Spaceship Earth

EPCOT. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Punchline to countless jokes. Deservedly. It's a peculiar conceit. A world's fair that never closes. Of course, expos of the state of the arts/sciences offer an almost immediate obsolescence. Arguably, exhibitions could be continually updated, but a place like Disney World sort of trades on a nostalgia factor that is at odds with progress. The Peter Pan ride you went on 20 years ago is the same experience awaiting your kids.

Which makes a ride like "Spaceship Earth" all the more peculiar. Located in the iconic golf-ball of Epcot. A darkride documenting the progress of man through the ages, conceptualized by Ray Bradbury. Though the ride has actually gone through updates over the years (including a change in the ride narrator, from Walter Cronkite to Jeremy Irons in 1994), the overall experience is steeply, charmingly dated.

Audio's a bit scarce here, but this will take you through the ride.



And here's an exceptionally dated documentary on the whole thing.