Premiering on October 1, 1982, as an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center, Magic Journeys was a 3-D film experience housed in the Magic Eye Theater of the Journey Into Imagination pavilion. Directed by Murray Lerner and featuring a hauntingly whimsical score by the Sherman Brothers, the film invited guests to see the world through the imaginative lens of childhood.
The preshow featured another Sherman Brothers tune, “Makin’ Memories,” which played in a slideshow-style presentation before guests entered the theater.
Magic Journeys was less narrative and more impressionistic, with scenes flowing like dreams:
- Children running through meadows and blowing dandelions
- Kites transforming into birds, fish, and Pegasus
- A carousel spinning around the moon
- Masks, witches, Olmec heads, and Sphinxes morphing into circus lions
- Acrobats, clowns, and magicians appearing in surreal transitions
- A descent through stars, returning to the meadow where the journey began
The film used cutting-edge 70mm 3-D technology, developed in partnership with Eastman Kodak, and relied heavily on optical illusions, slow dissolves, and ambient soundscapes to evoke wonder.
Magic Journeys closed at EPCOT in February 1986 to make way for Captain EO, the Michael Jackson-led sci-fi musical. But the film wasn’t done yet.
In December 1987, Magic Journeys reopened at the Fantasyland Theater in Magic Kingdom, replacing The Mickey Mouse Revue. It was paired with the 1953 3-D short Working for Peanuts, starring Donald Duck and Chip ‘n’ Dale.
This made Magic Journeys one of the only attractions to operate in multiple parks at Walt Disney World—a rare feat in Disney history.
Magic Journeys closed permanently in December 1993, making room for The Legend of the Lion King, which debuted in 1994. Though its run was quiet, the film remains a cult favorite among EPCOT purists and fans of early Disney experimental media.
Its legacy includes:
- A place on the 1991 Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, featuring both “Magic Journeys” and “Makin’ Memories”
- A nod in The Sherman Brothers Songbook
- Influence on later abstract attractions like Impressions de France and Reflections of China
Magic Journeys was never about thrills—it was about feeling, imagination, and the fleeting magic of childhood wonder.
The magic journey 3d film available to purchase?
If you’re asking about the video shown here on this page, it is a link to a YouTube video. You’d have to ask the person who owns that. :)
Hi !!! My mom was actually apart of the cast for magic journeys! She was the girl in the yellow dress and she read your article and absolutely loved it!! She recalls the whole experience as something she’ll never forgets and was happy to know this forgotten part of Disney is being brought back to light so thank you !!
That is so very special and such a wonderful “claim to fame!” Thanks for sharing it with us! We would love to hear any stories she has about the experience, and to add them to this page for others to enjoy! If she wouldn’t mind sharing, you can use the “Contact Us” link at the very bottom of the page to have her send them our way.
Hope you receive this and it’s not outdated or passed by.
As nostalgia sets in for anything Disney related, the question came up, ‘who were the kids in to he Magic Journeys’ short…just like historians traced who were kid actors and whatever became of them in films, I thoroughly enjoyed the kid actors- even just the main blond boy?
Wondering the typical…like Willy Wonka cast…did they ever go on to be grown actors or appear in anything since?
Many times not. But since this was an early memory from the 80’s, wonder who they were or why they were not credited, as I now have to dig to find the answer?
Thank you so much.
I don’t believe that the cast has ever been credited unfortunately. There is an IMDB page but no cast: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084291/fullcredits
Wow! I wanted to be the girl in the yellow dress. Such a beautiful, vivid piece of Disney magic that totally captivated me as a child. Even now, 40yrs later, it evokes unmatched nostalgia in my heart. Thanks for sharing!
My mom was in this short film and she played the girl with the long hair in the yellow dress !! She recalls so many positive memories from working on this film!! She thanks you for bringing light to this forgotten part of Disney!!
Believe it or not my best friend was the blonde little boy who starred in magic journeys he tells me that the reason why he won the role over 200 other children that showed up to audition was because he was the only child that knew how to ride a horse bareback his name is linden Todd cowden and he is from Merced California linden went on to become a championship rodeo roper I believe you won the world of championship in 1996 he appeared in a few other westerns but he mostly stuck to the rodeo circuit he tells me he had fond memories of making that Disney movie too