Walt Disney World Resort has officially set its long-anticipated Spaceship Earth reimagining into motion, filing a new construction permit for EPCOT's landmark geodesic sphere on August 27.
What's Coming to Spaceship Earth
The move follows a major announcement made at D23 Expo 2026, where Walt Disney Imagineering confirmed plans to overhaul the attraction housed inside Spaceship Earth. The slow-moving dark ride will keep its core theme of celebrating human innovation, but Imagineers say the new version will lean further into human connection as a driving idea.
Thank the Phoenicians 🌐 A broadened vision of human connection is coming to Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, bringing this iconic attraction into present day and beyond✨ #D23 #WaltDisneyWorld
Thank the Phoenicians 🌐 A broadened vision of human connection is coming to Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, bringing this iconic attraction into present day and beyond✨ #D23 #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/7A0bFZT6xs
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) August 16, 2026
This marks Disney's second attempt at reworking the ride. A similar plan surfaced back in 2019, with an intended closure date in May 2020, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to derail those efforts. The project seemed to disappear entirely as Disney instead focused on turning Future World into World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature.
Disney has offered only a broad description of what's ahead, calling the reimagined ride “classically EPCOT, a journey through time, celebrating the progress made possible through human connection.” No word yet on whether longtime narrator Judi Dench will return, what might change with the ride's audio-animatronics, or when the attraction might actually close for the work.
The Permit That Confirms Progress
The Notice of Commencement filed Thursday authorizes Walt Disney Imagineering to “install signage” at 2060 Avenue of the Stars, the address tied to Spaceship Earth. Like most construction filings at Walt Disney World Resort, it carries a one-year expiration.
Jon Richards Company is listed as the contractor on the project. The company has an extensive track record with Disney, having installed themed elements throughout all four Central Florida Disney parks, Disneyland Park in California, and Tokyo DisneySea in Japan. It's also currently working on Monstropolis, the Monsters, Inc. (2001)-inspired land coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The involvement of Walt Disney Imagineering itself is a telling detail — routine refurbishment work is usually handled through permits filed by the resort's Facility Assets Management Team instead. That distinction suggests the upcoming signage change will be something guests actually notice.
Disney has not confirmed whether this specific permit is connected to the larger Spaceship Earth reimagining, and no additional information has been released since the filing went public Thursday.
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