A beloved and longtime Walt Disney World ride is set to close for refurbishment later this summer.
Videos by Suggest
According to the Walt Disney World website, the Spaceship Earth ride, located at Epcot, will close on Aug. 25. This slow, dark ride, located inside the iconic Epcot sphere, gives guests the chance to travel back in time to the dawn of humanity, highlighting the history of communication from the Stone Age to the computer age.
The ride first opened on Oct. 1, 1982. Its description reads, “Travel back to the dawn of humanity, when early man painted on cave walls. Watch new ideas spread like wildfire with the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press. The wheels of time turn ever faster as we enter the modern age of media, from newspapers announcing the end of the Civil War to the televised broadcast of the moon landing—and beyond.”
Academy Award winner Judi Dench narrates the ride, and Emmy winner Bruce Broughton assembled the ride’s iconic musical score.
“Once you’ve returned to the present day, you’ll have a chance to design the kind of future you want to live in using the touch screen inside your vehicle,” the description added. “Answer several brief questions and get ready to see what your tomorrow looks like!”
Details about when Spaceship Earth will reopen after refurbishment have not been revealed.
The Walt Disney World Ride Was Initially Set to Close for Refurbishment in 2020
Walt Disney World announced plans to revamp the ride in 2019. “Spaceship Earth will remain the park’s grand icon,” the park confirmed. “But the journey will be transformed with new scenes reflecting the universal nature of the human experience. A new guide and all-new narration will focus on the storytelling that brings people together.”
The ride was initially set to close for its refurbishment on May 26, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plans were pushed back. A spokesperson for Walt Disney World stated at the time, “As with most businesses during this period, we are further evaluating long-term project plans.”
The spokesperson noted that the decision to postpone Spaceship Earth was made.
Not only was the refurbishment of Spaceship Earth postponed, but Walt Disney World also decided to halt plans for a Mary Poppins ride. The attraction would have been placed at the United Kingdom pavilion at Epcot.