Save Spaceship Earth

[soccer9miahamm]

Most of you probably know that Disney is thinking about turning Spaceship Earth into a roller coaster. I think that Spaceship Earth is a classic Disney ride that should not be destroyed with a roller coaster that could be built anywhere. In fact, they are building one in Animal Kingdom. We need to help in saving it!! I e-mailed Disney on it, but of course, they said that they had no intentions of changing it. I don't think that they would confess to this at the early stages in the project though. Please give me your opinions on this matter.
~A concerned Disney fan

 

[MicBat]

I've always loved all of the AA rides at Epcot... SSE is the last of these great rides... I hope SSE is here to stay!

 

[niteobsrvr]

Below is informaiton from the US Government Patent and Trademark Office as it applies to SpaceShip Earth. The rough translation of the information is that Disney filed its intent to use, on 4/1/03, the name SSE: Time Racer:

Word Mark SSE: TIME RACER
Goods and Services IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Amusement park services.
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 78232364
Filing Date April 1, 2003
Filed ITU FILED AS ITU
Owner (APPLICANT) Disney Enterprises, Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 500 South Buena Vista Street Burbank CALIFORNIA 91521
Attorney of Record Christopher Ruhland
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

Adittional information:

Thank you for your request. Here are the latest results from the TARR web server.
This page was generated by the TARR system on 2003-07-22 02:21:36 ET
Serial Number: 78232364
Registration Number: (NOT AVAILABLE)
Mark (words only): SSE: TIME RACER
Current Status: Newly filed application, not yet assigned to an examining attorney.
Date of Status: 2003-04-28
Filing Date: 2003-04-01
Registration Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
Law Office Assigned: LAW OFFICE 106
If you are the applicant or applicant's attorney and have questions about this file, please contact the Trademark Assistance Center at TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov
Current Location: L6M -TMEG Law Office 106 - Mail Unit
Date In Location: 2003-06-04

Amazingly enough, I can find no reference where Disney Trademarked Spaceship Earth for the current attraction. Instead, the words were trademarked in 1984 for educational related products and is currently being updated to reflect the Buckminster Fuller Institute as owner.

According to informaiton found at the Patent Office website, the processing of the application is not a short time period. It can in fact take as little as a year to several years to approve a Trademark depending on information involved. However once it us approved by an examining attorney, the applicant has only 6 months to allege actual use of the name or it will automatically be assumed to be abandoned.

 

[General Grizz]

The newly designed attraction may or may not be a roller coaster.

We do know it would use theater-style screen technology, according to WESH-TV, and would be scheduled to close early 2005 and reopen for EPCOT's 25th Anniversary as part of Discoveryland in October, 2007.

Recently, things have become shaky with Time Racers. AT&T has recently agreed to sign on for one more year (though I am awaiting more information on this), and, because of that, things are a bit in the dark concerning the attraction.

If you are a Spaceship Earth fan, consider writing AT&T ASAP in gratitude for their years of sponsorship. (www.att.com and/or http://www.att.com/contact/media.html )


Thanks!
___________________
My ideas concerning "Time Racers"

One fact: Spaceship Earth is our last ride-through animatronic show at EPCOT. No major change since 1998 at the park has added any kind of Audio-Animatronics figure unless guests have complained tremendously. Attraction space and lengths have been significanly reduced. Theme songs are becoming rarer and rarer to find. Even the upstairs Image Works won't open because of costs. So will the money in Spaceship Earth go into pure quality?

Because of all of these factors, I do not have the trust with Disney *yet* to mess with Spaceship Earth. I completely object to a thrill ride. But, if this is not the case, I beg for the same quality of animatronics figures, scores, and ideas to be just as tastefully presented as Spaceship Earth currently is.

I also object to an attraction with sole use of screen technology. This form of presentation is still available in the Universe of Energy, Body Wars, Making of Me, Mission: SPACE, the Circle of Life, (future) Soarin', Impressions de France, Reflections of China, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, O, Canada!, and Norway.

Our only main animatronics shows left are Food Rocks (2-D animatronics and possibly closing), the Journey into Imagination with Figment (with 2 Audio-Animatronics), the American Adventure (with 30+ animatronics), and Spaceship Earth (with 50+ animatronics). With the use of these figures, we can actually be put IN time. Consider Horizons (with 50+ animatronics), World of Motion (with 180+ animatronics), Journey into Imagination (with 20+ Animatronics), and the Kitchen Kabaret (with over a dozen 3-D AAs). The point is, the quality of "being actually in the future" and not in front of a screen or in a large ware-house style testing ground - being physically in time and space to celebrate the history of humanity - is lost in Future World without Spaceship Earth. And this also goes for sets, senses, and experiences.

I ask Disney to be extremely careful with this attraction, and keep the original EPCOT style, still fruitfully entertaining and inspirational, and remember the fans.

 

[General Grizz]

Originally posted by soccer9miahamm
I e-mailed Disney on it, but of course, they said that they had no intentions of changing it.

"There are no Americans in Iraq..." :lol:

It's been like that; but keep supporting! :sohappy:

P.S. On the poll, it is missing an option. What if we want change to Spaceship Earth? I would love more updates in quality and AA technology. Will this happen? Who knows. I haven't seen it happen in a while. But something similar to SE's change in 1994 would always be an option for now.

 

[WDWspider]

This poll is weighted. You have to either say you want a roller coaster or that SE should never change. SE is not that likely to become a coaster. There should have been more choices. I like SE, but think other rides or ideas could be good to replace the ride also. However, I would not favor a Roller Coaster replacement.

 

[Lee]

Time Racers is not a coaster.

In fact, I've recently found out that "Time Racers" refers to a post show type activity, similar to the ones at MS.

The new ride inside Spaceship Earth appears, for now, to keep the Spaceship Earth name.

The extra year AT&T is reportedly signing on for would take them up until the January 2005 closing of the ride for construction.

Info is seeping in. Stay tuned.

 

[conntom]

Keep Spaceship Earth the way it is now if Disney wants
to add a new ride do it somewhere other then EPCOT.

 

[Sherm00]

i didn't think the geosphere wasn't structurly sound for a roller coaster. I also though that time racers was going ot use screen technology much like spiderman in universal. I like the ride the way it is, but itis getting old in there, I wouldn;t mind a change as long as the change is better then it is now. I think it's to eairly to determine that.

 

[mr snrub]

like with any controversial topic, im neutral

 

[Terp02]

Disney just needs to rehab it. It's one of the classic rides. Hopefully it will never go away.

 

[DarkMeasures]

Time Racers is not a roller coaster.

My best guess for Time Racers though is something like a combination of Dinosaur and Spiderman. Riders would pass through all the same scenes of Spaceship Earth and learn about each time period while watching everything happen in Time Lapse.

 

[SteveUK]

I think this is a classic ride and should not be drastically changed. To do so would be a very brave move on Disneys part. I think SE could use a bit of updating and maintenance maybe. Last time I was on it, the audio wasn't very good.
So in my opinion, nothing major, just a bit of a clean-up.

 

[Lee]

As I was saying earlier, do not confuse Spaceship Earth with Time Racers. They are two different things
Spaceship Earth is, and will remain, the ride in the sphere. It is scheduled to undergo massive changes, beginning in early 2005, with a completion date of early 2007. The new ride will incorporate the use of film, which is being produced by Theme Park Productions, who handles film work for WDI. The track is said to be both indoor and outdoor, and the ride system has been described to me in so many ways that I can't say for sure what it is. I would say more along the lines of Dinosaur/Rocket Rods, but that is only a guess based on what I am told. Heck, it could even be a faster moving Omnimover at this point.

But it is not a coaster!\

SSE:Time Racer is only part of the post ride area, not the main ride.

DISCLAIMER:
But also, it is still 18 months from the proposed start of work, so as always, everything is subject to change.

 

[Emma]

I hope they keep Spaceship Earth the way it is! It's the first thing we head towards when we go to Epcot - and I love it!!!

But I agree, it could do with a rehab, but nothing too drastic!

 

[DarkMeasures]

Changing the ride system from omnimover to Jeep vehicle is not to big of a change. I mean it would mean lower capacity and a more exciting journey.

 

[tomman710]

I would only be in favor of minor updates, like improved AA and better effects but I love the ride vehicles and the story and even the narration. It is one of my favorites and is a classic.

 

[tori_614]

I hope that they don't make any changes at all to SSE, it would be a huge dissapointment. Unfortunatly over the past few years it seems that Disney has been way to eager to remove classic rides and replace them with sub-standard replacements (i.e journey into imagination) or nothing at all (20,000 leagues under the sea). I completely understand their need to revitalize the parks but at what expense.

 

[Lee]

Nothing I have learned about the proposed new Spaceship Earth would lead me to predict that it will be "sub-standard" in any way, only different.

Time will tell.

 

[General Grizz]

Indeed, time WILL tell. But, if they decide to center this attraction on the use of film/screen technology, my overwhelming admiration for Walt Disney World will be skating on thin ice.

Listen to the guests.

And the fans.