SSE Reviews

[Mr.EPCOT]

I think the music is very underwhelming. Very unnoticeable throughout most of the ride, and very out of place where it is. In my opinion, the only place where it really works at all is the view of Earth and finale. My film music professor taught me that, "Good music can't make a bad movie good, but bad music can make a good movie bad." The same is applicable for any Disney attraction. Unfortunately, this ride has the distinction of being plagued by both, as I would say that the music is the only thing that brings the first half of the ride down, but the music that is kind of okay throughout the finale doesn't matter because that part of the ride itself is lame.

 

[ROEFan88]

Just one more response to the video (thanks to whoever put that up, btw). While I'm definitely not making my mind up until I ride the finished version, I have to reiterate some of the concerns already voiced by so many.

Spaceship Earth had, in recent years, become one of my favourites, primarily because of two things - the wonderful music and Jeremy Irons' brilliant narration. Now both of these are gone - yes, I'm disappointed, but I say again, I'll reserve judgement until I've actually ridden it.

From the video, I can say that Judi Dench's narration is very... different, in its style and content. I'm not sure I like her more light-hearted approach - her voice just doesn't have the grandiose yet mysterious quality of Irons'.

As for the music, while I thought the new tune for the top was OK, it pales in comparison to the truly amazing 1994 theme. I'm not badmouthing the score until I hear it in person, but already I'm inclined to say if it ain't broke, please DON'T fix it.

I'll reserve my judgement on everything else (especially the dreaded touch-screens) until April when I next get to ride.

 

[joel_maxwell]

I`ve been chasing this up and have word from 2 sources it ain`t anywhere near complete yet. February is still the date to wait for - then see where things stand. Hopefully the only thing wrong by then will be soft opening for operational reasons and not show ready reasons.

i hate to repeat myself... but i just dont think this is a good idea. soft openings

Marn, while i have heard that it is "not done," the main components are in place, and only tweaks to the video timing, the addition of the image, and the new areas of the post-show are to come - not new sets of scenery, which is really what it needs.

What else have you heard?

if this is the word, then come february ill be dissapointed

UOE was opened, half-refurbished. I believe it was a problem of the new films not being ready for the planned opening date, so the attraction re-opened as the original version of Universe of Energy, but built around the Ellen's Energy Adventure infrastructure. The old pre-show video was projected onto the static Ellen screens, as opposed to the old Radok screens, and the Ellen animatronic was hidden behind a giant fake rock.

After everything was in order, the ride closed again, and the refurbishment was completed.

this was a major blunder... i think that was much more of a disaster, but this doesnt smell good (at least to those who dont like the ending)

 

[EpcotServo]

A new video has popped up on Laughing Place.

http://www.laughingplace.com/Lotion-View-520.asp

From the looks of it, they turned off the blue front of the new first archway on the way up, which would help darken up the fiber optic curtains, and it looks like there is ALOT more stars to the last bit of the descent tunnel.

 

[Katya]

Heh, I've been trying to catch up on all this talk, but it's just so much!!

I'd like to say, just in case anyone is wondering as there seems to be question (maybe?)...we don't officially open until February 18th of 2008. That is our date and it doesn't seem to be changing. Also, I believe we were even told this weekend not to call all this soft openings. There was some debate about what we should be calling it (I think we finally came to sneak peak?) but not yet soft opening. Either way, it's a wonderful change of pace for us cast members having worked nothing but the Project Tomorrow area for the last few months.

I have faith that everything isn't done. I could be wrong, but that's personally where I stand right now. Besides, there's one more section of Project Tomorrow to open still (which should be within the next month, I believe I've been told, and I'm a big fan of it).

 

[echoscot]

Wow

I have been away from Disney for about 2 years and this thread was quite uhhh Exciting? to read. LOL

First, I have to point out that I think 'reveiwing' a ride based on watching a ride through video? Not really appropriate, sorry. It's a much different thing when you're actually there on the ride.

Second, I rode SSE twice tonight. We were in line for over an hour and it was around eightish when we were let in. I saw no research but did see WDI wandering around but not talking to guests. I put up a more detailed review in the sticky SSE preview poll part 2 .... http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost....9&postcount=24

It's. A. Soft. Opening. The ride is not done. I have to believe that they'll be finishing/adding/changing stuff on the descent before the official opening.

Finally, the bickering on these boards is ridiculous at times. There is a fine line between discussion/debate and bickering/arguing, and I think a few of us might be toeing the line, especially re: SSE. Some of us are downright venemous about this refurb, and I think it's a bit OTT. Lighten up. I love the ride. I love Disney. Nothing they could do to this ride - including getting rid of it - would make me hate Disney. I'm lucky enough to live near Disney, go on a regular basis. I have my family, my health, my home, and three amazing cats. My DH loves me, I have a fridge full of food, a stable income, and a safe car. And I am practically surrounded by world-class theme parks full of idiots spending money and helping to pay our taxes. What else could I want?

Thank you so much for that, what a wonderful outlook!!!!!!


I enjoy reading positive things like that, and can't wait to ride it for myself.

Heh, I've been trying to catch up on all this talk, but it's just so much!!

I'd like to say, just in case anyone is wondering as there seems to be question (maybe?)...we don't officially open until February 18th of 2008. That is our date and it doesn't seem to be changing. Also, I believe we were even told this weekend not to call all this soft openings. There was some debate about what we should be calling it (I think we finally came to sneak peak?) but not yet soft opening. Either way, it's a wonderful change of pace for us cast members having worked nothing but the Project Tomorrow area for the last few months.

I have faith that everything isn't done. I could be wrong, but that's personally where I stand right now. Besides, there's one more section of Project Tomorrow to open still (which should be within the next month, I believe I've been told, and I'm a big fan of it).

That is awesome, I used to be a CM at the Studios and my sister is at DAK, you must be very excited to be a part of a big rehab like this.

I will be there in January, so maybe some new changes will have happened by then...

 

[MonorailGreen]

I'm seriously hoping that this ride is not completed yet! Disney's track record lately has been pretty outstanding here at WDW with refurbs and new attractions, even copies.

Hopefully, it truely is a soft opening, if not Spaceship Earth will suffer the fate of the Imagination fiasco. It was outstanding until the descent and the video screens coming on. Then it was downhill from there, literally! Where's the hanging Spaceship Earth in the ending? That was a personal favorite!

WDI, please don't let your fans down, we are having faith in the fact that there is more to come! If not, let's start throwing out some ideas for Spaceship Earth 3.5, we don't need a 4.0 because the first half is GREAT!

 

[coasterphil]

I finally got a chance to ride it tonight.

-The projection at the start is pretty cool
-The AAs look great throughout
-The narration and music are fine with me, no complaints
-The burning Rome smell was overwhelming, I'd hate to stop in that room
-The ride loses steam right before the 180 top, the dark garage and the lame matrix effect shouldn't be the last thing you see before the top. Just doesn't leave you with the sense of amazement that the other scenes have. This fact is even worse when you consider what little there is in the descent
-The touch screen survey questions are completely lame and the animations themselves are bad as well. Such a terrible way to end. I'm maintaining hope that plenty more has to be done though because the descent is in terrible shape and isn't even close to "show ready" as far as I'm concerned

 

[NemoRocks78]

I finally got a chance to ride it tonight.

-The projection at the start is pretty cool
-The AAs look great throughout
-The narration and music are fine with me, no complaints
-The burning Rome smell was overwhelming, I'd hate to stop in that room
-The ride loses steam right before the 180 top, the dark garage and the lame matrix effect shouldn't be the last thing you see before the top. Just doesn't leave you with the sense of amazement that the other scenes have. This fact is even worse when you consider what little there is in the descent
-The touch screen survey questions are completely lame and the animations themselves are bad as well. Such a terrible way to end. I'm maintaining hope that plenty more has to be done though because the descent is in terrible shape and isn't even close to "show ready" as far as I'm concerned

Do you know how long it's been open today?

 

[coasterphil]

Do you know how long it's been open today?

It was open when I showed up at 5:30 and still open when I left at 8:15.

 

[NemoRocks78]

It was open when I showed up at 5:30 and still open when I left at 8:15.

Cool, thanks. :wave: I'm hoping to get over there Friday.

 

[BSikor]

Do you know how long it's been open today?

It opened at 5pm tonight.

 

[potatoheadman]

When my 5 year old daughter rode spaceship earth for the first time, she was completely silent until halfway down the descent. Then she just simply spelled "W-O-W.
I am sad that the WOW factor has been removed from this portion of the ride.

So, we need help from all you computer hackers. I know you're lurking on this forum. Can somebody please hack into the SSE computer and play one of the YouTube videos of the old descent on those blasted screens?

Or maybe I'll just take my video Ipod and playback my own "old" future during the descent instead of the lame "new" future WDI and Seimens wants me to experience.

Seems like a lot of work though, for the price I'm going to pay to be on that ride.

 

[BSikor]

My chat with Mr. Jim McPhee

While walking through Epcot today, I bumped into Jim McPhee and spoke to him briefly. I thanked him again for what he did for the 25th Anniversary and told him I was glad to see the gallery still open. He told me that it would be open for most of next year which I think will make many people happy. Now if we can get it on the guide maps then we would have something.

He asked me if I had the opportunity to ride SSE yet. I informed him that I had on Saturday. He asked me what I thought. I told him that all of the work up to the 180 top has been great. I told him all of the AA's looked great so far and the scenes haven't looked better. I told him the in-ride narration is taking some getting used to and is a bit loud and overpowering to the score. I told him that I thought it had been getting a bum rap. He said he checks out the boards from time to time and I told him that I felt that some of our members have been extremely upset over the finale descent of the ride. I told him that I understand that it is a work in progress and I thanked him for opening it up to us as a sneak preview of things to come. He noded his head and said "Well, there are things still coming for the end that we are still working on". I added that some people unfortunatly are judging the preview as a final product. He replied that "people are passionate" which I thought was a very polite thing to say. I told him that I and a number of others have been defending the work that has been done and while I agree the descent is lacking at the moment, he says there will be more to come and I am holding him to it.

In addition, I rode SSE twice today and the descent is growing on me. As I rode it, I tried to imagine how the animations would look with my face on it or a caricature of my face on it. It made me enjoy it a little more. We'll see if that's how they tie in the photos.

Other notes from today on viewing the ride twice...

The "Thank the Phonecians" line is back.
There are more star field effects in the descent
There is more lightning strikes in the descent..
There is now a different video playing in the front two seats than the back two. (This wasn't the case on Saturday)
The computer in the garage now is illuminated with programming code.

Oh and the new game in the post show was open today. I'll post pics soon.

 

[EpcotServo]

Oh and the new game in the post show was open today. I'll post pics soon.

Great report! Jim is the man, that's for sure!


How's the new game?

 

[BSikor]

I didn't play but it looked fun. It was a cross between shuffle board and this game that used be in Innoventions that I cant remember the name of.

 

[SweetMagic]

The computer in the garage now is illuminated with programming code.

It might just be me, but it seemed like a different computer too, smaller... I dunno, but it definitely looks better with the screen in play.

We rode it so many times this evening that one of the CM's in the loading area told us not to bother getting off and walking all the way around to get back on each time, he told us to just stay on, so that's what we did! Too funny :lol:

 

[EpcotServo]

It might just be me, but it seemed like a different computer too, smaller... I dunno, but it definitely looks better with the screen in play.

We rode it so many times this evening that one of the CM's in the loading area told us not to bother getting off and walking all the way around to get back on each time, he told us to just stay on, so that's what we did! Too funny :lol:

Ooooo...that's cool!


Wish I could have done the same for Rock 'N' Roller Coaster tonight.

Heh heh...
:lol:

 

[Katya]

SO I just got back, my roommate and I got distracted at MK for too long so we missed riding, which is sad, but I was surprised to see the wall down and Power City (the shuffleboard type game) up! I know they've been working pretty hard on it, btu I thought the date they gave us for opening it was closer to the 18th. Still, I know that we'd been playing over the weekend and my current high score is 9,000,000.

I'm glad you got to talk with someone who you could report back to here the things I've been saying too. (I know I'm new/not a big contributer, but I do know some things!)

The Power City game, for those interested, is a game where you take two sticks and you move energy sources in the form of projected pucks to various communities on a projected map on the ground. It's actually a fun game and I encourage anyone to try it. (Wins over Super Driver and Body Builder by far as my favorite) and I'm glad they've finally opened it up. Now I only wonder what new route we're going to have to take to our break room.

 

[Skippy_]

Now if they could put a caricature of peoples faces on the end cartoon, I'd be impressed, but I have have a feeling we'll just get an awkward jib-jab video in the end (I wonder if it goes into default mode if it can't detect your face because you not looking at the camera?)!

As much as it could technologically impress me, I'd rather it be moving, and interesting (leave you with something to think about)!

Just my opinion :shrug:

Skippy