WDW 1993: Dreamfinder & Figment

Epcot's original Journey Into Imagination quickly became one of my top three favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World when my family visited the resort in 1993 (it tied with Horizons and Cranium Command). I couldn't get enough of Dreamfinder and Figment, and took several trips through the ride during our stay.

Journey Into Imagination astonished me with its ingenious little vehicle trains as they swiveled sideways to follow the revolving stage for the song One Little Spark -- what a brilliant way to stage a full-length musical number on a ride!

The musical and dramatic interplay between Dreamfinder and his newly-created friend Figment throughout the remainder of the ride made the adventure a warm-hearted, unforgettable experience. I'm very glad Figment still exists on the reworked version of the ride, and I hope someday Dreamfinder returns to the park as well. They're too good as a team to keep apart forever!

WDW 1993: Epcot's Wide Open Spaces

The vast skies and stunning vistas of 1993 Walt Disney World formed the biggest ongoing "Wow" factor during our first-ever visit. We particularly loved the surreal and wonderful landscapes of Epcot. The weather was a real character, too, and we experienced more than one of the awesome 2:00 P.M. cloudbursts which lasted just long enough to sucker us into buying ponchos. We learned our lesson; the next time, we just shopped 'till it ended.

Different view, same day. I think I rode Journey Into Imagination eight hundred times. Okay, maybe more like six...(It tied with Cranium Command and Horizons as my favorite thing in Epcot).

WDW folks say it a lot, and it's true: pictures don't do World Showcase Lagoon justice (especially mine). In person, I could just stare out across the water for an hour. And I would've, but I really wanted to get to Maelstrom.

More WDW 1993 soon!

WDW 1993: World of Motion

In this installment of WDW 1993, we're back in Epcot for a look at World of Motion, one of four grand, high-capacity omnimover-style attractions operating in Future World back then -- and that's not even counting the Living Seas' seacabs!

Our group loved World of Motion's humorous approach to edutainment. In the tradition of classic Disney cartoon shorts, a mock-serious narrator (Gary Owens this time) gave a calm, jovial tour through the history of transportation, completely unaware of the chaos breaking out in the scenes he was describing.

World of Motion was a shutterbug tourist's dream, and so there are many photos on the internet of this attraction's inhabitants. My paltry collection can't compare to the amazing wealth of shots found in Disney Tourist Blog's tribute, so be sure to check it out if you haven't already. The above scene is certainly well-documented, but the world can't have enough chickens, so here's my shot of the ruckus.

Another view reveals one of my favorite gags: Manhole Guy With Vegetable on Head.

World of Motion was an incredibly good-natured adventure the whole family truly could experience together. It also had the catchy theme song, "It's Fun to be Free." Long before our trip, I'd memorized that song via the great original Music of Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Epcot Center CD (odd title, considering Epcot is part of WDW). Based on the song alone, World of Motion was a "Must-See" on that first trip, and it did not disappoint.

More WDW 1993 coming soon.

WDW 1993: Splash Mountain Signage & Statues

We're temporarily moving from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom for this bit of our 1993 tour, to check out a few wonderful exterior details around Splash Mountain. All these elements are still present in 2012, but fans may be able to spot the differences between then and now.

Here's the statue of Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit as it appeared in '93, with a natural-looking finish.

And Brer Rabbit looks for adventure atop one of the best signposts on earth.

We've discussed before which resort's Splash Mountain we find superior (Spoiler: It's WDW's). More focused storytelling was one factor that swung the vote.

I wish we'd spent more time in the Magic Kingdom back in '93. In our defense, though, this group of Disneyland regulars just couldn't stay away from Epcot for more than half a day!

More from 1993 WDW soon!