Question about Journey into Imagination

[matt88mph]

I recently saw a video from what I thought was the current version of Journey into Your Imagination with Figment. What I got was a completely different video. Nigel Channing's video footage was about signing a waiver saying you are his experiments in a study about your imagination and the scariest thing of all, NO FIGMENT! However, the version I saw at Epcot in February had Figment, and Nigel Channing is taking you on a tour of the Imagination Institute, not experimenting on you.

So my question is:

Did they have a previous Journey into Your Imagination that I didn't know about?

 

[General Grizz]

1. Journey into Imagination: May 1983 - October 1998
Description: Trip with Figment and Dreamfinder through the imagination.

2. Journey into Your Imagination: September 1999 - October 2001
Description: A rehab of the original attraction featuring Nigel Channing. (This is the video you saw). The attraction was so dark and had so little creativity that, with over 1 million complaints to Kodak alone, it was closed to add back a certain someone. ..

3. Journey into Imagination with Figment: June 2002 - Present
...perhaps a little TOO MUCH of someone. The current attraction is currently unpopular and is by no means near a 'Disney classic.'

 

[mr snrub]

i liked the second version.

does that make me a villian

 

[matt88mph]

Thanks for the help. I thought I was freaking out. grizzlyhall, thanks for clearing it up for me with your funny commentary.:lol: By the way mr snrub, I enjoyed the second one as well, so it doesn't make you a villain.

 

[DanMan]

I think the new version is awesome! Do I miss Dreamfinder? Yes, but the new ride fits in with the theme of HISTA and is really cool. The rehab hit the target right on.

 

[DisneySaint]

Forgive me, but I liked the 2nd one a lot. Epcot, to me, isn't susposed to be about novelty and characters, but I guess some folks get a little too sentimental. If that's the case, where's the animatronics from Horizons?

 

[DigitalDisney]

Looks like this has turned into a
Original - I'm one of the few people that really didn't like the first one. I appreciate all of the craftsmanship and Imagineering that went into it, but I didn't see a point to it. It satisfied all of my senses, but not my brain.

JIYI - I was disappointed and pleased with this one. I found the overall concept very appealing. It was poorly executed, although there were some cool tricks in the ride. The train and connect the dots stars were decent scenes, and everything else was kinda meh. However, the finale was so cool, I was always amused when it happened (even though I knew what was coming).

The new one - Haven't been on it yet. I've heard good things about it, but they all came from Figment fans (of course, they'll be happy)

 

[WDWspider]

Well, I like the latest version alright as well, but just look at Queues compared to other rides. JII w/figment is almost brand new and yet has zero waits on most days. So like Grizz said... it IS unpopular.

 

[FigmentJedi]

The reason JIIWF is unpopular is because it is under-advertised. Hopefully the new Planning DVD will solve that.

 

[General Grizz]

I doubt the video will have anything to do with it. The ride is ultimately weak, and word of mouth is not passed along because it's not one of those "you have to see this!," unlike the original attractions.

This shows the strength of the original Disney attractions that cannot be reproduced with cutbacks of space, character, and quality.

 

[Scooter]

Originally posted by grizzlyhall
[The current attraction is currently unpopular and is by no means near a 'Disney classic.' [/B]

Grizz....shouldn't this read "In MY Opinion......


Personally, I like the latest version much better than the original. It's not so childish as the original. My kids liked the original version but my wife and I felt it was only geared for kids. As my kids grew older they thought the original Imagination ride was "For Babies"

We enjoy it as a family now and in OUR opinion it is just as..it not more "Magical" as the 1st version.

In MY opinion, the 1st remake was terrible, but the 2nd was much better becasue it gave adults, as well as children, some old fashioned Disney entertainment.

As far as it being unpopular Grizz...I havn't been to the parks during the "busy" season in a few years so I can't judge what the crowds are like who want to see this show but I can tell you this, when I was there in October, the lines to see The Imagination show were LONGER than the lines to see YOUR favorite show The Country Bear Jamboree.

My point is this...if we're not the statistitions, the bean counters, the one ones who run the show, we can't say for sure what show is "Unpopular." Disney has people that do that I'm sure.

I think as long as Figment is a part of the show, then in MY opinion Journey Into Your Imagination IS..and always WILL BE...a Disney Classic.

 

[General Grizz]

Excuse me, Scooter, for not being specific.

Here are the trips I've visted JII with Figment:

1. Second week of opening, 2002
2. December (week of Christmas), 2002
3. July 2003
4. October 2003 - a week after the press event
5. Mid November

The only time crowds have picked up are near the load. . . even during the week of Christmas (the most popular time of the year).

Certain days may contradict this, but if you look at guest tallies, it is fact that the attraction isn't "popular." If you're trying to attack CBJ, go at the end of the day and see the tallies . . .that's really all I can say. I'm not going to touch this one again.

And no, you don't have to be a bean counter (although I am a "bean counter" for at least two attractions, which is why calling CBJ less popular is ludicrous). As for JII, you just have to ask them.

 

[Scooter]

Grizz..I apologize if I came off being mean or hurtful.

I do, however wish people would refrain from telling me what is or is not popular and/or a Disney Classic.

Isn't that a call reserved for people who are more qualified?

Isn't the term "Classic" a judgement call?

Figment has been around since day one at EPCOT while over the years we have seen many Pavillions and shows come and go.

If that doesn't make Journey Into Your Imagination, (and more specifically Figment ) a Classic, then I don't know what does.

 

[General Grizz]

Quite alright, Scooter. It's good that you like the attraction, it is an improvement over 2.0, as far as the character goes.

With me and others, we've noticed that Figment, although he's there physically, has changed a bit (just a bit more giddy giddy). The attraction style, however, has just been found to be cold and less "memorable."

So yes, that was an opinion. Everyone has a different idea as far as a classic goes. But half of that basis was based on the attendnace figures (usually 'classic' goes hand in hand with a smash hit audience and mass visitation).

Sorry, and I hoped that cleared it up!

My favorite scene from the current attraction has to be the Touch and Taste Lab sequence all the way to the finale. The music and color is outstanding.

 

[Goofyfanatic]

Personally I never saw this ride as a classic in any version....I also don't recall the original having that much attendence...when i think of classics of epcot...Spaceship Earth and Horizons(RIP...sniff sniff) come to mind...also so does HISTA now.

 

[scottnj1966]

times

I think a big problem with any of the rides and stuff to do at Epcot is they close at 6 pm.
How can something be popular if it gets closed so early.
Never given any chance.
No one even gives it a second thought if it is getting later in the day.
Epcot is open until 9, does Disney have so many problems you cant keep the whole park open.

I liked the first version and the third is nice just because it reminds of things from the first. the second was terrible.

Check out the third version I have on video. See what you thnk if you have not been on it yet.

http://www.bigfloridacountry.com/ridevideos.htm

 

[lebernadin]

Originally posted by Goofyfanatic
Personally I never saw this ride as a classic in any version....I also don't recall the original having that much attendence...when i think of classics of epcot...Spaceship Earth and Horizons(RIP...sniff sniff) come to mind...also so does HISTA now.

I've always been fond of The Land Pavilion and its attractions, so for me they've been a "classic."

Also Impressions de France. Cliched? Yes. Dated? Yes. But there's comfort in going back to our roots.

 

[lebernadin]

Re: times

Originally posted by scottnj1966
I think a big problem with any of the rides and stuff to do at Epcot is they close at 6 pm.
How can something be popular if it gets closed so early.
Never given any chance.
No one even gives it a second thought if it is getting later in the day.
Epcot is open until 9, does Disney have so many problems you cant keep the whole park open.

In a word, yes. Their problem is if they were to keep peak hours all year round they'd never get close to their quarterly expectations, as a result their stock would be de-valued, and as a result of that they'd have to cut back overall hours, and individual attractions on top of having a de-valued stock and shareholders looking over attendance numbers and wondering why the parks were open so late when attendance was down etc..

For the attractions part of the company to meet estimates, they have to do these things. Otherwise they could become M&A bait and then fans would really be in trouble.

 

[Little Mermaid]

For the past ten years, I have not been to WDW on a week that was not Spring Break. It's gotten better since I've been in college because it falls earlier, but it's still plenty crowded while my family is there.

This past March, we went to JII with Figment around 11:00 in the morning. I'm one of the Figment-lovers, so I was very excited to see the new attraction. We walked right into the building, to the attraction, and "disturbed" 3 cast members who looked suprised to see us. No one was in front of us, no one was behind us. After we got off and were leaving, we noticed two more people walking in the doors...but no line. On the other hand, I've never gotten into CBJ without a wait.

I remember waiting sometimes 15 minutes for the original JII during Spring Break week. Can't offer much for the second, I rode it once and swore I would never get on it again.

The original will always be my favorite...it had a story, a message, a catchy song, and great animatronics. I liked the colors and the scenes (who could forget the cat/bat blocks or Figment holding back the monsters?) JII was my favorite ride at Epcot when I was younger, and if it was still there, it would still be my favorite. To me, the original JII was much more of a classic than HISTA or the next two incarnations.

 

[CoraJack]

Originally posted by Little Mermaid
For the past ten years, I have not been to WDW on a week that was not Spring Break. It's gotten better since I've been in college because it falls earlier, but it's still plenty crowded while my family is there.

This past March, we went to JII with Figment around 11:00 in the morning. I'm one of the Figment-lovers, so I was very excited to see the new attraction. We walked right into the building, to the attraction, and "disturbed" 3 cast members who looked suprised to see us. No one was in front of us, no one was behind us. After we got off and were leaving, we noticed two more people walking in the doors...but no line. On the other hand, I've never gotten into CBJ without a wait.

I remember waiting sometimes 15 minutes for the original JII during Spring Break week. Can't offer much for the second, I rode it once and swore I would never get on it again.

The original will always be my favorite...it had a story, a message, a catchy song, and great animatronics. I liked the colors and the scenes (who could forget the cat/bat blocks or Figment holding back the monsters?) JII was my favorite ride at Epcot when I was younger, and if it was still there, it would still be my favorite. To me, the original JII was much more of a classic than HISTA or the next two incarnations.

LOL we "disturbed" the cast members this JUNE! There was absolutely no one in there. We walked in with about 10 people behind us. The older gentleman loading the ride was soooooooo crabby. It was one of the ONLY rides in Epcot that my mother (Disney newbie) said, "Oh it was okay." On everything else she was like, "Wow!" This ride really is not a "wow" sort of a ride. It's like, "OK that was fun, now what's next?" It's not, "Wow, that was great, can we do it again???"

Christina