Which do you think was better, Journey into Imagination or The Great Movie ride?

[Inspired Figment]

Wasn't there a poll that was basically made to see if people still liked figment, and it turned out more people liked figment than expected, which is causing disney to now have even more troubles planning a replacement (or at least as of when I read that).

Yes, I do remember that. Honestly I’m shocked that it’s so hard for them really. I feel like it’s clear that *many* people still love Figment Literally the easiest thing for them to do would be to recreate the original Journey into Imagination with completely new tech and updated effects. Upgrade the upstairs ImageWorks with new, innovative, high tech activities and make it properly accessible to handicapped guests. And if they needed to, either make the 3D show next door based off an IP *or* put Inside Out in the old Cranium Command Show building. It would be the perfect balance of old and new and would appeal to both the longtime fans and newcomers all the same.

 

[crxbrett]

I voted for JII. Don't get me wrong, I loved TGMR a lot, too! But the original Journey Into Imagination was so full of wonder and beautifully done with gorgeous designs, fantastic lighting and equally exceptional music. It was just a ton of fun and very relaxing at the same time. Again, I loved both attractions, but for me personally JII was a bigger emotional loss.

I would definitely say both were pretty bad losses to their respective parks though.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

6 flags all the way

 

[slappy magoo]

I never saw the original JII so can't comment on that.

First time I rode TGMR I was impressed by the AAs but underwhelmed by the attempt at a through line. I can only assume the original pitch was "Jungle Cruise...but Through The Movies!" But if you're able to "ride through the movies," you can be impressed (or not) by the level of detail that went into recreating them, but it's still a recreation of a thing you can see, and you can see any time if you have access to those movies. Despite the attempt to make the ride interactive (and that interactive element was only ever as good as your guides and gangsters were), you're still just riding through a montage of movie moments. And if you're not familiar with some of those moments (or any of them) are you going to be as captivated by those moments as someone who is more film-literate?

First time I saw Philharmagic, I thought that should've been the way TGMR was set up...and I think that's kind of what they had in mind when they thought of making a Muppet version of TGMR. It could've been an attraction where you're somehow disrupting those movies...but of course the ride was created back when it was the Disney MGM studios, and I'm guessing the idea of "playing" with the movies was verboten and those moments had to be treated with respect bordering on reverence. Which would be fine if the attraction were in a Movie Museum, but it wasn't.

 

[OneofThree]

Journey Into Imagination plus the original Imageworks.

. . .for me too. Imageworks puts Journey over the top.

 

[Bairstow]

Imagination was charming and all, but it wasn't even the second or third best animatronic ride of the original EPCOT.
By contrast, The Great Movie Ride was in a class of its own, with dozens of full-size animatronics, multiple ride sequences, live actor integration, and the best interior set design and dressing since Mansion.

 

[Bender123]

Weird thought...We have now had Dr Channing for longer than we had Dreamfinder. That's just a really depressing thought, that this ride has spent more time as a train wreck than as classic. Its a testament to the strength of the Figment character that he is still this popular, despite such a poor ride and no outside use of his IP beyond a comic book and some 1980s educational VHS tapes.

 

[danyoung56]

While the original Imagination ride was by far the best of the three, it always felt to me like they ran out of money about 2/3 of the way through the ride. It was always my least favorite of the Futureworld Rides (although it didn't make me actually angry like the current version does!). TGMR had its flaws, but it was always enjoyable to me.

 

[FettFan]

It's a tough choice to make, as both GMR and the original JII have very big pieces of my heart.
After all, GMR introduced my 8 year old self to the Alien franchise long before my parents were probably comfortable with me watching such a thing, plus I was always fascinated by the cursed gemstone that reduced your tour guide to a charred skeleton.

But in the end I'm going to go with JII, and here's why:
1. JII tried something a bit different with the rotating carousel scene introducing Dreamfinder and Figment. Sure it was notoriously wonky, but that scene alone was the WOW factor. GMR was just a straight tram ride through movie scenes.
2. JII had the Imageworks postshow upstairs. GMR simply had the montage of great movies and then you exited the vehicle and the building. There was nothing else.

 

[FettFan]

Weird thought...We have now had Dr Channing for longer than we had Dreamfinder. That's just a really depressing thought,

I have yet to see any evidence of Eric Idle ever actually being genuinely funny.

"Hey, how about the host of HISTA, the President of the Imagination Institute be one of the Pythons!"
"That is a GREAT idea! John Cleese would be PERFECT in the role of Dr. Channing."
"Well.....his agent told us he's a serious actor who doesn't do theme park rides."
"Oh. Well.... you know what? Michael Palin. He's got charm, he's always known as the 'nice guy' of the group."
"Tried that. Michael Palin is currently busy with his travelogue shows."
"Terry Jones?"
"He's currently writing, producing, and hosting a television series about the Crusades."
"No kidding. He's a historian?"
"Yeah. A very popular one."
"Huh. Okay....Terry Gilliam?"
"Nah. Too weird."
"Well who's left?"
"Well....with the current allotted budget, there's just Eric Idle."
"What about Graham Chapman?"
"He's dead."
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"So it's just Eric Idle, then?"
"Fraid so."
"Try Graham Chapman anyway!"

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Never a fan of TGMR. We waited forever to ride it shortly after MGM opened and everyone in our group was disappointed. We all had a “that’s it!?!?” moment. In more recent years, we only went on when there was nothing left to do and we wanted a break.

The original Imagination as well as Imageworks was always far more appealing and a must do for us every single trip. I think we waited over 2 hours for it on my first visit in 85.

 

[Robbiem]

Journey into imagination. I can still smell the perfume from that ride when i close my eyes and there is no other ride i can associate with a color (lilac)

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I have yet to see any evidence of Eric Idle ever actually being genuinely funny.

"Hey, how about the host of HISTA, the President of the Imagination Institute be one of the Pythons!"
"That is a GREAT idea! John Cleese would be PERFECT in the role of Dr. Channing."
"Well.....his agent told us he's a serious actor who doesn't do theme park rides."
"Oh. Well.... you know what? Michael Palin. He's got charm, he's always known as the 'nice guy' of the group."
"Tried that. Michael Palin is currently busy with his travelogue shows."
"Terry Jones?"
"He's currently writing, producing, and hosting a television series about the Crusades."
"No kidding. He's a historian?"
"Yeah. A very popular one."
"Huh. Okay....Terry Gilliam?"
"Nah. Too weird."
"Well who's left?"
"Well....with the current allotted budget, there's just Eric Idle."
"What about Graham Chapman?"
"He's dead."
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"So it's just Eric Idle, then?"
"Fraid so."
"Try Graham Chapman anyway!"

They should just replace the ride with you reading this aloud all day long!

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Journey Into Imagination with the Dreamfinder. Miss the guy

 

[donnylambb]

The great movie ride for me. Always was a cool break and always found something new about it. I wish they stayed with the same theme and just updated the content!

 

[geekza]

I'm a huge dark ride fan, so I loved both of them. JII was the clear choice for me, though. It was timeless and the scenic design in the ride was, for lack of a better term, imaginative. If you never had the chance to experience it, believe me when I say that the videos that are around don't do it justice. Even the best of them don't fully capture the color and detail of the ride, due to the low-res nature of home video cameras of the day. Martin's tribute does the best job possible of giving you a taste of what it was like, but you can only do so much with imperfect sources of video footage. It was an absolute classic.

TGMR, when it was fully operational, was also spectacular. However, I always felt the show scenes were uneven and the absolute refusal of Disney to ever spend money on updating or replacing no-longer-relevant show scenes unfortunately doomed what could have been a perennial attraction. I'm sure that having to pay for the rights to feature new films had something to do with the decision to keep updates to a minimum as well.

 

[ppet]

While I loved Figment and still do, I vote for the TGMR. Who can argue with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood back to back.

 

[ChanduTail]

I was so sad when TGMR closed. I love "Old Hollywood" (or, at least, what I see of it on TCM and I Love Lucy episodes) & I used to enjoy spending the day riding TGMR and Tower of Terror, watching the Citizens of Hollywood, eating at HBD, etc. I liked the villain exhibit they had at the end of the Studio Backlot Tour, too, but that's long gone now.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I can't decide between the two. Horizons, Journey Into Imagination, The Great Movie Ride, The Magic of Disney Animation and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea would be my top five picks for worst attraction closures in WDW history. Yes, all of them could have been updated, but they were the kind of experiences that will never be built again, and they were essential to the heart of each of those parks.

If you think Animation is an odd choice on my part consider that, if nothing else, it gave credibility to the "Studios" title of the park, and it's impact reached far beyond WDW with the creation of movies like Mulan and Lilo and Stitch.

 

[Matt in the Hatt]

I absolutely loved them both but journey touched me so much as a child so i give it my vote