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Thread: More Mouse: Remembering the Magic: Spaceship Earth

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    More Mouse: Remembering the Magic: Spaceship Earth

    Remembering the Magic: Spaceship Earth by Jonathan Heigl

    Jonathan Heigl remembers the journey of Spaceship Earth

    Read it here!


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  3. #2

    I've seen all 4 version and liked them all. Don't care who the narrator is because I can't see him/her anyway. What I would change though, is the focus of the ride. While the current ride's theme is about all technology; communication, transportation, medicine, energy, and so forth; it still focuses heavily on communication. It needs to make the scenes focus on all equally. For example, in the caveman scene I would keep the Shawman talking and the people painting on wall for Communication, and add a man inventing shoes (Transportation), a man discovering fire (Energy), a woman badging up a hunter's wound (Medicine). And then other scene can be taken out, like burning of Rome, and replaced with new scenes, the invention of the wheel. As for the descent, I think it just needs some color added that won't distract us from the screen.


  4. #3
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    I like that it has changed. My first trip was in 2002, with 2 more trips with Jeremy Irons. When it was redone, I like the subtle change. The ride was the same, but the details had improved. I'm a Bond fan, so hearing Dench's voice is almost soothing to me. The upgraded scenes definitely keeps the ride current instead of seeming like an old attraction - you can keep a ride like Pirates or Haunted Mansion "feeling old", but you can't do that with a ride design to tell the story of advancements. As for the interactive part at the end, I actually like it better than the scenes that were there....as long as I'm not doing the ride too often. Then it can become boring. Overall, I like the new version of SSE. Especially the fantastic musical score. In fact, I think I'll head over to youtube right now and give it a listen.

    Working for Disney. No, no. Working (in a Modesto office) for (the money to take a trip to) Disney (World/Land)

    WDW Trips: June 2002, Feb 2004, Dec 2006, Dec 2008, Jan 2010, Feb 2011, Dec 2012
    Disneyland Trips: Feb 2006, Nov 2013, Nov 2014, Feb, March, June 2015 (x2), Nov 2015

  5. #4

    I must admit I too preferred Jeremy Irons as the narrator but I prefer the update on the scenes in the latest version. However I heavily dislike the interactive screens, I feel they should either have been properly integrated into the attraction throughout or not used at all. I go to Disney to be immersed in the experience, for me its a break away from screens and personal gadgets. I feel that they are a bit of a waste.


  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Boundyman View Post
    I've seen all 4 version and liked them all. Don't care who the narrator is because I can't see him/her anyway. What I would change though, is the focus of the ride. While the current ride's theme is about all technology; communication, transportation, medicine, energy, and so forth; it still focuses heavily on communication. It needs to make the scenes focus on all equally. For example, in the caveman scene I would keep the Shawman talking and the people painting on wall for Communication, and add a man inventing shoes (Transportation), a man discovering fire (Energy), a woman badging up a hunter's wound (Medicine). And then other scene can be taken out, like burning of Rome, and replaced with new scenes, the invention of the wheel. As for the descent, I think it just needs some color added that won't distract us from the screen.
    I think I might be misunderstanding you, or perhaps you might be misunderstanding Spaceship Earth. The main focus of the ride IS communication. It doesn't really have a direct focus on transportation, technology, medicine, etc. While some of those are mentioned or touched upon, they are in regards to communication. For example, the cave scene is about communication by writing pictures/symbols on the cave walls. The Egypt scene is the hieroglyphics and papyrus, Greek scene is on the theater, 80s server/computer room is about the invention of the computer and how it would lead to global communication, etc. Spaceship Earth aims to show how communication has built the future, one step at a time. I'm not sure adding in other topics for focus would stay true to the original idea and aim of Spaceship Earth, but if they wanted to adjust the focus a little bit, your ideas would certainly make sense!

    Quote Originally Posted by DisneyGator View Post
    I like that it has changed. My first trip was in 2002, with 2 more trips with Jeremy Irons. When it was redone, I like the subtle change. The ride was the same, but the details had improved. I'm a Bond fan, so hearing Dench's voice is almost soothing to me. The upgraded scenes definitely keeps the ride current instead of seeming like an old attraction - you can keep a ride like Pirates or Haunted Mansion "feeling old", but you can't do that with a ride design to tell the story of advancements. As for the interactive part at the end, I actually like it better than the scenes that were there....as long as I'm not doing the ride too often. Then it can become boring. Overall, I like the new version of SSE. Especially the fantastic musical score. In fact, I think I'll head over to youtube right now and give it a listen.
    The improved details are certainly much welcome, at least to me, however, I feel the script is (to put it bluntly) "dumbed down" and not quite as "educational" or "informational" as previous ones, especially the Jeremy Irons version. As mentioned below by DisneyGator, the removal of the descent scenes in favor of screens is not something I was thrilled with as I also feel it removes a little bit of the Disney magic and the full immersion that I tend to look for in a Disney ride. I think Dame Judi Dench does an excellent job with the script she was given, however, I feel it is weaker than previous scripts.

    Quote Originally Posted by duke68012 View Post
    I must admit I too preferred Jeremy Irons as the narrator but I prefer the update on the scenes in the latest version. However I heavily dislike the interactive screens, I feel they should either have been properly integrated into the attraction throughout or not used at all. I go to Disney to be immersed in the experience, for me its a break away from screens and personal gadgets. I feel that they are a bit of a waste.
    Great point. As I mentioned above, I agree 100%. I, too, want to be immersed in the experience and feel that the screens take away from that, at least in their current use. If they were to use them throughout the ride, like you were mentioning, then perhaps I would feel different!

    Thanks, all, for your comments!
    "Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers."

  7. #6

    Nothing will replace the Irons version - from the mystic narration to the much better music. I miss it greatly and constantly hunt for signs that the old descent is still there behind those fabric curtains.


  8. #7

    I have only seen the Dench version, and I like it. I like the sound of Jeremy Iron's voice, so that would be cool, but Judy Dench does well too. The one question I have every time I ride it, is whose garage is it? Is it Jobs/Woz? Gates/Balmer? Hewlett/Packard? (did I miss someone?) I can't ever read the mailbox to know.. Is it even a specific one, or is it just representing all the tech firms that started out as garage projects?


  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by yedliw View Post
    I have only seen the Dench version, and I like it. I like the sound of Jeremy Iron's voice, so that would be cool, but Judy Dench does well too. The one question I have every time I ride it, is whose garage is it? Is it Jobs/Woz? Gates/Balmer? Hewlett/Packard? (did I miss someone?) I can't ever read the mailbox to know.. Is it even a specific one, or is it just representing all the tech firms that started out as garage projects?
    I believe the official response to this question would be that it is not anyone's garage in particular. I have seen this same thing asked of one of the Disney Execs, mostly in regards to the animatronic figure, and they say it is not one specific person, but a likeness of the typical person from that time period.
    "Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers."

  10. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by spectromen View Post
    Nothing will replace the Irons version - from the mystic narration to the much better music. I miss it greatly and constantly hunt for signs that the old descent is still there behind those fabric curtains.
    I very much liked the Jeremy Irons version as well. It would be great to be able to go in there on a tour or something and look behind those curtains!
    "Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers."

  11. #10

    The Guy in the Garage is Steve Jobs. They just assume you already know the history of personal computers and don't mention it.


  12. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by jheigl View Post
    I think I might be misunderstanding you, or perhaps you might be misunderstanding Spaceship Earth. The main focus of the ride IS communication. It doesn't really have a direct focus on transportation, technology, medicine, etc. While some of those are mentioned or touched upon, they are in regards to communication. For example, the cave scene is about communication by writing pictures/symbols on the cave walls. The Egypt scene is the hieroglyphics and papyrus, Greek scene is on the theater, 80s server/computer room is about the invention of the computer and how it would lead to global communication, etc. Spaceship Earth aims to show how communication has built the future, one step at a time. I'm not sure adding in other topics for focus would stay true to the original idea and aim of Spaceship Earth, but if they wanted to adjust the focus a little bit, your ideas would certainly make sense!
    When Siemens became the sponsor the theme was supposed to change to technologies for everything. That's why the interactive screen does technologies of the future rather than future of communication technology. Its also why interactive area has games focusing on Transportation, Energy, and Medical technologies.

  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Boundyman View Post
    The Guy in the Garage is Steve Jobs. They just assume you already know the history of personal computers and don't mention it.
    From all reports I have seen over the years, the guy in the garage is "a nod to all of the innovators of the time". Most people also believe that it more closely resembles Steve Wozniak, who was really the inventor of the Apple computer (in terms of designing and building the hardware; Steve Jobs was really more of the salesman for it). He was the one who built the first Apple computer in the garage, and the figure most closely resembles him, although officially the figure is not designed to be any one person in particular.
    "Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers."

  14. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Boundyman View Post
    The Guy in the Garage is Steve Jobs. They just assume you already know the history of personal computers and don't mention it.
    That isn't a very safe assumption.. especially since HP, and MS were both started in a garage with 2 people as well.. contrary to popular belief, the tech world doesn't revolve around Cupertino..

  15. #14

    I would be fine with the current version (even the descent which I don't love) if they would find a way to incorporate even a snippet of Tomorrow's Child. I really miss all the Classic Epcot songs.


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