EPCOT Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Personally I have a hunch it’s because (ironically, just like the original Journey Into Imagination in its later years), they sabotaged it from having the success it could’ve and should’ve had. It’s so funny, so, when I was a kid, I had numerous Mickey & Friends merch.. little did I know, they were all infact tied to Mickey MouseWorks & House of Mouse.. but they did something with their packaging that ultimately (I feel) didn’t benefit either show at all. Instead of having it prominently tied to the shows (like you’d see later w Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in ‘06-after), they’d mention the show in the most easily missable fashion, ’on the back of the tags/bottom of the box’. (Not the front, mind you). Like... they were ‘really’ embarrassed to market that show for some reason.. ya know, the show that kept Mickey & Friends true to form while tastefully updating them. But wow.. uh, a few years after this (06) they went ahead and went full throttle in marketing arguably (IMO) the worst version of Mickey & Friends I’ve ever seen via Clubhouse, where they became a Blue’s Clues/Dora the Explorer clone that retained little to none of their personalities & chemistry for decades (and no, this wasn’t treated as just a spin-off mind you, but rather as a full on main company rep, insanely enough.) (Which PS: they also conveniently never mention the creation of (Clubhouse) in their documentary.. despite that show’s significance in history and a recent renewal this past year. So yeah, uh, huh, I wonder why that is?)

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

There is this video that probably gives the best explanation...

That explanation doesn’t make any sense. If this were the case, why was Once Upon a Studio, a very similar style short ironically, able to be made. On top of it, Tarzan wasn’t in either.. and frankly how is that relevant to the situation? Fact of the matter is, Disney owns all the rights to most every other character featured in said show.

And tying this back to Journey Into Imagination. Disney owns all the rights to Dreamfinder, Figment, and Journey Into Imagination. (Not Kodak as some have claimed in the past, they were simply a sponsor.). So yeah.. the only possible conclusion you can come up with is they very strangely hate & sabotage this stuff internally and just don’t want it to succeed, despite the fact they’re so beloved by the public and they want to see this stuff again. It’s the most baffling situation you’ve ever seen regarding this stuff.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Btw, something else that makes me giggle. Ever notice how, despite the huge marketing campaign with the 70th Anniversary of the original Mickey Mouse Club show recently. They refuse to release the full show digitally or physically. (Not to mention the 70s & 90s comebacks of it either) Same goes for the Wonderful World of Disney/Color/Disneyland on Disney Plus. Why? Nobody knows apparently..

But yeah, anyway, tying this right back to Journey Into Imagination. The company knows full well we all want the original version back with the enhancements/upgrades we would’ve expected through the years, but they absolutely refuse to and instead keep that embarrassing Sham version in its place. Despite the merch sales, despite the marketing, despite the vocal outcry for years now (from both guests ‘and’ the people that created it), even multiple celebrities associated with Disney have made their thoughts known.. it’s literally the most crazy thing you’ve ever seen.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I think the only theme park characters to appear in House of Mouse were the Hitchhiking Ghosts.

I think the Tiki Room birds were too, if I remember right. But I could be wrong on that. Admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve last watched the show.

 

[jah4955]

Btw, something else that makes me giggle. Ever notice how, despite the huge marketing campaign with the 70th Anniversary of the original Mickey Mouse Club show recently. They refuse to release the full show digitally or physically. (Not to mention the 70s & 90s comebacks of it either) Same goes for the Wonderful World of Disney/Color/Disneyland on Disney Plus. Why? Nobody knows apparently..

I was starting to type how much of what you said may have un-PC elements....yet 1977's "Mouseketeers Visit Walt Disney World" is still on Disney+. All I'll say about the special is . Just .

 

[Brer Panther]

I think the Tiki Room birds were too, if I remember right.

They did have one episode where Daisy sang a parody of the Tiki Room song, but I don't think the Tiki Birds ever actually appeared - unless those two parrots with whom Iago sang "A Parrot's Life For Me" were meant to be from the Tiki Room.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I was starting to type how much of what you said may have un-PC elements....yet 1977's "Mouseketeers Visit Walt Disney World" is still on Disney+.

Yet things like the original Dumbo and other classics can be on Disney + no problem with a simple content warning listed before it. Yeah, makes no sense.

But again, getting back to Journey Into Imagination. There is ‘nothing’, ‘nothing’ else stopping this from being restored back to what it’s supposed to be. Except seemingly for bafflingly obtuse execs who don’t see what’s very blatantly in front of them.

 

[jah4955]

Yet things like the original Dumbo and other classics can be on Disney + no problem with a simple content warning listed before it. Yeah, makes no sense.

But again, getting back to Journey Into Imagination. There is ‘nothing’, ‘nothing’ else stopping this from being restored back to what it’s supposed to be. Except seemingly for bafflingly obtuse execs who don’t see what’s very blatantly in front of them.

The more we've talked about it the more I've realized just how absolutely perfect that ride was.

 

[Brer Panther]

There is ‘nothing’, ‘nothing’ else stopping this from being restored back to what it’s supposed to be.

But it's too expensive! It's not like Disney has made, like, a trillion dollars this year alone, what with the price increases and extremely successful live action remake of Lilo and Stitch bringing in a lot of money! No, no!

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

But it's too expensive! It's not like Disney has made, like, a trillion dollars this year alone, what with the price increases and extremely successful live action remake of Lilo and Stitch bringing in a lot of money! No, no!

Yeah, and boy.. the original Journey Into Imagination/Dreamfinder & Figment couldn’t ‘possibly’ make a bunch in merchandising money. Despite it literally being documented that they did, for ‘years’ before that Honey, I Shrunk the Audience changed queue rope, signage, and monorail spiel nonsense stopped that. And even after that, their merch ‘still’ to this ‘day’ despite that atrocious ride redo, still make a decent amount. So.. why would you not invest in something that’d only make you more and add a ton of needed goodwill for the company atm?

 

[HMF]

Btw, something else that makes me giggle. Ever notice how, despite the huge marketing campaign with the 70th Anniversary of the original Mickey Mouse Club show recently. They refuse to release the full show digitally or physically. (Not to mention the 70s & 90s comebacks of it either) Same goes for the Wonderful World of Disney/Color/Disneyland on Disney Plus. Why? Nobody knows apparently..

Maybe it's because of humor that hasn't aged well.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Maybe it's because of humor that hasn't aged well.

I mean, I get that if indeed that’s the case, but why not just put a content warning before it then? Clearly they feel comfortable enough merchandising it & celebrating the occasion of it’s anniversary. There must be enough good qualities from it to do that.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I mean, I get that if indeed that’s the case, but why not just put a content warning before it then? Clearly they feel comfortable enough merchandising it & celebrating the occasion of it’s anniversary. There must be enough good qualities from it to do that.

Which btw, again ties back into the topic. They sure feel comfortable enough merchandising Dreamfinder, Figment, and the original Journey Into Imagination. (they have for decades by this point) So again, why don’t they just greenlight a proper ride restoration/return & enhancement? It just doesn’t make any sense

 

[HMF]

I mean, I get that if indeed that’s the case, but why not just put a content warning before it then? Clearly they feel comfortable enough merchandising it & celebrating the occasion of it’s anniversary. There must be enough good qualities from it to do that.

Well, I think the fact that it will only appeal to a niche audience plus that probably means they don't want to go through the effort to restore it. Also the content warnings have been made optional by not having them automatically appear during the movies anymore apparently and just casually mentioned on the information page. I am sure this is because of political pressure from certain demographics that I will not address here.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Well, I think the fact that it will only appeal to a niche audience plus that probably means they don't want to go through the effort to restore it.

That sure didn’t seem to be the case when the original ride opened and operated throughout its run. Not to mention, what about the popularity and reception of just the recent Figment meet n greet? And that’s not even getting into the Disney Kingdoms comic series when that released, etc. Clearly he sells enough and he’s popular enough to do that.. so..

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

On top of that, if Parks exclusive stuff is so niche, why do they continue selling & producing ‘that much’ merch or just about every other attraction I can think of (like Haunted Mansion, Small World, and the Tiki Room) but again not see the value in this classic attraction & its fandom & legacy? Truly baffling

 

[HMF]

That sure didn’t seem to be the case when the original ride opened and operated throughout its run. Not to mention, what about the popularity and reception of just the recent Figment meet n greet? And that’s not even getting into the Disney Kingdoms comic series when that released, etc. Clearly he sells enough and he’s popular enough to do that.. so..

I was referring to the specials on Disney+ not the attraction. I do think it would be idiotic not to do something with Figment and Dreamfinder and I am pretty sure it might happen. It would build a lot more goodwill from EPCOT fans after the disaster that was the Re-Imagining.

 

[HMF]

On top of that, if Parks exclusive stuff is so niche, why do they continue selling & producing ‘that much’ merch or just about every other attraction I can think of (like Haunted Mansion, Small World, and the Tiki Room) but not this? Truly baffling

Again, I was talking about vintage material on Disney+. There is most definitely a market for original attraction-based merchandise. Despite what Iger thinks, people can actually enjoy something in the parks that is not tied to a movie or franchise.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Well, I think the fact that it will only appeal to a niche audience plus that probably means they don't want to go through the effort to restore it. Also the content warnings have been made optional by not having them automatically appear during the movies anymore apparently and just casually mentioned on the information page. I am sure this is because of political pressure from certain demographics that I will not address here.

Ah, forgive me, didn’t get the other part of your post yet at that time for whatever reason.

But honestly, I think they do infact have it restored. Look at all the Wonderful World/Color/Disneyland footage they use for just about everything else. It’s practically the biggest archive of Walt footage and voice clips they have. Not entirely sure how they think Walt Disney and his core legacy only appeals to a niche audience. I’d be hard pressed to find somebody who isn’t at the very least interested in the man. And say what you will about Disney Influencers, but they go nuts for the stuff. And again, they surely feel comfortable enough going big on merch tied to it.. so all it makes me do is just scratch my head, raise an eyebrow and go “ehh.. huh?? Where’s the rest of the actual shows I can watch while wearing my new commemorative merch?”

 

[HMF]

Ah, forgive me, didn’t get the other part of your post yet at that time for whatever reason.

I made changes to it after you replied to it probably.