Difference between revisions of "Journey Into Imagination with Figment"

Revision as of 21:46, 12 March 2012

Journey Into Imagination With Figment is an attraction located in the Imagination! pavilion, in Epcot.

Attraction History

The Original Journey Into Imagination Attraction (1983-1998)

The basic idea for the Journey Into Imagination attraction came from Disney Imagineer, Tony Baxter. The idea for the character figment came to him while watching an episode of the television series Magnum P.I. In the episode Magnum had hidden a goat in Higgins' yard, and the goat had predictably tore the garden up. When Higgins suggested that a goat was ruining his yard. Magnum replied that it was all just a figment of his imagination, to which Higgins countered "Figments don't eat grass!". This line, gave Tony Baxter the idea to create a character "that everyone knows about and has never been visualized.

Figment was first sketched by Disney artist Steve Kirk who turned in a rough drawing of the characters. Imagineer X Atencio then slightly altered the drawing to, "make the character lovable, in a way that kids could relate to". The Dreamfinder, Figments creator was designed after Imagineer Joe Rhode, who would later be lead designer of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Dreamfinder's voice was performed by actors Chuck McCann and Ron Schneider. Finding a voice for Figment proved to be much more difficult however. Disney had men, women, boys and girls all try out for the role, but no voice was deemed suitable. Eventually, they found Figment's voice in veteran voice actor Billy Barty, who was perfect for the role.

It took Disney nearly six months to come up with an idea for the Journey Into Imagination attraction. To help them with their understanding of imagination, Disney brought in various scientist and artists. Eventually they came to the conclusion that while every bodies imagination was different, how people get their imagination is the same. Tony Baxter said:

"The story needed to describe the complex process in an engaging, interactive way without seeming like a lecture. A persona was needed to give the process personality, but having a human character seemed too selective. A friendly imaginary being that could delight in the wonders of imagination would be more inclusive."

Journey Into Imagination With Figment finally opened as simply Journey Into Imagination on March 5, 1983. Although the Kodak sponsored pavilion that housed the attraction had been open since Epcot's opening day, the pavilion remained nameless until Journey Into Imagination gave it it's namesake. The original attraction was a dark ride, which helped guests explore their imagination. The ride was hosted by the popular characters Dreamfinder and Figment. 71 different special effects were created for the original Journey Into Imagination, more then tall of the effects created for the opening of the Magic Kingdom. The ride remained essentially the same from 1983 until 1998.

Journey Into Your Imagination (1999-2001)

Following a decrease in popularity, Kodak decided that it was not getting enough bang for their buck, when it came to the Journey Into Imagination attraction. Disney told them that to increase attendance, the attraction would need to be updated. A new ride was pitched, a "must see" attraction, which was sure to renew the pavilions popularity. The attraction was pitched as a special effects based experience, which would challenge and confuse guests senses. After hearing the pitch, one executive said:

“if you were in that room hearing the pitch you would have been blown away. You'll be in this dark room and not be able to tell up from down. You will be surrounded by sound and not know the direction. It was all amazing, sounded state of the art and more importantly guaranteed to give the guests a terrific experience. We saw this concept art and they spoke so enthusiastically..."

The new attraction was eventually given the blessing of both Kodak and Disney. Journey Into Your Imagination's was produced by Imagineer Orrin Shively (who also produced Test Track), who gave the show a minimal plot in order to allow them to explore their own imagination. The entire devolopment and construction of the attraction took only two years, making it one of the quickest built modern attractions in Disney World. The ride reopened in 1999 as Journey Into Your Imagination, a much smaller and less expensive ride. Popular characters, the Dreamfinder and Figment were removed from the attraction, along with many of the special effects. The dark ride was now hosed by Dr. Nigel Channing, head of the Imagination Institute. Nigel now gave guests a tour of the Imagination Institute, which was referenced in the other Imagination! (the new name of the pavilion) attraction, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Critics panned the new attraction,and fans began to call for a boycott of both the attraction, and it's sponsor, Kodak. Guest complaints bombarded Epcot, as more and more people rode the new attraction. The boycott proved successful, as guests complaints (along with pressure from Michael Eisner and Kodak) led to yet another (quick) refurbishment in 2001.

Journey Into Imagination with Figment (2001-Present)

By mid 2001, Disney and Kodak decided that they needed to fix the Journey Into Your Imagination attraction and on October 8th, 2001 the attraction closed. Kodak however, was unwilling to provide more funds for a new attraction, after the disappointment of the previous renovation. Due to this, and the crippling economic effects of the 9/11 attacks, the budget for the new Journey Into Imagination was extremely low. In fact, Imagineers were only given 8 million dollars to renovate the ride. The main goal of the new attraction, was to reinsert Figment into the ride. Guests complaints had made it clear that Figment still had a strong following, and his presence was missed on Journey Into Your Imagination. Due to both time and budge complaints, the attraction was not replaced, but simply updated. The plot of the ride still focused on guests getting a tour of the Imagination Institute, however now Figment intervened causing havoc on the doctors tour. The original attractions theme song "One Little Spark" was also returned, although it had to be slightly rearranged and given new verses, to fit into the new attraction. The renovation was complete in only 236 days and on June 2, 2002, the attraction reopened as Journey Into Imagination with Figment.

Ride Plot

All three versions of Journey Into Imagination have been dark rides which focused on human imagination.

Journey Into Imagination (1983-1999)

Main Article: Journey Into Imagination.

The original Journey Into Imagination attraction, was a dark ride hosted by the Dreamfinder and his creation Figment. On the attraction guests would explore various aspects of Imagination. Scenes on Journey Into Imagination included, the Dreamport, an art scene, a nightmare scene, a theater scene and a finale. The ride ran from 1983-1998.

Fun Facts and Trivia

Walter Elias Disney and WED Enterprises, Walt Disney Imagineering's name when the ride was constructed, and "TB" for Imagineer Tony Baxter.