Aboard Spaceship Earth, you can immerse yourself in the history of human communication on this classic attraction located inside Epcot’s iconic geodesic sphere. During Spaceship Earth, guests experience the past and future of communication through a series of elaborate dioramas, animatronics, props, and narration by actress Judi Dench.
Scenes depict prehistoric hunting, and cave paintings, ancient Egypt and the invention of papyrus, the Phoenicians and the invention of the common alphabet, ancient Greece and the incorporation of mathematics, ancient Rome and the creation of roads. In addition, the collapse of ancient Rome and the corresponding “loss” of knowledge, the preservation of Roman books by scholars in the Middle East, Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, the Renaissance, newspapers during the American Civil War, the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, the invention of the telephone, the launch of Apollo 11 in 1969. To conclude, the last scene is the invention of the computer and the future.
Ride Information Restrictions Location Fun Facts Top 5 Tips
Ride Information
Opening Day: October 1, 1982
Type of Ride: Omnimover
Age Recommendation: All ages
Duration of Ride: About 15 minutes
Typical Queue Time: Moderate to long; usually peaks at about 40 minutes except on the busiest days
Single Rider Line: No
Chicken Exit Available: No
Baby Swap Available: No
Type of Vehicle: Track car
Type of Restraint: None
Attraction Open During Early Theme Park Entry: Yes. See our Early Theme Park Entry page for more information.
Ride Photo Available For Purchase: No
Ride Restrictions
Height Requirements: None
Flash Photography or Video Allowed: No
Location
Shopping: “Gateway Gifts,” located just outside Spaceship Earth, offers EPCOT related items. At “Pin Traders – Camera Center” Guests purchase Disney apparel, accessories, camera and media, pins, Memory Maker, Magic Bands, and more.
Dining/Refreshment: None
Restroom: Facilities are conveniently located on the left (east) side of Spaceship Earth.
Smoking Location: Smoking is permitted in designated smoking areas only. Disney parks are smoke-free.
Fun Facts
Did you know?
- Spaceship Earth’s façade incorporates 11,324 triangles. Furthermore, there is even a special drainage system for rainwater.
- Siemens sponsored Spaceship Earth from 2005 to 2017. Next, Bell System sponsored the attraction from 1982 to 1984 and AT&T from 1984 to 2003. However, there is currently no sponsor for Spaceship Earth.
- Famously, the scene of Rome’s destruction is accompanied by a distinctive burning smell.
- Most importantly, Disney consulted experts, including Ray Bradbury, university professors, and museum curators, to create Spaceship Earth’s original script.
- The letter transcribed via hieroglyphics in the Egypt scene was taken from an actual pharaoh’s letter. In addition, the Bible page examined by Johannes Gutenberg before the Renaissance scene is a replica of a page seen in the Gutenberg Bible displayed at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
- Spaceship Earth opened with Epcot, then called EPCOT Center, on October 1, 1982. Conversely, the attraction has had three major updates, with Judi Dench taking over the narration in 2007-08 from Jeremy Irons. The Spaceship Earth narration was one of Irons’s two major voice roles for Disney in 1994. The other was his portrayal of the evil Uncle Scar in The Lion King. Most notably, Walter Cronkite narrated the attraction from 1986-1994. However, former Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar, contended that actor Lawrence Dobkin performed the honors.
- Several of the animatronics used in the original version of Spaceship Earth moved from the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents. For example, the Johannes Gutenberg animatronic was previously that of James Buchanan; the animatronic of Gutenberg’s assistant was previously that of Andrew Jackson. An Egyptian Priest animatronic was previously that of William Howard Taft, and the Roman centurion animatronic was previously that of Zachary Taylor.
- From 1999 to 2007, a 240-foot Sorcerer Mickey arm stood aside and above Spaceship Earth. In addition, the arm at Epcot’s Millennium Celebration initially displayed “2000” before changing to “Epcot” afterward.
Hidden Mickeys:
Guests see a Hidden Mickey as fruit in a bowl in a painting during the attraction’s Renaissance segment.
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Top 5 Tips for Spaceship Earth
- Spaceship Earth is a must-ride attraction for history buffs because of the subject matter and details.
- Take some photographs of the Spaceship Earth sphere.
- Also, check out the Project Tomorrow exhibits after the ride, and email your on-ride photo to family or friends using the kiosks in the area.
- At the end of the ride, guests get to choose to see the imaginary future of their “home,” “work,” “health,” or “leisure” through a related cartoon. This is such a fun experience at the end of the attraction.
- Most importantly, be sure to observe the Spaceship Earth sphere at night to observe the light projections!