Josh Gad Wants Figment Ride At EPCOT To Get An Update
Image Source: Disney Wiki
Josh Gad is a Disney icon. From voicing Olaf in a variety of Frozen franchise installments to playing LeFou in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast (2017) to his role in the 2020 Artemis Fowl adaptation, the actor is well-embedded in Disney content. Recently, he gave his two cents on the popular Disney World ride Journey Into Imagination with Figment. Gad took to Instagram with a post to show the purple dragon from a guest’s perspective, the caption reading, “Hey @waltdisneyimagineering 📞 me. We need to give this guy the ride update he deserves. 🙏”
Journey Into Imagination first opened in 1983, taking up residence in the EPCOT theme park. The ride closed in 1998 for renovations and reopened a year later, rebranded as Journey Into YOUR Imagination; this remodel was short-lived, closing in 2001, as its reception was extremely negative and saw the removal of its original iconic song and several characters. The current iteration of the ride, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, opened in 2002, restoring music and characters to the attraction. A fourth revamp was teased in November 2023, but official updates on this development have not been made.
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Image Source: Disney Wiki
One of the Imagineers who helped to create the original ride, Tony Baxter, has expressed dissatisfaction with its current iteration. In 2020, during Walt Disney’s birthday celebration, the former Imagineer stated he would come out of retirement to revamp the project if asked. He went on to state (via Attractions Magazine), “I would give anything to be called upon to rethink that and get back to the story that every human being does. There aren’t creative people and non-creative people. Everybody uses it. It’s just to what extent and I think that that was a really valuable story to tell. It is certainly not told in there now, and I would love to see it get back.” The future of the ride and its content is unconfirmed, but there is a variety of firm support for changes to be made.
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Source(s): WDWNT, Instagram, Disney Wiki, D23, Attractions Magazine
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