by Caitlin Corsello
“Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow…”
When I found out that during October the blog would be focusing on memories of Epcot in honor of its thirtieth anniversary, immediately one thing came into mind: The original Journey into Imagination. With today being the actual anniversary, what better way to celebrate memories of Epcot than by sharing some of my own? Journey into Imagination was my absolute favorite thing in all of Epcot as a child. While the original version closed when I was only ten years old, I still have crystal clear mental pictures from the attraction itself and ImageWorks. So in honor of the original state of the ride, I decided it was only right to share my own memories and thoughts with all of you.
First off, one of the things that I immediately fell in love with from this attraction was the song “One Little Spark” written by the Sherman brothers. To this day, I still find myself randomly humming it and smiling when I realize just what I am doing. In addition to the song, I loved the characters. Dreamfinder and Figment felt like my friends as they took me on this whimsical journey demonstrating how imagination is powered and delivered to the dreamport. I collected multiple Figment plushes many of which still reside in my room today. I also collected small toy figurines of Figment dressed in various outfits from the attraction as well as different outfits representing the different countries of the World Showcase.
Since I loved the characters so much, I of course loved the attraction and can still perfectly picture the two friends in certain scenes from the original version. I remember being scared in the literature room where Dreamfinder played an ominous tune with words spewing out of his organ. Most of all I remember loving the art room. Dreamfinder had a paintbrush that had fiber optics which changed color as he painted. I wanted that paintbrush more than anything.
Not only do I miss the attraction itself, but I miss the original ImageWorks which existed on the second floor of the pavilion. I was also entranced by the glass pyramid ceiling streaming in sunlight above and would love to be able to have the chance to even just 
walk around on the second floor now. Two particular activities from ImageWorks stand out in my memory. The first was Figment’s Coloring Book which I remember being a black and white page which you could color in with these paintbrushes that kind of looked like the one Dreamfinder used in the attraction (see why I probably remember this?). I also clearly remember the Rainbow Corridor, a tube like walkway which you could travel through. Each person that entered was given a color as they entered and that color progressed with them through the lights in the entire tunnel. I always remember stepping in and wondering what color I would be that time.
While the attraction is radically different today, I am glad that there at least remain some tributes to the original version. Figment is more prominent in the latest revision of the attraction, Journey into Imagination with Figment. There is even a door located inside the building labeled “Dean Finder” a clever tribute to the attraction’s previous star. So while the attraction is not the original version that I fell in love with, it’s always nice to stop by and still get to visit some old friends.
“A dream can be a dream come, true with just that spark in me and you.”
Did you love Journey into Imagination? What do you remember from the original version and ImageWorks? Share any memories you have of Epcot below in the comments in celebration of its thirtieth anniversary, I would love to hear from you!
Caitlin Corsello was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Adelphi University with a Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 2012. Her love for Disney started as an infant and has continued to grow with family vacations to Disney parks almost every year since. She holds a particular interest in WDW’s parks and attractions, never passing up an opportunity to visit. She looks forward to continuing to explore and learn about all things Disney and to share that passion with readers.
