? about Journey into Imagination (original)

[brewcrew]

crazy question:


When I was young, Journey into Imagination was my favorite ride in all of Disney....I seem to remember it being an 'omnimover' ride. If this is not correct, then disregard the rest of this post.

Anyway, there was a part of the ride where your vehicles rotated 90 degrees to face 'The Dreamfinder' Ship, and remained this way for a while. so, if the ride was an omnimover, how was this made possible? were the vehicles still moving and the ship moving with us (which would require several ships)? or did our vehicles somehow stop?

might sound like a stupid question, but its been driving me nuts.

[FrumiousBoojum]

It wasn't an omnimover system. Pretty much the same vehicle that it has now.

During that rather long time when it was facing the air ship, the background caused an illusion that you were moving, but the vehicle wasn't moving so much, if at all.

[JiminyCricketFan]

I loved Journey into Imagination. I think that the ride died because it was in a poor location. I "stubbled" into it the first time. I did not know it was there, but lo and behold, there was a ride there.

I think that if Epcot designers had really grouped some kid-friendly rides near this attraction, it would have been a hit. (Along with a more prominent location!)

[TDLFAN]

During that rather long time when it was facing the air ship, the background caused an illusion that you were moving, but the vehicle wasn't moving so much, if at all.

Not correct info my friend. The stage in which the ride vehicles faced DreamFinder in his Flying Dream machine was pretty much like a rotating stage. There were several scenes of the same act, meaning several flying machines (3 or 4 if I am not mistaken). As vehicles entered the rotating set, they would lined up a vehicle per scene. The rotating turntable would basically push the vehicle cars around for several minutes while the scene played in which DreamFinder creates Figment and such... Once the vehicles completed one entire rotation, they would exit the rotating set and continued on their journey into Imagination. The vehicle switch on the rotating turntable was very visible when a vehicle entered the rotating set, as you could see the vehicle leaving the set to your immediate right as you took it's place before the scene repeated again. Likewise, you could see vehicles entering the rotating set to your right once you had completed the rotation. Hard to explain, but to make this answer short.. YES, the vehicles went around moving in sych with the scene as Dreamfinder flew thru the Universe in search of sparks of imagination.

[FrumiousBoojum]

Oy... sorry. It's been too long. Was going by too much memory.

[SummerInFL]

I loved Journey into Imagination. I think that the ride died because it was in a poor location. I "stubbled" into it the first time. I did not know it was there, but lo and behold, there was a ride there.

I think that if Epcot designers had really grouped some kid-friendly rides near this attraction, it would have been a hit. (Along with a more prominent location!)

I agree, it was one of my favorite rides, especially the exit with the rainbow tunnel, anyone remember this?

[SpookyBear]

I agree, it was one of my favorite rides, especially the exit with the rainbow tunnel, anyone remember this?

I remember this also and actually I have an old WDW guide book that has all the old Epcot attractions in it (World of Motion, Horizons, Old Universe of Energy) and I found a picture of it in there. Here's a scan for you! Enjoy!



Also I have to say that along with Mr. Toad's, this attraction is the one I miss the most. The new one doesn't even compare when I think back on how cool the original was.

[brewcrew]

hah, great rainbow tunnel pic!

i remember when i was young, we'd take a trip to WDW every other year. the day we spent at epcot was usually half imagination/imageworks and half everything else. my parent's were great sports, i'm sure they wouldn't have minded hitting the world showcase a little more..

but yeah, rainbow tunnel, stepping 'tones', the thing where you could direct a band, the electronic coloring books, the thing where you shoot 'paint' onto the wall, the pin tables. the thing where you could alter a picture of your face. it'd be awesome to see pictures of some of that stuff.

[SummerInFL]

hah, great rainbow tunnel pic!

i remember when i was young, we'd take a trip to WDW every other year. the day we spent at epcot was usually half imagination/imageworks and half everything else. my parent's were great sports, i'm sure they wouldn't have minded hitting the world showcase a little more..

but yeah, rainbow tunnel, stepping 'tones', the thing where you could direct a band, the electronic coloring books, the thing where you shoot 'paint' onto the wall, the pin tables. the thing where you could alter a picture of your face. it'd be awesome to see pictures of some of that stuff.

OMG Your right! I remember coloring in a picture of Figment on the touch screens. WOOHOO Memory flash! LOL

Thanks for the great photo!

[MickeyMania]

Once the vehicles completed one entire rotation, they would exit the rotating set and continued on their journey into Imagination.

Spoken like a true 80s Cast Member.

The video I saw of that ride was better than the ride I went on for sure, but I guess I'm just not a fan of any one of them. The original spent too much time looking at that scene and had a sub-par opening and ending.

The vehicles turn a corner to start and suddently this guy comes flying in on a contraption, looking like Jack Lemmon's performance as Professor Fate in The Great Race. Perhaps there was some sort of introduction in the queue I didn't get to see. Anyhoo, he chats for a bit, makes himself an imaginary friend, then babbles about a dreamport and...? Then, all sense of story is dropped as it just rolls through themed sets, and it seemed from the video that the horror one kind of dragged on a bit long compared to the others.

And then, after some more effects, an abrupt end. I guess it was supposed to be the 80s answer to the Haunted Mansion, where WDI crams as many tricks up their sleeve as they can into one ride to show off what they've got, but I'd say compared to the 70s HM, the 80s JII is disappointing. Perhaps if one considers the financial hole that the company was digging itself into at the time it might make more sense, but Epcot was so expensive...

[aimster]

I agree, it was one of my favorite rides, especially the exit with the rainbow tunnel, anyone remember this?

FYI, the rainbow tunnel wasn't the exit to the ride... it was (still is) upstairs in the orignal Image Works. I loved that place.

[SpookyBear]

FYI, the rainbow tunnel wasn't the exit to the ride... it was (still is) upstairs in the orignal Image Works. I loved that place.

Very true. I still remember Image Works. That was so much fun, especially the part when you could stand on the squares that would make the noise. I know they have something like that right now also, but it just isn't the same.

[migitmouse88]

i have very...very...small but good memories of that ride, it was the ride my mom would take me on when she wanted me to sleep, she thought i always did but was awake for the whole thing...i remember the first scene vaguely, you would go through a tunnel the doors would open and there were what seemed like millions of stars, i dont remember moving during that scene, and i remember the end where he takes your picture...and i also remember one specific nightmare scene where i was trying to hold in crying to my mom

that was an amazing ride from what i remember...it was only a few years ago it dissappeared but unfortunately we took a trip to animal kingdom the year before instead of epcot, i remember meeting figment and dreamfinder though, i think i still have an autograph somewhere...the next year we went and i was completely sad about the "new and improved ride" (if none of you remember that it was there for a few months to a year, it featured a breif appearence by figment and it mostly starred nigel, trivia question about that guy...was he in a movie called wargames a few years back, i watched it recently and recognized him as the scientist)

[migitmouse88]

ive heard rumors that when hista was new, that was the real thing that caused figments cancelation

can anyone verify this?

[captsmith84]

I can verify that is not true. lol But that's about it.