A Journey Into Lost Imagination
It’s little secret that the original Journey into Imagination is my all-time favorite Walt Disney World attraction. Without it, you wouldn’t be reading this blog (because it wouldn’t exist), and it’s highly unlikely that Sarah and I would take so many trips to Walt Disney World as adults. The entire pavilion oozed of (as cliche as this may sound) “imagination,” and it truly sparked my inquisitiveness and curiosity as a child. I’d ride the attraction over and over and wander around the upstairs ImageWorks for hours on our visits to EPCOT Center.
While my parents would wander around World Showcase in the afternoon, I’d be off in my own world, embarking on various adventures with a PVC toy Figment I purchased with money I had earned from my chores in the months leading up to our annual Walt Disney World trips. One trip, I was able to scrape enough money together to purchase a small Figment plush. He accompanied us on every subsequent trip to Walt Disney World, and still joins Sarah and me on our trips to this day. (He’s even visited Disneyland!) Most kids prefer Magic Kingdom, but my favorite park was EPCOT Center. Some EPCOT Center fans lament the loss of Horizons. I don’t even remember Horizons, but I can recall each scene in Journey into Imagination in vivid detail. Suffice to say, the original Journey into Imagination has had a substantial impact on my life as a youth and my life as an adult.
As we all know, the middle Act of this story followed the typical arc, with Journey into Imagination reaching its low point in late 1998 when the pavilion was stripped of all things related to imagination. This wasn’t as a low of a point as it could have been for me, personally. We only took one trip as a family to Walt Disney World after the closure of Journey into Imagination, and I was in that regrettable teenage maturation state that made me “too cool” for most things Walt Disney World had to offer.
In the past year, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to experience a few things related to the original Journey into Imagination. In May 2011, I had the chance to meet Tony Baxter and briefly discuss the original pavilion with him. Later that same trip, I had the near out of body experience of seeing Dreamfinder, Figment, and Richard Sherman perform “One Little Spark.” In December, I was able to meet and chat with a close friend of Dreamfinder.
About a year prior to our February 2012 trip, I became aware of guests catching glimpses of the upstairs ImageWorks area through various tours and unauthorized expeditions. At that time, I began attempting to gain access to this playground of my youth. Unfortunately, the tours are expensive and often don’t even visit the ImageWorks, and I value my privilege to be able to visit the theme parks far too much to risk an unauthorized expedition.
Finally, in February 2012, I was able to access the upstairs ImageWorks.
The elevator ride up seemed like an eternity. It was as if I wasn’t aboard an elevator at all, but rather a slow-moving time machine back to the early 1990s. When I stepped out of the elevator, I couldn’t help but smile ear to ear, as so many memories that I formed up there came rushing back to me. I was only upstairs for a few minutes, but it seemed like time had stopped while I was there. As I looked out the glass pyramids towards Spaceship Earth, a monorail passed, and the sunset was casting a warm glow over The Land. For some reason, I couldn’t help but feel like I was standing right in the heart of EPCOT Center. After looking around a bit more, it was time to leave. For a good twenty minutes afterward, I just sat near a planter outside of the Imagination pavilion, still a bit dumbfounded by the experience. I know to most people, I was just standing in an unused space in some corner of a theme park, but to me it was so much more. Hopefully this resonates with some of you and doesn’t just seem like the overwrought story of some odd theme park experience.
In my heart, I know the story of Journey into Imagination isn’t over. The final act is about to begin. What’s presently unclear is whether the story is a drama, which will result with a return to glory of the once imaginative pavilion, or a tragedy, wherein the Imagination pavilion will suffer a fate similar to Wonders of Life. I think you all know what I’m rooting for!
Thank you so much for this article. I like it.
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I’m going to highly recommend this site!
Maybe I’m missing it, but is there a date on this post anywhere? Just wondering when it happened… Not sure if this is a “recent adventure” or from the past.
Glad you got to see it, regardless. I miss Figment.
We had a cat we named Figment (he was often a Figment of your Imagination… you couldn’t find him).
Thanks for sharing I went to Disney world in Orlando in 2011I didn’t get to see Figment I was so crushed wanted to show the kids figment rocks I miss Figment can’t wait to see him again hopefully soon so I can take the grandkids!!!
Hi Tom! I’m a huge fan of your blog and read it daily. I’ve been working on a paper about Journey Into Imagination and, in my research, stumbled across probably the best website ever. I don’t know if you already found this, but someone recreated the original Journey Into Imagination ride, along with the entire Imagination Pavilion! The best thing about this? YOU CAN RIDE THE ORIGINAL RIDE IN THE SIMULATOR! As someone who was way too young to see the original, this is so awesome. And much better than watching videos. I’ll just leave the link here for everyone to check out:
http://journeybackintoimagination.blogspot.com/p/journey-into-imagination-recreation.html
That was just wonderful, getting to “ride” the ride once more. I teared up at the science part. The whole thing was wonderfully done, what a labor of love. I hope that this pavilion will one day re-open with a worthy heir to the original, which jumpstarted all your creative energies.
I used to wonder why people put themselves through so much to see a ride as soon as it opened. Not like they’re going to close a multi-million dollar ride a month after its opened. But as I have come to understand all to well, if you don’t see it right away, you’re likely not to ever see it in its true glory. Disney has adopted and attitude of “if it won’t get us on TV, it’s not worth doing.”
So when a ride opens, no expense is spared to make sure everything is top notch. Sadly, this attitude is quickly replaced by one of how best to cut costs; leading to instances where -when things brake, if it won’t shut down the ride- it doesn’t get fixed.
Things that used to move & talk are frozen in place and people get used to seeing it that way. The older a ride gets, the worse it fairs. If its popular enough, it gets a rehab. If not, it sits mothballed or is bulldozed. IMAG was such that it only justified a couple minor rehabs and largely because it also housed the large 3D theatre the showed Capt EO, the Honey, ISTK. The 2nd floor has been isolated off for months now and rumors among the cast swirl about whether all the workmen stripping equipment from the area will be replacing it with anything or just making room for more office space. Fingers crossed.
My childhood favorite. I loved the upstairs and all the creativity! I miss it so! I tell my kids about how great it used to be and all they can ask is why did they change it. I don’t know boys, I don’t know. I loved the rainbow corridor!
I have been on the Epcot tour, and when we were taken to the top floor, as you were, we were also able to look at the old ImageWorks stuff including the consoles for Figment’s paintbrush and, shockingly, the massive pin tables, just sitting there! Were you able to see any of those things as well on your visit?
I intentionally did not go over to that area. I wanted the visit to make me happy, not sad. I’ve seen the photos of that area, though…
Thanks for sharing. One of the few things I remember from my first trip to WDW in 1987 is figment and various areas of Epcot. The next time I visited it was 1996 and it seemed like a whole different park. I’d give anything to time traval into 87 and veiw WDW in that state as and adult.
Tom, I had the same experience as you when I left the IWorks in 2011 from my little behind-the-scenes tour: “what did I just do”??? It was incredibly nostalgic.
What I wouldn’t give to make bubble music again!!
Do you know if there is any particular reason why the pavillion was “stripped of all things related to imagination”? Was it a sponsor-related decision or did the park really just underestimate how beloved the characters were?
On the short list of things I actually remember from going to Epcot Center as a kid are the hot-air baloon decorations at the Land pavillion, the scuba diver tube at the Living Seas and the Dreamfinder’s dirigible.
A sponsor-related contractual issue forced a refurbishment in 1998.
Great read, Tom. I only wish I could have experienced the original because I know nothing about it and why everyone misses it.
But, I do share similar attachments to other attractions I grew up with at Disneyland so I can related to the sentimental aspect.
Awesome story of your experience! Thanks for sharing! I could feel your emotions while reading your account. It seems like so many things we experience when we are younger and then return are so different. Sometimes it is perspective and sometimes the change is out of our control. Let’s hope they restore some of your past to its former glory!!
Thanks again!
I’ve had the experience of things experienced when younger not living up to memory (or being smaller than remembered!). In that regard, it wouldn’t be so terrible to see JII left in the past. However, I think Disney could do an exceptional job creating a NEW attraction for the space, if WDI were given free reign.
Very cool post! I miss it, too! I have vivid memories of the OLD Journey into Imagination!
So as cool as this all is I think you left out one of the most important parts of the story. How did you get access to that elevator?!
Thank you so much for this post. When I first saw the tweet of this picture in the display of your camera I am a bit embarrassed to say that I didn’t recognize it as the upstairs ImageWorks. It has been so long since I have been up there I have forgotten what it looked like. But seeing the glass pyramid again, it is too pretty to not be seen. I too am rooting for a drama.