Everybody likes things that are “New and Improved!”, right? Wrong! How many times have we bought our favorite deodorant, shampoo, furniture polish, candy bar, insert-a-product-here, only to find that they’ve changed the scent, the color, the flavor or some other aspect that decidedly does NOT make it better?
The same thing has happened again and again at Disney, when the Imagineers have tinkered with a beloved attraction to “reimagine” it, leaving us to cry, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
Here are three times when we wish they’d left well enough alone!
Journey into Imagination
If you’re a Disney World fan, you knew that Journey into Imagination was going to be number one on the list, didn’t you?
This attraction opened in March 1983, a few months after EPCOT’s October 1, 1982, debut. The 13-minute show featured this marvelous little purple dragon, Figment, and his keeper, the Dreamfinder. It had a fantastic theme song written by the Sherman Brothers called “One Little Spark,” and it just charmed the pants off everyone.
And then it fell victim to “reimagining”… and on October 1, 1999, we ended up with Journey into YOUR Imagination, which featured only a glimpse of Figment, no Dreamfinder, and lots of Eric Idle as Dr. Nigel Channing.
By all accounts, literally everyone was unhappy with this change. In one of the few times when the public outcry actually was too great for Disney to ignore, the Imagineers closed the attraction in October 2001 to “fix” it.
When it reopened in June 2002, a new, improved Journey into Imagination with Figment debuted. This six-minute ride is better than its precursor, but is still not as great as the original.
Figment and Dreamfinder fans everywhere are still mourning.
Pirates of the Caribbean
A Disney mainstay, the Pirates of the Caribbean has undergone a number of changes since the attraction opened in Disneyland in 1967 and in Walt Disney World in 1973.
One of the biggest changes came after the success of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films — Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow character and the villainous Barbossa as played by Geoffrey Rush were inserted into the attraction’s storyline.
While we may not have needed that “synergy” to tie-in to the films, at least the audio-animatronics were exceptionally well-done and not intrusive at all.
Soarin’
OK, I have to say that I love Soarin’ around the World, absolutely love it! This is the version that premiered in Epcot and Disney California Adventure in 2016.
I love the feeling of gliding high above the scenes below me, I love the multi-sensory experience. I think it is, as I have heard so many other guests exclaim, “AWESOME!”
Maybe the original film did need to be updated, and its scope broadened. It’s very cool to see places from all over the globe, many of which I’ve been lucky to visit in person — the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, the Sydney Opera House, and even Epcot! And I’m sure lots of other visitors, especially children, enjoy seeing iconic locations from around the world that they can easily identify.
But I feel like this new film relies a little too heavily on the shock value of having things fly in our faces as it transitions to the next scene. Maybe once works, but using the device in every scene takes a little something away from the whole “show” for me.
Yep, I think I actually prefer the original version of the attraction, with its scenes from around the great state of California, and its rousing score — which is still in heavy rotation on my iTunes!
At least they kept the Patrick Warburton safety spiel!
These are three attractions that we think could have been left alone — they were awesome the way they were! What do you think? Are there “improved” attractions that you liked better the “old” way? Let us know with a comment below!
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Spaceship Earth is the one that breaks my heart. Before the end of the ride was so hopeful and the build up of the music was phenomenal. Now it is just looking at a bad app that seems to be trying to indoctrinate me into thinking a future of technology ALLOWING me to work even on vacation is a good thing. It’s quite dystopian. Plus Judy Dench and the new script just aren’t giving me the poetry of the old script and narrator. It used to be my favorite ride to the point it inspired my college admissions essays!
I agree, they should have been left alone. I especially miss the original Journey In Imagination. Figment was always my son’s favorite character, so much so, that to this day he can sing the Sherman brothers tune. When we went back to WDW this past May it broke our hearts to see how it changed.
The Great Movie Ride 100%
Journey of Imagination has always been and will always be nightmare fuel. Pirates should never have been made with a scene of women being auctioned off as slaves AND only the beautiful slave woman being worth bidding on. Soarin Around the World is exponentially better than the California version.
What was the name of the original music?
(Or a link)
Thanks,
Test Track was more fun before.
yes, TT was so much better as the original
totally agree with figment but also have to say i do not like the three cabieros (sp) in Mexico. I loved the heritage and history of mexico and this just ruined the ride for me, jmi
I like both versions of Soarin, but mostly I’m glad they kept Patrick, I love Patrick, sigh….
Finally road Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland and loved much more than the abbreviated version in the Magic Kingdom.
Test Track was much more enjoyable before the recent “improvement”….I believe the new update makes the ride not as exciting
The real way to improve Soarin is to give it the Star Tours treatment. Create lots of different versions so that the ride is seldom the same. It’s all digital and automated. The only cost would be to produce the different versions up front.
Bring back the original Journey into Imagination and Captain EO!
What about Maelstrom? I think Disney has enough different versions of It’s a Small World. Frozen and Navi are nothing more than a different version of it. It’s about time for Hollywood Studios to get a lame boat ride.
The thing is that Frozen Ever After is a completely different ride from Maelstrom — they weren’t trying to improve it, they just got rid of it. (I miss it!) I was trying to think of rides that are still essentially the same that were allegedly “improved.” I definitely could have included Test Track, though!
Pirates of the Caribbean seems quite empty of scenes to me. There were a lot of empty areas where there used to be a display. Very disappointed.
I agree with your list! My daughter is in her 40’s and has loved Figment since she was little! It broke her heart when the attraction was updated! Sometimes change is not for the better. Disney has just never learned this!
I’m not a big fan of Frozen and I strongly preferred Maelstrom. I miss the trolls and the miniatures.
Tower of Terror! I used to love it when you got a 13-story drop. I liked it even better when you got two 13-story drops in the same ride. Unfortunately I had to quit riding it when they started just bouncing you up & down like a yo-yo without any big drop.
Mission Space was so much better before. We miss “Lt. Dan” and the trip just doesn’t feel as immersive. I also agree about Soarin, but thought I was in the minority with that opinion!
I agree on all counts, especially Soarin! It relies too much on the height factor rather than the beauty of the scenery, and the distortion is terrible.
I agree with those 3 and would also add Mission: SPACE (and Gary Sinise) and the original Test Track.
I definitely agree on Test Track, Jenn, but I actually prefer Gina Torres over “Scary Gary,” as we called him!
I like the new Trst Track queue but hate what they did to the ride. It is so generic now. Loved the old “test” version, not testing the car you made which isn’t really that obvious as you ride. BAD “improvement”!
I agree. I prefer all three original attractions better than the improved versions.
The Mexico ride. Went from culture to cartoon.