"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." That is such an amazing statement.
I rode this when Walter Cronkite was the narrator when I was 12 or 13. I'm 39 now and still watch this version all the time. Jeremy Irons has the perfect voice for it as well.
I agree, I first rode this ride in 86 when I was 5, and liked the Kronkite version, but I grew to like this one the best. After watching videos here, I find that there is a lot of dead air in the first version and Kronkite's delivery is flat, but since he was a news reporter, that was the way he talked and delivered the news. Jeremy Irons, being a classical actor, threw in a little showmanship at certain points (e.g. "the renaissance") that made it better.
Crazy to think they removed the cityscape finale so you can stare at a thoughtless tablet in the cart the rest of the way down instead. Just pure crazy. Tomorrow's Child has been horribly robbed.
This is the version of Spaceship Earth that I grew up with. The narration, the score, and the descent scenes are truly the best. I honestly hope that if Disney does decide to update spaceship earth (which it really needs one) that they bring back the magic of this version.
There's an elegance to this one that cannot be matched--the combination of the music and the narration of Jeremy Irons. I find it somewhat unfortunate they remodeled the attraction with the mindset of appealing to the children; I found the attraction to be just fine the way it was when I was a child. Still, it is a very educational experience in the development and importance of communication. And that's what matters.
when I rode it as a kid, I also thought that, all the factors making the ride up made it very relaxing and educational at the same time, Walter Cronkite and Jeremy Irons were great narrators of this ride.
Spaceship Earth is one of my favorite rides in Disney. As a kid, I loved the old ending, and, as an adult, I love the new ending. It's funny though to hear people talking about how they don't like the new ending while people who have never seen the old ending have no issues with the new ending. I think it comes down to childhood nostalgia.
The second ending (with the people talking to each other through computers) was my favorite. I’ve seen all 3, though I don’t remember the original, I know I rode it while it was still the original ending. I despise the current ending. The 2nd was whimsical and now, nostalgic. Now it’s covered in curtains and dust, both hiding it’s former greatness.
This ride was at its best with "Tomorrow's Child" as the theme music and Walter Cronkite as the narrator. Why Disney feels the need to "update" things that aren't broken is beyond me. Avid Disney fans will undertstand what I mean. Great tribute! Thanks!
I cried when it got to 15:00. The song is so beautiful and it shows how promising the future can be. That's my favorite part of the ride, by far. I rode this version over fifteen times and just a week ago and I rode it again and it was totally ruined. I had no idea that the ride was changed. I'm going to miss it forever. I am beyond sad about this. I feel betrayed. R.I.P. Spaceship Earth. October 1982-July 2007.
I've only been to Disney World once, but I had to have ridden Spaceship Earth at least ten times during my weeklong stay. It was back in 2004, when Jeremy Irons was still the narrator. To say that it influenced my life would be a grave understatement. I am planning on returning to DW later this year or next year, and while I will revisit Spaceship Earth and give the Judi Dench version a chance, it's not going to hold a candle to the one I grew up with.
I loved it when they played "Tomorrow's child" when the ride was ending. Plus, when they had miniture models of the space station with an astronaut towards the end. Great memories.
Been going on this ride every few years since I was 7 years old - went this year after quite a long gap and love the new feature where they take your photo and stick your head on various screen shots! Fantastic ride, so cleverly constructed.
I love how you presented this! I barely remember the Tomorrow's Child song but hearing it again really jogged my memory. This was my fav ride at Disney although it probably wont be now, since I hear they've killed it. (aka, they changed it and made it worse)
I work as a computer ride show tech at WDW EPCOT. I worked in SSE for over 5 years and it is my favorite attraction. I also proposed to my wife there on vacation a couple of years before we moved there. How ironic that I ended up there! I have some great stories to tell and alot of fun facts as well. See Ya!!
Another Paragraph says - This adventure through time leads ultimately to the very top of Spaceship Earth's geodesic dome, where guests arrive at the present. The time travel adventure will be enhanced through new, interactive touch screens installed aboard each "time machine" that will enable guests to create their own visions of the future and see themselves in that future.
One of the best Disney World ride videos on here. VERY well done! One of my personal favorites rides in all of Disney World, I especially love the smell of Rome burning.... Mmmmmm.
Thanks for such a great video...I love this ride soooo much, but when my family and I went July 07 the ride was closed and I was so disappointed b/c that was the main reason I wanted to go back, but the video made up for that. Thanks a bunch!!!!
@ricefarmer88 - It is called Tomorrows Child; it is the original theme song for the ride. I do not know if it is on iTunes but I bet a google search would locate it.
I remember going to this attraction years ago (this version). I always wondered at the time if that type of technology is even possible. look at us now lol
Brilliant! All of your videos are first class. Thank you very much for bringing back some awesome memories! My wife and I rode through SSE so many times that for years after we would hum the theme of "Tomorrow's Child"... I understand it has changed now - c'est la vie.
Great quality! I really hope they keep this intact inside, it's a real icon. I always wanted to get to the top and call someone on a cell but probably couldn't get a signal.:)
Because the Mickey wand never belonged there in the first place. It wasn't there when the park opened in 82. It was just too big of a distraction from the beautiful architectural marvel that is Spaceship Earth.
On my trip to WDW, I went on this ride 2-3 times per time when I went to Epcot. Totally relaxing amd amazing! I have yet to ride the new one. I plan on going back to WDW within the next year. Hopfully I'll like the updates. Thanks ru42! Your video's are the BEST!!!!!!!
yeah, he has a great voice for narrating this ride. When I was young, I rode it when Walter Cronkite was the narrator and that was the main thing I remember from the experience of all things :)
thank you so much for putting up this video. I have been going to WDW for as long as i remembered. I recently was able to test ride the new spaceship earth after Seimen's took it from At&T. They changed it and took away a Disney original.
I totally love this version more than the Judi Dench version. I have nothing against Disney wanting to update it with using Dame Judi Dench, but I kinda prefered it when Jeremy Irons did the narration because he had that rough voice that a narrator should have, whereas Judi just sounds like she's a computerised voice.
i want to go back today. "tomorrow's child", i have to wait until january 2010 to return, but thanks for the great videos to keep me grounded until then!
This is my most favourite ride of all time! I was greatly saddened by the changes they made to it in the previous year:( This video reminds me of its once great essence
Whoever thought of Skype must have been inspired by what was going on between the Japanese girl and the american boy talking to each other via video screen. :) And we keep on moving into the future.
I recently came back from Disney World and had a chance to ride Spaceship Earth. I think this ride is great. As for Siemens taking over the ride I think they made some good improvements. AT&T was the one who decided to drop out of the sponsorship and Siemens picked it up
OMG I love this ride! It has to be my favorite ride in the entire park. Has anyone seen the new upgrades?? I haven't been down there since it was reopened, this is really the only version i know. I hope they didn't mess it up.. I was VERY upset to see the wand come down (now mind you, that's the ONLY way I know Spaceship Earth. My first trip was in 2001). Can't wait till my husband & I move down there, season passes.. i'll be there every other weekend..
Hi All! Thanks for the compliments! Be sure to give this ride a 5 star rating and favorite it. I currently have 8 honors and one of them is #1 for the week in Travel. Thanks for putting me there! - - RU
Greetings! This video starts out with a tribute to the original theme song - Tomorrow's Child. After that you will sit down for your ride through Spaceship Earth! This and all my videos are available on DVD. Go to my channel for more information. Thanks for watching! - - RU42
Gah I miss the old ending soooo much. It was soo epic to finish the ride like this, not some lame interactive questionaire that gets old after the first couple times you use it :S. Even though the outro was kind of dated it was still amazing.
I have yet to see the new version of SPE, but I have seen this and the previous incarnation. In my opinion, this one is by far the best, and has the best ending. It's nice and relaxing, the fiber optics set the best atmosphere to close out the ride.
@NoodleIsM3t4l You have to keep in mind, the old ride isn't predicting the future anymore, it's predicting the present ( we can communicate across the world, it's called the internet)
In my opinion all they needed to do was update its animatronics and effects and not put in new scenes and narrations. Sigh, I miss the old Spaceship Earth.
I just got off this ride at Disney. I hate the updated version, bring Jeremy Irons back!!!! :( It's also HOT inside! Disney is chincy on the ac these days!
ikr, back in 2012 me and my mom were stuck on this ride and I can tell ya, by the time we got off the ride, we were wanting to drench ourselves in the 2L bottle of water we bought cos it was so hot inside the ride. I do agree, you'd think with the amount of money Disney has and is gaining from ticket sales, they wouldn't be skimpy on the air con.
@del1000005 that is so true. I was there when they first opened spaceship earth in 1982.... I just went back today and everything is so so different. Even from the last time i was here in 2000 they still had walter cronkite narrating....
I say all of the original formats of the ride be restored along with the recorded narration of Walter Cronkite and/or Jeremy Irons, seems that that's what most people are wanting.
Official Disney Newsrelease - Enhancements to the time-travel attraction will encompass changes to each of the ride scenes. New show scenes will be added to the attraction's story along with new lighting effects, costumes, set decoration, narration and musical score.
The thing u gotta realize is that when a sponser leaves the contract with Disney, they want the ride of the compnay wants it. Meaning, AT&T had it b4 (the old version) and now seaome (The new version) has the contract, so they can put the ride in any form they want for the next x (when parks opened it was 99 year contract, who knows now) number of years
Yeah. One thing that's kinda cool is you can pick the language, so my family (well, my dad and I at least) listened to the whole thing in each language (English first, obviously, so we understood it) but other than that, the old one is so much better. I just like the way everything is in the old one.
i went to EPCOT and loved Spaceship earth lets see..... 1996. Damn, long time ago! can someone tell me where I can find this song? I used to own the CD but lost it years ago. I would like to replace. Thanks!
"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." That is such an amazing statement.
I rode this when Walter Cronkite was the narrator when I was 12 or 13. I'm 39 now and still watch this version all the time. Jeremy Irons has the perfect voice for it as well.
I agree, I first rode this ride in 86 when I was 5, and liked the Kronkite version, but I grew to like this one the best. After watching videos here, I find that there is a lot of dead air in the first version and Kronkite's delivery is flat, but since he was a news reporter, that was the way he talked and delivered the news. Jeremy Irons, being a classical actor, threw in a little showmanship at certain points (e.g. "the renaissance") that made it better.
Love Jeremy's voice
I really miss this version of Spaceship Earth... it was the best ever! Feels great to hear it again. Please don't ever take it down!
Crazy to think they removed the cityscape finale so you can stare at a thoughtless tablet in the cart the rest of the way down instead. Just pure crazy. Tomorrow's Child has been horribly robbed.
DID YOU KNOW: That is a real play the animatronics are performing at 7:28
It is called "Oedipus Rex" and was written in 428 BC by Sophocles
This is the version of Spaceship Earth that I grew up with. The narration, the score, and the descent scenes are truly the best. I honestly hope that if Disney does decide to update spaceship earth (which it really needs one) that they bring back the magic of this version.
There's an elegance to this one that cannot be matched--the combination of the music and the narration of Jeremy Irons. I find it somewhat unfortunate they remodeled the attraction with the mindset of appealing to the children; I found the attraction to be just fine the way it was when I was a child. Still, it is a very educational experience in the development and importance of communication. And that's what matters.
when I rode it as a kid, I also thought that, all the factors making the ride up made it very relaxing and educational at the same time, Walter Cronkite and Jeremy Irons were great narrators of this ride.
Spaceship Earth is one of my favorite rides in Disney. As a kid, I loved the old ending, and, as an adult, I love the new ending. It's funny though to hear people talking about how they don't like the new ending while people who have never seen the old ending have no issues with the new ending. I think it comes down to childhood nostalgia.
The second ending (with the people talking to each other through computers) was my favorite. I’ve seen all 3, though I don’t remember the original, I know I rode it while it was still the original ending. I despise the current ending. The 2nd was whimsical and now, nostalgic. Now it’s covered in curtains and dust, both hiding it’s former greatness.
Wow this ending is way better than the current one!
me too, it's a shame the future prediction stuff is painfully out of date.
WDWPRINCE yeah right
They need to bring back Tomorrow's Child
Indeed
Best Spaceship earth vid on youtube.
This ride was at its best with "Tomorrow's Child" as the theme music and Walter Cronkite as the narrator. Why Disney feels the need to "update" things that aren't broken is beyond me. Avid Disney fans will undertstand what I mean. Great tribute! Thanks!
I cried when it got to 15:00. The song is so beautiful and it shows how promising the future can be. That's my favorite part of the ride, by far.
I rode this version over fifteen times and just a week ago and I rode it again and it was totally ruined. I had no idea that the ride was changed. I'm going to miss it forever. I am beyond sad about this. I feel betrayed.
R.I.P. Spaceship Earth. October 1982-July 2007.
The ride is brilliant! One of the best rides to capture a picture of speech and communication throughout time! It leaves you with goose pimples!
I've only been to Disney World once, but I had to have ridden Spaceship Earth at least ten times during my weeklong stay. It was back in 2004, when Jeremy Irons was still the narrator. To say that it influenced my life would be a grave understatement.
I am planning on returning to DW later this year or next year, and while I will revisit Spaceship Earth and give the Judi Dench version a chance, it's not going to hold a candle to the one I grew up with.
I COMPLETELY!!! agree w/ you. I cringe whenever i think about the new ending. i just miss the old one so much. i grew up with it.
:(
my favorite version
Agree
I loved it when they played "Tomorrow's child" when the ride was ending. Plus, when they had miniture models of the space station with an astronaut towards the end. Great memories.
thank you so much! it was better before 2007!
Been going on this ride every few years since I was 7 years old - went this year after quite a long gap and love the new feature where they take your photo and stick your head on various screen shots! Fantastic ride, so cleverly constructed.
Indeed
I love how you presented this! I barely remember the Tomorrow's Child song but hearing it again really jogged my memory. This was my fav ride at Disney although it probably wont be now, since I hear they've killed it. (aka, they changed it and made it worse)
I work as a computer ride show tech at WDW EPCOT. I worked in SSE for over 5 years and it is my favorite attraction. I also proposed to my wife there on vacation a couple of years before we moved there. How ironic that I ended up there! I have some great stories to tell and alot of fun facts as well. See Ya!!
Another Paragraph says - This adventure through time leads ultimately to the very top of Spaceship Earth's geodesic dome, where guests arrive at the present. The time travel adventure will be enhanced through new, interactive touch screens installed aboard each "time machine" that will enable guests to create their own visions of the future and see themselves in that future.
This is the best spaceship earth video I've seen yet. So clear. Thank you soooo very much for posting it!
One of the best Disney World ride videos on here. VERY well done! One of my personal favorites rides in all of Disney World, I especially love the smell of Rome burning.... Mmmmmm.
Its great seeing the Spaceship Earth i grew up with again. Thank you so much for uploading!
My pleasure
Thank you so much for sharing this. So many wonderful memories... Sigh
You are welcome
Thanks for such a great video...I love this ride soooo much, but when my family and I went July 07 the ride was closed and I was so disappointed b/c that was the main reason I wanted to go back, but the video made up for that. Thanks a bunch!!!!
@ricefarmer88 - It is called Tomorrows Child; it is the original theme song for the ride. I do not know if it is on iTunes but I bet a google search would locate it.
I remember going to this attraction years ago (this version). I always wondered at the time if that type of technology is even possible. look at us now lol
Progress?
Thank you for keeping the original alive.
I agree. After a long day at the park, it's was nice to relax to Jeremy Irons' voice.
Brilliant! All of your videos are first class. Thank you very much for bringing back some awesome memories! My wife and I rode through SSE so many times that for years after we would hum the theme of "Tomorrow's Child"... I understand it has changed now - c'est la vie.
It was one of my favorite rides at Disney. Great video.
Excellent sound quality! This is a great video. Thanks a lot.
Great quality! I really hope they keep this
intact inside, it's a real icon. I always
wanted to get to the top and call someone on
a cell but probably couldn't get a signal.:)
Because the Mickey wand never belonged there in the first place. It wasn't there when the park opened in 82. It was just too big of a distraction from the beautiful architectural marvel that is Spaceship Earth.
I really missed that old ride since they remodel inside of the ride. Thanks for putting it.
On my trip to WDW, I went on this ride 2-3 times per time when I went to Epcot. Totally relaxing amd amazing! I have yet to ride the new one. I plan on going back to WDW within the next year. Hopfully I'll like the updates.
Thanks ru42! Your video's are the BEST!!!!!!!
@Fuffler - Thank you for sharing. The 'Irons' version was my favorite. I just love his narration style.
Great tribute to one of my fave rides...very well done.
I remember going to that ride when i was 6 years old in 2006
An Epcot classic
yeah, he has a great voice for narrating this ride. When I was young, I rode it when Walter Cronkite was the narrator and that was the main thing I remember from the experience of all things :)
thank you so much for putting up this video. I have been going to WDW for as long as i remembered. I recently was able to test ride the new spaceship earth after Seimen's took it from At&T. They changed it and took away a Disney original.
Yes, Disney has a very open policy. There are some rides they do forbid cameras but for the most part they are very open. - - RU
This is the best spaceship earth video yet
Thank you
excellent sound quality! THANK YOU!
I totally love this version more than the Judi Dench version.
I have nothing against Disney wanting to update it with using Dame Judi Dench, but I kinda prefered it when Jeremy Irons did the narration because he had that rough voice that a narrator should have, whereas Judi just sounds like she's a computerised voice.
Hikari Walker oh I thought it was a computerized voice until now...
Same here
Thank´s to share this video!!!!..also I had been in EPCOT some years ago...really amaizing!!!
Regards from Mexico City!!
i want to go back today. "tomorrow's child", i have to wait until january 2010 to return, but thanks for the great videos to keep me grounded until then!
I'm glad I am not the only one who noticed. That used to be my family's favorite ride. Now it is all cartoon without substance.
This is my most favourite ride of all time! I was greatly saddened by the changes they made to it in the previous year:( This video reminds me of its once great essence
Brings back such good memories.
Excellent video. Very enjoyable! Thanks for sharing!
Whoever thought of Skype must have been inspired by what was going on between the Japanese girl and the american boy talking to each other via video screen. :) And we keep on moving into the future.
Imagination
this version > New "updated" version
really great video, thanks for posting!
I recently came back from Disney World and had a chance to ride Spaceship Earth. I think this ride is great. As for Siemens taking over the ride I think they made some good improvements. AT&T was the one who decided to drop out of the sponsorship and Siemens picked it up
OMG I love this ride! It has to be my favorite ride in the entire park.
Has anyone seen the new upgrades?? I haven't been down there since it was reopened, this is really the only version i know. I hope they didn't mess it up..
I was VERY upset to see the wand come down (now mind you, that's the ONLY way I know Spaceship Earth. My first trip was in 2001).
Can't wait till my husband & I move down there, season passes.. i'll be there every other weekend..
I have tears going down 😔😔😔😢😢😢😭😭😭
Glad (in a good way) I can make you cry
I went there last December 07, it was unbelievable. I was surprised about the ending with my face in the video...gotta go there again
One of my favorite theme park songs of all time.
Hi All!
Thanks for the compliments! Be sure to give this ride a 5 star rating and favorite it. I currently have 8 honors and one of them is #1 for the week in Travel. Thanks for putting me there! - - RU
I liked this ride alot even though I rode it once. It's really relaxing.
Greetings!
This video starts out with a tribute to the original theme song - Tomorrow's Child. After that you will sit down for your ride through Spaceship Earth!
This and all my videos are available on DVD. Go to my channel for more information.
Thanks for watching! - - RU42
Simply a superb video.
This is far better than the new version! Hate the new ending and I miss the soothing voice of the great Jeremy Irons!!
one reason i liked the ride is because its air conditioned and cool in there,plus its nice and slow moving,perfect if you've just eaten.
Gah I miss the old ending soooo much. It was soo epic to finish the ride like this, not some lame interactive questionaire that gets old after the first couple times you use it :S. Even though the outro was kind of dated it was still amazing.
I have yet to see the new version of SPE, but I have seen this and the previous incarnation. In my opinion, this one is by far the best, and has the best ending. It's nice and relaxing, the fiber optics set the best atmosphere to close out the ride.
I love the part at 7:04, how that character tilts his head like a dog as he's listening to that guy speaking :)
i love that burning rome smell
i am going to walk disney world in sept of 2011 for my 40th birthday i am so excited to go back
The last scene before the descent, where you see planet Earth, gave me chills, with that music. I'm not a great fan of the new score.
@NoodleIsM3t4l You have to keep in mind, the old ride isn't predicting the future anymore, it's predicting the present ( we can communicate across the world, it's called the internet)
i like the old one with the mans voice its much more soothing lol i also like the old sound track
disney is the best thing that man created!!
In my opinion all they needed to do was update its animatronics and effects and not put in new scenes and narrations. Sigh, I miss the old Spaceship Earth.
Walt Disney is on one of the TV's at 10:48.
Excellent
AMAZING VIDEO 2!!!!!!!!
I love spaceship earth 😎👍✌💖💗
My favorite at Epcot
I want to go on the new one too, but I'll probably miss the old one; I don't like change. But you're right about ru42. His videos are amazing!
I just got off this ride at Disney. I hate the updated version, bring Jeremy Irons back!!!! :( It's also HOT inside! Disney is chincy on the ac these days!
ikr, back in 2012 me and my mom were stuck on this ride and I can tell ya, by the time we got off the ride, we were wanting to drench ourselves in the 2L bottle of water we bought cos it was so hot inside the ride.
I do agree, you'd think with the amount of money Disney has and is gaining from ticket sales, they wouldn't be skimpy on the air con.
KittyCatSnack It's not hot anymore! But I wish the the Jeremy Irons version would come back!
Agree - Jeremy was the best
@del1000005 that is so true. I was there when they first opened spaceship earth in 1982.... I just went back today and everything is so so different. Even from the last time i was here in 2000 they still had walter cronkite narrating....
I don't like the new one as much as this classic original one. THIS WAS THE BEST!
yeah, he's definitely a voice that matches this ride.
I say all of the original formats of the ride be restored along with the recorded narration of Walter Cronkite and/or Jeremy Irons, seems that that's what most people are wanting.
Official Disney Newsrelease - Enhancements to the time-travel attraction will encompass changes to each of the ride scenes. New show scenes will be added to the attraction's story along with new lighting effects, costumes, set decoration, narration and musical score.
Smell-o-vision; now that would be cool!
The thing u gotta realize is that when a sponser leaves the contract with Disney, they want the ride of the compnay wants it. Meaning, AT&T had it b4 (the old version) and now seaome (The new version) has the contract, so they can put the ride in any form they want for the next x (when parks opened it was 99 year contract, who knows now) number of years
@Horizons5556 I tended to favor the old version myself. However, I just love Disney in general. I'm going in 2 weeks! Can't wait.
my mum used to fall asleep on this ride lol
Yeah. One thing that's kinda cool is you can pick the language, so my family (well, my dad and I at least) listened to the whole thing in each language (English first, obviously, so we understood it) but other than that, the old one is so much better. I just like the way everything is in the old one.
@Fuffler Did they ever give a reason why they took it out?
I just got back from Disney, this rides closed till November for refurbishment.
Man! I wish this was open this past summer! It was closed (Like the Haunted Mansion) For renovations!
@GalaxyJazzGirl yes but it was renovated for the new sponsor.
thanks for postin
from Germany
when i rode that my family got stuck for al least 7 minutes but still it was a pretty good ride and this ws in May 2006 When it happened
i went to EPCOT and loved Spaceship earth lets see..... 1996. Damn, long time ago!
can someone tell me where I can find this song? I used to own the CD but lost it years ago. I would like to replace.
Thanks!
I miss this version of Spaceship Earth...