Rumor Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment

[UNCgolf]

That much I don't know, however it seems like they are very serious about SSE. It won't be getting the cheap fix some of us have speculated it would be getting, the scope may end up being larger than the last announced overhaul. That gives me faith that Figment will get the same amount of money thrown at it eventually.

That's both promising and a bit scary, only because they could do significant damage to SSE with a large budget if that's the direction they choose to go.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

I’m happy to see others corroborating the same information. It has always been and will hopefully continue to be a matter of when it happens rather than if, and I hope that reskin of the existing track proposal has indeed been shelved

This needs to be a home run if they’re dragging this out another 5 years. I’d be over the moon if this became the pinnacle of WDI attractions, because it absolutely deserves to be done on the largest scale possible for how long we’ve been waiting. Regardless, this park could really come close to full circle by it’s 50th if handled properly, TT is already a step in the right direction

 

[Moth]

I’m happy to see others corroborating the same information. It has always been and will hopefully continue to be a matter of when it happens rather than if, and I hope that reskin of the existing track proposal has indeed been shelved

This needs to be a home run if they’re dragging this out another 5 years. I’d be over the moon if this became the pinnacle of WDI attractions, because it absolutely deserves to be done on the largest scale possible for how long we’ve been waiting. Regardless, this park could really come close to full circle by it’s 50th if handled properly, TT is already a step in the right direction

I doubt they're gonna make any changes to the existing track unless they completely gut the building.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I doubt they're gonna make any changes to the existing track unless they completely gut the building.

To not do that would render any would-be reimagining pointless.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Makes sense that Inside Out hitting the #1 of all time record, they’d decide that investment in WoL is worth it.

My guess is Test Track opens, Inside Out is announced next Destination for WoL, and next D23 is where we get both SSE and Fig announcements, with SSE going down after the 45th, Figment going down shortly after that. Inside Out opens in WoL. We get SSE and Imagination opened near the end of the decade.

I've not heard anything about WoL in a little while, but from little tidbits I've picked up it seems they are very serious about EPCOT 50 being a big deal. It would shock me if some of the work being discussed happens and the 50th comes along with Wonders still empty (though, in fairness, I would be shocked if some of the work being discussed happens at all). They know that building is a blemish on the park that needs addressed, it's just currently priority #3 behind SSE and Imagination.

To not do that would render any would-be reimagining pointless.

Pretty much every reimagining of an attraction keeps the original ride track, even if slight modifications are made to it.

 

[Moth]

To not do that would render any would-be reimagining pointless.

I mean, for most rethemes/reimaginings they don't change the track. Buzz is still using Dreamflight tracks. Tiana is still using Splash's layout. If it ain't broke, don't fiddle with it.

It's not like the current layout is bad either. Short? Yeah. But let's be real, WDW is never getting another 10+ minute ride again ever.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Tiana is still using Splash's layout. If it ain't broke, don't fiddle with it.

Except they did and now it struggles to open on time and stay open throughout the day.

 

[Moth]

Except they did and now it struggles to open on time and stay open throughout the day.

Exactly why they shouldn't touch the track for Imagination.

 

[HauntedPirate]

It's not like the current layout is bad either. Short? Yeah. But let's be real, WDW is never getting another 10+ minute ride again ever.

Very sad and likely very true.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

I suppose there are some benefits to reusing the existing track. Gutting the building alongside any new ride system fabrication/installation could eat up a significant portion of the budget, so if allocated properly it’d allow them to implement 99% of the budget towards very elaborate sets and AAs. It’s not even like the original was the most AA heavy attraction to begin with, & 3.0 is a pretty low bar with its 2 figures. Set design and AAs always take priority over everything else when it comes to attractions, at least for me, so as long as they gut the existing sets for high quality ones (which is almost a guarantee for any retheme) I will be much more forgiving. Let’s see how TT turns out in a year, that could be a good indicator of how this turns out

 

[OptimusPrime]

Tiana is still using Splash's layout. If it ain't broke, don't fiddle with it.

Not that your wrong, but these sentences back to back have me cracking up

 

[Haymarket2008]

In an ideal world, they’d extend the track. But what is there….if they are smart about going full out with Imagination, the current track could work just fine.

 

[OptimusPrime]

In an ideal world, they’d extend the track. But what is there….if they are smart about going full out with Imagination, the current track could work just fine.

They could keep the track if they moved ImageWorks upstairs and did smart work with a new queue/make the turntable scene into a preshow

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

The only reason the duration of JIIWF lasts as long as it does is because of those stops in the track. I know JIYI had fewer but still incorporated sections of track where the vehicle parked itself. If those sections are maintained throughout V4 they better lend themselves to some pretty elaborate show scenes. Otherwise the attraction would be much shorter if converted back to an omnimover system

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

The only reason the duration of JIIWF lasts as long as it does is because of those stops in the track. I know JIYI had fewer but still incorporated sections of track where the vehicle parked itself. If those sections are maintained throughout V4 they better lend themselves to some pretty elaborate show scenes. Otherwise the attraction would be much shorter if converted back to an omnimover system

I don't think it would be enough of a difference to meet or exceed the current ride time with stops, but don't the trains move quicker through the scenes now than they did in the original attraction? The attraction is no longer intended to travel slowly through scenes (beyond the upside down house), the stops are the scenes and the cars just need to get between the stops as quickly as possible.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

I don't think it would be enough of a difference to meet or exceed the current ride time with stops, but don't the trains move quicker through the scenes now than they did in the original attraction? The attraction is no longer intended to travel slowly through scenes (beyond the upside down house), the stops are the scenes and the cars just need to get between the stops as quickly as possible.

That’s true, the thing speeds thru the poorly themed office hallways at a much faster rate than the original did. Guess I didn’t really factor that into the equation but looking back on it that’s absolutely the case. With that in mind, you’d get an attraction close to six minutes at the original speed without any stops using our current layout. Not bad, and I’m positive they’ll create some sort of elaborate preshow to compensate for the loss of track. I’d settle for this, but I’m always gonna to want a 1:1 recreation of 1.0 w modern day technology implemented

 

[OptimusPrime]

That’s true, the thing speeds thru the poorly themed office hallways at a much faster rate than the original did. Guess I didn’t really factor that into the equation but looking back on it that’s absolutely the case. With that in mind, you’d get an attraction close to six minutes at the original speed without any stops using our current layout. Not bad, and I’m positive they’ll create some sort of elaborate preshow to compensate for the loss of track. I’d settle for this, but I’m always gonna to want a 1:1 recreation of 1.0 w modern day technology implemented

Preshow is Flight, make the queue/loading station the Dreamport. Figment and Dreamfinder “imagine” vehicles for us to hop in, and we go through the rest of the ride. That compensates the lost track of the finale so that we go through the entire original ride’s story (or at least I think that’s how it could work)

 

[Horizonsfan]

Preshow is Flight, make the queue/loading station the Dreamport. Figment and Dreamfinder “imagine” vehicles for us to hop in, and we go through the rest of the ride. That compensates the lost track of the finale so that we go through the entire original ride’s story (or at least I think that’s how it could work)

I think a lot of folks have similar variations on this idea. In fact it was talked about in this thread roughly a month ago, with MerlinTheGoat sketching out their take on the idea:

I completely agree about the need to move back upstairs. The location of Imageworks in v4 will be a real canary in the coal mine for v4's quality level.

Even if they keep the v2/v3 track layout, moving Imageworks upstairs would give a lot of space to a well-themed queue after the lobby and a preshow that could serve the same function as the v1 turntable.

I actually had pretty much the same basic ideas. Including recreating the Flight into Imagination scene via a standing preshow at the end of the queue right before load/unload. Basically what Dinosaur does with its preshow (or alternately, the double Haunted Mansion stretching rooms at WDW), but as a return of the original physical scene instead of a video.

Basically here's what I sketched up using Park Lore's layouts as a basis (thanks very much to them for providing these nice drawings)-

View attachment 792630

Imageworks moves back upstairs where it belongs. The downstairs lobby is restored as closely as possible to its original bright pastel colored mural-adorned open space cyllindrical glory. A spiraling queue that also uses this freed up open space (going out on a limb here and assume that this ride would probably command much longer waits than what is there right now). At the end, a standing recreation of the Rise into the Clouds and Flight into Imagination scenes. That scene was approximately three and a half minutes, which is very similar to the runtime of other preshows like Dinosaur's. Double alternating theaters so the queue doesn't halt for too long (some lost capacity/efficiency is inevitable without the turntable sadly).

I've moved and consolidated the load and unload areas, freeing up space for other scenes. Load is now the entry into the Dreamport. There was also some extra space to expand the initial Dreamport ride scene, so I went ahead and used it. After that, most of the original ride should now be possible to recreate faithfully until the film reel tunnel and finale. This is why I consolidated and moved the load and unload further up the track, to free up some more space for a new finale based on the original. At unload, I sort of just came up with a purpleish/blue prismatic exit tunnel, not unlike the rainbow one upstairs but with colors that more closely reflect the downstairs lobby and Figment/Dreamfinder. At the end of that, I threw Disney a (undeserved) bone since they love their giftshops. Whatever incentive it takes to get the ride done right and actualy keep it around.

Guess this belongs in the armchair section, but eh.

 

[OptimusPrime]

I think a lot of folks have similar variations on this idea. In fact it was talked about in this thread roughly a month ago, with MerlinTheGoat sketching out their take on the idea:

There’s a lot of evidence to prove that I’ve never had an original thought

 

[Haymarket2008]

Preshow is Flight, make the queue/loading station the Dreamport. Figment and Dreamfinder “imagine” vehicles for us to hop in, and we go through the rest of the ride. That compensates the lost track of the finale so that we go through the entire original ride’s story (or at least I think that’s how it could work)

This is exactly what I’ve always thought should be done. The rest of the ride’s task is simple after boarding: find dreams alongside our favorite duo.