Spaceship Earth Re-opening News. In time for Christmas?

[spondishy]

We've discussed the re-opening of Spaceship Earth in this thread Spaceship Earth Closed over Holiday Season.

It looks as if the re-opening of Spaceship Earth might be ahead of schedule of the last date we heard which was the 19th of Feb. So after being closed in the Summer and due to be re-opened in November we're hoping for a December/January re-opening.

Here's why...

Epcot's Spaceship Earth ride is expected to reopen in mid-December for sneak previews with a new story overlay, new technology and a whole new soundtrack -- created by 10-time Emmy Award-winning composer Bruce Broughton, a 63-piece orchestra and a 24-voice choir.

Walt Disney Imagineering announced late last week that Broughton's music has been fitted to each scene in the attraction's storyline, which follows the history of human innovation from one generation to the next, from prehistoric times to the 21st century.

The ride was closed earlier this year as the entire system also has been updated with new show scenes, lighting, costumes, set decorations, interactive features for riders and a new narrator, Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench.

For the musical score, each scene was infused with styles and instruments appropriate to the time period. "To have that score transition smoothly as vehicles travel from one time period to the next is extremely difficult," said Walt Disney Imagineering show producer Bob Zalk. "The first time we rode through the attraction accompanied by that music, we were amazed."

The 180-foot-tall Spaceship Earth geodesic sphere opened as Epcot's centerpiece in 1982 with a ride storyline that originally focused more on the history of human communications. It has had occasional updates, but this year's overhaul by Walt Disney World and the attraction's sponsor Siemens AG was the first major change.