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News Spaceship Earth Refurb - 2 Year Closure
- Thread starter SteamboatJoe
- Start date
tparris
Well-Known Member
Amazing
October82
Well-Known Member
If there was confidence that the people doing the overhaul understood the attraction and Epcot from a creative perspective, fewer people would object. As the last couple decades show both change and neglect can be bad things.
DoleWhipDrea
Well-Known Member
Reading WDI’s summary on the DPB of the proposed makeover about the “story light” and humanity’s history of storytelling with light was what finally made me pause.
I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, really I do. Cronkite’s version of Spaceship Earth actually used the term “storytelling” quite a bit, even though communication was technically the focus. The terms mean different things, but are intrinsically related. I see the connection. But from what they’ve shared, it reads to me that there isn’t a clear direction for the story and message planned to be told in this new version, and we’re going to lose a lot of wonderful AAs and sets for something that measures out to being a lot less than what is currently there, and it unfortunately wouldn’t be the first time that we would see such a makeover from WDI.
I want a solid refurbishment maintaining and bettering what’s already there. I feel like this should be the natural order of things, but many Imagineers aren’t interested in not designing something new, something that they themselves didn’t put their own stamp on, so they’ll design something new just for the sake of it, not necessarily because it’s something better.
I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, really I do. Cronkite’s version of Spaceship Earth actually used the term “storytelling” quite a bit, even though communication was technically the focus. The terms mean different things, but are intrinsically related. I see the connection. But from what they’ve shared, it reads to me that there isn’t a clear direction for the story and message planned to be told in this new version, and we’re going to lose a lot of wonderful AAs and sets for something that measures out to being a lot less than what is currently there, and it unfortunately wouldn’t be the first time that we would see such a makeover from WDI.
I want a solid refurbishment maintaining and bettering what’s already there. I feel like this should be the natural order of things, but many Imagineers aren’t interested in not designing something new, something that they themselves didn’t put their own stamp on, so they’ll design something new just for the sake of it, not necessarily because it’s something better.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
I think what may be a little closer to the truth is that WDI is given the mandate to redo attractions in *·*·*magical*·*·* new ways that also just so happen to bring operational and maintenance costs down.
Animatronics and sets being replaced by projections that are cheaper to run, easier to maintain, and can be sold to the guest as "cutting-edge tech" (plus the possible addition of Disney Characters in some form) is something we've seen before, and Spaceship Earth sounded like it was heading right down that path.
I'm all for Spaceship Earth getting reworked - goodness knows they botched the last refurb - but I really, really hope Disney has a moment of clarity in this pause and manages to offer us a refurb that takes good care of the ride track and basically otherwise updates the attraction in the vein of its previous iterations. Cleaned up show, judicious addition of upgraded tech, some new showscenes, new score and narration, and then finish the damn thing like they failed to do last time.
It really doesn't need a total rethink.
I dare say a lot of those who’d normally have to monitor mundane things like this are not at work.
And even when they're at work, they miss things like this more often than one would think.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Because they're hanging out here posting all day
Clamman73
Well-Known Member
Good to see the paper boy back at work.
Bartattack
Well-Known Member
Rob562
Well-Known Member
rle4lunch
Well-Known Member
Indeed. Even when they are working full time, the Disney sites are some of the worst to visit online. I get it that they have ENORMOUS site traffic, but it seems they either can't keep it up and running smooth, or they just don't care enough to worry about it.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
$80 million doesn't go as far as it used to.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Well hey now, if that wouldn't make the perfect marketing image for the re-opening of the Park......!
Um.....
Yeah.
Guess we won't be seein' THAT on the Disney Parks Blog....
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CaptainTeo
Member
Huh, I was under the impression that everyone knew that it was Vic Perrin. Was it really that hotly debated? Or - honest question because I'm not hugely involved in the community - is this some kind of joke that I'm missing?
Genie_naughty_whispers
Well-Known Member
As we write our opinions on whether we want a refurb or not, we should all paused and thank the Phoenicians.
Dragonman
Well-Known Member
I think @marni1971 would be best at answering that. Although for starters Marty Sklar’s book played a big role in the disbelief.