Also Kodak didn't have the money to foot for a good Institute ride so yeah that too.
Oh, the irony of a Kodak attraction hyping the importance of photography called "Forever Film"!
Even with higher budget spfx, the concept itself was flawed & didn’t fit the imagination pavilion. It basically insulted guests’ creativity the moment they boarded.. and the whole theme of strictly sensory based illusions being what’s supposed to supposedly “make us more imaginative” is just overall flawed and not at all inclusive or telling what or how imagination works or how it’s abilities are able to improve or unlock possibilities within other creative mediums and in turn, our society & discoveries. As I’ve said before, the original never should’ve been removed to begin with.. why replace a clearly beloved ride rather than use that very budget, despite how low it would’ve been, to simply enhance what was already there?
By that logic neither did HISTA. If people liked HISTA they could've liked a ride based around it if it didn't suck. Plenty of people miss The Great Movie Ride but you don't hear Imagination or Horizons-level complaints about it because it's replacement wasn't total garbage.
And I believe you’re right in regards to the logic of it not fitting Imagination.. it didn’t.. would’ve fit MGM Studios or possibly Innoventions if anything. But not the Imagination pavilion. Also, HISTA never returned after Captain EO came back.. so I can’t help but feel that, that was more telling than we might think it is. If it was truly that beloved or popular, they would’ve brought it back. It’s just a film after all essentially and they never removed the spfx equipment in the theatre
Personally, I'd give Mission Space the spot for the second-best ride in Epcot, but to each their own.
It fit as it's own wing of the pavilion, and this is coming from someone who doesn't particularly like the show. The Magic Eye Theatre has always been somewhat of a grey area considering just about anything can get a "Made with Imagination!" or "Filmmaking takes Imagination!" label stuck on it. Though sticking Pixar shorts in there kinda constitutes a lack of it.
Speaking of the Magic Eye Theatre in it’s current state. I can’t help but find it bizarre they decided to put in a couple Disney Animation shorts & Pixar shorts as a seemingly permanent replacement
To be fair… if we really take a good look at the Journey Into Imagination ride, aswell as it’s relationship with Kodak. You’ll realize that while the ride is definitley about creativity & the mediums that best utilize it. It ends with Film as the finale (Figment becoming a film star, imagining himself in different roles… a cowboy, a rock climber, a super hero, a scientist, a ship captain, etc.)
(hence Figment’s yellow & red shirt)
The entire concept of the Play Pavilion further shows that the new direction for the park is fundamentally flawed. EPCOT (or more particularly Future World) never needed a kids zone because almost everything there was suitable for all ages, save for a few things that might've been considered too boring for some. Wonders of Life used to be the only thing on that side of the park with a thrill ride, and even it was only one section of a much broader pavilion containing plenty of things for all ages. Flash forward to today, and it's the only thing little kids have to do there. Everything else in Future World East is a thrill ride that the little kids can't do. And is Play going to be that all ages experience that side of the park needs? Nope, exclusively catering to the demographic they conveniently excluded from everything else.
I don’t think it gets enough credit either. It is unique, non-IP based, and not geared toward 3-year olds.
I think I read on here that the Nemo ride and Frozen Ever After stole budgets for a fourth version of Imagination too.
and thats a big problem today more than ever, especially at Epcot...thanks to certain individuals they have been allowed to mutilate the park and undo it all with no cohesion and no common sense.
