Magic Journeys was a
3D film
3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion pict ...
created by
WED Enterprises for presentation at
Disney theme parks
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
. It was featured at four different parks over the course of its 11-year run.
History
On October 1, 1982, ''Magic Journeys'' premiered as one of the opening-day attractions at the
Journey Into Imagination
Journey into Imagination with Figment is the third and latest incarnation of a dark ride attraction located within the Imagination! pavilion at World Celebration at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Orig ...
pavilion in
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
's
EPCOT Center
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unre ...
. It was written and directed by
Murray Lerner
Murray Lerner (May 8, 1927 – September 2, 2017) was an American documentary and experimental film director and producer.
Career
Lerner was born May 8, 1927, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Nacham and Goldie (Levine) Lerner. Murray's father ...
and featured a song composed by
Robert and Richard Sherman
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...
. A preshow presentation, anchored by another Sherman Brothers song, "Makin' Memories", played before the film during its EPCOT Center run.
Starting on June 16, 1984, it began a two-year run at Disneyland, first on the outdoor Space Stage and then inside the newly constructed Magic Eye Theater in Tomorrowland.
In early 1986, the film was removed from Disneyland and EPCOT Center in order to make way for a new 3-D film, ''
Captain EO
''Captain EO'' is a 1986 American 3D science fiction short film shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through 1998. The movie stars Michael Jackson, was written by George Lucas, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (who came up with the name ...
''.
In December 1987, ''Magic Journeys'' returned to Walt Disney World at the
Fantasyland Theater
Fantasyland Theatre, formerly Videopolis, is the name of a outdoor amphitheater at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Located in Fantasyland, it functions as a venue for various shows. In 1995, the location was renamed to Fantasyland Theater. I ...
inside the
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The W ...
, where it was paired with the 1953 3-D short ''
Working for Peanuts
''Working for Peanuts'' is a 1953 animated short produced by Walt Disney, featuring Donald Duck and Chip 'n' Dale. It is notable for being one of their first shorts filmed in 3D (the first being '' Adventures in Music: Melody'', which was releas ...
''. The film played in this venue for six years until it closed in December 1993 in order to make room for
Legend of the Lion King.
Plot
''Magic Journeys'' looked at the world through the eyes of a child. The film started with children running through a meadow and looking at clouds. Someone blew on a dandelion and the seeds then flew away, turning into stars and then turned into the sun. Next the kids were seen flying a kite at the beach. The kite then turned into a bird, a fish, a school of fish, a flock of birds, bird wings, a Pegasus, a horse and then finally into a merry-go-round. While the children rode the carousel, they began reaching for a brass ring spinning next to the carousel; the carousel spins around the moon and bats fly out past the riders. The moon becomes a witch, a mask, an
Olmec head
The Olmec colossal heads are stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders. They range in height from . The heads date from at least 900 BC and are a distinctive feature of the Olmec civilization of ancient Mesoamerica.Di ...
, and more until turning into a cat. A boy reaches out to the cat and it turns into the Sphinx, which turns into a lion jumping through a hoop in the circus. Trapeze artists and acrobats fly through the air and several clowns amuse the children.
The circus then gives way to reveal it as only a miniature with small flying machines coming up through the roof of the room into the stars. The kids move through a room of balloons and encounter a magician. At the end of this act, the room gives way as the kids descend through a starscape and return to the meadow with the dandelion unblowing itself.
Soundtrack
The film's preshow song, "Makin' Memories" and the film's theme song, "Magic Journeys," can be found on the 1991 CD ''The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World''. Both songs also appear on the album ''
The Sherman Brothers Songbook
''The Sherman Brothers Songbook'' is a compilation of songs written by composer-lyricist Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for hi ...
''.
See also
*
Epcot attraction and entertainment history
Epcot is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The term "attractions" is used by Disney as a catch-all term for rides, shows, and exhibits.
World Celebration
World Celebration attractions
* Spaceship Earth is an eighteen-story- ...
*
Magic Kingdom attraction and entertainment history
The Magic Kingdom is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Below is a list of the current attractions found therein, arranged by "land" and with brief descriptions.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Current attractions
* Main Str ...
*
List of 3D films
These are lists of 3D films:
* List of 3D films (2005–present)
* List of 3D films (1914–2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:3D films
Lists of films by technology ...
*
List of past Disneyland attractions
Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California conceived by Walt Disney. This is a list of attractions – rides, shows, shops and parades – that have appeared at the park but have permanently closed. Character meets and atmosphere entertainm ...
*
Tokyo Disneyland attraction and entertainment history
Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Here are the list of attractions below.
World Bazaar
* Omnibus
* Penny Arcade
Former Attractions
* The Disney Gallery
* Main Street Cinema
Adventurela ...
*
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
''Magic Journeys'' at the Epcot Discovery Center
{{Murray Lerner
Amusement rides introduced in 1982
Amusement rides introduced in 1984
Amusement rides introduced in 1985
Amusement rides introduced in 1987
Amusement rides that closed in 1986
Amusement rides that closed in 1987
Amusement rides that closed in 1993
Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions
1982 films
1982 short films
Films directed by Murray Lerner
1982 3D films
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts films
Kodak sponsorships
Fantasyland
Sherman Brothers
Tomorrowland
Imagination! (Epcot pavilion)
3D short films
1987 establishments in Florida