the inside.

 

[DancingBear]

Can't say I buy into that article on a couple of points.

First, "innovation through time" sounds like a concept that would have fit into original EPCOT just fine. The loss would be that in the original EPCOT Future World arrangement, communications was a specific focus of SE, and all of the pavillions dealt with innovation in particular areas. But given the current state of Future World, that doesn't seem like a big issue. Horizons is gone; if SE is to be the new Horizons, so be it.

Second, I'm sure it's not just a funny coincidence that they "seized on the idea of 'time machines'"; rather, they knowingly retained the concept.

Third, the "oh-so-trendy idea of allowing riders a level of interactivity" is so trendy they had it back in Horizons.

 

[°O°Joe]

Can't say I buy into that article on a couple of points.

First, "innovation through time" sounds like a concept that would have fit into original EPCOT just fine. The loss would be that in the original EPCOT Future World arrangement, communications was a specific focus of SE, and all of the pavillions dealt with innovation in particular areas. But given the current state of Future World, that doesn't seem like a big issue. Horizons is gone; if SE is to be the new Horizons, so be it.

Second, I'm sure it's not just a funny coincidence that they "seized on the idea of 'time machines'"; rather, they knowingly retained the concept.

Third, the "oh-so-trendy idea of allowing riders a level of interactivity" is so trendy they had it back in Horizons.

Good points! You should post those on his/her blog...

I don't personally like the direction Future World has been heading but I'm not one to sit around and complain about it. I'm actually looking forward to seeing these changes. As long as they don't touch too much of the "classic" scenes, I'm OK with it...

 

[ASilmser]

Third, the "oh-so-trendy idea of allowing riders a level of interactivity" is so trendy they had it back in Horizons.

I agree here. When I first read about the concept for the renovation, I immediately thought that they were trying to revive the themes that existed in the original "Horizons" attraction. It makes sense to me to work those into EPCOT's iconic centerpiece. The concept of future innovations in the center of future world? Sounds like a thematic fit to me. I'm going to do my best reserve judgment on it until I see this one.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

First, it makes sense that Siemens would want to tell a story that goes beyond the narrow confines of "communications." That was AT&T's game. But Siemens has a different (and broader) story to tell.

Here's the description of Siemens from their website:

Siemens, headquartered in Berlin and Munich, is one of the world’s largest electrical engineering and electronics companies and holds leading market positions in all its business areas.

The company has approximately 475,000 employees working to develop and manufacture products, design and install complex systems and projects, and tailor a wide range of services for individual requirements.

Siemens provides innovative technologies and comprehensive know-how to benefit customers in over 190 countries.

Founded 160 years ago, the company focuses on the areas of Automation and Control, Power, Transportation, Medical, Information and Communications and Lighting. In fiscal 2006 (ended September 30), Siemens had sales of €87.325 billion and net income of €3.033 billion.​

Actually, I'm thrilled that Disney's re-do of Spaceship Earth for Siemens will build on what is already there. I'm glad that "Time Racers" appears to be completely dead.

 

[raidermatt]

First, it makes sense that Siemens would want to tell a story that goes beyond the narrow confines of "communications." That was AT&T's game. But Siemens has a different (and broader) story to tell.

I guess we should be glad Roto Rooter didn't pony up the dough for a sponsorship.

Nah, I pretty much agree that this particular blogger has a strong overall point about Future World's abandonment of its original theme and concept, but that the SE example isn't really a good illustration of that point.

It might turn out to be, once we learn more about the changes, but I don't see anything that jumps out at me as being an abandonment of the theme.

My concern is primarily about execution at this point.

I do agree that it's a plus it isn't "Time Racers", or "Goofy's Wacky Tour on Spaceship Earth", but that's not enough to allay my concerns about how it will actually turn out.