As times have changed, the Spaceship Earth attraction at Epcot has changed with them. Opening in 1982, the ride received massive overhauls in 1986, 1994, and 2007, usually with the departure/addition of a corporate sponsor. With over a decade since the last reimagining and coupled with the 2017 departure of Siemens, Walt Disney Imagineering is ramping up for another round of changes for the park’s icon attraction.

We broke the news on these updates back in October 2018, and you can find more details that Disney hasn’t released on the project here.

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. The ride will see a refreshing of all scenes leading up to the Industrial Revolution portion (where newspapers are being printed as a young boy sells them steps away), with changes on a grand scale coming to every scene following that, all the way to the end of the ride. New narration and an entirely new musical score will also be added to Spaceship Earth, featuring a “story light” element to bring to give each scene energy and beauty, tying the entire journey together.

World Celebration in Epcot, the park’s new garden space, and one of the new “Neighborhoods” in the park, will also feature breathtaking views at Dreamers Point, lush gardens, a wishing tree, an interactive new fountain and a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney.

As you exit Spaceship Earth, you’ll discover a breathtaking new view of World Showcase from Dreamers Point. World Celebration will also feature a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney.

Originally, we believed that the overhaul would be so thorough that it will require the ride to close from early 2020 until the park’s 40th anniversary in the second half of 2022, but Disney did not mention a time frame during D23, and it may be that these dates may change. We’ll await further details and update accordingly.

Be sure to check out our livestream postshow where we discuss everything that was revealed today at the 2019 D23 Expo!