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When it comes to the Disney theme parks, whether Disneyland or Magic Kingdom’s castles, Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, or even Hollywood Studios’ former Sorcerer’s Hat, they’ve all had a structure that served as the park’s icon. And Epcot’s Spaceship Earth is no exception, as while the outside remains the same, the ride within has seen drastic changes since its 1982 debut and even contains a few glimpses at what almost was. So let’s explore how this iconic attraction has evolved over the years.
(Opening sequence) --- On October 1st, 1979, Disney’s second Florida-based theme park, EPCOT Center, officially began construction. However, unlike Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, whose symbols of the park contained a walkthrough and a restaurant, EPCOT’s iconic structure - known as Spaceship Earth - would house a dark ride attraction of the same name. And Spaceship Earth would tell the history of mankind, and specifically would explore the evolution of communication with a prediction of the future and would fittingly be sponsored by the Bell System. And while originally intended to only house the ending of the ride, with the vast majority in a show building behind it, it was eventually decided to fit the entire attraction within the giant sphere. The idea of Spaceship Earth was totally new and unique: to build the world’s first complete geodesic sphere on October 1st, 1982, after 26 months of construction, Spaceship Earth was complete and Disney’s EPCOT Center was officially open to the public, along with the attraction within Disney’s icon.
Now, to fully appreciate the elements of the attraction that would change in later years - as they range from the subtle to the obvious - it’s best we start at the beginning and go scene by scene. From the offset, it’s interesting to note that there’s some debate as to whether the ride was first narrated by Lawrence Dobkin, an actor whose voice could also be heard in the Hall of Presidents, or American actor Vic Perrin.
(Clip of the original ride audio.)
RIDE NARRATION Where have we come from? Where are we going? The answers begin in our past.
MARK The first visuals of the attraction were clouds by way of fog machines and flashes of lightning, and you could would emerge to see a projection effect of the earliest humans fighting a woolly mammoth, which had been condensed from earlier concepts of the show scene. After passing by a shaman telling stories in a cave, a dimly lit Egyptian animatronic and fire effect could be seen high on the scaffolding, leading to another making papyrus, along with the Pharaoh and his queen. In the following scene, a smoke effect set the mood as two merchants traded various goods at a harbor, with a ship in the ocean as a display on the right side of the vehicle. You would then come across a greek theater, where two men wearing masks were performing Oedipus Rex. And in the next scene, a Roman exchanges information with a man in toga, with a projection effect in the background of a man riding a chariot off into the distance and. And after the show scene displaying the fall of Rome, you would pass by four wise men and enter the Dark Ages.
RIDE NARRATION Monks toil endlessly transcribing ancient wisdom into hand-penned books of revelation.
MARK From there, we finally entered the Renaissance, which featured a boy in a tikit (?) in front of a printing press and a man reading literature to a couple as musicians played in the background. And in a workshop after the sculptor and painter, another artist could be seen chiseling away at a partially nude statue of a woman. And the period would end with the painting of the Sistine Chapel.
You’d then enter a more modern day version of the printing press, with the paper boy reaching out toward your vehicle to sell newspapers, leading to a telegraph station and three women working at a switchboard. Just ahead, a couple could be seen in a recording booth performing a teleplay for WDP, an acronym for Walt Disney Productions; and to the right, a cinema would display clips from the early days of film.
Further on, a family could be seen watching television with apartment windows in the background, which included a variety of TV screens displaying clips from shows of the 1950s and 60s. Just beyond, a boy sits at a desk working on a 1970s computer, followed by a woman working on what at the time was a modern day computer of the 1980s. From there, you’d enter a network’s communication center as various employees could be seen working the system.
And after traveling through a light tunnel, your vehicle would exit at the very top of Spaceship Earth. Interestingly, as originally intended, you would have emerged from a spaceship’s airlock hatch and traveled along the lunar surface, with a Moon base under construction and stretching out into space using forced perspective. However, the effect was ultimately scrapped during construction when it proved less than convincing. (Mural was changed to reflect the scene alteration.) But while hard to see, as incredibly covered by Martin from Martin’s Vids, elements of the unfinished Moon surface were left in the attraction, and you would pass under the dimly lit space station as well as the astronauts and satellite props, including a full-figured animatronic at the controls of the large space station set piece that went unnoticed by many.
As your vehicle descended into the unloading area, various screens featured projected colors and abstract images. And a bit further down, more screens would display video relating to science and technology. Finally, after exiting the ride vehicle, you’d then enter a large room called Earth Station, where in addition to making dining reservations and exploring information about the park, large screens overhead displayed previews of the other EPCOT pavilions and their attractions through a series of cute and rather clever animations.
(Promo video.)
ANNOUNCER A futuristic city hall where information systems and touch-sensitive screens help you plan your day, or allow you to call for personal assistance.
MARK Spaceship Earth quickly became a guest favorite, but it wouldn’t be until 1986 when the first changes were made to the attraction, as the Bell System dissolved and AT&T became its new sponsor. In addition to receiving a new script and new voiceover from world-renowned TV anchor Walter Cronkite…
CRONKITE …For our planet has drifted as a spaceship through the universe, and for a brief moment, we have been its passengers.
MARK …The attraction saw the replacement of the fog effect with a new star field, and the curious removal of an animatronic in the Renaissance scene, and another in the network’s operation center. The 1986 version would also include a new score when you reached the top of the sphere, along with new projections and screens during the descent, featuring a new song, called ‘Tomorrow’s Child.’
RIDE (Tomorrow’s child) Tomorrow’s child Seeing that knowledge keeps growing
MARK Flash forward to 1994, in which AT&T renewed its sponsorship and approved a lengthy refurbishment that would include a number of major updates, starting with a new script and new voiceover by Jeremy Irons, known famously at the time for providing the voice of Scar in The Lion King. And the attraction also received a brand new soundtrack.
IRONS Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time…and for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers.
MARK For this version of Spaceship Earth, it wasn’t until after the 1950s family watching a television that the attraction’s drastic changes took place - starting with the boy and the woman at a computer, which was now replaced by a telecommunication scene between a boy and his Japanese friend. And just ahead, the telecommunications room was replaced with a large illumination of Earth and newly enhanced lighting effects in the tunnel. And while the top of the sphere featured a new and better-lit Earth, sadly, the astronauts and satellite props had been removed, and the space station was painted over in black, with the controller animatronic’s window also being blocked out. But on the bright side, as you began your descent, a series of creative dioramas were added as you made your way down.
RIDE …Doctor of clinical psychology and class valedictorian. He’s my baby brother. Okay, Doctor? Surprise, Tommy. Your baby sister’s doing just fine. Great, Eddie. It’s more than we ever hoped for.
MARK Near the end and culminating everything you just saw was a stunningly beautiful set piece. The ride would end through another tunnel which highlighted how AT&T made this all possible, and upon exiting, the ride’s Earth station had been transformed into the Global Neighborhood and featured a number of activities and interactive experiences. And over the next ten plus years, with the exception of the Mickey wand added in 1999 for Epcot’s Millennium Celebration, the attraction was left virtually unchanged. But the Global Neighborhood underwent an extensive refurbishment in the late ’90s to be come the New Global Neighborhood.
However, in 2004, AT&T’s sponsorship expired and they opted not to renew, so the Global Neighborhood was literally boarded up and left abandoned.
SIEMENS AD Siemens - we’re turning the dreams of businesses and communities into reality.
MARK In 2005, it was announced that Siemens would become the attraction’s new sponsor, which included a major refurbishment and the removal of the Mickey wand in 2007. And when the ride reopened, it again included a new script and new narration, this time by Judi Dench.
DENCH Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time.
MARK After the updated projections in the tunnel, the first show scene featured new animations of the hunters attacking a woolly mammoth, and could also be seen on the walls inside the cave. And it was here followed by the Egyptian scene that would be the first of many examples showcasing the ride’s new animatronics, which featured much more lifelike movements…and would also be the first example of animatronics and show scene effects that were removed entirely. On the Greek, the play of Oedipus Rex was changed to a teacher in his class, and the next scene would contain lost effect of the chariot racing off in the distance.
From here, while a number of animatronics were upgraded, quite a few were removed entirely - and perhaps due to the censorship of another Disney attraction around the same time, the female sculpture in the Renaissance scene was censored, though its miniature versions and the concept drawings on the wall were left unchanged.
Moving past the upgraded Michelangelo, while one of the animatronics in the printing scene was upgraded, it’s rumored the paper boy’s face was broken during the refurbishment and was simply put in the back. And moving past the drastic change of a new visor, the couple doing a teleplay was replaced by a news anchor, and the radio station was also changed to WDI, which stands for Walt Disney Imagineering, along with alterations made to the cinema and the family watching TV.
But like the previous versions, the biggest changes were about to begin starting with the telecommunication portion, which now contained a recreation of one of the first computers, followed by a scene either depicting Apple founder Steve Jobs or his partner, Steve Wozniak, or perhaps an amalgamation of the two, in their iconic Silicon Valley garage. And after passing through a new projection tunnel and updated Earth, your descent from the top of the geosphere saw the removal of all the dioramas and displays, now diverting your attention to a new screen-based interactive experience. And the New Global Neighborhood was also given a total redesign, renamed ‘Project Tomorrow: The Future is Here.’
Very little has changed within the attraction since its major 2007 overhaul, and today the future of Spaceship Earth is in a curious state, as big changes are coming to Epcot and the attraction is long due for a refresh. But as to what that will entail, we’ll have to wait and see.
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