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| You are here: EDC Gateway > Spaceship Earth > SE Script - Cronkite Version | |||
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Attraction: Extras: |
 The information on this site may not be reproduced in any form on the Internet or any other medium without express written permission from EDC This version of the Spaceship Earth attraction ran from May 26, 1986 to August 15, 1994.The information on this site may not be reproduced in any form on the Internet without express written permission from EDC. Passing directly beneath the remarkable structure, we proceed up a short ramp passing two posters, a sign, and a large mural before entering the pavilion. The two posters on either side of the entrance queue show a painting of Spaceship Earth with stars in the distance behind it. Both say "Ride the Time Machine from the Dawn of Civilization to the Beginning of Our Tomorrow. SPACESHIP EARTH." The sign which is along the right side of the ramp reads "Spaceship Earth is a slow moving attraction that explores the history of human communications. Since travelers will be transported to the furthest regions of our solar system, the attraction is not recommended for those who experience anxiety in dark, narrow or enclosed spaces." The mural depicts astronauts working on a satellite with Earth in the distance. Surrounding them are smaller images of cavemen, the Egyptians, the Romans, Gutenburg and his printing press, and modern day people. These announcements are heard as we near the entranceway:
Once in the small room, we board blue, constantly moving "time machine" vehicles. Another announcement continuously plays over speakers in the room.
The doors close and we hear the introduction.
The vehicle enters a dark tunnel and rises sharply upward. A starfield appears as Mr. Cronkite begins his narration. As we near the top, we see a projection of purplish clouds and an occasional lightning bolt.
Once at the top of the tunnel, images of early human pioneers (men with spears or holding rocks) and mammoths are projected onto a large screen. Every few seconds the images ripple with a wave and then reappear.
We then enter a cave and see a Shaman (medicine man) with a fur cape and antlers on his head. Two men sit around the fire listening to the Shaman. His large shadow is reflected by the fire onto the cave wall. A woman is also listening while working with a fur. On the far right wall, a man and a woman are painting a message on the wall. The drawings are similar to those found in the Salon-Niaux cave in Ariège, France (circa 10,000 B.C.).
Moving into an Egyptian temple (representing 1567 - 1085 B.C.), a man on the left is making paper out of papyrus. On the right, next to an elaborate entrance to a building (the archways are decorated with hieroglyphics), a man stands high upon scaffolding carving a ventilation hole near the top of a tower. Further ahead on the left, an Egyptian pharaoh is dictating a message as a scribe copies it onto the new paper. His wife is seated next to him while a servant fans them.
In the Phoenician scene (9th century B.C.), two ships meet in the ocean to exchange goods. Another man on the larger ship (behind the smaller ship) holds a rope that is connected to the smaller ship so that both ships stay together. Fog surrounds the ships. Smoke rises from small fires in pots at both ends of the larger ship. To the right of us is a wall showing the ocean going to the horizon and stars above.
Up next on the right, is the Greek Theater. Two men wearing masks are performing "Oedipus Rex" written by Sophocles circa 428 B.C. Another man holding his mask is standing towards the back of the scene probably waiting for his part to come up.
Ahead on the left, a young Roman man holds the reins to a two horse-drawn chariot. The man (dressed as if he is in the Roman army) who arrived in the chariot is now exchanging information with another man (dressed in a toga). The man holding the reins is standing on the ground with the horses, the army man is standing one step up, and the man in the toga is standing one step up from there on a marble platform. He is between four large columns, two on each side. Smoke rises from two small fires in metal pots/stands on both ends of the scene. In the back is a painted wall showing the streets of Rome. An animated horse-drawn cart with a man riding in it dashes out of one street and off into the distance.
We then see a building in ruins with smoke rising from it. The smell of the burning building fills the air.
In the Islamic Empire scene, on the right, four men sit around a table on pillows on the floor discussing topics. One man has two books right next to him and another has a wooden book holder that holds the book open to a specific page. On the left is a library with some books on the shelves (they aren't stacked full). Two men (one standing, one seated on pillows on an elevated platform) are reading. Standing up high on the balcony on the right is an astronomer looking at the stars through a quadrant (which is an exact replica of the real thing). Further ahead on the left, two Benedictine Monks (11th and 12th-century) are seated at their desks copying text. The one on the right has fallen asleep at the job. His chest rises and falls as he breathes in and out.
On the left, two men are working with a large wooden printing press. Johann Gutenberg is studying a piece of paper that just came off the press (1456). In Renaissance Italy (1500s), on the right, one man is reading a book to two listeners on the steps. Also, two musicians are playing just beyond in front of a closed doorway. An Italian town can be seen through the columns and arches in the background. On the left, in an artist's studio, we see a man mixing paint, another painting some fruits (with a bowl of fruit as a guide), and another chiseling marble to create a statue. Sketches of the female subject are on the wall behind him and to the left of him is a small statue that he also uses as a guide. Further ahead and up on the left, we see Michelangelo painting the Sistine ceiling while laying on his back high upon scaffolding. Below, the stained glass church windows are illuminated with black light. To the right, is a conveyance system that allows buckets of paint to be hoisted up the scaffolding to Michelangelo.
Now we move into the Age of Invention (19th and 20th centuries).
First we see a large steam powered printing press (by William Bullock
in 1863). Just like Gutenberg inspected his printed paper, a man stands
in front of the press and inspects a newspaper that was just printed.
Nearby, on a street corner, a boy stands with a stack of New York
Daily papers calling out
On the right, one man is dictating a message and the other is using a telegraph to send the message. Through the window and door behind them, we can see train tracks crossing the plains to the mountains in the distance. On the left, is a switchboard that three women (two seated, one standing) are operating. Behind that are several windows that represent homes and apartments throughout the town. Fiber optic telephone lines stretch from the switchboard across poles to the homes. We can hear conversations coming from the shadows of people in some of the windows. On the right, is a woman in a ticket booth. Above that and also spanning above us is a lighted "Cinema" sign. Three screens to the left of the booth show scenes from an old black and white movie about a guy on a runaway trolley ("Stop that trolley!" is one of the captions), another black and white movie showing two people dancing, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Back on the left is the WDP radio station (WDP is, of course, short for Walt Disney Productions). A man and a woman inside the sound booth are live on the air acting out a story. A man outside the booth is checking sound levels and directing. To the right of that is a radio tower with a red light blinking on top. On the wall behind it is a painting of another radio tower in the distance. Surrounding its red light are drawings of the radio waves spreading from the tower. Just beyond that is a family (mother, father, and daughter) sitting in their living room around the TV. The mother changes the channel using a large (by today's standards) remote control. Four other TVs hang on the wall up behind the family TV. The TVs switch between Ozzie and Harriet, the 1964 NFL Colts vs. Browns Championship Game, Ed Sullivan and the Harlem Globetrotters, Walter Cronkite reporting, and Walt Disney introducing an episode of Wonderful World of Color.
On the left is a small 70s bedroom. A young man is sitting at his desk working on a desktop computer. Plain metal shelves stand against the far wall holding a few books and model airplanes. The next scene shows a more modern (mid-80s) office in which a woman is using at a computer at her desk while talking on the phone.
The Network Operations Center that monitors network lines and satellites is seen just ahead on the left. Three large maps are displayed and show how the system is operating at that moment. From the left is the state of Florida, the United States, and a view of the world looking down on the North Pole. A man is sitting below the maps monitoring the system. A woman is seated at another desk to the right of the man. We then enter a tunnel in which lines of light whiz by overhead and on both sides.
At this point, we are at the top of the geosphere looking at planet Earth in the distance. The instrumental part of "Tomorrow's Child" is now playing. In the distance, we see Earth and all the stars of the universe surrounding it.
The lyrics to "Tomorrow's Child" begin to be heard at this point and the song plays throughout the rest of the attraction. Click here for the "Tomorrow's Child" Lyrics. To the right are several flat screens that have clouds of purple, blue, and red colors spiraling across them. The clouds look similar to the one at the beginning of the ride near the top of the tunnel. At the end of the first descent, on the right are more oddly shaped blocks of flat screens that are scattered across the room. Each one has a different video playing showing the outlines of children holding hands and of a person using a microscope, DNA chains, the universe, etc. Each block is connected with fiber optic strands that light up showing the transfer of ideas.
Descending further, the walls are filled with dots of light moving through lines crisscrossing each other resembling a circuit. Then both walls are covered by mirrors and the dots of light are equally spaced out looking like a peg board.
At the end of the tunnel is an overhead sign that reads "AT&T. Connecting you to the Information Age." As the vehicles rotate around so we are facing forward again, a sign on the right features the AT&T logo and reads "Explore the Information Age. Visit FutureCom. CommuniCore West." This last announcement is heard.
Upon exiting the vehicle, we proceed to Earth Station, EPCOT's original Guest Relations. There, we make lunch or dinner reservations by talking to a human cast member via video monitors on the WorldKey Information Service. The cast member is able to hear and see us and is able to make reservations or answer questions. When the terminals are not being used for reservations, guests can get information on the different pavilions and where the shops, restaurants, and restrooms are located. (These terminals were moved just outside the new Guest Relations in Innoventions East in 1994 and were closed for good during the summer of 1999.)
Overhead, screens provide an overview of the EPCOT pavilions. Here, in this picture, World of Motion is featured. Hosts and hostesses at the information desk provide general information. AT&T's Employee Lounge is located on the second level of the building with a great view of the fountain and World Showcase Lagoon. Earth Station closed on August 15, 1994 and re-opened as AT&T's Global Neighborhood, a showcase of the latest communications technologies. Guest Relations is now located near Spaceship Earth in Innoventions East.
Special Thanks to Todd Becker for the picture of Earth Station above and to Bob Snowden for providing a missing line of dialogue in the script.
Spaceship Earth Introduction | Spaceship
Earth Script - Original ('82-86) | SE Script - Cronkite | "Tomorrow's Child" Lyrics
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