As part of The Epcot Experience exhibit, Spaceship Earth seemingly got a new name or at least an overarching theme. As you might remember, Spaceship Earth will be undergoing a refurbishment that will lead to some upgrades including new story elements and narration.
As Epcot turns its sights to the future, Spaceship Earth will also see a reimagining during the process. While Bob Chapek was light on specifics during the 2019 D23 Expo such as when the refurbishment will start or end, we did get a few details as it relates to some of the additions to be expected.
Even with change on the horizon, Chapek noted that the attraction will remain the park’s “grand icon”. New magic is meant to pull Spaceship Earth into the world we live in today, while still feature great moments in human history. Chapek noted that “inventions and technology” won’t be a part of the future of the attraction. Instead, Disney will focus on something the “binds all of humanity together – storytelling”.
Chapek went on to note that “many of the scenes that you know and love will remain”. During that section of the announcement, the caveman scene was shown behind him with a new bit of projection mapping playing on the cave walls. Chapek said that Imagineers are looking at bringing existing scenes to life in new ways.Chapek also announced that there will be “fresh narration” and a Story Light guide that will play a central role in the experience and tie each scene together. The Story Light will come to life in dynamic ways in each scene, bringing more “energy and beauty” to the attraction.
Today, The Epcot Experience debuted and included a section on Spaceship Earth. As you can see in the video below, the future of Spaceship Earth will seemingly focus on people and the connections and experiences they share. During the video, the phrase “Spaceship Earth Our Shared Story” was used not only during the video, but also for the attraction poster.
Of course, this may simply hint at the attraction theme and not the actual name, but other posters that were found in the exhibit did contain the proper attraction names such as Journey of Water inspired by Moana and Space 220 Restaurant.
What do you think, will Spaceship Earth get a rename? If it does, do you like “Spaceship Earth Our Shared Story”? Let us know in the comments below or on social media!