Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth Review

Balanced like a giant golf ball waiting for some celestial being to tee off, the multifaceted silver geosphere of Spaceship Earth is to Epcot what Cinderella Castle is to the Magic Kingdom. As much a landmark as an icon, it can be seen on a clear day from an airplane flying down either coast of Florida.

Inside the ball, the Spaceship Earth ride transports you past a series of tableaux that explore human progress and the continuing search for better forms of communication. Over the years, both Walter Cronkite and Jeremy Irons have narrated the script by science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury. Today Oscar-winner Dame Judi Dench narrates the journey that begins in the darkest tunnels of time, proceeds through history, and ends poised on the edge of the future. For the first time on a Disney ride, the narration also is offered in French, Japanese, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Ten-time Emmy winner Bruce Broughton composed the musical score.

Audio-Animatronics figures present Cro-Magnon man daubing mystic paintings on cave walls, Egyptian scribes scratching hieroglyphics on papyrus, Roman centurions building roads, Islamic scholars mapping the heavens, and 11th- and 12th-century Benedictine monks hand-copying manuscripts. As you move into the Renaissance, Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel; Gutenberg invents the printing press; and in rapid succession, the telegraph, radio, television, and computer come into being. A family views the moon landing on TV, and a massive two-story computer room circa 1960s and a '70s garage show where the personal computer was born.

As your ride vehicle swings backward and descends slowly, touch screens ask how you envision your own future, then play back an animated, Jetsons-esque scenario based on the answers. Siemans, which presents the higher-tech attraction, created a fun-packed post-show with high-demand interactive games that involve simulated driving, piecing together a digital human body, and managing a growing city's power grid. As you exit the ride and enter the post-show, watch the giant digital map screen to see your photo taken during the ride and posted in your hometown location.

For people with disabilities: You must be able to transfer to a standard wheelchair, then walk four steps to the ride vehicle. Guests with service animals should check with an attraction host for boarding information. The ride is equipped for hand-held captioning or attraction-description devices available at Guest Relations. Although much of the enchantment is in the visual details, the narration is compelling. Ride while waiting for a Mission: SPACE or Soarin' Fastpass appointment. Lines are longest in the morning and shortest just before closing.