3. One Little Spark is a truly iconic song

If the Sherman Brothers' magnum opus, “There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” was the de facto theme song for Walt Disney, their Epcot creation, “One Little Spark,” is Walt Disney Imagineering's signature tune.

The lyrics to this particular earworm are as poignant as they are catchy: “One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation. Right at the start of everything that's new, one little spark lights up for you.”

In true Sherman Brothers fashion, they were able to craft a song that is simultaneously fun to listen to and inspirational to learn from. The song is essentially about the creative process – something every artist experiences. It touches on feeling blocked and unable to create. It speaks to the explosion of inspiration you can get when an idea finally does arrive. And, above all else, it captures the joy inherent with unleashing your imagination.

The song first made its debut in 1983, and 30 years later, it is still as charming and as resonant today: “Imagination, Imagination. A dream can be a dream come true with just one spark, from me and you.” It doesn't matter what the attraction is, as long as its playing this song, it can't be all that bad.

4. It has some wonderfully creative show sequences

Again, if Journey into Imagination with Figment were at, say, a Six Flags instead of Walt Disney World, its perception would be completely different. Standing on its own, removed from the context of its past and the incredible work of its designers, this attraction actually features some pretty fantastic show sequences.

It starts slowly, with fairly reductive and simple effects featuring in the “Sound Lab,” “Sight Lab,” and “Smell Lab.” But, from there, the attraction really spreads its wings and very nearly gets off the ground.

Figment's open house, an elaborate set featuring an upside-down house, is absolutely magnificent to explore with the eye. Yes, its colors are a bit garish and obvious, but the detail and creativity on display are praiseworthy.

From there, guests are treated to a startling explosion effect that reveals an amazing Figment-themed tableau using old animatronics from the original ride. It doesn't entirely make a ton of sense in terms of the story, but visually, it's hard to beat – and it really brings home the idea of Figment representing creativity and imagination itself.

And, lastly, as guests prepare to disembark from their ride vehicles, they pull into a darkened unload station with an absolutely gorgeous constellation lighting effect. It's a beautiful look, and when the lights come on and transport you back to the dreary Imagination Institute, it's hard not to get a dreamlike feeling from it.

These ending scenes are really too little, too late to save the attraction entirely, but they're creative and inviting enough in their own right that the scorn heaped on the ride isn't really fair.

5. It (ostensibly) encourages imagination

As much as we may want it to be, Journey into Imagination with Figment will never be as good as the original ride. However, both versions of the attraction serve a very important function in Epcot – they tie the larger themes of the entire park together.

Yes, technology is great – it can connect the world digitally (over the internet) and in person (via automobiles, energy, and even spacecraft) – but, what brings about this technology has always been and will always be imagination. At first glance, the idea of there being a pavilion celebrating the concept of imagination at a park geared around technology and science is confusing, until you realize that those things are really only the result of mankind's irrepressible need to imagine and create. The original attraction drove this point home clearly and, to a lesser degree, the current one does too.

Without imagination, none of the rest of Epcot functions. Without a moment of inspiration, we don't get the car, the phone, the greenhouse, or the spacecraft. To paraphrase the great Ellen DeGeneres, without imagination, we'd be left in the dark, wouldn't we?

Thankfully, we aren't left in the dark. We've got One Little Spark to help light the way – who cares if it isn't quite as bright as it was before?

You can learn the full story behind Journey Into Imagination by reading our in-depth retrospective.