EPCOT Inside Out to Replace Journey into Imagination with Figment?

trainplane3

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
justintheharris said:
Yes but Epcot was built as a permanent World’s fair. Which are meant to continuously evolve. And everyone on here seems to believe the park should serve their childhood nostalgia. When I was 10, I loved Epcot. But it’s 2019 and it’s dated and sad. And notice everyone wants the old Journey Into Imagination. Nobody wants to see it be done with new technology or updated for 2019. Everyone here wants the 1983 version. So much for progress...
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Because they straight up stopped spending money on the attractions to make them relevant. There should be a set timetable for updates and refurbs but everything got stale instead.

And that's very far from being a "only here" situation. Take a look on Disney's social media anytime something imagination comes up. 90% of the posts are either "bring back the original" or "bring back Dreamfinder" or even people sharing pictures of the D+F meet and greet. Nearly everyone in my age group remembers the original because it was vastly superior to what we have today. The literal only redeeming features is the fact Figment is still there and "One Little Spark" lives on. Do I want the original back? I guess. Would I rather have something brand new but in the spirit of what made the original Imagination so great and D+F? Yes.

Riding the original and coming back to the 2nd version was pure shock. Little me easily remembers the cast working the attraction looking depressed and my parents with their mouths wide open when the lights came on and it said "get off". The lack of a catchy song, random crap set pieces, and the purely unnecessary explosion "jump scare" at the end. It was as low effort as Cedar Point was at taking care of Disaster Transport's theming. Came back 2 years later and my reaction was "still pure 💩 but not as bad as the 2nd version". The ride barely encourages imagination and they shove it in your face the entire time. I'd call that a failure for a ride based around imagination.
 
justintheharris

justintheharris

Well-Known Member
trainplane3 said:
Because they straight up stopped spending money on the attractions to make them relevant. There should be a set timetable for updates and refurbs but everything got stale instead.

And that's very far from being a "only here" situation. Take a look on Disney's social media anytime something imagination comes up. 90% of the posts are either "bring back the original" or "bring back Dreamfinder" or even people sharing pictures of the D+F meet and greet. Nearly everyone in my age group remembers the original because it was vastly superior to what we have today. The literal only redeeming features is the fact Figment is still there and "One Little Spark" lives on. Do I want the original back? I guess. Would I rather have something brand new but in the spirit of what made the original Imagination so great and D+F? Yes.

Riding the original and coming back to the 2nd version was pure shock. Little me easily remembers the cast working the attraction looking depressed and my parents with their mouths wide open when the lights came on and it said "get off". The lack of a catchy song, random crap set pieces, and the purely unnecessary explosion "jump scare" at the end. It was as low effort as Cedar Point was at taking care of Disaster Transport's theming. Came back 2 years later and my reaction was "still pure 💩 but not as bad as the 2nd version". The ride barely encourages imagination and they shove it in your face the entire time. I'd call that a failure for a ride based around imagination.
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Even if they continuously update them, nearly every update or addition arouses a revolt among epcot fans.
 
justintheharris

justintheharris

Well-Known Member
HauntedPirate said:
You really won’t give up the “everyone wants the 1983 version” lie, will you?
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It’s not a lie. It’s true. Even if you guys are pretending like you’re open to an updated 2019 version, I guarantee when it opens the whole forum will erupt with complaints like “eww, screens!” and “It’s still not as good as the original!”
 
justintheharris

justintheharris

Well-Known Member
HauntedPirate said:
You really won’t give up the “everyone wants the 1983 version” lie, will you?
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And everyone doesn’t call for new rides. They call for the original Journey Into Imagination, the original Living Seas, the original Test Track, Horizons, Universe of Energy, Maelstrom and the original Soarin’. This is 100% related to a niche market of childhood nostalgia for older Disney fans and almost completely unrelated to the quality of the parks.
 
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marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
justintheharris said:
Yes but Epcot was built as a permanent World’s fair. Which are meant to continuously evolve. And everyone on here seems to believe the park should serve their childhood nostalgia. When I was 10, I loved Epcot. But it’s 2019 and it’s dated and sad. And notice everyone wants the old Journey Into Imagination. Nobody wants to see it be done with new technology or updated for 2019. Everyone here wants the 1983 version. So much for progress...
Click to expand...
Incorrect. Only the company didn’t want to progress.

Most people I know, myself included, would say (and have done on these boards in the past) that the 1982 Park would be hopelessly outdated today. It’d be a joke.

What I do want is a park equivalent to what was originally built but with today’s technology - and aiming for the same ambition, scale and sheer wow factor the original had but for today.

Try a thread search for the multiple discussions about having JII rebuilt using LPS and digital projection. For example.

Unless you can prove your statement “nobody wants to see it be done with new technology”?
 
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FigmentsBrightIdeas

FigmentsBrightIdeas

Well-Known Member
justintheharris said:
It’s not a lie. It’s true. Even if you guys are pretending like you’re open to an updated 2019 version, I guarantee when it opens the whole forum will erupt with complaints like “eww, screens!” and “It’s still not as good as the original!”
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To be fair... there’s a way you could bring the original attraction back but with upgraded scenery & show scenes, a remastered version of the original soundtrack, new animatronics, and enhanced special effects... ala DL’s Great Moments with Mr Lincoln or the upgrades done to DL’s Fantasyland rides. That’s possible..
and if you wanted to, you could completely upgrade the old ImageWorks with completely new, innovative technology and activities. That’s a ‘2019 version of the original’, Just sayin’.
I don’t really understand why everyone is so split and doesn’t think to try and bring both visions and preferences together in such a way where it appeals to everyone. But I digress.
 
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FigmentsBrightIdeas

FigmentsBrightIdeas

Well-Known Member
Inspired Figment said:
PS: It doesn’t *exactly* have to be “going back” either. It can be a *new* Journey Into Imagination ride, with elements from the original and the recent comic series put in. Heck, if you wanted to. Since Figment *has* met and interacted with film IP characters before in the Language Arts Through Imagination short films (like Alice & Peter Pan for instance). (Not to mention Dr. Channing from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and some of other film characters featured in the Institute) It *could* technically be utilized properly without it being intrusive.
Think Disneyland’s treatment of It’s a Small World. You can see various small cameos in the form of items or small appearances. And it still works, as it’s based on the theme of abstract thoughts and all the creative realms.
*Infact*, you can actually find concept art of the original Literature scene that utilizes the Cheshire Cat for the ‘Cat/Bat’ shadow illusion gag. And a section with an open comic featuring Spider Man. (i’m Not even kidding. I’ll try to find this artwork and post it here later). But it can easily work.

And you know how at the end, after exploring each creative realm, Figment ultimately decides to take all he learned and apply that to becoming a “film” star (*cough cough* Kodak film. Lol) and we get to see him imagine himself in different roles? As a cowboy, a super hero, an ice climber, a scientist, a pirate, etc.)
Now who’s to say you couldn’t change that slightly to have Figment imagine himself as different Disney film character roles. Say instead of a pirate, you could have Figment dressed in the role of Jack Sparrow fighting Davey Jones, or Figment imagining himself as Woody riding on Bullseye alongside Jessie. Why not Figment climbing the ice tower/castle with Olaf or Elsa? Why not Figment imagine himself as Rocket with the Guardians of the Galaxy (synergy. LOL).

It works.. it can be reimagined and not completely destroy the spirit or theme of the original ride. It can still be done in a cohesive and non-intrusive,respectful way
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I feel like this is the best direction to go. It’d Be cheaper budget wise than going with something *completely* new. It’d appeal to the purists that want the original classic experience, it’d appeal to the general park goers and newbies who haven’t experienced the original before by being a refreshed, 2019 version of the experience, and it’d appeal to the IP obsessed CEOs that want everything tied to franchises, without being intrusive.
 
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FigmentsBrightIdeas

FigmentsBrightIdeas

Well-Known Member
PS: If the only people that cared about the original Journey into Imagination were folks within this forum. Then why does Figment merchandise continue to be released and sell so well? Why did those Figment origin story comic books sell so well a couple years ago? Why do people still continuously clamor for an upgraded version of the original attraction & Dreamfinder’s return nearly every time something Figment or Epcot related is posted on Disney’s social media. The list goes on.
The Audience is clearly a lot larger than some of you assume.
 
FigmentsBrightIdeas

FigmentsBrightIdeas

Well-Known Member
justintheharris said:
Even if they continuously update them, nearly every update or addition arouses a revolt among epcot fans.
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Perhaps it’s more telling of the execution of said updates or the nature of the update that’s the problem. The issue is they’re not taking guest feedback properly. Why are they not doing something in a way where both sides are listened to and satisfied. Why is there no proper balance? That’s the issue. The current company mindset is too narrow, risk-averse, and only taking feedback from *one* side and not the other.
The issue with the older properties is mostly a lack of proper marketing and exposure. If they were to improve and put more effort into the marketing, I’m positive there’d be an even larger audience for this stuff.
 
justintheharris

justintheharris

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
Incorrect. Only the company didn’t want to progress.

Most people I know, myself included, would say (and have done on these boards in the past) that the 1982 Park would be hopelessly outdated today. It’d be a joke.

What I do want is a park equivalent to what was originally built but with today’s technology - and aiming for the same ambition, scale and sheer wow factor the original had but for today.

Try a thread search for the multiple discussions about having JII rebuilt using LPS and digital projection. For example.

Unless you can prove your statement “nobody wants to see it be done with new technology”?
Click to expand...
I can’t prove a negative. I’ll give you that. But I’ve never heard anyone suggest Imagination have a 2019 iteration. All I hear is about how we should bring Dreamfinder back and relive the glory days. And a park like epcot isn’t exactly possible anymore. We live in a post internet and cellphone world. Epcot would be hard pressed to find technology to display that I can’t find on a google search. Epcot needs a new approach which includes IPs and thrill rides. The harsh reality that nobody wants to face is that IP attractions usually attract more crowds than non-IP rides. Yes, plenty of non-IP rides are very popular. But Disney is benefiting from this IP craze
 
justintheharris

justintheharris

Well-Known Member
Inspired Figment said:
Perhaps it’s more telling of the execution of said updates or the nature of the update that’s the problem. The issue is they’re not taking guest feedback properly. Why are they not doing something in a way where both sides are listened to and satisfied. Why is there no proper balance? That’s the issue. The current company mindset is too narrow, risk-averse, and only taking feedback from *one* side and not the other.
The issue with the older properties is mostly a lack of proper marketing and exposure. If they were to improve and put more effort into the marketing, I’m positive there’d be an even larger audience for this stuff.
Click to expand...
Because the demand for rides similar to the original Epcot attractions is not a 1/4 of what you probably think it is.
 

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