As an Extended Delay is Announced, DoingFlorida Provides an Insight into Disney's Remodelling of Spaceship Earth

The Spaceship Earth attraction in Epcot, Walt Disney World was closed throughout the park's 25th anniversary celebrations in October this year, and will now be closed for several months longer. With some confusion around the change of dates, and great surprise around the timing, DoingFlorida's daily news service is monitoring the situation and asking; why the extended delay, will the changes be worth it, and will the refurbished attraction retain the spirit of the original?

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) November 7, 2007 -- One of the most iconic images of the central Florida theme parks is the giant Spaceship Earth sphere in Epcot, Walt Disney World. Spaceship Earth has formed the centrepiece of Epcot since the park opened in 1982, and the time-travel attraction concealed inside the giant globe draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

With an extended closure for refurbishment now under way, prompting gossip about the nature and scale of the changes being made, DoingFlorida (www.DoingFlorida.com) has been monitoring the facts behind the speculation, to bring the real story to Epcot fans.

During the summer DoingFlorida was contacted by concerned fans who were surprised to learn that Spaceship Earth would be closed for refurbishment throughout the park's 25th anniversary celebrations in October this year, remaining closed to visitors from the beginning of the summer through to 13th November.

As if this wasn't enough, Disney has now announced that the refurbishment will take longer than expected, and the attraction will not re-open until 18th February 2008. So now the busy Christmas period will also be affected.

Spaceship Earth is not only the signature attraction at Epcot, it is also a highly effective one - because of its continuous loading/unloading arrangement it can handle an incredible 2,400 guests per hour. The loss of this capacity over the holidays will inevitably cause greater pressure in other parts of the park, and it seems unlikely that Disney would choose to schedule the closure over this period.

There is also confusion about the refurbishment plans. Numerous sources are quoting Disney employees as saying that the attraction was always planned to re-open in early 2008, so nothing has changed. However the official Disney calendar was still showing the November re-open date up until just a few weeks ago. Some have speculated that this may have been to allow the anniversary celebrations to pass by before revealing the true extent of the closure, but it seems unlikely that Disney would deal with communications in this way.

But while the timing and length of the delay may be surprising, and a little confusing, details are now emerging that suggest the changes and improvements to the ride will be significant and will more than compensate for the delay.

Disney have revealed that the Spaceship Earth 're-imagination' is being overseen by one of the imagineers involved in the original creation 25 years ago. Bob Zalk worked on the attraction as one of his first projects in 1982 and now, as Senior Show Producer, he finds himself leading the team which is taking the attraction into its second quarter-century.

As you may expect, the refurbishment will include new lighting effects, costumes and set decoration, but Disney has also revealed they have created an entirely new 'story' to blend the classic scenes with new ones, and - significantly - added a special interactive aspect to the finale. On reaching the top of the 165-foot diameter Spaceship Earth dome, the new, interactive touch screens on the 'time machine' vehicle invite travellers to create their own visions of the future and then to see themselves in that future. This is a major change, and there is some speculation that this implementation of new technology may be the reason for the extended delay.

Another change is the re-working of the on-ride narration which will also be accompanied by a completely new musical score. The new score will be composed by Bruce Broughton, who has created music for many other major Disney attractions and films. On leaving the time machine, travellers can explore a new interactive area packed with new exhibits.

But before fans start to panic that the spirit of the attraction may be lost -- relax -- Disney has confirmed that the things that everyone loved about Spaceship Earth will remain. The smell of Rome burning and the 'snoring monk' will be in place when the attraction re-opens in February.

So it seems that despite the mixed messages the delay will be well worthwhile, and the new attraction will no doubt be very popular with both new and returning visitors. Following the recent removal of the giant 'Mickey arm and wand' and the return to the original palm trees around the Spaceship Earth area, the changes are perhaps more significant, and will have greater impact, than many fans were originally expecting. With some Disney imagineers now quoted as saying that the re-open date was always planned for February, maybe it's time to forget the confusion and focus on the new, improved attraction.

Official updates on the progress of the refurbishment have been few and far between, but DoingFlorida's daily news service will continue to dig behind the various reports and gossip, to give visitors the inside track on the changes.

About DoingFlorida

www.DoingFlorida.com provides daily news and updates from the central Florida theme parks, along with tips and information to make the most of that special vacation -- including specific advice aimed at visitors from the UK. DoingFlorida invites travellers to submit their own pictures, news and observations from the theme parks to be shared with fellow enthusiasts.

# # #