Figment ride's second floor

[rteetz]

I have heard that the second floor is still used. It's not for any attractions but for the CP. supposedly they hold a few classes up there during the year for different types of things. So I would think its just used as a CM only type area no guests allowed.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Thanks to those who posted the sites for more information, etc. I really believe that when whoever messed up Figment and the original ride, attraction, did such a bang-up job of spoiling it, they may have decided it was a good time (?) to shut down the upstairs.

An escalator for people with problems going steps would do nicely. And the elevator could be used for the motorized scooters.

Anytime Disney really wanted to do something, expense didn't factor into it. I still have a Figment shirt and until very recently, had all my Figment souveniers. Still have a keychain that's a favorite.

Bring back Figment and Dreamfinder!!

 

[DisneyDiva8401]

It seems like they could have at least incorporated some of that fun "playground of the future" stuff into the so called play area they have now. It's kind of ho-hum and I never see many people even stopping there.
Does anyone else remember where you acted out things in front of a green screen and was put into sort of a dreamfinder movie?

 

[Patabel]

As we know, all the pavilions have corporate sponsors, and if my memory serves me correctly (which isn't always the case!) Kodak was the sponsor of that second floor. Once the universe started evolving into digital, Kodak's profit line was less and less. I imagine that resulted in pulling or not renewing the sponsorship. Without another corporation stepping up, that area was closed?

 

[ttintagel]

Given how much of a traffic gridlock the one small elevator in the Land pavilion creates, I wouldn't be at all surprised if accessibility did play a part in it. Since they were given such a small budget for the revovation and they were already plnning on taking such a huge chunk of floorspace out of the ride by removing the turntable with the duplicate show scenes, keeping everything all one onle level probably seemed like a win/win for them at the time. Or at least the lesser of two evils. But given how gorgeous the upstairs space is, and how the downstairs space has never lived up to its potential since then (in either bringing in sponsor money or creating intangible guest experiences), I'd be happy with losing a big chunk of the downstairs to ramps and elevators.

 

[pampam]

I doubt if the reason was WC accessability. As has already been stated, the elevator in the Land is smaller, and people work with it. Also, the elevator at the monorail atation in Epcot is still used even though it is quite small. I'm thinking the reasons are probably economic, either because of lack of corporate sponsors or perhaps to cut down on CMs needed to staff it.

 

[BayouMickey]

I doubt if the reason was WC accessability. As has already been stated, the elevator in the Land is smaller, and people work with it. Also, the elevator at the monorail atation in Epcot is still used even though it is quite small. I'm thinking the reasons are probably economic, either because of lack of corporate sponsors or perhaps to cut down on CMs needed to staff it.

Whether it was or wasn't, that was their official reasoning..

 

[SueM in MN]

Whether it was or wasn't, that was their official reasoning..

I don't think they ever gave an official reason.

 

[BayouMickey]

I don't think they ever gave an official reason.

Yes, there was an official letter sent out to someone a few years back, not sure if it was on DIS or another fansite, but the recipient posted it.

 

[Micca]

Everything done to that pavilion since the original version has been one disappointment after another. Figment & Dreamfinder deserved better.

 

[Kaarup]

LOVED the pin tables... Kept my kids entertained for the longest time... kids were aged 3 - 12 and we stayed there for the LONGEST time. And at one time they had photographs from around the country. And my neighbor had one of his photos there... thanks to Kodak!!

 

[Timmy Boy]

Deleted

 

[DisneyDiva8401]

The reason for the closure was indeed for the lack of wheelchair accommodation. If there were a fire in the building, disabling the elevator, there would be no way for guests in wheelchairs to get out of the building without being carried down stairs or escalators.

The reason the Land can get away with this is because their are 2 ways out from that building. The first way is out through the 2nd floor where traffic normally flows in and out. The 2nd way is through the emergency exit doors next to Soarin, which will lead out next to the Imagination pavilion. With this set up, if the elevator were to not work during an evacuation, all wheelchairs would be able to exit the building.

Reedy Creek took a look at Imag's 2nd floor and said "if you want guests up here, you need an alternate exit for guests in wheelchairs", so that's where it stopped.

In that case, ANY building over 1 story is not safe for guests in wheelchairs in the event of a fire. They all have that sign on the elevator that says "in event of fire use stairs". It's not a problem unique to Disney, so why do they have to close a 2 story building when you have 100 story high sky scrapers, with no way out other than elevators for handicapped guests, all over the world.

 

[Timmy Boy]

Okay, you're right. I'm sorry I don't know.

 

[Mitzicat]

Okay, you're right. I'm sorry I don't know.

not saying you are right or wrong...we are all
trying to guess at an answer we will never figure out! why did they close the second floor? lol

I know in my office building (7 floors) our WC coworkers are told to go to
the stairwell and wait. Not the best news in a fire, but that's what they are told.

 

[thewesterberg]

Does anyone else remember where you acted out things in front of a green screen and was put into sort of a dreamfinder movie?

YES! This is one of the memories I have of my only childhood trip to WDW! I remember acting out the scene with my dad and sister. I wondered where that had been as I couldn't place it it anywhere on trips I've taken as an adult. Mystery solved! (Thank you!)

 

[CaliKT]

This area was one of my very favorite places in all of WDW as a kid. I went for a week in 1987 when I was in elementary school, and I must have spent hours up there. I was really disappointed to see it's not back. My two geeky boys would have loved it. They do like the similar area in the ride's current iteration, but it's not nearly as cool or on the same scope.

Honestly, with the push towards STEM, and the brilliant Imagineers, who combine imagination with STEM skills, I think updating this ride or at the least bringing back a version of this area is such a no brainer. My family loves to visit science museums and children's museums all over the country, and there are so many excellent "play type" exhibits that would fit in perfectly. DH and I had a conversation just last week about how Epcot could and should really update the exhibits in the Imagination play area and the Innoventions areas to reflect this.

 

[rlovew]

When i took the undiscovered future world tour about 3-4 years ago we went up. Many things were still in place and simply not working and other things had been moved. They did have a space that could be used for classes or other gatherings on that floor. We were told by the tour guide that the contract with kodak stated that after x number of years the ride would be completely changed out and that is why everything was changed at the time it was changed. We weren't really given a good reason for the lack of use of the large imageworks other than the ride being only on the first floor after the changeover. The cm did mention that many people mentioned how much more they liked the ride and imageworks originally and that was why the ride was redone not to much later to add in figment again.

 

[DisneyDiva8401]

Okay, you're right. I'm sorry I don't know.

Geez, over react much?

 

[pampam]

Timmy Boy, I liked your answer. The first one. I'm not sure if it is a good analogy to compare the building to a multi story building. I feel WDW is more safety conscious than many businesses, and your answer made sense. However, I too agree that something could be figured out to use the upstairs too, but for the time being it might be reasonable to close it off the the public. I think we all agree it is a shame that those attractions have been put on a shelf.