Journey Into Imagination: Disneyland's Never Built Westcot

Disneyland's Never Built Westcot

Dreamfinder and Figment In The Rainbow Tunnel Imagination Pavilion Epcot Center Walt Disney World
Copyright Disney

Today, only two classic Epcot dark rides survive, Spaceship Earth and Living With The Land, and of the lost rides of Future World, no ride may be missed more than the original version of the Journey Into Imagination ride with Dreamfinder and Figment. The ride was reportedly removed due to aging effects and that sponsor Kodak wanted an updated ride. But had Westcot been built, this might not have been the end result.

Westcot at Disneyland was set to be an improved and condensed version of Epcot, including a series of greatest hits of the rides from the original park, also updated to utilize new technology that had been developed since the original park was built. One of the rides that were planned to feature an updated version in the new park was Journey Into Imagination.

Imagination Pavilion Original Purple Color Scheme Epcot Walt Disney World
Copyright Disney

This update version reportedly would have utilized the same basic theme as the original ride, following Dreamfinder and Figment as they explore different topics. But it would not have been an exact clone, and would have updated scenes and effects.

It is likely that had Westcot been built, the original ride would not have been outright replaced as it was. This offered the chance at an updated version being developed, with changes that could have been cloned to the original version, allowing it to continue to exist.

Epcot Center Map Walt Disney World

Exact details on this ride, and what it would have meant for the original version of the attraction, were not released to the public. It is impossible to know what this ride would have been, and how it would have changed Disney history, but it would have meant a new Figment ride being built in the 1990s, just before the original was removed, almost certainly meaning a version of the original ride survived into the 20th century.

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