Techtite's Shows & Parks Reviews!

Journey Into "your" Imagination

(also known as "Imagination 2000")

[...because it didn't last much longer than that! --ed.]

(Disney World EPCOT)

NOTE: this is an archive review, for a remodeled ride. To see the review of the NEW ride, click here.

I visited Disney World's EPCOT theme park last year (1999), and was one of the first to see their newly "revamped" version, of the Journey Into Imagination ride. Anyone who has visited the park since its opening (in October 1, 1982, if you were wondering), remembers Figment the dragon, who for years was the park's mascot. In the Imagination ride, Dr. Dreamfinder and his pet Figment (of imagination) would travel through flights of fancy come to life. Sure, it was a bit childish at times, though hey, it was Disney, and the visuals were pretty darn cool! One such scene from the original ride is shown at right, with fiber optics, colored lighting, and animatronics magic galore. In 1982, this was one of the most special-FX-savvy rides of the whole park, and quite frankly, the most popular. The line would wrap right out the door, and snake to the side for several yards.

Nearly two decades later, an "upgrade" needed to be made. However, what changes would that be? In some other rides, updates needed were minor, like the computer shown at the end of the Spaceship Earth ride (for years, this "state of the art" PC was an old, text-only, 1982 model!). In Imagination's case, all the special FX would likely need to be revamped, to salute more modern FX tricks. There's also the little matter of Figment, who some of the "I'm too old for this" blowhards felt was too childish for the allegedly "future world" that EPCOT tried to convey. Disney World (and sponsor, Kodak) listened, and changed the ride...for better or worse.

I'll admit, this "updated" ride's concept must've looked great on paper. Narrations would be done by none other than Eric "Monty Python" Idle! Figment would be present, though only to a lesser degree, as the ride allegedly journeyed into "your imagination." Much like the original, you would travel through various "exhibits," in an attempt to excite that imaginative part of your brain.

Sadly, however, they don't. The final result is a ride that, to everyone I've spoken to, pales in comparison to the original. Even the aforementioned blowhards that griped about Figment's "childishness," admit that this ride is even worse. Eric Idle starts off saying that your brain is being scanned for imaginative potential. A few cheaply-projected image FX are shown, and Mr. Idle then claims that this proves your brain is currently dead and lifeless (gee, thanks, Eric). His experiments in imagination will do the trick!...or will they?

The effects shown are older and more cliché than even the ones in the original, 17-year-old ride! Gone are even the very dated (though still cool to look at) "lightning in a ball" effects and classic animatronics, and in its place is little more than...a giant, empty bird cage! The swing in the bird cage swings by itself, as a sound effect of a bird is heard. Says Eric, in a condescending tone that makes Figment sound like Einstein, "Is this cage empty, or is it just your im-a-gin-a-ti-on?" Oh, Jiminy Crickets! What have they done to my (former) second-favorite ride in EPCOT?

After further static, lifeless sets (an upside down kitchen, for example), the ride quickly ends. Oddly enough, the only special effect seen --the first sign that the ride is worth riding-- is shown at its exit! An apparently empty, star-filled room lights up, and suddenly you're near the EXIT to the ride! What a shame, that what was once one of the most popular rides in all of EPCOT,  will now, most likely, just catch flies. Someone apparently wanted to save a few pennies on electrical and repair bills for all those FX props, and I'd say made a little too much profit. Is there any chance that the ride can be remodeled, again? One can only hope so.

	Final Rating : Near Miss. Well, the D.I.Y. effects booths after exiting are nice, though only to a certain point. Where's the charm of the original ride? I haven't a clue.
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