Is the Overhaul of This Iconic EPCOT Attraction Canceled?

EPCOT is currently undergoing its largest transformation since opening at the Walt Disney World Resort in 1982. The theme park has already reimagined the former Future World into three distinct neighborhoods; World Celebration, World Nature, and World Discovery, which all sit at the front of the Park ahead of World Showcase.

Included in the redevelopment of EPCOT are some features that have already opened to Guests, like the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction, a different look for Club Cool, and new shopping and dining experiences with the Creations Shop and Connections Cafe & Eatery. Work is also underway for Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.

Back in 2019, however, when the Park’s grand redevelopment plan was originally announced, fans learned some very vague details of an overhaul coming to EPCOT’s icon, Spaceship Earth. With Disney staying silent on the matter for a couple of years now, we have to wonder, is this overhaul still in the works?

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The planned changes were announced for EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth at the 2019 D23 Expo. Disney’s description of the changes as they were announced in 2019 read:

At World Celebration in Epcot, Spaceship Earth will remain the park’s grand icon but the journey will be transformed with new scenes reflecting the universal nature of the human experience. A new guide and all new narration will focus on the storytelling that brings people together.

Fans were understandably mixed when the news broke that such an iconic Disney Park attraction would be reimagined in an all-new way. While some Guests were excited to see what the new version of the ride through the history of human communication would be like, others were worried that some of the most memorable elements from the attraction could be removed.

Months after the initial announcement in February 2020, Disney shared that the closing date for the reimagining of Spaceship Earth would be May 26, 2020. Of course, EPCOT was closed for the entirety of May 2020, along with all other Disney theme parks and most non-essential businesses worldwide as COVID-19 cases began to increase dramatically.

Assuming the May 26 date stuck, Creative Portfolio Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering Zach Riddley then shared the following details on the reimagining of the attraction:

Today we’re excited to share a few additional details of what you can expect when this icon returns. You’ll visit Egypt, which is part of the current version of the attraction, but it will be an Egypt like you’ve never seen before, transformed through the power of light.

Throughout the attraction, you’ll hear new narration and see how light plays a central role in our shared human journey, coming to life in dynamic ways in a celebration of the magic that’s possible when we all come together.

Walt Disney once said EPCOT “would always be in a state of becoming,” and Spaceship Earth has lived up to that vision for generations. This will be the attraction’s fourth – and most ambitious – update since the park’s grand opening on Oct. 1, 1982.

When the Walt Disney World Resort did reopen in July of that year, Spaceship Earth opened back up along with the rest of EPCOT. No reopening date for the ride was announced with the original refurbishment date, but it was estimated at the time that the work would take at least a year or two.

Since the Walt Disney World Resort reopened in July 2020, Disney has stayed silent on the matter of Spaceship Earth. Other elements of EPCOT’s original reimagining plans seem to have slipped through the cracks, including the previously announced Play Pavilion and a Mary Poppins attraction that would have been built for the U.K. pavilion in World Showcase.

So is Spaceship Earth still getting an overhaul? We cannot be certain until Disney shares more information, and the events of 2020 were certainly “unprecedented,” so it isn’t possible to look back at what the company did with proposed attractions during a past global pandemic.

Still, it is very much a possibility that we will see a new version of Spaceship Earth in years to come. If the changes are announced soon, Disney could be waiting to share more details at this year’s D23 Expo.

This year’s event takes place September 9-11, 2022, at the Anaheim Convention Center, and we will be covering all of the Disney news you need to know out of the Expo here on DisneyTips. We will be back with additional updates as we have them on the possible reimagining of Spaceship Earth and other progress updates with the rest of EPCOT’s construction.