"Journey Into Imagination Starring Figment" to close 1/2/14 for year-long renovation?

[JetsetJAK]

Hey folks, I didn't see a thread here discussing this so figured I'd start one (sorry if there's already one that I missed).

Saw a post on The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia Facebook page about the Imagination pavilion at Epcot closing on January 2nd, 2014. You can see the post HERE. It says "The Captain EO show will not reopen, while the ride and retail location are rumored to remain closed for one year for renovations".

Anybody else hear anything about this, or have any idea what Disney might be planning?

 

[mesaboy2]

Hey folks, I didn't see a thread here discussing this so figured I'd start one (sorry if there's already one that I missed).

Saw a post on The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia Facebook page about the Imagination pavilion at Epcot closing on January 2nd, 2014. You can see the post HERE. It says "The Captain EO show will not reopen, while the ride and retail location are rumored to remain closed for one year for renovations".

Anybody else here anything about this, or have any idea what Disney might be planning?

Hadn't heard that one before. But then I hadn't heard about AP holders being limited to 20 FP+'s per quarter either.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

This is a fantastic closure and a good amount of time to get some real stuff done.

 

[figment_jii]

While it would be nice to see the Imagination pavilion refurbished and something more done with the ImageWorks area, I'd take this as a rumor and treat it with a grain of salt. There have been several "rumors" that said Imagination is closing for various reasons over the years and so far, none of them have been true.

 

[RnbwSktles]

I'm hoping this one isn't true just because I am going in January 2014 and I wanted to check out this pavilion since I remember nothing from it.

I've realized since joining the DIS that there is a lot of stuff in future world that I always miss!

 

[figment80]

If this ends up being true, very glad I made the trip last month.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

As the article that the OP quoted says, this is only a rumor at the moment. As such, I've moved this thread to the Rumors and News forum.

 

[OKW Lover]

I wonder if they have a new sponsor for this pavilion.

 

[anthony2k7]

Ya know what, it wouldn't surprise me if this was just a cost saving thing.

Would attendance drop if they close that pavilion? probably not noticeably. However, I'm sure that's quite a few CM's they can cost save on.

 

[Spacedog1975]

This is not the first time I've heard EO would be closing. I think it could have had more longevity if they had remastered a digital print.

I know everyone would love to see Imagination revert to it's former glory. Is it more likely that we'll see a V4 instead of a return to V1, though?

 

[FiggieFan]

Thanks for starting this thread. I am very worried about Figment, after the death of Mr. Toad which I am still go on about! Hoping they go back to something with Dreamfinder and don't get rid of the adorable purple guy! I did read a response on-line earlier today where a person who worked in the Imagination Pavilion store (so they indicated) seemed to know nothing about the rumor that CM's were notified. We aren't going again until February and already miss him, if it is true...

 

[AJRitz]

It's not even a particularly strong rumor - the whole thing seems to be based on "a Cast Member told me" (while others have countered that they have friend who work at JII who have heard nothing of the sort).

Here's the thing, JII is in desperate need of a refurb, but Disney is stuck paying long term for the sponsorship agreement they made with Kodak. Kodak is in bankruptcy, and the Dreamfinder and Figment IP is shared between Kodak and Disney. That IP is one of the few assets Kodak has that still generates a revenue stream (my understanding is that they have very few digital photography patents). So the bankruptcy court isn't going to allow Kodak to sell its share of that IP (unless it's at a serious premium). The bankruptcy court also isn't going to allow Kodak to invest more money into JII.

So Disney is stuck. About the only thing they could try and do is file an adversary action in the bankruptcy to try and force Kodak out at JII. But the bankruptcy court is not going to be particularly sympathetic to something that interrupts the flow of cash to pay off Kodak's creditors, so we're back where we started.

 

[doconeill]

I wonder if they have a new sponsor for this pavilion.

I've been hearing rumors of a new sponsor for a while - even before Kodak left. But that's nothing new around here

 

[IndyDisney]

Touring Plans Disney Dish mentioned this on a podcast a bit ago. Rumors include a retooled Dreamfinder with Jack Black (unlikely) to a Phineas and Ferb overhaul. I would think they'd save Figment - he sells too much plush, but who knows.

Again, just rumor. Take it as you will.

Cheers,
Indy

 

[rteetz]

I've heard several rumors of a phineas and ferb themed area or even phineas and ferb getting put into figment. I don't want figment touched its classic i think it needs to stay close to the same. Captain EO I can see going I'm fine with that. But when figment comes into the question and rumors are flying about what's going to happen to figment I'm not happy with that.

 

[andyman8]

I'm not so sure about this one. I've not heard too much about this, but from what I understand, rumors are indicating two potential options.

Option 1 - Phineas & Ferb - One belief is that P&F could come in and revamp the pavilion, while retaining its theme. Although I really like this idea, you've got to remember that P&F has been around since '07, so while it's still popular, Disney is really proceeding with caution regarding any future theme parks matters involving it as they're is a concern within the company, to the best of my knowledge, that P&F could begin to fade within the next year or so as the show continually ages. With the notable exceptions of SpongeBob and Fairly OddParents, modern cartoons seem to, on average, live for three years.

Option 2 - iMagination hosted by Apple - I think we'd all love to see Apple return to the parks (remember the Innovnetions display?) and considering the companies are very close, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Apple come into the parks. With that in mind, the idea of a pavilion solely hosted by Apple is a bit challenging for Disney Imagineers, for theming a ride around Apple (and still making it fun and interesting for the masses) is hard. I've heard a lot about a Future Fest of sorts coming to Epcot sponsored by Apple. That seems to be more likely than "iMagination".

With all that in mind, I don't see anything significant happening if this does go down for refurbishment. I can't say a refurb won't happen, but if it does (which is still a big if), it won't come back with a radically different theme.

 

[anelson81993]

Disney Tourist Blog posted an article (mostly just speculation about what could be done in the pavilion) about the rumored closure/refurbishment today:

ETA: Full link won't show, but it's the top article at the Disney Tourist Blog website.

 

[anthony2k7]

It's not even a particularly strong rumor - the whole thing seems to be based on "a Cast Member told me" (while others have countered that they have friend who work at JII who have heard nothing of the sort).

Here's the thing, JII is in desperate need of a refurb, but Disney is stuck paying long term for the sponsorship agreement they made with Kodak. Kodak is in bankruptcy, and the Dreamfinder and Figment IP is shared between Kodak and Disney. That IP is one of the few assets Kodak has that still generates a revenue stream (my understanding is that they have very few digital photography patents). So the bankruptcy court isn't going to allow Kodak to sell its share of that IP (unless it's at a serious premium). The bankruptcy court also isn't going to allow Kodak to invest more money into JII.

So Disney is stuck. About the only thing they could try and do is file an adversary action in the bankruptcy to try and force Kodak out at JII. But the bankruptcy court is not going to be particularly sympathetic to something that interrupts the flow of cash to pay off Kodak's creditors, so we're back where we started.

wouldnt closing the pavilion reduce/restrict the revenue stream though? especially for the extended closure the rumour suggests.

Maybe that is Disneys way of attempting to force Kodak out/to sell the IP.

 

[OKW Lover]

How about a mashup of two concepts; Imagination and Sorcerer Mickey magic? It would give them some place to stick that BAH.

 

[skier_pete]

I've been saying they should push Apple to be a sponsor for ages.

This pavillion should be the BEST in Future World, not the worst. A year-long refurb would mean a true overhaul of the ride, which is a good thing.

I think they could do so much with this ride with interactive technology, putting the guests INTO the experience.

However, I think its a big mistake to remove Figment completely, he should still be part of the ride, and they should bring dreamfinder back, but other than that, anything is fair game to me.