Subsonic Radio

I love Spaceship Earth! It will be interesting to see who everybody's favorite is!

Jeremy Irons was the BEST!!

I went with Jeremy Irons because it is the one I have seen on the majority of my trips. Also, I love the musical score with his version. Cronkite's was great...but his voice seemed to overpower the attraction at times. Dame Judy Dench's voice seems too light-hearted at times. Jeremy Irons had just the right voice with the perfect script and score.

It was Jeremy Irons for me. I just think his voice fits the attraction better than the other 2.

I like them all, but Jeremy Irons is my favorite
I love seeing it come up in the queue.

Walter Cronkite and Judy Dench may both be a bit bigger in terms of star-power compared to Irons, but Irons has such an amazing voice, and his inflection in his reading is spot on- plus he had the help of a superior script.

I feel like Cronkite delivered what could be expected from him: a version of his reading the script as though they were the nightly headlines with perhaps his reading of the corny "Yes, Tomorrow's Child..." line at the end...yeach.

However, I'm surprised by Dench; an acclaimed actress who sounds like she's never read a script before. There are parts of the recording that sound like she's surprised when there is no reason to sound surprised, and other times when she sounds as mentioned above too light hearted (i.e. "Remember how easy it was to learn your ABC's? You can thank the Phoenicians for that!") Plus, I feel like the script was much stronger in the Irons version which I think may contribute to the tone. Dench may very well have been directed to read it lightly as certainly some lines sound intentionally light, i.e. the aforementioned ABC's line. She also sounds rushed at times as the script is wordy and needs to be read at certain speeds as to fit with the ride- that line about "Of all places a garage in California" always strikes me as awkward.

I've never heard the latest incarnation of the ride so I suppose I would have to go with the Iron's version as well...although I do like Walter Cronkite's tone!

theBIGyowski wrote:I went with Jeremy Irons because it is the one I have seen on the majority of my trips. Also, I love the musical score with his version. Cronkite's was great...but his voice seemed to overpower the attraction at times. Dame Judy Dench's voice seems too light-hearted at times. Jeremy Irons had just the right voice with the perfect script and score.

This pretty much sums it up for me.
The very first time I went to EPCOT, the narration was by Walter Cronkite. He was great, and I loved "Tomorrow's Child". The second and third times I went it was Jeremy Irons and between the voice, the script and the music...wow! Although I was sad that Tomorrow's Child was no longer a part of the attraction, the "new" finale music sent me over the edge! I loved it!!! (still do) Heck, I loved all the music from that version. (hence the reason I like to request the instrumental ride-through )

I have not been back in 7 years so I have not been on SE since the switch to Dame Judi Dench...however, I listened to the track here on Subsonic and I couldn't believe my ears! All the music I loved was gone and the flow of the script was not quite right. I would like to see it in person, but I can tell already, I'm gonna be disappointed.

Does anyone have the time-frames when each narrator/script change happened?

Ok, after a little research here's what I found...

October 1982: Larry Dobkin (original narrator)

May 1986 - August 1994: Walter Cronkite

November 1994 - July 2007: Jeremy Irons

February 2008 - present: Dame Judi Dench

(source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceship_Earth_(Epcot) )

I can't stand the Judi Dench narration not because of her delivery, but the script that they wrote for her. The current narration is awful. The ancient Roman roadway system was the "first world-wide web"? The medieval islamic and jewish scholars as the "first back-up system"? It seemed silly and condescending that everything in history has to be boiled down in modern computer terminology. The current narration makes me eager for them to change the whole attraction again in order to get rid of it.

MmeLeota wrote:Ok, after a little research here's what I found...
October 1982: Larry Dobkin (original narrator)
May 1986 - August 1994: Walter Cronkite
November 1994 - July 2007: Jeremy Irons
February 2008 - present: Dame Judi Dench
(source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceship_Earth_(Epcot) )

Thanks MmeLeota, you had got me wondering if I had even seen the Iron's version without the song "Tomorrow's Child" at the end but I guess I have seen the first three, just not the Dame Dench one...

mindflipper wrote:I can't stand the Judi Dench narration not because of her delivery, but the script that they wrote for her. The current narration is awful. The ancient Roman roadway system was the "first world-wide web"? The medieval islamic and jewish scholars as the "first back-up system"? It seemed silly and condescending that everything in history has to be boiled down in modern computer terminology. The current narration makes me eager for them to change the whole attraction again in order to get rid of it.

that does sound awful...what was wrong with the original? It's like them to just have to keep tweaking things that don't need tweaking - like Journey Into Imagination, and Horizons!

Jeremy Irons is the best! As much as I love Spaceship Earth, I can't stand Judi Dench's narration.

OK I see that only 2 people voted for Walter C. I guess you could call me a traditionalist. This was how Spaceship Earth was in 83 so for me that's historic and how it should be. Cool, though that most people like Mr. Irons!

I don't like the Judy Dench version at all but I LOVE Spaceship Earth! Just to hear Jeremy Irons with his amazing melodic voice, "Like a grand and miraculous.......