Spaceship Earth is the majestic, slow-moving dark ride, complete with animatronic figures depicting scenes from history, an inspirational theme song and a weighty narrative.
The whole ride takes place inside the Epcot globe at Walt Disney World – the giant sphere which is the theme park’s focal point. It’s enjoyable and educational, if a little ponderous, and is quite similar to how several rides at Epcot used to be – see World of Motion and Horizons – before they were closed down and replaced with pacier attractions.
It also – apparently – had some big-name creators behind it, including science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.
So those of us who have been going to Walt Disney World for a long time can feel quite attached to Spaceship Earth.
But the ride has seen some changes down the years – not least in its choices of narrator.
Who was the first narrator of Spaceship Earth?
The original voice was a US actor Vic Perrin. However, the voice I remember leading me round the globe in my childhood is the deep, authoritative American voice of newsreader Walter Cronkite.
Although I was too young to know, he occupied a central place in American culture thanks to his coverage of the Moon landings, I nevertheless felt a sense of awe as he ushered me through scenes of the stone age and the Roman Empire until finally sending me off into outer space (the apex of the ride is a ceiling full of stars), just – I like to think – as he had Neil Armstrong two decades earlier (although unlike me, Neil probably removed his Minnie ears once he made it to the Moon).
The British are coming
In the mid-1990s, Walter disappeared to be replaced by the British actor Jeremy Irons. But he didn’t half sound as if he was trying to do an impression of Walter Cronkite, not least in his pronunciation of the word “Renaissance”.
Renaissance could have been listed in that Cole Porter number “potato/ potahto, tomato/ tomahto, let’s call the whole thing off”. British people, Jeremy Irons included, say “ren – ACE – ance” (like an ace you score in tennis). Lots of Americans, including Cronkite, say “REN – ess -ance”. Jeremy obviously thought an American audience wouldn’t understand him if he said the former, so he went for the full Cronkite pronunciation, which sounded a bit odd spoken with a British accent, as if he was about to start saying “SEM-i” instead of “semi”, “sked-ule” instead of “schedule” and “Coh-lin Powell” instead of Colin. Now, just to be clear, we love these American pronunciations; it’s just they sound plain odd when aped by a public school-educated British actor doing his best Brideshead Revisited English.
Hey Judi
Luckily, in 2007 Dame Judi Dench came riding into town to take over the narration. You can’t tell Dame Judi how to pronounce anything. She’s played the queen, you know – two of them. There are no phoney American pronunciations with Judi around – it’s “ren – ACE – ance” all the way.
While we love Dame Judi’s authority, we will be very intrigued when the day comes for the next narrator to take on the challenge. Will it be another US voice, in which case the standard Cronkite pronunciation of renaissance should trip off the tongue? Or will it be another Brit, trying to cosy up to an American audience by saying things their way – and sounding a little unconvincing in the process? Whatever, we can’t wait to find out!
Essential reading for UK Disney World planners
- How many days do you need at Walt Disney World? — A UK family guide
- Is Walt Disney World worth it for UK families?
- Best Disney World deals for UK visitors
- How to plan a holiday to Walt Disney World
- How much does a Disney World holiday cost from the UK?
Who do you think should get the chance to narrate Spaceship Earth? Give us your suggestions below…
