Spaceship Earth

[GrizzlyHall]

Folks - make sure you visit Spaceship Earth many times in your next visits. Rumor has it that the attraction will rennovate to become a roller coaster. This sounds rediculous, but WDI has some very secretive plans in the works to continue this "Gemini" project.

It may be time to say goodbye to the original EPCOT attraction...the last of the great omni-movers. The score will also be missed...what wonderful music!

 

[Disney Bean Counte]

Please, Please, Please...

No more rollercosters!

The older I get, the more I appreciate the non-rollercoaster attractions.

I mean...look at Rock N' Rollercoaster. Everything up through the 0-60 is great. Then it turns into a typical done-on-the-cheap rollercoaster. Just more day-glow flats +sound.

We were asked to take part in one of those WDW customer satisfaction surveys and I said that they needed new non-rollercoster attractions that take place in HUGE show bulidings...and the guy taking the survey said that they get very few requests for "quality" Disney Attractions like Pirates a Haunted Mansion. Most people want more THRILL RIDES!!! Now don't get me wrong, TOT is a thrill ride, and I love it (he last $100,000,000 attraction in deed). However, this castmember stated that they mostly get requests for more Rock N Rollercoaster rides (yes I did say ride.

You know I could see years ago that with the way that things were going, in the near future there would be fewer and fewer attractions for all of the members of many families. Now..it's getting to the point where I have no real love of rollercoasters. I can do them...but I don't like focusing on how much I am being shaken up, and besides...what's wrong with an attraction that lasts 10 minutes?

More short sighted vision...but isn't that what we have all come to expect?

 

[Dr. Know]

Depressing news indeed.

:'(

 

[X-S Tech]

I don't mind more thrill rides but why at the expense of good solid storytelling attractions. My wife and I are expecting our first child and will be going to WDW in April for her first time, and I'm surprised at how many of the attractions she will not be able to go on. All of the new innovative stuff that we don't have out here is a thrill ride. I'm glad for Journey into your Imagination at least, but Rockin Rollercoaster is out, Test Track, and Tower of Terror too. I know EPCOT's always been a tough park to sell to people but do they really want to isolate the Family audience because there's nothing in Future World for the kids? Kids don't appreciate the World Showcase aspect, and come to think of it neither does the teen audience that they're trying to attract with more thrills.

 

[Gurgitoy2]

If it goes as planned it's not supposed to be a roller coaster. It's current name is "Spaceship Earth: Time Racers", and although it sounds fast it's not like Test Track. It sounds like something that was planned for WESTCOT, actually. It's supposed to hearken back to EPCOT's early days of science and discovery. And considering AT&T has pulled it's sponsorship from the current attraction, I guess it makes sense to change it. Now if they would only do that with the whole Wonders of Life pavilion!

 

[Disney Bean Counte]

Absolutely...

If they choose to eliminate BODY WARS I would shed no tears. You know come to think of it...I have been to WDW for a week+ three times in three years...and haven't even thought about entering Wonders of Life.

When did the AT&T sponsorship end?

 

[Dr. Know]

On the subject of Spaceship Earth, does anyone have a full recording of the original attraction (the 1982-86 version, pre-Walter Cronkite)? I would love to hear it!

Thanks

 

[Gurgitoy2]

AT&T's sponsorship ended in January of this year. That also includes Innoventions at Disneyland.

 

[bbowling]

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[X-S Tech]

I heard that the sets and stuff from Horizons were archived for future use in Disneylands New Sub attraction, course who knows when that is; they may just figure it's easier to scrap the stuff than store it indefinately

 

[Gurgitoy2]

Again, it's not supposed to be a thrill ride...

Here is some information I've found about it...

">>Report: Spaceship Earth To Get Facelift
Change To Be Completed By 2007

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The centerpiece at Walt Disney World's Epcot is expected to get a major facelift.

There's been a lot of talk about what major attraction in Epcot would be next on the list to be overhauled, and it appears the icon of the giant park is in for some serious retooling, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

Since construction began in 1979, Spaceship Earth has always been the centerpiece of Walt Disney's Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow.

"Epcot celebrates human achievement and innovation born from imagination," former Disney Chairman Card Walker said.

It's the kind of imagination Walker was talking about exemplified by Spaceship Earth. Visitors entering the giant silver sphere are taken on a slow-moving platform ride through centuries of human development, from cave dwelling primitive culture to modern civilization.

But the technology is old, and inside sources said Disney is preparing to gut and replace the ride in Spaceship Earth in time for the 25th anniversary of Epcot in 2007.

Documents obtained by WESH NewsChannel 2 illustrate a timeline for the overall refurbishment of Epcot named Project Gemini. It shows Disney will close Spaceship Earth in February 2005, replacing it with a new ride called Time Racers.

Because Disney already has a high-speed race track at Epcot, Test Track, sources said the company will most likely build a moving theater-type ride in Spaceship Earth to handle up to 2,400 park patrons per hour.

A Disney spokesman declined comment on the information uncovered, saying it's Disney policy not to talk about projects that have yet to be formally announced.

A former Disney imagineer said he believes Disney is going to use the same ride technology that it uses at its new Disney park, Tokyo Disney Sea, in reconstructing Spaceship Earth.

 

[Michael Zielski]

Thank you for the article, Ben--finally someone mentioned Ray Bradbury, who worked on Spaceship Earth with John Hench and Marty Sklar(great article by Mr. Bradbury, "Walt Disney and Other Memories of the Future," in The E Ticket #36). If the attraction is going to be changed, I think it would be most appropriate to at least maintain some of Ray's concepts--why not even consult with him, while he is still with us--I'd love to hear his thoughts on their "renovation." Mike.

 

[MikkiMom]

Boy, I don't get to check the messages for a few days and then "Wham" I'm hit with the news about the Sorcerer's Apprentice and then Spaceship Earth. I'm almost afraid to read down the board to see what's next.

I don't mind more thrill rides but why at the expense of good solid storytelling attractions. My wife and I are expecting our first child and will be going to WDW in April for her first time, and I'm surprised at how many of the attractions she will not be able to go on.

Good point. We are looking at taking our first trip to WDW with our son who is a little over age 2, and my parents. My mother has knee problems so she is limited on what she can do, and then with our son we are limited somewhat on the attractions he can enjoy. There are quite a few things we can do, but I'm surprised at how many attractions we'll have to pass on. I think they've increased in number over these last few years....

MM

 

[X-S Tech]

OK I take it all back. Check out this article by Jim Hill http://www.jimhillmedia.com/main/index.htm It talks about the future plans for all of EPCOT. It's a bit of a step for EPCOT (Living Seas is rethemed with Little Mermaid) but looks very dense and elaborate. I have to say I'm a bit excited. Yes of course given their recent track record they could easily screw this up. But let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[Disney Bean Counte]

It all comes down to...

are they going to spend the money and do it right? My guess is ...no.

Some of these guys haven't realized that doing things on the cheap is often worse than not doing anything at all...

Cheap just makes me long for the day when this company toook huge financial risks...and won.

Someone tell me why I keep seeing BACK TO THE FUTURE when I read about this new attraction?

 

[X-S Tech]

I realized something. How many times have we heard that the reason the Japanese parks are so beautiful is that the Japanese public very discerning and they are willing to pay for it. As if we are just some uncultured bunch of slobs who will go visit anything as long as there's a line to stand in. I think that DCA has finally proven that to be untrue. We know how to discern quality. The real difference with us and the Japanese parks isn't the public, it's the people in charge. Their management knows how to give the public what they want. I remember when DCA's woes were first becoming apparent that someone had mentioned that a japanese company (possibly Oriental land Co.) may be interested in purchasing ownership in the park. They were horrified. "How could Disney sell to a foriegn investor?!!" What are we in the 1940's? Like there aren't a million Japanese stockholders already? I for one could not begin to imagine the Awesome park that DCA could become with some Japanese Financial Power behind it. As for EPCOT perhaps it will be one of those redo's that they actually take seriously.

 

[Gurgitoy2]

I also read Jim Hill's article and I really hope they stick with the plan. I was afraid when he mentioned the "Montana of the Future" concept and referred to Disneyland's Tomorrowland. I didn't take that as a good sign, but if they can manage to keep the budget and use ideas from WESTCOT, I'm all for it! I just don't want another Tomorrowland '98...

Staying optimistic on this one though, and hoping Jay and WDI win out.