The moral of the story
It’s easy to vilify Disney or Imagineering for the current state of the Imagination pavilion and the once-loved dark ride inside of it. But here are some things to consider and a few final helpful thoughts:
1) Imagination did need to change. Even if Kodak hadn’t demanded it, the ride – while nostalgic and beloved – would eventually need refreshed and revitalized. If the ride still existed, unchanged and un-updated from 1982, fans would likely feel frustrated and embarassed by its state. That’s not to say Disney or Kodak made the right call in what to change (since today’s technology could do wonders to tell the story of Dreamfinder, Figment, and the four realms of Imagination) but the idea that the ride was untouchable is simply not true.
2) The “Disney” that did that is not the “Disney” of today. Under immense financial pressure and very different leadership, the demise of Journey Into Imagination was symptomatic of a much larger issue, which has since been largely reversed. Journey just remains a sad reminder of a long-gone era.
3) Imagineers need to think outside the box. It’s rare today to see Disney green light any major new attraction not tied to an existing and proven intellectual property… which makes some sense! But when Imagineers are allowed to be inspired, they come up with Journey Into Imagination, Mystic Manor, Tokyo DisneySea’s Tower of Terror, Alien Encounter… entire worlds! That sort of innovation is what pushes the company forward.
4) It’s not too late. Even if the version of Figment present in the current Imagination dark ride is a far cry from the original, Figment remains an icon of Epcot, available throughout the park on T-shirts, toys, and maps. People still love that character and his story, as proven by the new Marvel graphic novels and comic books based on (a more Steampunk version of) Dreamfinder and Figment. It’s further evidence that the duo stand among the best intellectual properties Disney has ever created… characters worthy of being leveraged in a film, cartoon, Disney+ series, or attraction…
And at the end of the day, if Dreamfinder taught us anything, it’s that any spark can make a difference… And since neither fans nor casual visitors have quite given up on rallying for Dreamfinder and Figment’s return in the two decades since they last explored imagination together, we may be really close to something big changing inside the Imagination pavilion…
What’s next?
When EPCOT Center opened in 1982, its interconnected pavilions had set out to tell a story about human achievement and innovation. Imagination, Energy, the Seas, the Land, World of Motion, Spaceship Earth, Wonders of Life, and Horizons were each one piece of a big-picture puzzle, completed only by those who cared to assemble it. Since those turbulent ’90s, though, the pavilions of Future World had diverged.
For some, that meant character overlays. For others, replacing thoughtful, meaningful, epic dark rides with “brainless” discovery-centered thrills. For still others, it meant rotting in plain sight with either the original ’80s aesthetic and attractions or, worse, the cheapened versions of the ’90s.
So what would happen to Imagination? A long-rumored infusion of Pixar’s Inside Out characters? A grand return of Dreamfinder and Figment? Nothing? For the last two decades… it’s been anyone’s guess.
Then, in 2019, we got one step closer to finding out. At the semi-annual D23 Expo in August 2019, Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Chairman Bob Chapek was on hand to announce something radical. After decades of piecemeal fixes, one-off solutions, and mis-matched strategies for each of Future World’s pavilions, at last, Epcot would receive the master-planned, identity-based revolution it really needed.
This sweeping redesign would re-introduce pavilion-specific iconography and even return a modernized version of the park’s name and logo.
The reinvented park would predictably involve the once-verboten presence of Disney characters in World Showcase (Ratatouille in France; Mary Poppins in England, and major hints of Coco in Mexo) and a very important, very overdue aesthetic swap in Future World. The northern half of the park will axe the concrete in favor of a forested environment, adding the Journey of Water “outdoor pavilion,” a Celebration pavilion (for EPCOT’s many festivals), the new Play pavilion (replacing the long-closed Wonders of Life), and more.
One of the special features of the announcement was the introduction of the temporary, nostaglic “EPCOT Forever” nighttime spectacular, bridging the gap between the recently-retired “Illuminations” and the upcoming character-focused “Harmonious.” The show highlights attractions of the past, with “One Little Spark” as its most emotional musical moment.
Oh, and as for attempts to keep Future World… well… futuristic? The 2019-announced reinvention solves that, too. EPCOT Center’s two “realms” would be subdivided into four worlds, with the Imagination pavilion absorbed by the central “neighborhood” that also includes Spaceship Earth: World Celebration. Though the philosophical rewriting of Epcot’s purpose will never be entirely understood or approved by many Disney Parks history fans, at least there appears to be intention behind Epcot for the first time in a long time.
And among all the revolutionary announcements and artwork shared, the biggest surprise of all for fans was what was announced for the Imagination pavilion: nothing.
Could it be that, in a park undergoing a multi-billion dollar redesign, the Imagination pavilion will still feature a tired 3D theater showing Pixar shorts, a half-closed ImageWorks of interactive games running Windows 95, and 2002’s Journey into Imagination with a low-quality-CGI Figment alongside Eric Idle? As frustrating as it may be, the answer appears to be that yet again, we just don’t know. But we do have an interesting clue…
After the initial announcements at August’s D23, the “EPCOT Experience” preview center opened with an impressive 360-degree wraparound screen and a highly-stylized, projection-mapped model featuring each of the pavilions with featured announcements… oh, and two others.
Despite no particular announcement being made, the Mexico pavilion is present on the model, even with a large guitar resting against its iconic temple exterior… seemingly a giveaway hint that, as rumored, Coco will eventually overtake the pavilion’s Three Cabelleros river ride and that Disney just wanted to save the official announcement for a future date. Makes sense, right?
So to that same end, what’s the meaning of the inclusion of the Imagination pavilion, too? According to insiders, Imagineers are ready to pull the trigger on a major reinvention of Imagination, too, that may or may not include the return of some familiar faces… Hmm…
Your Sparks
Journey into Imagination was one of Disney’s most inventive rides ever. The spectacular dark ride introduced Walt Disney World guests to Dreamfinder and Figment – characters who stand among Disney Parks’ most astounding “original” intellectual properties – and the spectacularly timeless “One Little Spark.”
But there’s something more. Journey into Imagination brought creativity and character to EPCOT Center’s industrious and scientific Future World; it introduced a generation of EPCOT Center visitors to the bold idea that art, music, literature, and science are part of human achievement, no different from communication or transportation. Disney Imagineers built a ride whose purpose was to inspire, and they succeeded. It’s the reason that, nearly forty years after its debut, people still long for a return for Dreamfinder and Figment, and to once again set off on a Journey into Imagination.
Today’s world could probably use more of the imagination they believed in. And it remains as true as ever:
We all have sparks – imaginations! That’s how our minds create creations! For they can make our wildest dreams come true, Those magic sparks in me and you!
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Next stop? The Declassified Disaster: Journey into YOUR Imagination. Witness the details of Disney World’s short-lived “worst ride ever” in that in-depth feature.
Or, if you enjoyed our in-depth look back at Journey into Imagination, make the jump to our Legend Library to set course for another Lost Legends feature. Then, help us preserve this experience by telling us about your Journeys into Imagination in the comments below, and let us know what other attractions you’d love to see in our Lost Legends series.