EPCOT Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment

[muddyrivers]

The current Figment/Dreamfinder concept will not return. It's fine for coffee cups, T-shirts, meet and greets and other nostalgic kitsch. However the fan base is getting ancient and Disney needs to focus upon more modern and inspiring ideas and notions. It was wonderful in its day, but its day is long ago and far away. There might still be some hope for diehard fans.

Twenty years ago Disney made that horrible Haunted Mansion movie with Eddie Murphy. It was a total failure. But now Disney is going to release another Haunted Mansion movie in 2023. It just goes to show that Disney will try again even if a concept such as Figment and Dreamfinder is a failure. They might decided to make a Figment/Dreamfinder movie and bring the whole thing back to life.

I don't agree with the logic of "Disney needs to focus upon more modern and inspiring ideas and notions." Imagination (the concept, not the ride itself) is a timeless idea that has empowered all of us since we were children. Games you played outside with friends? Thought up due to your imagination. Pretending you were an astronaut sitting in your mom's laundry basket? You used your imagination.

It's important to continue inspiring today's children and remind today's adults about the power and importance of using your imagination as many amazing things would never have come to fruition had someone not dared to imagine. The question really is more how to best present this to today's audience where everyone is constantly using a digital device and parents shove a screen in front of their kids? And that's the challenge for Disney's Imagineers.

 

[pdude81]

The Muppet Theater blows up...

Or are you referring to the point where it shrank and the theater shakes around?

I honestly don't remember what caused it, but by the end of the short film the stage looked like it had been destroyed. I thought it was just a bunch of projections until I took the glasses off. Seemed reminiscent of the way they tweak the wall in MMRR before you enter. I believe this was the Mickey short

 

[castlecake2.0]

I don't agree with the logic of "Disney needs to focus upon more modern and inspiring ideas and notions." Imagination (the concept, not the ride itself) is a timeless idea that has empowered all of us since we were children. Games you played outside with friends? Thought up due to your imagination. Pretending you were an astronaut sitting in your mom's laundry basket? You used your imagination.

It's important to continue inspiring today's children and remind today's adults about the power and importance of using your imagination as many amazing things would never have come to fruition had someone not dared to imagine. The question really is more how to best present this to today's audience where everyone is constantly using a digital device and parents shove a screen in front of their kids? And that's the challenge for Disney's Imagineers.

I think of the imagineers daily at work while I watch children and adults at the world’s premier themed entertainment destination walk around with a screen in their face. Why did you come here? It’s really sad actually. I started working here before smart phones existed, it was a much simpler time.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

I think of the imagineers daily at work while I watch children and adults at the world’s premier themed entertainment destination walk around with a screen in their face. Why did you come here? It’s really sad actually. I started working here before smart phones existed, it was a much simpler time.

This is why the park experience should not be based solely on the phone (genie+ among other things). People don't take the time to look around at the physical wonders around them enough.

If you've paid a boatload to be there, why not actually experience it? The phone can wait at home.

 

[Hollywood 1939]

 

[DCLcruiser]

That could be cool. Figment running around in different scenes. Almost like a modern day Ghost Ballroom.

 

[danheaton]

The one silver lining with this announcement is that it doesn't slam the door on changes to the attraction. I had goose bumps for a minute when I saw the pavilion on the screen, so it did feel like a bit of a cheat. My hope (which is likely too optimistic) is that this is step one of a larger overhaul of Imagination. I just wish they had more of a sense of urgency overall about the parks.

 

[trainplane3]

Neat idea. But just plastering more Figment in the existing attraction won't help. There's really no good "bones" to the attraction anymore.

The one silver lining with this announcement is that it doesn't slam the door on changes to the attraction. I had goose bumps for a minute when I saw the pavilion on the screen, so it did feel like a bit of a cheat. My hope (which is likely too optimistic) is that this is step one of a larger overhaul of Imagination. I just wish they had more of a sense of urgency overall about the parks.

That. Same.

 

[danheaton]

Neat idea. But just plastering more Figment in the existing attraction won't help. There's really no good "bones" to the attraction anymore.

That. Same.

Cool. I'm trying to stay optimistic they'll do what's needed and just will delay it more than we'd like. That's better than the alternatives of doing nothing or replacing it with a bad fit.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

For those of us without Twitter who can't view the post:

That is undeniably the shape of the JII vehicles. Compare below.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

For those of us without Twitter who can't view the post:

View attachment 667388

That is undeniably the shape of the JII vehicles. Compare below.

View attachment 667389

Sounds like they want to take the 3d tech that the Nintendo 3DS introduced and take it to bigger screens...

 

[FigmentJedi]

Could have something to do with the VR Figment concepts from "One Day at Disney"

 

[Rodj]

Could have something to do with the VR Figment concepts from "One Day at Disney"

I thought that had to do with the Play! Pavilion?

 

[DoleWhipDrea]

Could have something to do with the VR Figment concepts from "One Day at Disney"

I thought that had to do with the Play! Pavilion?

That was the original plan, but with PLAY! on the backburner, perhaps plans have morphed.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

MCO's twitter feed posted this..

 

[Mickeynerd17]

MCO's twitter feed posted this..

MCO knows how to be classy.

 

[Rodj]

The Figment AA at the Touch & Taste labs dock has gone completely motionless. The only motion I could observe was the minimal left & right movement from the legs or lower torso:

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

The current ride feels like it's trying to reanimate a dead corpse

 

[FigmentFan82]

Seems like they're taking the Splash Mountain approach - "We know we're changing this ride at some point, let's just save our maintenance pennies and put it toward the new attraction. It's all getting ripped out anyway!"

 

[danheaton]

Yeah, it even looked pretty rough in March. It seems weird to complain about this, but the smell wasn't working either. I had a similar vibe with Spaceship Earth, but Imagination was in worse shape.