EPCOT – October 24, 2026 -- Spaceship Earth, the geodesic sphere that has greeted EPCOT guests since opening day, is getting its first update in nearly 20 years. Disney Imagineer Ali Rubinstein revealed the news at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa.
A re-imagineered ride shifts its theme to human connection
Rubinstein said the re-imagineered attraction will bring Spaceship Earth into the internet age and beyond. The ride currently tells the story of human communication. The team is now widening that focus to human connection, a theme the source describes as classically EPCOT.
The announcement came during a Horizons: A Carousel of Progress stage conversation hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. YouTuber Mark Rober joined Rubinstein onstage.
The current ride spans prehistory to the 21st century
The existing storyline follows the history of human innovation from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Walter Cronkite narrated a script added in 1986, and the ride has had four narrators since it opened.
The sphere stands 180 feet tall and rests on three pillars. Its ride system is among the most complicated Walt Disney Imagineering has built. A continuously moving train of vehicles spirals up into the structure, then turns "backward" to come back down.