Sadly I personally think we’re beyond a positive outcome. Now it all depends on just how bad it’ll be.
IMHO of course.
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EPCOT Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment
- Thread starter Walrus from Paris
- Start date
IMHO of course.
DreamfinderGuy
Well-Known Member
So uh, it won't be too terrible right? At least an improvement over two mostly vacant buildings?
Those two buildings should both still be standing. Anything less will always be a loss IMHO.
DreamfinderGuy
Well-Known Member
I hate that you're right.
Can I inject the requisite joke about WDI social media darling Zach Riddley absolutely needing to do the Imagination refurb since he “gets it” because he once wore an Epcot t-shirt?
I’ll see myself out now.
I’ll see myself out now.
DreamfinderGuy
Well-Known Member
Not only did he wear the shirt, but he also has Dreamfinder and Figment under his Spaceship Earth. He's gotta do it.Can I inject the requisite joke about WDI social media darling Zach Riddley absolutely needing to do the Imagination refurb since he “gets it” because he once wore an Epcot t-shirt?
I’ll see myself out now.
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
The "Inside Out characters replacing Figment" idea is still being considered? I thought Pete Docter's rejecting the idea put the kibosh on that...
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
It really depends on what they do with it. Something like the original turntable effect could be accomplished easier with the trackless tech now for example.
Homemade Imagineering
Well-Known Member
I’m pretty sure it’s dead, thankfully. They wouldn’t want to use an IP that old anyways, they’d probably want to find something else to shoehorn into the pavilion. Considering that Figment was rumored to appear in the Play Pavilion after we saw that One Day at Disney short, is another good sign aside from merch that he has strong staying power within Epcot, although the claims @marni1971 made earlier today regarding classic Epcot make me think otherwise. Hopefully he was just referring to the current state of Epcot in general, which of course resembles the corporate amalgamation that TWDC is nowadays, instead of Imagination specifically. I’ll leave that there for him to elaborate on...
When one of the more popular Google queries regarding Figment is: "What Disney movie is figment from?" there's a cause for concern. Disney has done little to bring this character out of his cult following and into the masses. There's just a limited understanding of the character; Dreamfinder even less so. Doesn't help that the attraction is garbage. It's no wonder why it hasn't been updated. Figment has poor brand awareness outside the fandom.
The solution: It would definitely benefit Disney to make a Disney+ series or movie to reintroduce Dreamfinder and Figment. I can't see a solid path to a successful attraction reimagining without using the IP to it's fullest potential first. It's just the way of things now. It might be a bit unorthodox but it would probably yield better results and a larger attraction budget. Why Disney hasn't made the effort to make a Disney+ series or some kind of CGI animated Pixaresque movie is kind of surprising. The characters would be bankable... if Disney would put in the effort! But, if they can't see the value in the characters why would they waste time and money reworking the attraction!?
The solution: It would definitely benefit Disney to make a Disney+ series or movie to reintroduce Dreamfinder and Figment. I can't see a solid path to a successful attraction reimagining without using the IP to it's fullest potential first. It's just the way of things now. It might be a bit unorthodox but it would probably yield better results and a larger attraction budget. Why Disney hasn't made the effort to make a Disney+ series or some kind of CGI animated Pixaresque movie is kind of surprising. The characters would be bankable... if Disney would put in the effort! But, if they can't see the value in the characters why would they waste time and money reworking the attraction!?
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UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
It could, but I still feel like the scale would be off. I'm sure it's not impossible to do, but I have not yet seen a trackless ride where the scale felt consistently right outside of Rise of the Resistance -- they all have areas where it feels like you're in a giant warehouse. And with Rise they were blessed by having a setting that's supposed to consist of gigantic rooms so the scale wasn't an issue.
I get the impression that almost everything they've tried to do with trackless could be accomplished in other ways that would probably cost less and be more reliable, and would not require massive rooms and huge ride vehicles. There definitely seem to be a few things that are unique to trackless (although I don't know that that's true), but at least with what's been built up to this point I don't think those unique features are strong enough to really outweigh some of the negatives.
Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
The real insiders seem to hint that Figment is the frontrunner IP for the Version 4 ride, yet.....Dreamfinder doesn't seem to be on the table with him?
I'm not sure why they would go with this idea. Spending millions of dollars on a full out revamp and not including Dreamfinder is bizarre?
That is, if they even go this route, but I have noticed it when people in the know talk about it.
I'm not sure why they would go with this idea. Spending millions of dollars on a full out revamp and not including Dreamfinder is bizarre?
That is, if they even go this route, but I have noticed it when people in the know talk about it.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
There are only two things I can think of that would be unique and require true trackless vehicles. The first is the "black box" concept where you can change the ride and its layout "quickly" but I doubt the ability to actually save time and money while still delivering quality. The second would be autonomous vehicles driving themselves but that is going to require even more open space for the computer to have any sort of meaningful choice.
Homemade Imagineering
Well-Known Member
Either this or a proposal sans Figment, sans Dreamfinder, which could very well be the outcome 7 years from now. Like I've said earlier, I really think I need to temper my expectations, because there is a very good chance I'll be extremely disappointed. Again, if they don't handle this attraction with care, this will be the final nail in the coffin for Epcot imho.
HMF
Well-Known Member
To me EPCOT died when RoE ended it's run after being on life support for many years as I predicted in my article.
Homemade Imagineering
Well-Known Member
I see your point there, and I definitely agree. Epcot is in its worst state atm. With that said however, there is a massive amount of unused potential sitting within those glass domes waiting to shine again, and if WDI resurrects that potential into something amazing again, Imagination may very well save Epcot... I know it may sound stupid or ridiculous, but fans will lose it, and I can already tell you, that the wait times will be through the roof. If only Chapek could stop seeing dollar bill signs in all the wrong places...To me EPCOT died when RoE ended it's run after being on life support for many years as I predicted in my article.
Also, that was a great read! Great job on the article! Epcot hasn’t been itself for decades now, and it’s downright heartbreaking to see the park in the state it’s been in now for the past few years. I like to consider myself an optimist, and I try to remain optimistic, especially when discussing something I love like Epcot, and in this case the Imagination pavilion’s future. I can’t help but feel pessimistic. I really, don’t want to feel that way about my second favorite Disney park. It hurts, and ultimately if TWDC continues on their steady downward spiral in quality and originality, I just can’t see myself remaining a loyal fan/customer.
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Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
Absolutely agreed. Losing Figment in such a huge way would be my personal “final straw” with the park.
A good ten years or so ago when the pavilion was being looked at (again) I was told “they know they have to get it right next time”
Although probably a lot of people with thoughts like that have moved on by now. Horrible as it seems anyone of persuasion in a position of power who’s less than 35 years old probably wouldn’t appreciate the original attraction.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
Although the attraction is not the most impressive, I feel like trackless technology kind of worked without the scale issues for Ratatouille. In that case, though, you're supposed to be a rat and the sets are very basic "giant things" you're mostly running under which makes it kind of work in terms of scale and movement. The technology also worked fairly well in terms of bringing the vehicles together and then having them split off to the different screens here and there.
Other than that, I tend to agree. The videos of the new BatB in TDL were particularly startling in that regard; it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't have been a better attraction if, instead of a trackless ride, they had drawn the sets closer around vehicles on a track and got rid of the whole idea of spinning around to music. The trackless tech seemed to diminish the effectiveness of all the AAs, sets, etc. Worth keeping that in mind whenever the suggestion to use trackless technology comes up.
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UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
You're right. The scale isn't really an issue in Ratatouille for the same reason it's not in Rise. However, I think Rat does still occasionally look like you're in a huge warehouse. It's not as bad as it is in other rides but it's there.
Pooh's Hunny Hunt does well for the first part of the ride, but the Heffalumps and Woozles scene goes on too long and that room has the warehouse look that the earlier forest scenes do not. Which is another thing with trackless tech rides -- it's a creative flaw more than anything but they seem to often end up with one scene that lasts far too long, although MMRR kind of seems like it has the opposite problem where it rushes through everything too quickly.