Missing Spaceship Earth, Jeremy Irons version

[KBLovedDisney]

IMHO:
I don't necessarily dislike the newer version by Judi Dench, but I do feel like a major loss happened when they took out not only Irons, but also the music, narration dialogue, and the ending descent sets and lights. Yes I understand that the ride might have seemed outdated to some, but like Horizons, it always pointed toward the "future" that has yet to come. (Well, maybe that version had more of today's technology in their projected future, but still.)

This version was so timeless and inspiring and flowed very well. (Sorry to people who have witnessed previous versions like Cronkite. I did not have the privilege as I wasn't in existence at that time. I am sure I would have loved it even more.)

But that touch screen thing at the end of the current one...lacks major luster and takes away from the ride in its entirety, not too mention is very cartoony.

I mean, all they really had to do to update it at the time was change the ending dialogue. But, that is just how I feel about it.

I am missing the Disney World of yesteryear something awful. Can you tell??

 

[Simba's Mom]

Oh, yes-I miss it too! And "Tomorrow's Child", the song that went with his narration is my favorite park song.

 

[TheDuke]

Yes, the Irons one with all the orchestral music is the one I remember. Dench does well but the script just isn't as good as the old one.

 

[discomouse131]

I am missing the Disney World of yesteryear something awful. Can you tell??

Same here! Disney World as a kid seemed soooo much better than Disney World as an adult. Sad, really. So many great lost attractions but even Walt was always looking for ways to "plus it". But sometimes bigger isn't always better... IMO.

 

[caseybrn]

If you heard Judi Dench the first time you went on the ride......and Irons afterward do you think your opinion would be the same?

I mean I recognize Irons was great - but I don't see him really comparing Cronkite
Now I wonder if its the whole first thing - Like who is your favorite doctor, James Bond, etc.

 

[Nemo14]

Walter Cronkite was the best!

 

[ShoalFox]

The biggest losses, in my opinion, were entirely descent related. Obviously replacing the sets and projections with the touchscreens was disappointing, but the score during the descent of SSE 94 is one of my favorite pieces of Disney Parks music. It sounds so grand and awe-inspiring.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I definitely agree that the descent these days is disappointing from my perspective of having quite literally grown up with Epcot (first visit was 1983, months after it had opened, and I was 6) but, I have to admit, my 11-year old son absolutely loves it. In fact, SSE is one of his favorite attractions at the park today (proud mom moment), including seeing his disembodied head on a random cartoon drawn body in the future. If it helps to keep him wanting to ride SSE, I'll take it.

That all being said, the other changes that came with this newest version I definitely feel were a great way to give the attraction an update, keeping it forward looking, without killing its message. I love the updated scenes and, it is hard to argue with the beauty that is the upgraded animatronics. Still, there are little things I'm not totally in love with, like the newsboy being turned to have his back to the guests (Walt was a newsboy... come on!) and the overly "matrixy" feel of the transition tunnel, but overall I embrace the changes because it could've been worse... it could've gone the way of Horizons when they realized it was feeling outdated.

Of course I miss very specific things from the prior versions. Cronkite's narration still gives me chills to hear it. Tomorrow's Child remains, to me, a theme that embodied the whole of what EPCOT Center was intended to be. The old descent with the families talking over holographic video chat (can you believe back then the sheer idea of video chat blew our minds but today we hold a device capable of it without blinking an eye?). But... Walt believed in always looking forward so, I try super duper hard to remember he wouldn't have wanted those things to stick around just for old folks like me who remember them from their childhood.

 

[danheaton]

I don't mind what they did with the ascent - the new scenes work well, and even some clunky narration from Dench doesn't hurt it too much. The descent is a huge miss and seems even worse today than it did in 2008. Losing the physical sets just ends the attraction on a hollow note and feels cheap.