Changes to Spaceship Earth Descent.

jklakeview

jklakeview

Well-Known Member
I think that the best way to tie in the computer descent with something else would be to have the items that show up on the computer also be on the decent. The new house with the grass as the carpet, the flying car, the robot picking out the clothes, and whatever else is there. This I think would make people happy, tie it to the video, and also sort of be a little tribute to Horizons. This would be a great idea in my opinion
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
I have given up hope that anything that anything they add will help the ride return to it's former glory. As long as the dumbed-down narration is used and the focus of the descent is on the screen the ride will remain a sad shadow of a once-great attraction. No amount of triangles and points of light can change that.
 
Lee

Lee

Adventurer
I did that once myself.
Rode the whole descent sitting (very uncomfortably) backwards the whole way down.
Saw...triangles.
 
J

jumblue

Active Member
Maybe the triangles are getting ready for a Phineas and Ferb overlay? Thus tying both sides of the park into a single cohesive vision...


Of merchandising and toon-ification.
 
G

gccgrad1996

Active Member
aladdin2007 said:
They were there just not lit. Some are saying they added more recently but I cant figure out if its that or if they just werent noticed as much before because they were black against black curtains, and now it just seems like there are more because of the new blacklit blue glow. Speaking of which anyone notice any further tweaking this week?
Click to expand...
Thanks, I thought I was going crazy. I asked my one daughter and she said the same as me, but my older daughter swears she saw them. Can't wait to see them for myself in about 5 weeks.
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
gccgrad1996 said:
Thanks, I thought I was going crazy. I asked my one daughter and she said the same as me, but my older daughter swears she saw them. Can't wait to see them for myself in about 5 weeks.
Click to expand...

Great let us know what you find. Maybe by then even more tweaking/changes will be done.
 
grandmath

grandmath

Active Member
C.FERNIE said:
What did you say in the letter? and what did they reply? if you don't mind me asking? :)
Click to expand...

Sorry about the delay, I had difficulties trop track this email down, as it's 3 years old now.

To whom it may concern:

Hello, this contact was provided by Guest Relations - Epcot. I visited their office to express my deep disappointment with the new version of Spaceship Earth, one of the iconic attractions of this park.

My concern is not related to any kind of nostalgia: i only discovered this ride in 2001 and it became instantly one of my favorites. But now that I've ridden the new version, I just don't care anymore.

First, let's give credit where it's due: the technological ugrades are good ones, the new scenes during the ascent also. New special effects are great. Good job! The new post-show area is entertaining and it's fun to know where people come from. But It should have ended here. Because the general feel of the ride, the emotion, the majesty, all of this is gone.

I am sure I am not the only one having given thumbs down to the new descent portion of the ride. It ruins the heart and soul of this piece of work. A videoscreen with a cartoonish video? Come on! The old version featured ambitious and innovative lightning, emotional and very important message from the narrator, and a great piece of soundtrack, one of the best ever for a theme park. It left you relaxing, thinking, and feeling that it was our responsability to pass our knowledge to future generations. More importantly, it was magical, true Disney-style. I remember riding the first time with my parents, they came out in awe. Now I'm sure they would just don't care for the end of this ride. You smile at tour photo capture and that's it. You forget about the whole wonders you just saw a few minutes before. You get out and tell the others: "ok, let's go to Soarin!" Oh, and the bad curtains and minimal decoration on this portion of the ride are a shame. Give me fiber optics any time over this!

My other disppointment is about the new narrator and soundtrack. They are plain, instantly forgettable. I remember humming and listening to the old score very often and just liking it so much. This last trip, the last time we rode SE, it was with our MP3 player and the old music, the difference was just huge. I like the new composer who has done a great job at Disney lately, but this time he missed the mark. The music is way too subtle, underscoring the ride but not uplifting it. The new themes are poor, melodies hard to hear and identify. And the volume is too low. At the start it's like there not even a music for the first few minutes! Alors the new narration doesn't have the warmth of Jeremy Iron's one, nor the substance. I just don't understand how people can think "it's better than the last one".

I'm all for changes and improvments, I know the parks must evolve, but come on! Why change what is already near-perfect? The technology can be improved (and is has successfully), but the message and soul of Spaceship Earth (1994 version) WAS perfect.

What is sad is just sad: SE used to be one of my personnal favorites. The ride that I would do first on my trip, and the last one on the same. Now this is the past. I never experienced Horizons or World of Motion before so I cannot compare with Mission Space or Test Track. But I just feel deep inside of me that something is not right with the upgrade of Spaceship Earth. I am 29, I love roller coasters, thrills, and Disney in general. But I think this whole interactive thing, as well as the new soundtrack and narration were a mistake. Plain and simple.

The dream would be (as often), to mix the new things (scenes, sfx) with the old favorites (score, descent, narration). It ain't gonna happen, but I shouldn't let the opportunity to tell you what I think of this, so every people in charge can know about it. Epcot was my favorite Disney park. It still is, but it's not the same now, not with the icon of this park changed like this.

Best regards,

And the very polite answer:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort.

It is so nice to hear when a guest has so much passion towards one of
our attractions. Although the renovations to Spaceship Earth are not to
your upmost liking, I am glad to hear that there were some aspects which
you seemed to enjoy. When we receive comments from Guests, such as
yours, they are shared with various areas of our organization. This
allows us to identify what we are doing right, and what we can do
better. You may be assured that your observations have been shared and
taken seriously.

If you should wish to discuss your comments further, or provide us with
additional details, you may call me at 407-560-3592. If I am not
immediately available when you call, please leave your telephone number
and an indication of the best time to reach you.

Mr. xxx, thank you again for taking the time to share your honest
and constructive feedback. We hope to have future opportunities to
entertain you at our Resort.

Sincerely,
 
C.FERNIE

C.FERNIE

Well-Known Member
grandmath said:
Sorry about the delay, I had difficulties trop track this email down, as it's 3 years old now.

To whom it may concern:

Hello, this contact was provided by Guest Relations - Epcot. I visited their office to express my deep disappointment with the new version of Spaceship Earth, one of the iconic attractions of this park.

My concern is not related to any kind of nostalgia: i only discovered this ride in 2001 and it became instantly one of my favorites. But now that I've ridden the new version, I just don't care anymore.

First, let's give credit where it's due: the technological ugrades are good ones, the new scenes during the ascent also. New special effects are great. Good job! The new post-show area is entertaining and it's fun to know where people come from. But It should have ended here. Because the general feel of the ride, the emotion, the majesty, all of this is gone.

I am sure I am not the only one having given thumbs down to the new descent portion of the ride. It ruins the heart and soul of this piece of work. A videoscreen with a cartoonish video? Come on! The old version featured ambitious and innovative lightning, emotional and very important message from the narrator, and a great piece of soundtrack, one of the best ever for a theme park. It left you relaxing, thinking, and feeling that it was our responsability to pass our knowledge to future generations. More importantly, it was magical, true Disney-style. I remember riding the first time with my parents, they came out in awe. Now I'm sure they would just don't care for the end of this ride. You smile at tour photo capture and that's it. You forget about the whole wonders you just saw a few minutes before. You get out and tell the others: "ok, let's go to Soarin!" Oh, and the bad curtains and minimal decoration on this portion of the ride are a shame. Give me fiber optics any time over this!

My other disppointment is about the new narrator and soundtrack. They are plain, instantly forgettable. I remember humming and listening to the old score very often and just liking it so much. This last trip, the last time we rode SE, it was with our MP3 player and the old music, the difference was just huge. I like the new composer who has done a great job at Disney lately, but this time he missed the mark. The music is way too subtle, underscoring the ride but not uplifting it. The new themes are poor, melodies hard to hear and identify. And the volume is too low. At the start it's like there not even a music for the first few minutes! Alors the new narration doesn't have the warmth of Jeremy Iron's one, nor the substance. I just don't understand how people can think "it's better than the last one".

I'm all for changes and improvments, I know the parks must evolve, but come on! Why change what is already near-perfect? The technology can be improved (and is has successfully), but the message and soul of Spaceship Earth (1994 version) WAS perfect.

What is sad is just sad: SE used to be one of my personnal favorites. The ride that I would do first on my trip, and the last one on the same. Now this is the past. I never experienced Horizons or World of Motion before so I cannot compare with Mission Space or Test Track. But I just feel deep inside of me that something is not right with the upgrade of Spaceship Earth. I am 29, I love roller coasters, thrills, and Disney in general. But I think this whole interactive thing, as well as the new soundtrack and narration were a mistake. Plain and simple.

The dream would be (as often), to mix the new things (scenes, sfx) with the old favorites (score, descent, narration). It ain't gonna happen, but I shouldn't let the opportunity to tell you what I think of this, so every people in charge can know about it. Epcot was my favorite Disney park. It still is, but it's not the same now, not with the icon of this park changed like this.

Best regards,

And the very polite answer:

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort.

It is so nice to hear when a guest has so much passion towards one of
our attractions. Although the renovations to Spaceship Earth are not to
your upmost liking, I am glad to hear that there were some aspects which
you seemed to enjoy. When we receive comments from Guests, such as
yours, they are shared with various areas of our organization. This
allows us to identify what we are doing right, and what we can do
better. You may be assured that your observations have been shared and
taken seriously.

If you should wish to discuss your comments further, or provide us with
additional details, you may call me at 407-560-3592. If I am not
immediately available when you call, please leave your telephone number
and an indication of the best time to reach you.

Mr. xxx, thank you again for taking the time to share your honest
and constructive feedback. We hope to have future opportunities to
entertain you at our Resort.

Sincerely,
Click to expand...

thanks for posting, at least you didnt just get a standard reply! nice letter you wrote by the way!
 
ExtinctJenn

ExtinctJenn

Well-Known Member
While I may not agree with everything you said about the new version of SSE in your letter, I think you did a great job writing it. It's that skill that probably got you the reply it did. Much as folks may want to believe that Disney doesn't listen to what their guests want in their attractions I can think of a few great examples to the contrary. Thing is, you can never please everyone. When you change an attraction because 50% of your guests believe it should be changed, you create a new 50% that didn't feel that way before but now do. I think Disney does a fantastic job of keeping current (where they can) and staying relevant to the new generations of folks coming in. Do I long for days when Figment was a nearly 20 minute ride or when you watched tiles on a wall move in time with scenes projected on them (UOE Preshow for anyone lost there)? YES! Do I think Disney did me a personal disservice (or a disservice to anyone for that matter) by changing those attractions? Nope!
 
M

maxairmike

Well-Known Member
Haven't been over to EPCOT in a few weeks...might have to head back and hop on SSE to check on this.

Last time I was there there was still some trash in the netting above the track, and I think the cobweb stuff was there in a few places, though I'm not 100% sure on that particularly.
 
PirateFrank

PirateFrank

Well-Known Member
Axle1986 said:

I found this infra-red video of the decent in 2008
Click to expand...


I may be completely off here....but are you guys referring to the triangles against the wall at 0:53-0:54 in the above video?

Isn't this part of the exterior wall? Aren't the geometric shapes on the outside of spaceship earth comprised of interconnected triangles?
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
PirateFrank said:
I may be completely off here....but are you guys referring to the triangles against the wall at 0:53-0:54 in the above video?

Isn't this part of the exterior wall? Aren't the geometric shapes on the outside of spaceship earth comprised of interconnected triangles?
Click to expand...
No the triangles everyone is referring to are in the backwards decent. They are not part of the exterior wall. You will see them at about 1:54

 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom