I have been known to be an indecisive person.  I like to sit back and think about something for a while before I can make a decision or form an opinion.  This trait even manifests itself when I try to decide if I like an attraction or not.  A typical conversation with someone asking for my opinion goes something like this:  Is that attraction good?  Maybe.  Is it worth standing in line for more than 30 minutes?  I’m not quite sure.  Should I skip it?  Let me get back to you on that.  I’m surprised people that I know still ask for my opinion…I can be quite maddening.

            One attraction that I have a lot of trouble forming an opinion on is the new and updated version of Spaceship Earth.  I know what most of you are saying…”But Glenn, the new Spaceship Earth has been open for almost eight months already.”  This is true.  And while most of you have been on the new Spaceship Earth or have read other people’s opinions on it, I feel as if I should share mine with you this week.  But before I can share my thoughts and opinion on Spaceship Earth, let’s discuss some background and the actual ride itself first. 

Spaceship Earth is Epcot’s equivalent of Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom

            As most of you know, the previous version of Spaceship Earth was all about how communication has, and will continue to shape the future of the world.  The storytelling element of the attraction intended to inspire audiences about the possibilities of how communication will affect our lives in the future by drawing a connection to how communication evolved in the past.  Scenes involving cavemen painting on cave walls, the development of Greek theater, the emergence of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment after the Dark Ages, the first printing press, and the widespread use of 20th century technology all eventually lead to an interesting portrayal of what communication will be like in the “future” and how the world will continue to shrink in relative size.  Jeremy Irons, the narrator of the previous version of Spaceship Earth, aptly states near the end of the attraction:

“Physical distance is no longer a barrier to communication. Today, the entire world is our next door neighbor. Our news is their news, their news ours. We share our hopes and concerns with the whole planet. We truly live in a Global Neighborhood. . . We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us; to create a better world for ourselves and our children as we continue our amazing journey aboard Spaceship Earth.”

Of course, the previous version did not hold up well.  After a few years, “the future” Spaceship Earth depicted had already happened and the second half of the ride became outdated.  Moreover, the attraction’s sponsor, AT&T, did not renew its sponsorship deal with Disney in 2004. 

The Siemens Era Version

Siemens AG, the attraction’s new sponsor, along with Disney, decided to update the attraction in 2007.  On Monday, July 9, 2007, the attraction itself was closed for refurbishment, and the surrounding area was walled off.  What was to be revealed a few short months later, were big changes to the ride vehicles (or time machine vehicles as they are referred to), as well as new scenes, modifications to existing scenes, new costumes, lighting, a new musical score, a new narration by Judi Bench (a.k.a. M) and an entirely revamped post show area.   With the new Siemens AG sponsorship, changes have been made to the ride and post show area.

As mentioned above, the time machine vehicles have had a pretty significant makeover.  The time machine vehicles now have an interactive screen where riders can “choose their vision of the future.”  For those of you familiar with Horizons, this resembles a similar idea where riders could pick one of three endings (majority rules).  At the beginning of the new version of the ride, a camera takes guests’ pictures which are used at the end of the ride to conduct an interactive experience about the future of technology, featuring the riders' faces on animated characters.  Moreover, the touch screen also asks where on Earth they live.  This is used in the post-show area (to be discussed later).  The ride then ascends through a number of scenes that reflect on how technology, innovation, and communication have propelled humanity through the ages.  Without going through all of the scenes, here are pictures from a few of them: 

            After a brief moment in the Spaceship Earth planetarium, your ride vehicle turns backwards for your descent.  Unlike in previous versions, where scenes of possible futures were displayed, you are asked to create your own future.  By using your touchscreen, you are asked a number of questions about yourself.  For example, I was recently asked, what is something you worry about when you go on vacation?  The choices were: your house or your pet.  As I don’t have a pet, I picked my house. 

            After a few moments, the information collected by your answers, as well as the pictures you took earlier, are then used to tell a brief story about a possible future.  By the end of the story, you have reached the end. 

The Post Show

            Siemens’ post show is named:  Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future. The new exhibit space houses interactive exhibits featuring various Siemens AG technology. These interactive displays and games allow guests to see the future of medicine, transportation and energy management.  While the space opened with two games, two new games were added in December 2007 and January 2008.

Currently, the Project Tomorrow attractions are:

• The Globe: The first thing you see upon exciting is the globe.  The picture you took, as well as indicating where you are from, are plastered on the screen one you walk out of the Spaceship Earth exit.  After a few moments, your picture zooms toward whatever location you are from.  The overall effect, of course, allows riders to tell where everyone is from, with each dot representing one person. 
• Body Builder: a 3-D game allowing guests to build a digital human body.
• Super Driver: a driving simulation video game featuring vehicle accident and avoidance systems. It simulates what is supposed to be the future of driving. You drive a "smart-car" (that has a British accent,) and try to stop a city from being destroyed.
• Power City: A large digital "shuffleboard-style" game that has guest racing around the board to power their city.
• InnerVision, a coordination and reaction-time game with elements similar to Simon.

Review

            Overall, Spaceship Earth continues to be a headliner attraction that every guest must experience at least once.  The refurbishments made to the first half of the ride are very well done.  Imagineers chose to keep the best scenes, while adding some other important ones, like the mainframe, and the invention of the personal computer, as well.  And while it is hard to best Jeremy Irons’ excellent narration of the previous version, Judi Dench does a decent job in keeping the story interesting and the message profound. 

            I was perhaps the most disappointed with what I was originally the most excited about.  When I heard that Spaceship Earth would include a “pick your own ending” type system, I was hopeful that it would be reminiscent of Horizons.  Instead, what we got was a way to avoid making Spaceship Earth outdated again in the future.  By picking a series of answers to a set of questions, a brief and rather random story is displayed.  Even if placing the riders faces in the story makes the attraction fun and light hearted, it definitely feels out of place and a bit zany to boot.  During the ascent, we see all of these innovations and moments that have changed the lives of the world population.  The narration is reflective and thoughtful.  Then, when you descent, Judi Dench is replaced by wacky music and an overly exuberant male narrator.  What contemplative and inspiring mood that was established is quickly lost when you have to answer a question about pet care.

            Spaceship Earth is no longer about the history and future of communication.  This is not a criticism, only an observation.  A sign of the blurring of pavilions at Future World, the attraction that was once responsible for informing and educating us about human interaction and communication is now more of a blended attraction about technology in general.  This is not necessarily a problem for Spaceship Earth, but goes to show that the once defined roles of each pavilion have been replaced to appeal to more people (The pavilion that houses Test Track, for example, is no longer about transportation, but is the home of the thrill ride and a GM show room).

            The post show is well done, despite it being a major commercial for Siemens.  Like most privately sponsored attractions, Spaceship Earth’s post show is a showcase for Siemens products.  But, interestingly enough, I don’t mind.  The post show area offers so much for people to do, it is easy to overlook the commercial aspects.  The globe, for example, is such an incredible way to demonstrate how small the world really is.  What’s more is that you can send a picture of you in your cartoon future to anyone in the world via email (and yet Disney still charges $13 for a 5 x 7” photo of us going down Splash Mountain).  The games also provide guests an interactive way to see what is possible with some of the technology Siemens is currently working on.  The post show is a great addition to Spaceship Earth (and it doesn’t even have a souvenir store).

            Like most attractions, the new version of Spaceship Earth does a lot of stuff right, but disappoints in some areas.  The ride itself has been diluted with the touchscreen finale because it fails to inspire anymore.  Despite it being corny, what I enjoyed about the previous version is the message it delivered to guests.  Jeremy Irons really tugged at the heart strings when he said, “As we greet the 21st century, yet another revolution in communication is upon us - as profound as all the progress that has come before. By using our new communication tools to build better bridges between us, we will discover we all share the common bonds of hope and sorrow, dreams and joys.”  I’m sorry, but a cartoon with my face on it going to work in a spaceship just does not reach the same level as something like that. 

            Should you still ride Spaceship Earth?  Of course.  Spaceship Earth offers a unique experience that no other attraction really offers.  Unfortunately, Spaceship Earth disappoints in some areas and fails to reach its full potential. 

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