Spaceship Earth

This massive Geosphere, the symbol of EPCOT, is always my first ride at Disney World because of its old school Disney story-telling and its relaxing pace. As it looms impressively over you, this giant silver ball reminds me a little bit of all the spaceships I drew as a child. It’s both inviting and awe-inspiring in the same breath. I half expect to find E.T. waiting for me at the top of the ramp inviting me to explore the universe.

The show inside however, explores the ongoing search by humans for ever more efficient means of communication. Using sophisticated audio-animatronics and state of the art special effects, the show does an impressive job of conveying the story of communication. The ride, which Disney consulted on with Ray Bradbury, takes you on a memorable 14-minute journey. It begins in a musty smelling dark cave and continues through history and into to the future.

The attraction has incredible special effects, such as the flickering candles in the scene where a monk has nodded off, and the smell of smoke coming from the Fall of Rome. Every scene is loaded with that Disney detail. Your head will turn as your vehicle makes its way through the ride.

Most recently, in 2008, there was a remodel of the ride and they changed the ending. You can now insert yourself into the ride by choosing your future and having the computer generate your image into the rides graphics. It sounds pretty cool, but I haven’t had a chance to try it out myself.

I’ll also be interested to see whether the changeover in narration from Jeremy Irons to Dame Judi Dench will be as impressive as it sounds on paper. I’m half expecting her to say, “Oh, Bond, grow up.”

This ride is a don’t miss! Check it out the next time you are there.

HOT TIP:

The line for Spaceship Earth is usually long during the early morning hours and relatively short in the late afternoon and evening.

Here are some awesome links to read more cool things about Spaceship Earth:

At AllEarsNet (WDWIG) - http://allears.net/tp/ep/e_spe.htm
At Laughing Place - http://www.laughingplace.com/Guide-Attraction-33.asp
At Disney Shawn - http://disneyshawn.blogspot.com/search/label/Spaceship Earth
At Disney - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/spaceship-earth/
On YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHiYAYBZ9RM
On Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceship_Earth_%28Epcot%29
And a surprise link - http://sse.disney.go.com/media/ap/spaceship-earth/index.html