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Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the MagicJourney Into Imagination With Figment became a Journey Into a Nightmare for some EPCOT Center guests this week. Trapped in the worst-smelling room on the World Celebration ride, the guests were forced to hold their breaths or face a suffocating smell!
An educational exploration of the five senses turns into a zany adventure when Figment the purple dragon interrupts all of Dr. Nigel Channing’s experiments. Instead of smelling roses and other pleasantries, Imagination Institute guests are treated to a mix of skunk spray and burnt coffee. Guests still learn some lessons–just differently than expected!
“The Institute’s beleaguered chairman Dr. Nigel Channing (played by Eric Idle) sets out to prove how the 5 senses capture the imagination—but he’s upstaged by the mischievous Figment!” the official Walt Disney World Resort ride description reads. “Prepare for surprises galore as you travel through a series of vivid, whimsical sensory labs. Learn about all 5 senses as Figment turns the lab upside down and causes quite a stink in the Smell Lab. Let your imagination run wild on this marvelous, madcap musical adventure!”
Elana (@elanaexplores on TikTok) was enjoying the EPCOT dark ride this week when it suddenly stopped in the scent lab. The guest said she “never thought [it] could happen.”
“I got stuck at the stinky skunk part of Figment last night,” Elana continued. “I can’t hold my breath THAT long!!!!!!!”
@elanaexplores I can’t hold my breath THAT long!!!!!!! #thingsididntknowcouldhappentomeatdisney #newfearunlocked #elanaexplores #disney #wdw #epcot #figment
Elana ultimately walked away unscathed but joked that she was “traumatized” in a comment.
“Sooooooo gross,” she added.
Commenters certainly didn’t envy Elana’s Disney Park experience.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that!” @disneyrayray said. “I still hold my breath at that part EVERY TIME!”
“I always get mad at the people that I see exiting the ride when they are stuck, but that would do it for me,” @johnking622 wrote.
“The self restraint was real,” Elana replied.
Many Walt Disney World Resort fans are upset by more than just a skunky smell on Journey Into Imagination With Figment. The ride is in its third iteration, with little left from its first two versions beyond Figment the Dragon and the attraction theme song, “One Little Spark.”
To drive more guests to the attraction, Walt Disney Imagineers promised that the new version would hold the spirit of the original Journey Into Imagination, centering on Figment, the purple dragon. Unfortunately, they removed a fan-favorite character: Dreamfinder.
While an improvement on the second reimagining, the most recent update disappointed most fans. Journey Into Imagination With Figment often boasts one of the lowest wait times in EPCOT and is hardly a priority for Lightning Lane reservations.
A petition to restore the original Journey Into Imagination has more than 700 signatures.
“[It’s] a far cry from the magic and wonder of the original,” the letter reads. “This attraction has been open for over a decade at this point, and with the Imagination Pavilion in EPCOT scheduled to get a MAJOR refurbishment, I think it’s high time Disney returns the attraction to [its] former glory.”
Have you ever been stuck on a ride at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.