Rumor Inside Out to Replace Journey into Imagination with Figment?

[Bender123]

Would be awesome, but I think they need a ride or two to open before shutting anything down.

I believe this was a reason why it isn't up for refurb for another few years...UoE really needed it badly. It was literally falling apart and massively outdated. Work on WoL can just happen at anytime...its vacant, so its not like its taking capacity off line. That capacity has been gone for a decade.

Sadly...even as bad as JII is, its a better bet to hold on for three to five years than UoE was, so it gets a lower priority.

 

[Haymarket2008]

I’m in Epcot, and Figment is everrrrrrywhere. I always forget how well he sells. Tons of plush and on what seems to be every other t-shirt.

 

[devoy1701]

The lead director and writer of the movie was one of the imagineers who created Cranium Command, and that attraction was effectively Inside Out's inspiration. If they MUST shoehorn IP into Epcot then go plop Inside Out there. Or you know, don't, and stop linking everything to a movie. Yeah I know, ridiculous idea.

Dreamfinder is still waiting for his return. Get Tony Baxter involved (LMAO) and get him to work his magic once again. I would actually be perfectly satisfied with a return of the original ride. The current ride occupying the space is trash, as is the personality they gave Figment. But the original version was one of Disney's absolute best.

I wouldn't mind if Inside Out came in as long as Figment was still featured. Absolutely no reason why they couldn't make that work.

Believe you me, I'm all for keeping the old stuff alive as well. But our EPCOT of the past is gone, and I'm all about finding ways to absorb these crowds nowadays.

ugh, i'm going to dread when Star Wars Land opens and my favorite theme park becomes as crowded as the rest!

 

[geekza]

Alas, the original ride will never return. It was glorious, creative, entertaining, and memorable, but the Powers-that-Be at the time decided that the interest in the ride had waned to the point whereby it had to go. It wasn't a simple retheming, the whole bottom part of the building was altered, with the all-important turntable removed. That terrible replacement "attraction" was one of the first entries of IP into EPCOT (the Flubber reference and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) and should have been a bellwether of things to come. Alas, those of us who were devotees of the original EPCOT Center had no idea that it was the beginning of the end for our beloved Future World.

I was 12 when we went to EPCOT Center in 1984 and the Imagination pavilion is the thing that I remember most fondly. We waited for what must have been over an hour just to get into the building, where the queue wrapped around the entire lobby. The jumping fountains, the mural in the lobby, the promise of high-tech delights waiting upstairs in the ImageWorks; all of it paled in comparison to my experience when I actually got on the ride. I fell in love with Dreamfinder and Figment. To me, they were instant classic characters. I only got to experience the ride two more times, since a Disney vacation wasn't something we could afford on a regular basis. I rode it once as a teenager (and still loved it) and one last time as an adult on my honeymoon. Just three times. Since there was no such thing as the Internet (the Web was still primitive the last time I rode it in early 1997), all I had to keep my love for it going were my memories and a few photos in books. Then suddenly it was gone. I'm glad for the videos that are online.

In any case, at this point I'm fine with Inside Out taking over. My EPCOT is gone. Hopefully, it will consist of something tangible and physical, rather than screen-based, but screens are cheap and Disney seems to be going all-in on them.

Sorry for the rant. I'm old and original EPCOT was important to me throughout my formative years. At least we still have Spaceship Earth for now.

 

[pdude81]

Alas, the original ride will never return. It was glorious, creative, entertaining, and memorable, but the Powers-that-Be at the time decided that the interest in the ride had waned to the point whereby it had to go. It wasn't a simple retheming, the whole bottom part of the building was altered, with the all-important turntable removed. That terrible replacement "attraction" was one of the first entries of IP into EPCOT (the Flubber reference and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) and should have been a bellwether of things to come. Alas, those of us who were devotees of the original EPCOT Center had no idea that it was the beginning of the end for our beloved Future World.

I was 12 when we went to EPCOT Center in 1984 and the Imagination pavilion is the thing that I remember most fondly. We waited for what must have been over an hour just to get into the building, where the queue wrapped around the entire lobby. The jumping fountains, the mural in the lobby, the promise of high-tech delights waiting upstairs in the ImageWorks; all of it paled in comparison to my experience when I actually got on the ride. I fell in love with Dreamfinder and Figment. To me, they were instant classic characters. I only got to experience the ride two more times, since a Disney vacation wasn't something we could afford on a regular basis. I rode it once as a teenager (and still loved it) and one last time as an adult on my honeymoon. Just three times. Since there was no such thing as the Internet (the Web was still primitive the last time I rode it in early 1997), all I had to keep my love for it going were my memories and a few photos in books. Then suddenly it was gone. I'm glad for the videos that are online.

In any case, at this point I'm fine with Inside Out taking over. My EPCOT is gone. Hopefully, it will consist of something tangible and physical, rather than screen-based, but screens are cheap and Disney seems to be going all-in on them.

Sorry for the rant. I'm old and original EPCOT was important to me throughout my formative years. At least we still have Spaceship Earth for now.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology

 

[MisterPenguin]

You can find him especially in the UK pavilion.

We all like a Figgy pudding.

 

[MrPromey]

Believe you me, I'm all for keeping the old stuff alive as well. But our EPCOT of the past is gone, and I'm all about finding ways to absorb these crowds nowadays.

This was a budget-friendly referb of a budget-cutting referb of the "old stuff" that was universally panned as crap the first time it opened (the budget-cutting referb, I mean). As far as I know, the only withering praise this version has ever gotten is that it's better than what they did the first time they screwed up this pavilion and that's not saying much.

In short, I'm sure there is someone out there that would be against this change - there is always someone - and had we been talking about converting the original to an Inside Out attraction, I might have even been one of those someones but they can only improve on the mess that is there right now.

 

[MrPromey]

We can rebuild him. We have the technology

You talking about the original JII or the Abe Lincoln in pdude81's avatar pic?

 

[Inspired Figment]

Actually, the Abe Lincoln animatronic was upgraded and rebuilt at Disneyland’s Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and was upgraded very well. Should be the same thing done with Journey into Imagination and the Dreamfinder & Figment animatronics

 

[brb1006]

We can rebuild him. We have the technology

 

[MrWarners14]

Actually, the Abe Lincoln animatronic was upgraded and rebuilt at Disneyland’s Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and was upgraded very well. Should be the same thing done with Journey into Imagination and the Dreamfinder & Figment animatronics

A thought came over me. Has Disney made any plans for a future Journey Into Imagination reboot? It's clear the current ride is slowly dying due to total neglect and the difference between Figment's conceptual popularity, the comic series's popularity, the old ride's legacy and the toxic reputation of the current one is jarring to say the least. When people buy Figment merchandise, they buy it for a plethora of different reasons.

It's clear there is a divide in the fandom and I think part of that is because of the disjointed aspects that are the current EPCOT. Nothing is coherent anymore and frankly, the cynical IP discussion is infuriating and close-minded. It's adding to the mess, not fixing it and there are better things to want than shoving in an IP that probably should have had more thought put into it to begin with.

It's clear Disney needs to fix the park and they have a lot of work to do. I won't bother going to EPCOT at all until I've done Disneyland. A childhood dream I now want to accomplish as a man in his 20s. It sounds more promising and less depressing to think about going to.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Has Disney made any plans for a future Journey Into Imagination reboot?

According to our insiders, there have been blue-sky spit-ball pitches, but nothing has been decided except to hold off making a decision for a few more years... unless Chapek's recent visit is a sign they're moving sooner than later, but no confirmation on that.

So... not really.

 

[MrWarners14]

According to our insiders, there have been blue-sky spit-ball pitches, but nothing has been decided except to hold off making a decision for a few more years... unless Chapek's recent visit is a sign they're moving sooner than later, but no confirmation on that.

So... not really.

Well...that's rather sad.

 

[geekza]

Unfortunately, that pavilion has been the red-headed stepchild of Future World for some time. Figment slings enough plush that they don't want to completely get rid of it, but whenever they get any money, it has gone to other projects.

When it first opened, it had (for its day) three excellent attractions. It was truly one of the best parts about early EPCOT Center. Now, it has one barely-functioning and unentertaining ride, a tiny section with boring activities, a theater that shows things that people can see at home, and a stupid DVC lounge taking up the the prettiest part of the building. It will always be one of the great management mistakes that they tore out the original ride and, rather than updating things, let the pavilion fall into disrepair and neglect.

 

[aladdin2007]

Unfortunately, that pavilion has been the red-headed stepchild of Future World for some time. Figment slings enough plush that they don't want to completely get rid of it, but whenever they get any money, it has gone to other projects.

When it first opened, it had (for its day) three excellent attractions. It was truly one of the best parts about early EPCOT Center. Now, it has one barely-functioning and unentertaining ride, a tiny section with boring activities, a theater that shows things that people can see at home, and a stupid DVC lounge taking up the the prettiest part of the building. It will always be one of the great management mistakes that they tore out the original ride and, rather than updating things, let the pavilion fall into disrepair and neglect.

This, and you would think they learned from that, they didn't.

 

[MrWarners14]

This, and you would think they learned from that, they didn't.

Man, I will be overjoyed the moment they announce a legit replacement ride for the Imagination pavilion. I'll be waiting...

 

[The Hatbox Ghost]

I rode yesterday. While there is obviously much about this attraction that really needs help, there were a few things that need immediate help:

• The EYE CHART was ironically blurry and needed to have the angle adjusted -- it was partially off the screen.
• The kettle wasn't blasting out steam like it normally does
• Figment's TV screen was looking rather washed out.
• The smell lab wasn't blasting out any smells.

These should be easy fixes. C'mon, Disney!

Incidentally, I couldn't help but notice that the Figment merch was selling like hot cakes. Despite the broken effects, it was fun hearing the children behind me clearly enjoying themselves.

I rode yesterday and am happy to report that all of the above were fixed except for the smell, no skunk- just air. Oh and one of the screens that drop down was not projecting. OK so I’m realizing that this isn’t really any better

 

[geekza]

I rode yesterday and am happy to report that all of the above were fixed except for the smell, no skunk- just air.

That says everything about the current state of Imagination. They can't even be bothered to make the place stink properly.

 

[pdude81]

The smell has been drastically reduced over the years and I thought they must be intentionally phasing it out due to complaints. Perhaps it won't even return

 

[larryz]

Man, I will be overjoyed the moment they announce a legit replacement ride for the Imagination pavilion. I'll be waiting...

Well, now that Kodak has become primarily a printer company, maybe someone can convince Japan to crank up that Mt Fuji ride and someone else (Canon? Nikon?) can take over sponsorship at Imagination...