The Original White Room in Journey Into Imagination

For those of us who remember the original incarnation of Journey Into Imagination, one of the most beloved scenes was the Art Room, or the White Room as many have come to call it. This was the first room you entered upon leaving the Dreamport, where the Dreamfinder and Figment emptied the Idea Bag from the Dreamcatcher mobile into the Imaginometer.

The room was colorful and filled with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos, and it was here that the Dreamfinder and Figment showed you how to use your imagination to make beautiful art pieces. We saw Figment standing in the middle of a contraption that “poured” Sun Rays, Molten Lava, and Gem Stones into a flowing river of color. The Dreamfinder, dressed in an artist’s smock, used a giant brush to paint a breathtaking mural. The fiber-optic tip of the Dreamfinder’s brush changed colors as he applied color to the enormous work of art. As he painted, the Dreamfinder entertained us with a new verse of “One Little Spark:”

Mix red and gold
From autumn flowers
Purple and blue
From twilight hours
Green summer hills
And rainbows play a part,
A painter’s brush, a work of art

But it was the next stop that took our collective breath away. upon leaving the Dreamport, you entered the Art room, or the White Room, as it is affectionately remembered. For many Guests, this was the highlight of the attraction, bringing to mind the final scene in “it’s a small world,” where all of the children from across the globe reassembled to give you one final sendoff. However, instead of their original native outfits, all the dolls were dressed in dazzling whites and pastel blues. Even the scenery was painted in pristine shades of pale aquas and cool grays.

The Art Room in Journey Into Imagination echoed that concept but took it to an entirely new and whimsical level. As you entered, your first encounter was with a charming carousel on your right, featuring a giant fish, a lion, an ostrich, a unicorn, and a camel. But instead of the cute Mary Blair-designed animals from “it’s a small world” (who can ever forget the blue hippo?), the creatures in this room resembled giant origami sculptures painstakingly crafted from pure white paper. Even the surrounding rocks, flowers, shrubs, and trees were white, all featuring stylish designs combining Art Deco shapes and natural patterns. The idea here was that this was a blank canvas, and by using your imagination, you could bring this canvas to life.

As you ventured further into the Art Room, the white forest began to transform. Spotlights of color emerged, turning the once-blank canvas into a vibrant, real-life painting. Figment, the mischievous purple dragon, appeared, wearing an artist’s beret and holding a gold pot. Remember when he mentioned using a rainbow to paint with? Well, he was true to his word. A vibrant rainbow spilled from the pot, bathing the scenery in a brilliant array of colors.

As you continued, the canvases slowly began to be fill in. Beautiful hues of blue, green, orange, yellow, and red transformed the white origami-like sculptures into colorful works of art, more breathtaking than anything you could imagine. (Or could you? That was the whole point of the attraction, after all!)

There was no dialog during this scene. Instead, you got to sit back and enjoy the beautifully crafted variations of “One Little Spark,” brought to life through a whimsical score. Before leaving, you passed a field of white paper flowers on your right, setting the stage for what was to come.