Imagination! (formerly The Journey Into Imagination) is a pavilion located in the World Celebration section of Epcot, a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

at the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

Bay Lake, Florida Bay Lake is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29 at the 2020 census. It is named after a lake that lies east of Magic Kingdom. All four of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, and one of Walt Disney Worl ...

. The pavilion opened with the park in 1982, and is themed to human

imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...

, creativity, and

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Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

was the former title sponsor of the pavilion.

Attraction history

While the pavilion itself has existed since 1982, it has gone through three significant phases. The original started out as an area in which the

3-D film 3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of Stereoscopy#3D viewers, special glasses worn by viewers. 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in Amer ...

'' Magic Journeys'' was played with a song by the same name by the Sherman Brothers. The Makin' Memories slide presentation, a history of photography was the pre-show presentation. When '' Journey Into Imagination'' opened a year later, the area was dubbed the Journey Into Imagination Pavilion. From 1983 to 1986, it held ''Journey Into Imagination'', the (upstairs) ''ImageWorks'', and ''Magic Journeys''. In 1986, however, ''Magic Journeys'' was replaced by '' Captain EO'', a more advanced 3-D film created by

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

and starring

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

as the title character. In the mid-1990s, ''Captain EO'' was replaced by ''

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience ''Honey, I Shrunk the Audience'' (known as ''MicroAdventure!'' in Tokyo Disneyland) was a 4D film spin-off of the ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' film series that was shown at several Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney theme parks. The audience wore ...

'', starring Rick Moranis as Professor Wayne Szalinski and

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...

as the Imagination Institute chairman, Dr. Nigel Channing. In 1998, the original ''Journey Into Imagination'' went down for renovation. During this renovation, the upstairs ''ImageWorks'' was closed and the building's purple and blue painting exterior was replaced with different colors, navy blue being primary. The original glass sign was replaced by one made of wood and metal. The leap frog fountains were reduced in size to accommodate the new gift shop at the exit of the new ''Journey Into Your Imagination''. The glass pyramids remained intact, although the upstairs ''ImageWorks'' was closed, to be replaced by the downstairs ''ImageWorks - The "What If" Labs'' The pavilion was renamed Imagination! in 1999, when the new attraction opened. Fans were upset that

Dreamfinder Journey into Imagination with Figment is the third and latest incarnation of a dark ride attraction located within Imagination! (Epcot), the Imagination! pavilion at World Celebration at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, F ...

, a popular character from the previous ride, was gone. Furthermore, Figment, another popular character, only made cameo appearances until his short dialogue at the end of the ride. By the end of 2001, Disney closed the ride and modified the attraction, bringing Figment back into a more prominent role, although the Dreamfinder remained absent. For a brief time after Figment's return to the Imagination pavilion, the walk around Figment character was available for a meet-and-greet in the former Kodak shop between the main pavilion and the theater. Figment's place is now unlabeled, but the décor inside is still visible through the windows. In the summer of 2006, the finale of a

Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...

interactive activity was set up temporarily in the upstairs ImageWorks as a test, themed as Dr. Drakken's base, with a station in World Showcase loaning out "Kimunicators" for interactive activities. EpcotImaginationFountain

Following the death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, Disney officials mulled over the possible return of ''Captain EO''. In February 2010, the film, now retitled ''Captain EO Tribute'', returned to Disneyland. On July 2, 2010, ''Captain EO'' returned to the Imagination! pavilion for a limited run, replacing ''Honey, I Shrunk the Audience''. In August 2010,

, who had sponsored the pavilion since it opened, ended its sponsorship after nearly 28 years. In June 2016, the old upstairs portion of the Imagination Pavilion used for the original ImageWorks reopened as a lounge exclusively for Disney Vacation Club members.

Current attractions

* Journey into Imagination with Figment (June 2, 2002–present; third renovations) *Magic Eye Theater **Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival (December 23, 2015–present) * Disney Vacation Club Lounge (2016–present)

Current exhibitions

* ImageWorks: The What-If Labs (October 1, 1999– present; second renovations)

Former attractions

*Magic Eye Theater ** Magic Journeys (October 1, 1982 – February 9, 1986) *** Makin' Memories (Early 1980s) ** Captain EO (September 12, 1986 – July 6, 1994; first renovations) *** Captain EO Tribute (July 2, 2010 – December 6, 2015; second renovations) **

(November 21, 1994 – May 9, 2010) * Journey Into Imagination (March 5, 1983 – October 10, 1998; first renovations) * Journey Into Your Imagination (October 1, 1999 – October 8, 2001; second renovations)

Former exhibitions

* ImageWorks (October 1, 1982 – October 10, 1998; first renovations)

References

External links

Walt Disney World Resort - Imagination! Pavilion
{{Sherman Brothers Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Epcot Future World (Epcot) World Celebration 1982 establishments in Florida