As a part of EPCOT’s reimagining, Walt Disney World deliberate a multi-year Spaceship Earth refurbishment and overhaul. That reimagining was delayed indefinitely, however a venture continues to be probably on the horizon. We’ll focus on particulars & potential closure timelines, idea artwork for the overhaul, and why upkeep is lengthy overdue. (Up to date January 25, 2025.)
Let’s begin with the reimagining delay. Spaceship Earth’s reimagining was introduced on the 2019 D23 Expo after over a yr of rumors. Particulars have been restricted to a tease of the “story mild” on the time. Then on February 25, 2020, Imagineering revealed that Spaceship Earth would shut a few months later, on Could 26. Then all of Walt Disney World closed lower than a month after the announcement and remained closed till mid-July. When EPCOT reopened, Spaceship Earth returned with it.
When EPCOT reopened after its 4 month closure, Walt Disney World had quietly eliminated idea artwork and scenes from the Epcot Expertise overview video and launched this assertion: “As with most companies throughout this era, we’re additional evaluating long-term venture plans. The choice was made to postpone growth of the Mary Poppins-inspired attraction and Spaceship Earth presently.” That was the final official replace on the Spaceship Earth reimagining. Clearly, so much has modified within the final ~5 years.
January 25, 2025 Replace: It was a tough week for Spaceship Earth, an attraction that routinely has tough weeks. Though the attraction is lastly operational on the time of this replace, it was closed for nearly two full days and important parts of others.
Whereas this has been a very unhealthy week for Spaceship Earth, unscheduled downtime and upkeep isn’t unusual for this attraction. As mentioned beneath, it was overdue to an precise refurbishment (not a reimagining) again when the venture was slated to start some 5 years in the past. Now I’m no scientist, however trip infrastructure doesn’t strike me as a kind of issues that improves with age or fixes itself.
As for when Spaceship Earth might go down at this level, the apparent timing is after the Take a look at Monitor 3.0 reimagining. That attraction is slated to reopen in late Summer time 2025, which might imply something from late July by October 1, 2025. It might find yourself being even later if the venture has delays. Regardless, it’s not as if Take a look at Monitor will open in the future and Spaceship Earth would shut the subsequent–there’s more likely to be a multi-month hole between the initiatives.
Walt Disney World is reluctant to take a number of main EPCOT sights offline on the similar time, so it’s unlikely that Spaceship Earth would shut for a prolonged venture previous to then. Even after the Take a look at Monitor venture, there’s nothing to say Spaceship Earth might be subsequent on deck–there are a handful of sights in EPCOT needing assist.
One other complicating issue is that, previous to Take a look at Monitor 3.0 debuting, a new bar will open inside Spaceship Earth, changing the outdated sponsor lounge that was vacated when the Siemens partnership ending. (The dearth of a sponsor for Spaceship Earth additionally complicates issues–the one cause Take a look at Monitor is being redone is as a result of Common Motors is footing a lot of the invoice.)
It will be a curious resolution to open the lounge within the spring…solely to shut it once more a number of months later. It’s totally attainable to have the lounge accessible whereas the trip itself is down for refurbishment or reimagining, however that will essentially entail altering the scope and scale of the venture versus what was beforehand introduced again in 2019/2020.
Frankly, that’s a secure guess, regardless. It’s been over 5 years because the Spaceship Earth reimagining idea was developed, and so much has modified since then–from management to budgets to expertise. Whereas there could possibly be parts of the Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story venture that come to fruition, it’s additionally probably that there are main modifications to what’s deliberate.
As for when an announcement could possibly be made about Spaceship Earth being reimagined, the odds-on favourite is throughout the 2025 Vacation spot D23 occasion at Walt Disney World over Labor Day weekend. That is the caliber of venture to be introduced at that occasion, versus D23 Expo in Anaheim.
As for closure timing, that basically is dependent upon how urgently important downtime is required. If Walt Disney World can get away with it, I’d hazard a guess that they’d push the beginning of the Spaceship Earth refurbishment into January 2026. If not, it might occur earlier. Or, if they’ll actually get away with it, they won’t schedule something–or only a transient closure. Walt Disney World has made fairly clear that they view the EPCOT overhaul as accomplished, so some main reimagining of Spaceship Earth might not occur till the early 2030s.
Bear in mind, all of that is speculative based mostly on a combination of the downtime plaguing Spaceship Earth and what we’ve heard about it being overdue for upkeep. There’s no assure that Walt Disney World will do something, as deferred upkeep has grow to be the norm over the previous couple of years. That’s beginning to change, which is why we’re optimistic that this venture will lastly be put onto the calendar. Once more, it must occur–Spaceship Earth is in sorry form.
There’s appreciable work needing to be achieved on the trip system that may’t wait an excessive amount of longer. After we first reported on the rumored reimagining, we shared that Spaceship Earth was overdue for observe alternative. That was again in 2018.
Virtually seven years later, and that has not occurred. Spaceship Earth is mainly held along with duct tape at this level, experiencing extra downtime and having ever-increasing points. A bigger venture and longer downtime is desperately wanted. Spaceship Earth’s infrastructure badly wants work, and it might use an replace to point out scenes, too.
What any Spaceship Earth refurbishment will entail stays to be seen at this level. It’ll be prolonged regardless–a number of months, if not a yr or longer. Whether or not it’ll be a full-scale reimagining or “simply” essential TLC will probably dictate whether or not the closure is on the longer or shorter finish of the spectrum.
If Spaceship Earth does get reimagined–and that’s actually wanted at this level, right here’s what might occur. That is all what was beforehand deliberate and will have modified considerably within the years because the Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story venture was shelved…
Beforehand, Walt Disney World introduced that the reimagining could be “Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story.”
It’s conceivable that this might nonetheless occur someday in 2025 or 2026. Once more, this work is overdue by a number of years, so in some unspecified time in the future, they received’t have the ability to postpone the mandatory portion of the observe upkeep and alternative any longer.
This reimagined Spaceship Earth was to have a brand new narration, a completely new musical rating, and new present scenes. Most notably, friends will comply with a magical “Story Gentle” that brings the complete expertise to life in dynamic methods, giving every scene vitality and sweetness that ties the complete journey collectively.
In Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story, friends would go to Egypt, which is an element of the present model of the attraction–however it will be “an Egypt such as you’ve by no means seen earlier than, reworked by the facility of sunshine.”
Per Walt Disney Imagineering, this would be the Spaceship Earth’s fourth “and most formidable” replace since EPCOT Middle’s grand opening on October 1, 1982. In fact, that might very properly be advertising puffery. It’s not as if Disney goes to tout this as “eh, possibly the third-most formidable replace ever, give or take.”
Walt Disney World beforehand confirmed that the subsequent iteration of Spaceship Earth will nonetheless give attention to the story of humanity, following our lengthy journey from prehistoric people to in the present day dropped at life.
Lots of the current scenes in Spaceship Earth will stay within the attraction, however up to date with new expertise and blended along with brand-new scenes to inform a narrative about our shared human expertise. All through the reimagined Spaceship Earth, you’ll hear new narration and see how mild performs a central position within the human journey. The attraction will come to life in dynamic methods in a celebration of what’s attainable after we all come collectively.
Moreover, the again of Spaceship Earth was to be reworked with a brand new post-show.
Fortunately, modifications outdoors Spaceship Earth truly did occur. Not fully as introduced, however to a big extent. Upon exiting Spaceship Earth, there’s be a Dreamers Level, which incorporates a statue of Walt Disney seated on a curb.
This space behind Spaceship Earth can even characteristic pure environments, a wishing tree in an enchanted forest, and a narrative fountain taking part in Disney music. (These final two issues, sadly, didn’t occur. The world behind Spaceship Earth is fairly boring and uninspired.)
One factor that desperately wants to alter in Spaceship Earth is the descent. That is the basically the conclusion of the attraction, which is at present pushed by interactive screens within the trip automobile. Exterior of that, there are some random triangles and curtains as present “scenes.”
The present descent has been lambasted by followers because it debuted over a decade in the past. Just about as quickly as the present model of the attraction debuted, there have been rumors that the descent was unfinished, and could be added to over time whereas the attraction was operational. Regardless of imprecise indicators of labor being achieved, that by no means occurred.
No matter what occurs with the present scenes within the first half of the trip, it’s extremely probably that one thing might be added to the descent throughout Spaceship Earth’s subsequent refurbishment or reimagining. It’s fairly apparent that Imagineering was not glad with it earlier than, and the interactive expertise has not aged properly within the trip automobiles. The massive unknown is whether or not the brand new Spaceship Earth descent might be what you’re taking a look at on this idea artwork, or one thing completely different totally.
Personally, I’m cautiously optimistic concerning the eventual Spaceship Earth refurbishment or reimagining.
The trip system badly wants it. Not solely that, the most certainly modifications will happen later within the attraction to scenes that I don’t assume are notably robust at current. From my perspective, there’s little likelihood that the longer term 180top and scenes thereafter could be a downgrade from the present incarnation of Spaceship Earth. Ditto the brand new narration.
Furthermore, Imagineering has made some great strides with expertise because the final Spaceship Earth overhaul, and several other of these could possibly be carried out to good impact. I’d imagined loads of projection mapping might be used, but when we get a few of that Mystic Manor-esque ‘magic mild mud’ that’d be icing on the cake.
With that mentioned, what follows right here is rumor (from pre-2020)–however all the previous rumors concerning the scope and specifics of Spaceship Earth’s overhaul have been formally confirmed by the corporate (earlier than being shelved), so this probably speaks to Imagineering’s intent with Spaceship Earth on the time the venture was introduced.
Once more, plans might have modified because the Spaceship Earth reimagining was first introduced. Nevertheless, to the extent there are modifications, it’s probably the venture has been scaled again versus expanded. Spaceship Earth is sponsorless, and the finances for the EPCOT overhaul has been spent. Every time it does occur, this venture is not going to get the identical stage of funding it will have again in 2020.
The primary ingredient of the rumor is that every one scenes might be refreshed previous to the Industrial Revolution, with extra important modifications for the scenes following that. It’s anticipated that the 180top might be drastically reimagined using the most recent in projection mapping tech. Throughout the closure there’s additionally more likely to be observe alternative, new load and unload stations, and a brand new publish present.
Second, this refurbishment is anticipated to final between 1 and a couple of years. We’ve tried to nail this down extra particularly, and all we’ve heard is that it might final round 18 months.
Nevertheless, that was additionally again when Spaceship Earth was going to be one part of the larger image EPCOT overhaul. It was thus attainable that a part of the explanation the venture would final so lengthy is as a result of Spaceship Earth would shut for the period (or a minimum of a serious part of) the central backbone redesign.
With the remainder of the EPCOT overhaul now completed, we might count on a shorter closure. Mainly, the minimal period of time for carrying out the mandatory work on the observe and trip system. Whether or not that’s 6 months or over a yr is past me. However no matter reimagining goes to occur must happen throughout that window, versus extending it.
On a optimistic word, some enhancements did nonetheless come to Spaceship Earth, they simply occurred outdoors the enduring geodesic sphere. First, EPCOT’s major entrance plaza reimagining has been accomplished, revealing the enduring prismatic pylon fountain in entrance of Spaceship Earth!
Three acrylic pylons standing over 16 ft tall and that includes the park’s emblem encompass the fountain and hearken again to the creation of EPCOT Middle. This completes the primary part of EPCOT’s large overhaul, as the development partitions which have lined the entrance of the park for over a yr at the moment are down. The brand new entrance plaza appears to be like good.
At night time, Spaceship Earth appears to be like even higher. Epcot’s icon comes alive with new Beacons of Magic, an addition throughout the World’s Most Magical Celebration for Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary.
New lights have truly been put in in between the reflective panels of Spaceship Earth, connecting to at least one one other and resembling stars in a nighttime sky. In contrast to the opposite Beacons of Magic, these are the one everlasting new lighting which have continued past “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” as a defining characteristic of the reimagined Epcot. (Learn & see extra in Beacons of Magic at Epcot: Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary Spotlight!)
Finally, we’re nonetheless wanting ahead to extra modifications to Spaceship Earth, and left questioning whether or not the reimagining venture may start across the time different new additions. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Moana’s Journey of Water, and CommuniCore Corridor have all debuted, and the entrance of the park is as soon as once more be construction-free.
Consequently, it’s totally attainable that Imagineering will let EPCOT have its “second” for a few years earlier than endeavor extra main initiatives. The reimagining of Spaceship Earth might then be a part of a second part of the EPCOT overhaul, becoming a member of Journey into Creativeness and [insert whatever else is on your personal wish list here]. It’s unlikely that Walt Disney World will launch an official timeline for this reimagining venture till Vacation spot D23 Expo in September 2025–and possibly not even then–however we’ll hold you posted as extra turns into identified!
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Your Ideas
What do you concentrate on this Spaceship Earth closure and reimagining? Ideas on when the venture will happen–if in any respect–now that it’s been delayed indefinitely? Excited for the outside enhancements? Might you deal with Spaceship Earth being closed for two years? Do you agree or disagree with our ideas right here? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
