Walt Disney World Closing EPCOT Attraction Today

“The Most Magical Place on Earth” just lost a little bit of that magic. Spaceship Earth, a popular attraction located at EPCOT in Disney World, abruptly closed Wednesday, July 19, with the ride’s page on the Disney World website now stating, “Spaceship Earth is currently closed for refurbishment.”

Disney did not provide details on the refurbishment project, but the last-minute closure – it wasn’t announced until Friday, July 14 that the ride would be closing – suggests a somewhat urgent matter, with the Disney Tourist Blog suggesting that it could be related to a maintenance issue. Thankfully, the closure won’t be too debilitating for any plans to head to the park, as Inside the Magic reports that Spaceship Earth is only scheduled to be closed through Thursday, July 20.

The attraction is a combination of a ride and history lesson, with its official description reading, “travel through time and explore the remarkable history of human communication from the Stone Age to the computer age.” Located in World Celebration at EPCOT, riders who board Spaceship Earth “travel back to the dawn of humanity, when early man painted on cave walls” and watch as “new ideas spread like wildfire with the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press. The wheels of time turn ever faster as we enter the modern age of media, from newspapers announcing the end of the Civil War to the televised broadcast of the moon landing-and beyond.” The 16-minute, Omnimover-style attraction brings these moments to life using elaborate sets and advanced Audio-Animatronics figures.

While the attraction will only be closed for a short while, it seems a much longer closure may eventually be in Spaceship Earth’s future. Disney announced at the 2019 D23 Expo thatSpaceship Earth would undergo a lengthy refurbishment project that would close the ride for two years. Disney Parks Blog noted at the time that “throughout the attraction, you’ll hear new narration and see how light plays a central role in our shared human journey, coming to life in dynamic ways in a celebration of the magic that’s possible when we all come together.” The refurbishment project was ultimately delayed indefinitely due to the parks’ closure amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Disney sharing in a statement when the park reopened, per Disney Tourist Blog, “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.”