Journey into Imagination Refurbishment
We recently shared that the popular rumor that Journey into Imagination will receive an extensive overhaul is making the rounds again. As of May 2017, it’s unclear when the refurbishment will actually occur, if at all. In our 8 Huge Epcot Rumors post, Figment is barely a blip on the radar–ranking #8 in terms of likelihood.
In the past, there have been signals that something big is potentially in store for the Imagination pavilion, the only questions are “when?” and “what?” That’s unclear at this point, but the downtime was originally rumored to be for almost an entire year, but was derailed when Disney instead decided to add Frozen Ever After to Norway. It now seems possible that an overhaul of Journey into Imagination won’t occur until 2020 or later.
Whenever a pavilion at Epcot is expected to have significant downtime, there is always the understandable concern that the downtime is actually Walt Disney World’s way of quietly killing the attractions inside. Fans have witnessed this happen too many times to be completely trusting of the “refurbishment” designation for a pavilion that is only moderately popular. For a number of reasons, I highly doubt that’s what’s going to happen here, but the concerns are still valid.
What follows is the original post from a few years ago when the rumors were pointing to this overhaul being confirmed, and funding greenlit. As mentioned above, this did not occur–and it’s possible it won’t for a while now. Still, I’m preserving this for historical posterity…
Let’s start out with the elephant in the room. Dreamfinder. I think it goes without saying that it’s the wish of every fan who yearns for a return of EPCOT Center, its vision, and mission, to have Dreamfinder make a return, along with a return to form of Figment.
Since this should go without saying, it should also go without saying that I feel the same way. That said, I am prepared for Figment to vanish completely. Before you bust out the pitchforks and accuse me of betraying my favorite character, at least read my rationale.
Yes, Figment is my favorite Disney character. Always will be. This is not because of what he is today, but because of what he was up until the late 1990s. Figment is not the same character now that he was then, and witnessing how Disney has treated the character since his glory years has worn on me. I can’t bear to see the characters mistreated any longer. If the plans for overhauling Journey into Imagination include Figment just for the sake of including Figment, and there isn’t a top-notch concept for him or he isn’t going to embody the childlike sense of wonder (without being grating), I’d just assume he join Dreamfinder in the great Dreamcatcher in the sky. I’ll always have the memories.
What I also don’t want to see is a “restoration” of the original Journey into Imagination. I have rallied against the return of Captain EO, a once-fun Michael Jackson romp that now makes a mockery of the term “Future World.” Opposing that but wanting a return of the also-dated original Journey into Imagination would make me a hypocrite.
Besides, I think a better attraction is possible. Walt Disney Imagineering is one of the greatest creative organizations in the world (if you’ve lost faith in this, just look at Cars Land and Tokyo DisneySea) and they shouldn’t be handcuffed by guests’ sense of nostalgia. If given the financial resources, I know the creative minds there have the ability to make something superior to the original Journey into Imagination.
I also don’t want to see Phineas and Ferb infest the Imagination pavilion. I’ve heard plenty of people say that these characters perfectly demonstrate the sense of imagination, and would be a perfect fit for the pavilion. I don’t care. I’ll admit that I’ve never seen their show, but I have seen enough of their “presence” to think that they’re a bad fit. They are loud and obnoxious. The Imagination pavilion should be about the beauty and mystique of imagination. It shouldn’t be clumsy and loud. Moreover, they’re on a television show that undoubtedly has a shelf life. There’s nothing timeless about the characters or their animation, and I can’t help but think that if they invade the Imagination pavilion, no matter how popular their attraction is initially with kids, there will inevitably be a precipitous drop-off in a few years.
When mentioning Phineas and Ferb, it’s worth noting that the current “rumors” of them being added to the pavilion don’t have much basis in “insider information.” Rather, the rumors have snowballed from a lot of fans saying, “that might be a good idea.” I first saw this mentioned years ago, and since it has slowly morphed from “that might be a good idea” to “WDI is planning this for the Imagination pavilion.” The Disney fan community is like a bad game of telephone…just remember that when reading any rumors or “news” that isn’t coming directly from Disney. (Even then, Disney follows through on only about 75% of what it officially announces, so don’t put too much stock in official announcements until you see it with your own eyes!)
So, what do I want? I’m not entirely sure. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Pixar-ification of the attraction. This is another spot where you EPCOT Center fans are probably yelling, “TRAITOR!” at their computer screens, but hear me out. Pixar’s Inside Out hits theaters in 2015, and takes place in the mind of a young girl, with her emotions physically represented in the film’s characters. Sound like a familiar concept?
I realize this movie isn’t even out, and I realize there are complaints about Pixar in Future World. I don’t care. This film is an original concept from Pixar that sounds fairly similar to the concept of the original Journey into Imagination; if so, that would make it a perfect fit. While it could be an awful film, if there’s one studio I’d bet the farm on when working with original concepts, it’s Pixar. If an excellent Figment/Dreamfinder attraction isn’t possible for whatever reason, this becomes my first pick.
If it’s not Figment, it’s likely going to be something else based on Disney IP, so it might as well be a property that closely fits. EPCOT Center fans are delusional if they think the current Disney would rebuild Future World without a good amount of Disney IP. That’s just a practical reality. I think bringing Pixar into the fold guarantees that some of the “big dogs” at Pixar will take an interest in the attraction, and ensure that it receives sufficient funding to achieve the type of mesmerizing attraction worthy of being found in the Imagination pavilion.
Speaking of mesmerizing attractions, there’s been a lot of talk about a trackless ride system, a la Pooh’s Hunny Hunt in Tokyo Disneyland, being used in the next version of Journey into Imagination. I think that’s purely wishful thinking. It’s unlikely that such a ride system could be retro-fit in a year or so, plus there’s the question of money. The wishful thinking is for good reason, though. While a ride system by itself absolutely does not make a ride (something SeaWorld is likely now realizing), it absolutely can be a significant part of the experience.
When we first rode Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, my sense of wonder (as corny as this sounds) was absolutely captivated. Not only were the visuals outside the ride vehicle amazing, but the way the honey pot ride vehicle made guests a part of the experience was nothing short of amazing. It was as immersive as a ride system can be–our generation’s version of the flying pirate ships in Peter Pan’s Flight.
A version of Journey into Imagination using this ride system would be able to draw guests further into the experience, with the ride system further sparking their imaginations and senses of awe. The one-two punch of the storytelling outside the ride vehicles and the storytelling via the ride vehicles would be the perfect combination to make the attraction a true journey into imagination.
This brings me to my ideal Journey into Imagination attraction. It would involve an updated (but not modern) Dreamfinder alongside Figment. The premise would be familiar (although I don’t care whether it’s the one of the first, a “something has gone wrong, now we need to collect bits of imagination,” or something different entirely), but the environments would be totally different, taking place in the surreal worlds of the human imagination, with small nods to the sets of the original attraction. Concepts from the original would be included, but in the form of visits to the minds of scientists, artists, etc., with the concepts being showcased in the abstract landscape of the imagination of each such mind.
Of course, I’m not a creative. I’m sure I’d be elated with any concept the Imagineers cook up for Journey into Imagination that is thoughtful, creative, and ambitious, and restores Figment and Dreamfinder, in all of their glory, to the attraction.
As for the rest of the Imagination pavilion, I’d love to see the return of the upstairs ImageWorks and a new 3D film that stars Dreamfinder and Figment. In my ideal world, the refurbishment would include both things, but I think at this point, that’s just getting greedy!
I guess we won’t truly know what’s planned until Disney announces something, and even then, we won’t know whether that something is any good (although I’m sure there will be plenty of speculating!) until the attraction reopens. In the meantime, we can take a trip in our time-traveling Dreamcatcher and look back at the original…
Your Thoughts…
What do you expect from this Journey into Imagination refurbishment? What would you like to see happen in an ideal world? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Hey Tom thanks as always for the amazing content. I just came across this post again in my longing for the original Journey and you got me thinking. They could really try the original concept by making a movie with figment and dreamfinder and placing it in the magic eye theater.
Thank God for youtube POV’s – I never went on this ride, but love what I’ve learnt and seen about it!
I could see this attraction (original version – or similar) fitting in to one of the Asian Disney’s – i.e. I think it would work well within a Castle park OR Disneysea, especially as it’s got a strong steampunk aesthetic – and steampunk couldn’t be more popular at the moment!
Shanghai has a whole land ‘gardens of imagination’ – perfect for this attraction to slip into ( imagine it inside a giant steampunk victorian/Art nouveau glasshouse) – within its own ‘figment gardens’ – who knows!
I think they need to make the pavilion smaller and get rid of journey into imagination and make it an inside out themed ride. Why they should make the pavilion smaller is so the Canada pavilion can get a log flume ride which they actually planed back in the day. This would make Epcot so much better
I cannot believe how wrong you are.
I don’t mind the ride now if they would do some simple updates..like start by changing the 3 large photos when you walk in and replace them with current actors. Get a new narrator. Someone that is current. Someone the little kids recognize.
Right, and will be outdated again in 5 years. They need to focus on timelessness at Epcot, not pop culture.
They already got rid of Snow White, if Figment goes so does me and my family, we will go visit sponge Bob and Disney can continue to fail by being a greedy mouse.
Disney is going downhill:( I love disney world with all my heart. But they are getting rid of all my favorite actractions. Figment is one of my favorite rides.
Also, you mentioned trackless ride systems and Sea World. Antarctica:Empire of the Penguin, which opened two years ago, has a trackless ride system. I was in Sea World three months ago and rode it and it was very immersive.
Here is what I know.
As a 12 year old kid I absolutely loved the Imagination Pavilion. It became a “MUST do” for me every time I was at the park. Loved figment even as a football playing macho teen that was too cool for things. I had a stuffed Figment sitting on my desk at home. A picture with Dreamfinder right next to it too. I am sure this rings true for a lot of people who loved the original pavilion.
As time went on and things changed I grew sad to see Figment as he is now. I was embarrassed to show it to my kids. I am in the DVC and go yearly. My 3 kids hear me tell stories of how much fun the entire pavilion “used” to be. They did research online and found videos on youtube of what it was like and they are mad!
Disney is the pinnacle of imagination. To call a building, “Journey into Imagination” and have it relegated to the basement only, all while the old things sit up stairs dying to be played with, is just a shame.
My son said if Toy Story were real life those attractions must be very sad and miss being played with… That one hit me as his twin sister played Jessie’s song from Toy Story 2… I got teary eyed!
Whether it is a combination of old and new or all new, something needs to be done to bring this building back to prominence.
Like I said before, Phineas and Ferb would work in my opinion.
So true. I keep waiting for good news about this beautiful pavilion. It’s really strange that a pavilion dedicated to Imagination, designed by people called imagineers, who work for a company founded by a man with truly great dreams and imagination, ended up the way it is. Pixar previews, a DVC lounge, and a truly forgettable and annoying Figment ride. To each his own, but I don’t get how some people can honestly say it’s their favorite attraction. It pales in comparison to Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain.
Inside Out is a concept that would fit in perfectly with Cranium Command’s theater. The cast of emotions (played by various comedians) are a good replacement for the characters Buzzy led, and Pete Docter (director/story creator of the movie) made a cameo as one of the heads in CC. I wouldn’t know quite what to do with the rest of the Wonders of Life Pavilion, though. Maybe relaunching Body Wars in tribute to Leonard Nimoy could be a good accompanying move.
I would hope for an approach on JiI along the lines of what’s said here, though.
THANK YOU!!!! FINALLY! Someone gets it! That is literally what Inside Out defines! They are much better off being set in the Cranium Command attraction because they are literally the SAME EXACT CATEGORY! I don’t know WHY these people think the JII is a much better place for it. It’s bad enough they have the Pixar shorts taking over the Magic Eye Theater where there should be something more creative and original in it. Say, I know….IMAGINATIVE! I don’t see how hard it is for Disney to decide to redo Journey into Imagination and bring it back to it prime. Finding actors to be the new Dreamfinder and Figment, okay. I get that. But even still, those two are WAY overdo for a comeback. I would love to meet them so badly!
I loved Body Wars! I only went on it once a long time ago, but I remember how astounded I was the whole ride through. It was like it was actually happening ( for a 6-year-old, at least. ^^). I would love it if Body Wars came back with a new story plot and a new adventure. 😀
That moment when you realize it’s 2015 and the rumored construction never happened last year.
Yeah…so weird that they actually had a closure on the books and were starting to train Cast Members elsewhere and then…nothing. Must have gotten cold feet or moved the budget to ‘Frozen’ at the last minute.
You mean the ride that’s going to replace Maelstrom.