It’s our prediction that two of the big 2026 D23 Expo announcements for Walt Disney World are going to revolve around years-long overdue overhauls to Space: Mountain and ‘Ship Earth. These reimaginings would build on the success of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom and Test Track at EPCOT, giving Imagineering the two biggest-budget and longest tests of its ‘singles & doubles’ strategy.
While a lengthy overhaul of Spaceship Earth is one of our big 2026 D23 Expo predictions, I’m honestly not sure whether it’s on my wish list. Unlike some purists who would like to see Walt Disney Imagineering leave Spaceship Earth alone, that’s not the issue for me. I absolutely want to see SSE get a massive upgrade for the reasons discussed below. It’s more a matter of timing.
In all likelihood, there will be one big announcement for EPCOT at the 2026 D23 Expo: Spaceship Earth or Journey Into Imagination. My desire for Figment and Dreamfinder to be restored to their rightful place as EPCOT ambassadors via a blockbuster Imagination pavilion reimagining is well-documented. I’ll be absolutely elated if that ends up happening.
I’m nevertheless skeptical that 2026 is the year for an overhaul of Journey Into Imagination. For one, the rumor mill has gone almost totally silent about Figment and Dreamfinder. After hearing a lot of chatter and having a degree of cautious optimism about this finally coming to fruition, it now seems less likely to be announced at the 2026 D23 Expo.
For another thing, there are valid reasons for a JII delay. Depending upon the scope and scale of the project, an overhaul of Spaceship Earth could be accomplished faster. It also might simply be more urgent and necessary from a ride reliability and downtime perspective. Knocking that out would mean having a high-capacity attraction with greater uptime and newfound popularity in the middle of the park, giving Walt Disney World more bandwidth to take the Imagination pavilion offline for longer.
There’s also the allocation of resources. Imagineering currently has a lot on its plate, but the load will start to get lighter in 2027 and 2028 as other projects progress. Personally, I’d like to see some of the long-tenured creatives who are working on Carousel of Progress, Piston Peak, Tropical Americas, and Monstropolis be part of the project team for Journey Into Imagination. There’s also the younger generation of Imagineers, all of whom benefit from having more experience under their belts.
Pushing it off a year could also mean announcing the Journey Into Imagination reimagining in front of the hometown crowd in Florida at the 2027 Destination D23, as opposed to cross-country at the Expo in Anaheim. That’s not make or break in the grand scheme of things, but that feels more fitting. Nevertheless, it’s another reason why there’s something to be said for prioritizing Spaceship Earth.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve missed the mark with a D23 Expo prediction about Journey Into Imagination. Perhaps by virtue of predicting it won’t happen, we’re doing our part in a small way to ensure the announcement will happen. That’s how reverse psychology works, right?!
This also wouldn’t be the first time in the last decade for a Spaceship Earth project revealed at the D23 Expo. As part of EPCOT’s reimagining during the last development cycle, Walt Disney World planned a multi-year Spaceship Earth refurbishment and overhaul. That reimagining was delayed indefinitely, killed by the COVID closure.
Announced at the 2019 D23 Expo and scheduled to close in May 2020 (before the parks completely closed in mid-March), Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story was to transform the ride “through the power of light” and be the “most ambitious” update to Spaceship Earth since EPCOT Center’s grand opening on October 1, 1982.
Obviously, this did not happen. Walt Disney World’s statement when the park reopened: “As with most businesses during this period, we are further evaluating long-term project plans. The decision was made to postpone development of the Mary Poppins-inspired attraction and Spaceship Earth at this time.”
Spaceship Earth’s Last Refurbishment
Spaceship Earth temporarily closed for a routine refurbishment last year. During that 2-month project, Spaceship Earth received routine work, meaning maintenance and generalized upkeep as opposed to a fully-fledged reimagining or any material changes.
The show scenes saw no material changes, the interactive features and screens on the ride vehicles are unchanged, and there aren’t any effects that were fixed or otherwise changed. It was a routine refurbishment in every sense of the word, aimed at addressing the underlying ride system.
The permits Walt Disney World filed for that project reinforced as much, with one being assigned to Engineering Design Services, a firm that “specializes in the technical backbone of themed attractions.” Even though it was disappointing that there were no visible improvements or enhancements to Spaceship Earth, the attraction badly needed the invisible kind of maintenance, too.
RnRC Reimagining Playbook
While we have no insider information, our suspicion is that last fall’s Spaceship Earth refurbishment was similar to the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster refurbishments over the last couple of the years. Those occurred in two phases and addressed the underlying ride system without reimagining the roller coaster.
That laid the groundwork for the switch from ‘Starring Aerosmith’ to ‘Starring the Muppets’ to occur in a more condensed timeframe; that project can now focus on the thematic window-dressing as opposed to the underlying infrastructure. That’s precisely what allowed the reimagining of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets to be completed in only a few months of downtime.
It seems that the same playbook is being used with Spaceship Earth. Disney accomplished urgent infrastructure work during the off-season, brought the ride back online during peak season dates, and knocked out other quick-hit projects that didn’t take as long (Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure updates). Hopefully the next piece of the puzzle is closing Spaceship Earth for reimagining sometime in 2027.
Alternatively, the plan might be to accomplish a couple of ‘duct tape’ refurbishments of Spaceship Earth to keep it coasting through 2027, during which time Journey into Imagination finally gets the year-plus ride reimagining treatment. Now that is the best-case scenario.
Test Track Paves the Way
It’s been our understanding for a while that Walt Disney World has refurbishment and reimagining projects lined up for EPCOT. The first of those was obviously Test Track, which reopened from its year-long reimagining last summer.
Test Track 3.0 has been a smash success, averaging the highest wait time at Walt Disney World since it returned. This is somewhat remarkable, and defied our expectations. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is starting to catch up, but it’s impressive that a full year later, Test Track is still holding its own with an 81 minute average wait time thus far in 2026.
The increased popularity of Test Track should bode well for the prospects of other ride reimaginings, as it proves that investing in attractions–even ones devoid of Disney intellectual property–is “worth it.” This has probably played a role in Imagineering’s ability to get funding greenlit for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin’ Across America, and Carousel of Progress.
Carousel of Progress Comparison
Although the inevitable Spaceship Earth reimagining will have plenty of parallels with both Big Thunder and Test Track, the better comparison is arguably Carousel of Progress.
Test Track and Big Thunder are both thrill rides, so even without IP, they have innate appeal. By contrast, Carousel of Progress and SSE are slow-moving rides in the dark (one much slower than the other!) that lack movie characters. One of the under-discussed aspects of the Carousel of Progress timeline shift is how Imagineering managed to expand the scale and scope of that project from the previously-announced Walt Disney introduction to a fully-fledged reimagining.
Setting aside fan trepidations about the outcome of the Carousel of Progress changes, the ambition of the overhaul is noteworthy. It’s something that wouldn’t have happened even 5 years ago. Somehow, Imagineering managed to “sell” the company on the business case for a wholesale, IP-less update to Carousel of Progress, an attraction that has no Lightning Lane, no gift shop, no sponsor, and primarily caters to history-minded Disney fans.
Even if you’re apprehensive of what’s been announced for Carousel of Progress, you’ve gotta admit that this is not the kind of project Walt Disney World has undertaken in the last decade or longer. It very much feels like we’re in the midst of a sea change, first with the Big Thunder retracking and other ‘singles & doubles’ projects, and even more so with the upcoming changes in Tomorrowland.
If Imagineers could get that ambitious Carousel of Progress plan approved, they can do the same with Spaceship Earth. This project could cost even more than that depending on what’s done to the infrastructure of each, but it’s also in a higher-traffic location with more potential for guest utilization and its reimagining can be monetized via Lightning Lane Multi-Pass sales. The business case here is stronger, even if the reimagining cost is higher.
Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story
Back in 2019, Walt Disney World announced that the reimagining would be “Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story.” This iteration was still to focus on the story of humanity, following our long journey from prehistoric humans to today brought to life.
This reimagined Spaceship Earth was to have a new narration, an entirely new musical score, and new show scenes. Most notably, guests would follow a magical “Story Light” that brings the entire experience to life in dynamic ways, tying the entire journey together.
In Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story, guests would visit Egypt, which is part of the current version of the attraction–but it would’ve been “an Egypt like you’ve never seen before, transformed through the power of light.” Many of the existing scenes in Spaceship Earth would’ve remained, but updated with new technology and blended together with new scenes to tell a story about our shared human experience.
Our Shared Story was to be Spaceship Earth’s fourth “and most ambitious” update since EPCOT Center’s grand opening on October 1, 1982. Since then, there have been three other reimaginings: in 1986, 1994, and 2007.
Spaceship Earth: Stardate 2027
As is intimated above, the concept for the eventual reimagining of Spaceship Earth will surely ‘evolve’ from what was previously announced. It’s been over 7 years since the Spaceship Earth reimagining concept was developed, and a lot has changed since then. Technology has improved, creative visions are different, and leadership has changed.
That last point is most notable, with the Bobs gone and former Parks Chair Josh D’Amaro now the CEO. Not to mention entirely different leadership at Walt Disney Imagineering, both in Glendale and on-the-ground at Walt Disney World. (Beyond the scope of this post, but that goes a long way to explain what’s happening with the ‘singles & doubles’ strategy and how these projects are being inexplicably greenlit!)
While there could be elements of the Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story project that come to fruition, it’s also likely that there are major changes to what’s planned.
There’s considerable work needing to be done on the ride system that can’t wait too much longer, and probably was not addressed during last fall’s refurbishment. That was likely a band-aid or duct tape project, doing everything possible keep the ride going as opposed to the larger-scale work previously planned.
When we first reported on the rumored reimagining, we shared that Spaceship Earth was overdue for track replacement. That was back in 2018. Nearly a decade later, and it still has not happened. A larger project and longer downtime is desperately needed. Spaceship Earth’s infrastructure badly needs work, as evidenced by downtime and roughness of the ride.
The big question is still whether it needs a track replacement or if the wizards at Engineering Design Services can simply give the ride’s technical backbone a realignment to extend the useful life of the current track and ride system, and kick that can down the road another decade.
It wouldn’t be the first time Disney has managed to successfully defer such a project, with other examples including Space Mountain (until 2027?) and Big Thunder (until last year). Disney might opt for just the absolutely necessary TLC as opposed to the more costly, in time and money, project. Of course, that still has its own cost in daily downtime.
It would be a lengthy project regardless. But going for the TLC and show scene reimagining route could mean it’s a 6-month closure versus 12-24 months. The last time it closed for a reimagining was July 2007, and the ride reopened that December. No matter what’s done, we’d expect this project to take longer.
One thing that desperately needs to change in Spaceship Earth is the descent. This is the essentially the conclusion of the attraction, which is currently driven by interactive screens in the ride vehicle. Outside of that, there are some random triangles and curtains as show “scenes.”
The current descent has been lambasted by fans since it debuted in late 2007. As soon as the current version of the attraction debuted, there were rumors that the descent was unfinished, and would be added to over time while the attraction was operational. Despite vague signs of work being done, it did not materially improve.
Regardless of what happens with the show scenes in the first half of the ride, it’s likely that physical show scenes will be added to the descent during Spaceship Earth’s next reimagining. It’s pretty obvious that Imagineering was not satisfied with it before, and the interactive technology has not aged well in the ride vehicles.
Honestly, I’d be fine if Disney didn’t even touch the first three-quarters of the ride aside from swapping out the narration, screens, and woolly mammoth hunt scene. The core of the ride could use some sprucing up, but does not need wholesale changes. It’s really just the very beginning and ending that needs help…and a lot of it. That plus new ride vehicles, nixing the interactivity, and new narration would give Spaceship Earth a new lease on life.
Spaceship Earth Reimagining Timeline
As for when an announcement could be made about the potential Spaceship Earth reimagining, all eyes are on the Parks Panel at the D23 Expo on August 14, 2026. It is our prediction that one major EPCOT announcement is made at that event, with about even odds on that being Spaceship Earth.
However, if 2026 is really the year of a different project at EPCOT, the best-case scenario is getting that announcement this year and Spaceship Earth further down the road. Either at the 2027 Destination D23 or the 2028 D23 Expo.
As for closure timing, Disney has become fond of post-Christmas closures, so early January 2027 is the odds-on favorite if Spaceship Earth is next up and the project can be accomplished in under a year.
If this is a 16-month or more closure, there’s a bit more flexibility. The goal will likely be to miss only one holiday season. Winter is busier than summer, so pushing the closure until after Spring Break could also make sense. It really depends on the bigger picture plans for the park.
Our Commentary
I’m cautiously optimistic about the eventual Spaceship Earth reimagining.
The ride system badly needs it. Not only that, the most likely changes will occur later in the attraction to scenes that I don’t think are particularly strong at present. From my perspective, there’s little chance that the future 180-degree top and scenes thereafter can be a downgrade from the current incarnation of Spaceship Earth. Ditto the new narration.
Moreover, Imagineering has made some tremendous strides with technology since the last Spaceship Earth overhaul, and several of those could be implemented to nice effect. The current incarnation of the attraction very much feels like something from 2007, and it’s unfortunate that this is now the longest-running version of Spaceship Earth ever.
Over the years, I’ve learned that I’m seemingly alone in this perspective.
Most diehard Walt Disney World fans felt relief when the planned 2020 reimagining of Spaceship Earth was shelved. Although it wasn’t mentioned explicitly, the reveal seemed to suggest that there would be intellectual property integrations. Those fears were probably well-founded, as it was the Bob Chapek era of Parks & Resorts, and very few projects managed to skirt the infamous IP mandate.
I would argue that things are different now. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad just emerged from a 16-month retracking with zero IP added. There are no signs of overt IP coming to Carousel of Progress. If the Space Mountain rumors are true, that’ll almost certainly be devoid of IP. Soarin’ Across America has no IP.
Even the most recent IP projects have been success stories, with the ‘recharge’ of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin modernizing that attraction, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets leveraging an underutilized IP, and the Walt Disney Studios Lot being a welcome breath of fresh air at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As we argued in All of Walt Disney World’s Redone Rides Are Upgrades, the recent track record is promising.
Beyond that, there’s the simple reality that a reimagining of Spaceship Earth is overdue. Again, the 2007 iteration is now the longest-running version of the attraction. We’re at the point where people now feel nostalgic and sentimental about the script, which was not well-received when upon debut. This needs to happen.
Fans cannot want attractions to remain stuck in the past with visible datedness simply because we’re afraid that Disney might somehow make them worse. I fully understand those fears, and there was a time when I shared them. But I’m more optimistic that Imagineering has turned a corner. Even if I weren’t, it’s unhealthy for the parks to embrace stagnation for the sake of preserving nostalgia and sentimentality. That’s one recipe for not nurturing future generations of fans, as more appears outdated and kitschy to first-timers.
Ultimately, we’re still left wondering when the seemingly inevitable Spaceship Earth reimagining project will happen. As noted, Test Track is proving to be a smash success and the two World Showcase headliners have now gotten their TLC.
The reimagining of Spaceship Earth could then be part of a second phase of the EPCOT overhaul, joining Journey into Imagination. At this point, it seems increasingly inevitable that both will happen, back-to-back. It’s just a matter of what’s announced first. Even as a much more diehard Figment fan, I’m fine with Spaceship Earth getting attention first; it strikes me as the logical approach (so naturally, the opposite will happen).
There’s nothing else on deck for EPCOT between now and the park’s 50th Anniversary, but it’s hard to imagine that remaining the case. The park could use a couple of singles & doubles, and perhaps a triple or two.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about our prediction of Spaceship Earth finally being reimagined? Think this gets announced at the 2026 D23 Expo? Or will Figment come first? How long do you expect an SSE overhaul to take? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts here? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
