Spaceship Earth

From Walt Disney’s perspective, this might be the perfect attraction. He loved rides that had several important traits such as entertainment value, educational value, and hefty throughput. He wanted to give families a great way to spend time together. He also wanted to teach future generations about the world in which they live. And he was also enough of a businessman to appreciate that rides need the capability to satisfy thousands of customers in a given day. Plus, there’s his aforementioned love of wienies in architecture.

Suffice to say that Spaceship Earth checks all the boxes on Uncle Walt’s list.

Guests can see the attraction while flying into Orlando. The unique structure is visible from a vast distance, acting as a sort of magnet to guests approaching Epcot’s entrance gate. Inside the building, an Omnimover carries a steady flow of guests through a visually exciting set of scenes, starting with a projection of mankind’s first successful attempts at teamwork. The interior roof of the ball displays Earth’s perspective from space, adding a rare level of perspective to one of Disney’s favorite subjects: space exploration.

Then, the ride reverses and lowers guests back to the starting point. During this backwards journey, people participate in an interactive game wherein they learn about possible technologies in the future. It’s the ultimate combination of learning about the past and anticipating the future, precisely what Walt Disney had intended when he built multiple themed lands at Disneyland.

Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

Every artist has an ego. It’s a natural part of the creative process. While Walt Disney wasn’t known as a prideful man, he’d still get a kick out of seeing several of the rides from Disneyland’s opening still in operation today. The fact that Peter Pan’s Flight still has hour-long waits even today is a credit to the timeless nature of the concept. I don’t think that’s the attraction that would offer him the most personal satisfaction, though.

Out of the four pavilions that WED Engineering built for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, the Carousel of Progress told the best story. It showed how far mankind has evolved over the past century. If Walt Disney arrived at Walt Disney World today, he’d see that the attraction has not only stood the test of time but also become a source of pride for later generations of Imagineers. They dutifully update parts of the show to reflect modern times.

In fact, Disney wouldn’t just enjoy the latest iteration of Carousel of Progress. He could also use for informational delivery. He’d learn more about the state of the world today while enjoying the Sherman Brothers earworm of yesteryear.

These are the six things that I think Walt Disney would admire the most about the modern version of Walt Disney World. Do you have any others that you’d like to add? Please mention them in the comments.