Twenty-five years ago, Disney made a huge mistake that forever ruined one of their greatest attractions and is still loathed by fans!
Disney is usually good when it comes to making over some classic attractions. It’s always a risk, as fans hate change, and altering things can lead to a backlash. We saw it with Splash Mountain becoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but it worked out well for fans. Likewise, Maelstrom becoming Frozen Ever After turned into a hit.
However, there’s a very good reason why Disney fans are wary of changing a ride. Because 25 years ago, the company attempted a makeover of a long-standing Epcot attraction that, in the minds of so many, destroyed it forever. It’s still astounding how bad it was and why Journey Into YOUR Imagination is a shame for Imagineering.
The Magic of Imagination
One of the original EPCOT Center opening pavilions, Journey Into Imagination, captured the joy and feel of the park so well. The exterior alone was great, the mirrored frame gleaming in the sun in a unique design with the outside, including the popular “skipping fountains” section.
The ride itself was a marvel for Imagineering at the time, combining the omnimover tech with spectacular special effects. The storyline had the bearded suited Dreamfinder on his flying craft, creating a “Figment of imagination” that took the form of a horned purple dragon.
From there, guests enjoyed a wonderful trip through the Dreamport, home to imagination. The scenes had to be viewed and experienced to get the impact as words can’t do justice to how it felt watching arts, literature, science and more. There were scary scenes, Figment painting a huge mural, a lab of science, laser effects and more. All of it was tied to that beloved theme song by the Sherman Brothers and combined into a glorious experience.
The pavilion had a 3-D theater, later home to Captain Eo and Honey I Shrunk Up The Audience and the Image Works that provided fun, hands-on stuff like “light pen painting” and more. Figment became the park’s mascot, a huge merchandise mover, and the pavilion was a must-ride for Epcot visitors.
Granted, by the late 1990s, the attraction was showing its age. Some of the old-school AA effects were dated and that style of dark ride was starting to die out in theme parks. So maybe a change was needed. Unfortunately, Disney went about it in the worst way possible.