Walt Disney once said “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” That quote continues to drive Walt Disney Imagineering, leading to many recent innovative attractions. However, Disney still has plenty of older attractions that charm visitors no matter how much it has aged. Still, there comes a time when every attraction needs an update so it can fit in with a more modern audience.
Test Track is an example of this as it goes through its second update. The EPCOT attraction is ditching the Tron-esque aesthetic and adopting a new theme based on the former attraction, World of Motion. It’s great to see Disney taking care of a well-liked ride like Test Track, but plenty of other rides need some TLC. Here are five Walt Disney World rides that need an update after Test Track.
Journey Into Imagination with Figment
Similar to Test Track, Journey Into Imagination has undergone many changes since it opened in 1983. When the attraction first opened, it featured Figment and The Dreamfinder, a man who uses dreams and ideas to create new things. The ride included stunning animatronics, beautiful sets, and amazing effects. Disney parkgoers loved this ride, but Disney changed it to Journey Into Your Imagination in 1999. This version removed the Dreamfinder and reduced Figment to queue cameos. Reception to the new incarnation was largely negative, and it was closed in 2001 to make way for a better version.
In 2002, the present incarnation of the attraction opened, with a larger focus on Figment. The current ride centers around a tour of the Imagination Institute with Dr. Nigel Channing (Eric Idle) who wants to showcase experiments based on the five senses. The tour is hijacked by Figment who takes riders on a tour of his imagination open house. Reactions to this version were mixed, but better than the second version. However, many of the rides' effects are outdated, and it doesn’t do Figment justice, considering his popularity. Figment struck a chord with visitors in the 1980s, and Disney needs to do more to get the purple dragon right.