Two Spirited Quickees...Imagination closing

[JenniferS]

I agree that something similar would be nice, and i have expressed in the past several times in various threads that the Original JII attraction was indeed quite timeless in all respects.
This is part of the great tragedy of it's destruction...it did not need to be 'updated' in the purist sense of the word because it was already 'timeless' in both it's plot, setting, and characters. A slight refreshing was all it needed and it could have gone on for another 15 to 20 years, in my opinion.
The ride could have become immortal...just like POTC and THM.
It was not allowed to for reasons already noted....sadly.

Having said that, my reason for expressing that i don't necessarily feel that a complete and total 'recreation' of the Original was proper as the next re-do is because it would not be something i think WDI would be interested in doing. It would be nice to see a similar experience that harkens back to the Original, but a complete recreation just does not seem possible.
The example of the Tiki Room you gave is a excellent one.
It was 'easy' to bring that back...as the overall interior show elements were not decimated.
The interior and the show elements were also not severely and permanently removed, altered, or outright destroyed and replaced.
All the Tiki Room needed was having the show audio changed, and the additonal new figures and modern lighting rigs removed.

Now try doing that to the Imagination Pavilion....
NOTHING remains of the Original in the currant ride except a few random parts ( primarily in the queue area). It was completely gutted.
If it is to return to being a elaborate, engulfing experience similar to what it was before, there is a LOT of work that needs to be done.
Not to mention some serious money spent to alter the interior.
I have serious doubts that Disney would invest so heavily is such a task.

I agree that it would be great to see aspects of the Original return in a new interpretation. I can't see a complete and accurate copy happening...but a nice balance between what was working in the Original and some new scenes or plussing elements would be going in the right direction.


So the big question is....will the re-do be done 'right' this time with that big money/budget.
That is the question everyone wants to know.


No half-measures this time around.
Capture the spirit of the Original, but make it a new experience that incorporates the creative and inspiring elements of the Original.
People bring up the 'Pooh's Hunny Hunt' attraction with it's trackless 'free roaming' honey pots as something that would fit well into the mix for a new ride at the Imagination Pavilion.
I have to say i agree, and the entire last couple of segments in 'PHH' i can see as being forerunners to things that could work well in a new Imagination attraction.

Recipe for the new re-do:
Add a bit of the new ride tech if need be.
Mix in a nice obvious nod to the past.
Toss in some familiar characters already associated with the Pavilion and beloved ( no IPs need apply..)
Mix in a heap of inspiration and true expressive creativity.
Seperate the elements from the past and the present that were/are 'working'...ditch the leftovers.
Stir well with a magic wand....
and wah-lah :
The perfect new Imagination Attraction that feels new but reflects on the previous Original incarnations spirit.

This would make for a attraction worthy of being located in a Pavilion dedicated to 'imagination' then..!


There cannot be a bigger fan of the Original then me.
'Obsessed' and 'Passionate' are the two words folks who know me say when the topic comes up and my name and the attraction come up.
The ride changed my life and had a absolutely HUGE influence on me in several respects. Major influence on so many levels.
If Tony Baxter would let me borrow his time machine, i would be the first in line ( after him, of course..) to take it back to 1983 and ride it again.
I adore the Original Attraction to no end.

As much as a love it and hold it in such dear respects, i have doubts that a carbon-copied recreation of it today would be the answer.

Thank you for your passion. I don't have any recollection of having ridden the original, although I was at Epcot for one day each in 1991 & 92. Thank goodness for Youtube.
While I don't hate the current version, I weep that I never saw the original. It just goes to prove that "new" does not necessarily mean "improved".
Fingers crossed that the upcoming refurb is a full blown overhaul, and not just a segue into a full blown closure like WoL.

 

[JenniferS]

I need to post the video i was watching a week or so ago so folks who may not be familiar with the 'Pooh's Hunny Hunt' ride will get a better understanding about what we are talking about...
Here it is : A great video showing a overview of the unique dark ride experience of Tokyo Disneyland's 'Pooh's Hunny Hunt'.

Pay attention to the 'bouncing' room when you bounce with Tigger, and everything that happens in the next few rooms.
The 'dream sequence' effects, Huffalump room and following scene transition tunnel all hint at some of the fantastic and imaginative elements that could easily be adapted for a new Imagination ride re-do.

Just a cool overview of what 'could be'....and i have not even touched on the trackless ride system aspects of it!
The possibilities are endless...

PHH - yep, I'll have me one of those.
How big a deal would it be to completely overhaul Imagination, bring back many of its original features, and install the LPS trackless system?
Now that would be a ride worthy of using one of my three FPP's.

 

[BobConnor]

One question that has to be asked is what was the compelling reason to change the original Imagination to a Kennywood ride with Figment and more importantly, is that reason still there?

The reasons I know of just are not enough to destroy everything.

Mechanical issues? Fix them somehow, don't need to change the theme. If the turntable was that bad could they "imagineer" a way to make it turntableless?

Kodak wanted the ride changed? Somehow, I don't think they would have wanted it to be changed to That Monstrosity. If it was their doing as to the design no wonder they alienated their customers and went bankrupt.

Dreamfinder Creepy? Get him a trim don't fire him.

Has anyone noticed that whoever is responsible for tearing out Imagination, we don't know who they are. I'm sure they don't want to take "credit" for it.

And where was Tony Baxter and friends when this was happening? Why didn't he speak up? When you let things happen you are just as guilty as the ones doing the bad thing.

I also find it disturbing that expensive props and sets (assets to Disney) were destroyed and for what? To keep people from finding something and remembering it? Sounds like trying to hide something.

 

[BobConnor]

PHH - yep, I'll have me one of those.
How big a deal would it be to completely overhaul Imagination, bring back many of its original features, and install the LPS trackless system?
Now that would be a ride worthy of using one of my three FPP's.

Earlier in the thread, Martin tells that the building was made for that specific ride and the floor would have to be torn up to accommodate trackless. But other dark ride companies like the Sally Corporation place dark rides into already constructed buildings without a problem. This suggests that the Imagination pavilion does not have the flat level concrete floor that most buildings have. Maybe if Imagination were like most buildings or could be modified, trackless would be possible. The Ghostwood estate at Kennywood is trackless and uses a copper wire embedded in the concrete, but then they are dealing with a flat concrete floor.

 

[marni1971]

Earlier in the thread, Martin tells that the building was made for that specific ride and the floor would have to be torn up to accommodate trackless..

Not me! I said the building was made for the specific ride but I'm still not convinced trackless wouldn't be possible. I've had a look around the ride path for the actual floor level as opposed to track levels, but not with lights on during 3rd shift as others have.

 

[Goofyernmost]

One question that has to be asked is what was the compelling reason to change the original Imagination to a Kennywood ride with Figment and more importantly, is that reason still there?

I remember the ride very well and for me anything after the turntable section was kinda boring. Many of us have short memories about that. After one saw it a couple of times it was not that interesting and because of that people stopped going to it. The word is that Kodak had a change stipulation in their contract. After awhile they felt that it should be changed. Don't really know how much truth is in that statement but, what is true is that people stopped going to see it.

Mechanical issues? Fix them somehow, don't need to change the theme. If the turntable was that bad could they "imagineer" a way to make it turntableless?

I can't tell you how many times I had been on that ride, but never during that entire time was there any glitch in the turntable portion of it. I"m sure that there was a way to engineer it to be turntableless, but since that was the highlight of the entire ride, it would have lost a lot of it's appeal.

Kodak wanted the ride changed? Somehow, I don't think they would have wanted it to be changed to That Monstrosity. If it was their doing as to the design no wonder they alienated their customers and went bankrupt.

If they were absolutely insistent that the ride be changed, I doubt that they thought it would come out to be as awful as it did.

Dreamfinder Creepy? Get him a trim don't fire him.

I make it a point to not seriously consider the opinion of anyone that uses the word "creepy" when describing a fictional character designed to be unique, comical and entertaining. The main problem with Dreamfinder is that his character was too well defined. Meet and Greets were a huge letdown if the voice and the image (Ron) were not the same. That wasn't sustainable. Even Dreamfinder would have retired or at the very least vacationed occasionally. In addition, Figment, as a part of the ride, was very vocal with a unique voice. As a part of the Dreamfinder/Figment greet team, he had to be silent. That was a disappointment to many as well.

Has anyone noticed that whoever is responsible for tearing out Imagination, we don't know who they are. I'm sure they don't want to take "credit" for it.

Would you?

And where was Tony Baxter and friends when this was happening? Why didn't he speak up? When you let things happen you are just as guilty as the ones doing the bad thing.

Tony, from what I have been able to gather was VERY vocal about the destruction of his ride. In fact, to the point of costing him most of his ability to influence through the remainder of his career.

I also find it disturbing that expensive props and sets (assets to Disney) were destroyed and for what? To keep people from finding something and remembering it? Sounds like trying to hide something.

They weren't all destroyed, many were sold and a few are on display other places. Other wise what do you do with them? Do you spend money to warehouse them when you had no intention of using them again? What could be re-purposed was, what couldn't was sold or thrown out. What was thrown out was probably ruined during the process of removal.

 

[Figments Friend]

One question that has to be asked is what was the compelling reason to change the original Imagination to a Kennywood ride with Figment and more importantly, is that reason still there?

The reasons I know of just are not enough to destroy everything.

Mechanical issues? Fix them somehow, don't need to change the theme. If the turntable was that bad could they "imagineer" a way to make it turntableless?

Kodak wanted the ride changed? Somehow, I don't think they would have wanted it to be changed to That Monstrosity. If it was their doing as to the design no wonder they alienated their customers and went bankrupt.

Dreamfinder Creepy? Get him a trim don't fire him.

Has anyone noticed that whoever is responsible for tearing out Imagination, we don't know who they are. I'm sure they don't want to take "credit" for it.

And where was Tony Baxter and friends when this was happening? Why didn't he speak up? When you let things happen you are just as guilty as the ones doing the bad thing.

I also find it disturbing that expensive props and sets (assets to Disney) were destroyed and for what? To keep people from finding something and remembering it? Sounds like trying to hide something.

The primary reason was that Ops had grown tired of the expense to maintain it, and internal company politics.

The actual cause for it's closure was sabotage from within the Company itself.
A devious 'plotted closure' by Ops and perhaps some others with a personal grudge against someone involved in the creation of the Original.
Jealously runs rampant in creative communities, and let me just leave it at that.
Not sure how in depth i should get...but it did not entirely have to do with Kodak insisting on a update via contract.


Basically, once the 'HISTA' film opened and was a success, it was decided now was the opportune time to shutter the expensive ride.
It began when the Guest flow to enter the two attractions was changed to create ridership numbers purposely made to prove to the folks in charge that the Original Imagination Ride was 'not popular anymore' and was not drawing in suitable ridership numbers.

Instead of entering the Pavilion as you normally would and begin with the ride first, it was roped off and Guests were told to enter into the Magic Eye theater instead first...completely bypassing the ride altogether.
Most who exited the theater missed the area where you were supposed to enter to ride the indoor Attraction...and the result was hardly anyone riding.
The sudden 'decline' shown on paper was the 'proof' certain parties needed to push their own agendas.

Kodak was convinced, as many were who were there during the 'replacement ride concept' pitch, that the new attraction to replace it would be even more amazing. WDI was selling it at the time as one of the most mindblowing creative experiences ever, and Kodak agreed to the re-do based on that presentation.

Regarding where Mr. Baxter and friends were at the time....without getting into too personal territory there was some unfortunate shifts going on at WDI at the time all of this was happening.
WDI is a extremely political organization, and if your don't 'play the game' your chances of getting decent projects to work on or even keeping your job or pretty slim.
Tony was on a roll with a amazing creative streak like no other.
He had quite a impessive run of major attractions under his belt and this unfortunately created some jealousy within the ranks for some apparently.
Like i said, jealously runs rampant in creative communities.

Tony was i believe in the midst of working on the DL Tomorrowland project when the changes started happening to the Imagination Pavilion.
I am sure he spoke up once he learned what was being planned, as he does speak his mind rather well.
I am not the one to speak for him though...i think only he could answer properly as to where he was during all of this.

Regardless, it was a cruel and malicious thought process that went into the planned decimation of his greatest achievement in themed entertainment.
My opinion.

So those involved, and those in Ops, succeeded.
The numbers game that was played convinced the uppers that changes needed to happen to 'upgrade' the existing Attraction.
Then we see the invasion of the Imagination Institute and the complete and utter eraser of any trace of the Original.

The resulting ride replacement, the notoriously famous and much despised second version, 'Journey Into YOUR Imagination' was a shallow abyss of nothingness.
Kodak was furious.
They were damn proud of being associated with the most popular attraction in EPCOT and they were mighty ticked to see the final result.
Eisner was too...as has been noted in previous posts.
He immediately ordered WDI back to the drawing boards to enhance and replace this tragic excuse for a dark ride.

I probably do not even have to touch on how all of this effected Tony and those who helped create the Original.
Absolutely devastating emotional blow...not just for the fans, but for them too.

So yeah...it was all done to save a few bucks and try to 'settle' personal internal grudges.

This is nothing new...falsely manipulating the ridership numbers on purpose to close or 'force change' a Attraction has been going on for years.
Another excellent and depressing example is the fabulous '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' Attraction at the MK.
Ops wanted out of the expensive maintenance involved in refurbing the Subs and lagoon and staged a planned similar stunt to 'prove' to Company uppers that it needed to be closed 'for safety concerns' and 'low attendance numbers'.
The story of that heist is almost as outrageous as the JII sabotage...

 

[Wikkler]

I read it on the internet...it must be true

Where'd you hear that?

 

[marni1971]

Eisner was indeed furious when he came out of riding JIYI. Not as bad as when leaving DCAs ToT but still fuming.

And please, it wasn't a turntable as such. More a rotating set of rings and suspended show scenes. What is left however will never spin again.

 

[Bairstow]

Not as bad as when leaving DCAs ToT but still fuming.

There's a story there?

 

[misterID]

Please do. I'd be interested in reading it. Again, there was no coaster proposal. Indeed, there was no time. Even in early 79 imagination was an empty, unnamed pavilion that had a vague role as transition from Futureworld to showcase. Kodak signed up late since they felt they were missing better exposure and the ride concept was thrown together in a fast tracked brain storm. This is best shown in the fact the pavilion didn't even groundbreak until May 81.

The upper level was going to have an exterior viewing balcony, but that was it. The upper level isn't nearly as big as the ground floor in floor space, onstage or backstage.

In all fairness to @PeterAlt, I think I know what "credible" site he read the coaster section intended for the original Imagination was. It was here, WDWmagic. I read it too. In this thread. From Raven, when he was giving reasons as to why the building couldn't be converted to a trackless system when I said I'd like to see a refurb of Imagination look like Tokyo's PHH (he was nice enough not to call me out specifically, just that he was tired of hearing it because it was impossible and would call for the demolishion of the entire building), where he mentioned the coaster section, which I believe he said would have taken place in the upper level... it might have been another Imagination thread, but I'm pretty sure it was this one.

 

[djlaosc]

In all fairness to @PeterAlt, I think I know what "credible" site he read the coaster section intended for the original Imagination was. It was here, WDWmagic. I read it too. In this thread. From Raven, when he was giving reasons as to why the building couldn't be converted to a trackless system when I said I'd like to see a refurb of Imagination look like Tokyo's PHH (he was nice enough not to call me out specifically, just that he was tired of hearing it because it was impossible and would call for the demolishion of the entire building), where he mentioned the coaster section, which I believe he said would have taken place in the upper level... it might have been another Imagination thread, but I'm pretty sure it was this one.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/mystery-project-at-epcot.862004/page-10#post-5390806

Ok. So I guess I need to clear up a few things to at least correct some of the misleading information here.

...

Imagination cannot be adapted for a ride like Pooh's Honey Hunt. That system calls for a completely level floor and Imagination has multi level areas through the entire building as the original ride was supposed to have "coaster-like" elements to it. In order to put in a ride like PHH they'd have to completely level the building and start from scatch. I've said this countless times over the years yet this still comes up here constantly.

 

[misterID]

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/mystery-project-at-epcot.862004/page-10#post-5390806

That's it. Coaster-like elements, to be specific.

 

[Goofyernmost]

You obviously haven't seen the wages that Disney pays.......

Yes, wages are low per individual, but for the most part (not all) the job isn't exactly disarming nuclear bombs. It takes some training but no intensive stuff to ask how many in the party and which way the rest rooms are. The wage view has to be taken by multiplying the minimum wage by the number of man hours worked per week and you get a whole different viewpoint of labor costs there. Just for fun lets look at that with purely estimates (I don't have the actual) Assuming the minimum wage is $7.50 and that there are 50,000 employees (CM) that work 20 hours per week. That $7,500,000.00 per week or $390,000,000.00 per year. Now we know that of that number only a percentage of them are actually at minimum wage and are usually over 20 hours, but this comparison is if everyone earned minimum wage only. Add to the costumes, insurance, social security matching funds and workers comp., just to name a few and the first thing you know you are talking about a lot of money. We all have a tendency to think that the wages are small and on an individual basis they are, however, just add $.10 per hour to all those numbers and you raise weekly payroll by $100,000.00 per week.

 

[BobConnor]

Kodak was convinced, as many were who were there during the 'replacement ride concept' pitch, that the new attraction to replace it would be even more amazing. WDI was selling it at the time as one of the most mindblowing creative experiences ever, and Kodak agreed to the re-do based on that presentation.

Very good explanation, But I just find that hard to believe that what we have now, which is kind of like Chocolate World, is a "mindblowing creative experience ever". Besides, Hershey Chocolate World is much closer to me (ride on the turnpike), smells much better and they give out free candy at the end. What is it with Disney and rides with bad odors?

 

[Bairstow]

Very good explanation, But I just find that hard to believe that what we have now, which is kind of like Chocolate World, is a "mindblowing creative experience ever". Besides, Hershey Chocolate World is much closer to me (ride on the turnpike), smells much better and they give out free candy at the end. What is it with Disney and rides with bad odors?

Well people were all the time raving about how much they like the smell of burning Rome.
They must have figured they had discovered the secret to making a good attraction.

 

[unkadug]

I read it on the internet...it must be true

Where'd you hear that?

the internet...of course

 

[stlphil]

The primary reason was that Ops had grown tired of the expense to maintain it, and internal company politics.

The actual cause for it's closure was sabotage from within the Company itself.
A devious 'plotted closure' by Ops and perhaps some others with a personal grudge against someone involved in the creation of the Original.
Jealously runs rampant in creative communities, and let me just leave it at that.
Not sure how in depth i should get...but it did not entirely have to do with Kodak insisting on a update via contract.


Basically, once the 'HISTA' film opened and was a success, it was decided now was the opportune time to shutter the expensive ride.
It began when the Guest flow to enter the two attractions was changed to create ridership numbers purposely made to prove to the folks in charge that the Original Imagination Ride was 'not popular anymore' and was not drawing in suitable ridership numbers.

Instead of entering the Pavilion as you normally would and begin with the ride first, it was roped off and Guests were told to enter into the Magic Eye theater instead first...completely bypassing the ride altogether.
Most who exited the theater missed the area where you were supposed to enter to ride the indoor Attraction...and the result was hardly anyone riding.
The sudden 'decline' shown on paper was the 'proof' certain parties needed to push their own agendas.

Kodak was convinced, as many were who were there during the 'replacement ride concept' pitch, that the new attraction to replace it would be even more amazing. WDI was selling it at the time as one of the most mindblowing creative experiences ever, and Kodak agreed to the re-do based on that presentation.

Regarding where Mr. Baxter and friends were at the time....without getting into too personal territory there was some unfortunate shifts going on at WDI at the time all of this was happening.
WDI is a extremely political organization, and if your don't 'play the game' your chances of getting decent projects to work on or even keeping your job or pretty slim.
Tony was on a roll with a amazing creative streak like no other.
He had quite a impessive run of major attractions under his belt and this unfortunately created some jealousy within the ranks for some apparently.
Like i said, jealously runs rampant in creative communities.

Tony was i believe in the midst of working on the DL Tomorrowland project when the changes started happening to the Imagination Pavilion.
I am sure he spoke up once he learned what was being planned, as he does speak his mind rather well.
I am not the one to speak for him though...i think only he could answer properly as to where he was during all of this.

Regardless, it was a cruel and malicious thought process that went into the planned decimation of his greatest achievement in themed entertainment.
My opinion.

So those involved, and those in Ops, succeeded.
The numbers game that was played convinced the uppers that changes needed to happen to 'upgrade' the existing Attraction.
Then we see the invasion of the Imagination Institute and the complete and utter eraser of any trace of the Original.

The resulting ride replacement, the notoriously famous and much despised second version, 'Journey Into YOUR Imagination' was a shallow abyss of nothingness.
Kodak was furious.
They were damn proud of being associated with the most popular attraction in EPCOT and they were mighty ticked to see the final result.
Eisner was too...as has been noted in previous posts.
He immediately ordered WDI back to the drawing boards to enhance and replace this tragic excuse for a dark ride.

I probably do not even have to touch on how all of this effected Tony and those who helped create the Original.
Absolutely devastating emotional blow...not just for the fans, but for them too.

So yeah...it was all done to save a few bucks and try to 'settle' personal internal grudges.

This is nothing new...falsely manipulating the ridership numbers on purpose to close or 'force change' a Attraction has been going on for years.
Another excellent and depressing example is the fabulous '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' Attraction at the MK.
Ops wanted out of the expensive maintenance involved in refurbing the Subs and lagoon and staged a planned similar stunt to 'prove' to Company uppers that it needed to be closed 'for safety concerns' and 'low attendance numbers'.
The story of that heist is almost as outrageous as the JII sabotage...

Great description of a sad story.

I was also under the impression that the Pressler effect was very much at work here (and at DCAs ToT). According to the story, Pressler was convinced rides were too long, that attention spans are shorter, so just like that the replacement ride was 1/3 shorter. Of course it didn't hurt that a shorter ride is a cheaper ride...

 

[TinkerBelle8878]

The primary reason was that Ops had grown tired of the expense to maintain it, and internal company politics.

The actual cause for it's closure was sabotage from within the Company itself.
A devious 'plotted closure' by Ops and perhaps some others with a personal grudge against someone involved in the creation of the Original.
Jealously runs rampant in creative communities, and let me just leave it at that.
Not sure how in depth i should get...but it did not entirely have to do with Kodak insisting on a update via contract.


Basically, once the 'HISTA' film opened and was a success, it was decided now was the opportune time to shutter the expensive ride.
It began when the Guest flow to enter the two attractions was changed to create ridership numbers purposely made to prove to the folks in charge that the Original Imagination Ride was 'not popular anymore' and was not drawing in suitable ridership numbers.

Instead of entering the Pavilion as you normally would and begin with the ride first, it was roped off and Guests were told to enter into the Magic Eye theater instead first...completely bypassing the ride altogether.
Most who exited the theater missed the area where you were supposed to enter to ride the indoor Attraction...and the result was hardly anyone riding.
The sudden 'decline' shown on paper was the 'proof' certain parties needed to push their own agendas.

Kodak was convinced, as many were who were there during the 'replacement ride concept' pitch, that the new attraction to replace it would be even more amazing. WDI was selling it at the time as one of the most mindblowing creative experiences ever, and Kodak agreed to the re-do based on that presentation.

Regarding where Mr. Baxter and friends were at the time....without getting into too personal territory there was some unfortunate shifts going on at WDI at the time all of this was happening.
WDI is a extremely political organization, and if your don't 'play the game' your chances of getting decent projects to work on or even keeping your job or pretty slim.
Tony was on a roll with a amazing creative streak like no other.
He had quite a impessive run of major attractions under his belt and this unfortunately created some jealousy within the ranks for some apparently.
Like i said, jealously runs rampant in creative communities.

Tony was i believe in the midst of working on the DL Tomorrowland project when the changes started happening to the Imagination Pavilion.
I am sure he spoke up once he learned what was being planned, as he does speak his mind rather well.
I am not the one to speak for him though...i think only he could answer properly as to where he was during all of this.

Regardless, it was a cruel and malicious thought process that went into the planned decimation of his greatest achievement in themed entertainment.
My opinion.

So those involved, and those in Ops, succeeded.
The numbers game that was played convinced the uppers that changes needed to happen to 'upgrade' the existing Attraction.
Then we see the invasion of the Imagination Institute and the complete and utter eraser of any trace of the Original.

The resulting ride replacement, the notoriously famous and much despised second version, 'Journey Into YOUR Imagination' was a shallow abyss of nothingness.
Kodak was furious.
They were damn proud of being associated with the most popular attraction in EPCOT and they were mighty ticked to see the final result.
Eisner was too...as has been noted in previous posts.
He immediately ordered WDI back to the drawing boards to enhance and replace this tragic excuse for a dark ride.

I probably do not even have to touch on how all of this effected Tony and those who helped create the Original.
Absolutely devastating emotional blow...not just for the fans, but for them too.

So yeah...it was all done to save a few bucks and try to 'settle' personal internal grudges.

This is nothing new...falsely manipulating the ridership numbers on purpose to close or 'force change' a Attraction has been going on for years.
Another excellent and depressing example is the fabulous '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' Attraction at the MK.
Ops wanted out of the expensive maintenance involved in refurbing the Subs and lagoon and staged a planned similar stunt to 'prove' to Company uppers that it needed to be closed 'for safety concerns' and 'low attendance numbers'.
The story of that heist is almost as outrageous as the JII sabotage...

Very interesting. I've always thought that it sounded odd that Kodak would've pushed for what Imagination turned into. Or have been happy with it considering how well done the original was. I'd love to see what we were supposed to get before politics edged into it.

As for 20,000, so it wasn't because the subs weren't handicapped accessible or a big leak in the lagoon?

It always drew a huge line and wait time (probably because of the ride system) and aside from the 'smell' to it, it seemed pretty popular.

 

[BobConnor]

Well people were all the time raving about how much they like the smell of burning Rome.
They must have figured they had discovered the secret to making a good attraction.

Also, earlier on, didn't Michael Eisner think that people like upside down flushing toilets? Let me guess, he has an MBA.

At least Figment had the good sense to put the seat down (or would it be up?)!