Spaceship Earth reimagining announced at D23, its first update in nearly 20 years
Disney announced at D23 that Spaceship Earth at EPCOT will be reimagined for the first time in nearly two decades. Imagineer Ali Rubinstein, joined onstage by Neil Patrick Harris and Mark Rober, said the new version will shift the ride's story from human communication to the broader theme of human connection, extending it into the internet age.
Spaceship Earth is getting its first update in nearly 20 years. Disney announced the reimagining at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, where Imagineer Ali Rubinstein revealed that the EPCOT opening day attraction will trade its current story of human communication for a broader theme of human connection, carrying the ride into the internet age.
Key Details
- What: A reimagined Spaceship Earth with a new story built around human connection
- Where: EPCOT at Walt Disney World, inside the 180-foot geodesic sphere at the park entrance
- Announced: On the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress stage at D23, by Imagineer Ali Rubinstein with Neil Patrick Harris and YouTuber Mark Rober
- Last major update: Nearly 20 years ago, when the current narration and finale were installed
- Opening date: Not yet announced
How the news came out
The announcement arrived during a session about outer space hosted by Neil Patrick Harris on the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress stage at D23. Harris was joined by Disney Imagineer Ali Rubinstein and YouTuber Mark Rober, who walked the audience through the history and engineering of the attraction before Rubinstein confirmed the update. Disney framed the reveal as a natural fit: it is hard to talk about the future of Disney Experiences without discussing the ride that traces humanity from the caves to the cosmos.
What is changing
The current version of Spaceship Earth tells the story of human communication, from cave paintings through the printing press to the dawn of the computer age. The reimagined attraction will widen that lens to human connection, a theme Disney says is still classically EPCOT, and will extend the timeline into the internet era and beyond. Disney has not shared a closing date, an opening window, or details about the new scenes, narration, or ride finale.
This is the first substantial change to the ride since the late-2000s overhaul that added the current narration and the interactive descent. A previously announced Spaceship Earth reimagining was postponed indefinitely in 2020, so this marks the project's return to active development.
A short history of the sphere
Spaceship Earth opened with EPCOT on October 1, 1982, and has anchored the park entrance ever since. Disney shared several facts about the attraction during the panel:
- Four narrators have voiced the ride since opening. Walter Cronkite recorded a script added in 1986; Jeremy Irons and Judi Dench followed in later versions.
- The structure is a geodesic sphere, a fully round building held in the air by three sets of supports.
- The sphere stands 180 feet tall and holds 2.2 million cubic feet of space inside.
- Walt Disney Imagineering considers it one of the most complicated ride systems it has ever built. A continuously moving train of vehicles spirals up through the structure, then rotates backward for the descent to Earth.
- The current storyline follows human innovation from prehistoric times to the 21st century.
What this means for guests
Spaceship Earth remains open for now, and guests who want to ride the current version should plan to do so before Disney announces a closing date. A refurbishment of this scale usually means an extended closure for EPCOT's most recognizable attraction, so watch for timeline details in the months ahead. The new story keeps the ride's optimistic core intact: a look at how people connect, and an invitation to imagine what comes next.