I do wonder how they got ahold of it. If I know which seller is selling it, they tend to mostly deal with stuff from Disney directly, nothing crazy like this. Probably from someone's collection, but the question is whose...
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EPCOT Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment
- Thread starter Walrus from Paris
- Start date
DreamfinderGuy
Well-Known Member
This might just be some weird deja vu on my part (or there are a lot of figment heads out there) but hasn't this been kicked around through various auctions over the last few years? I feel like I've seen it change hands before, it must be cursed or something if so.
Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
Anyone have any photos of the contents of the Figment Little Golden Book??? Curious if it is a retelling of the original attraction...(as it should be).
pdude81
Well-Known Member
Amazon doesn't release it for 2 weeks, which I assume is the real publishing date. So probably not too many who could have gotten their hands on it yet. Here is the description they offer:
"Journey into Imagination with Figment, the purple dragon from Disney’s EPCOT theme park and mascot of Disney’s Imagination Pavilion. Featuring lyrics from the beloved Disney song “One Little Spark”, this adorable Little Golden Book about creativity and imagination is perfect for children ages 2 to 5 plus Disney Parks fans and Little Golden Book collectors of all ages."
Bocabear
Well-Known Member
So they have been kicking around the idea of Figment and Dreamfinder movie it seems for decades...while the ride languishes but the merchandise is still selling.... So while we wait for something of substance to happen with Figment they are actually plowing ahead with a live action Stitch remake? I wish they could stop graverobbing their old animation with lackluster live action remakes and do something fresh like a Figment Movie... At least it would be the first movie for this character that is already beloved.... Like they did with Pirates, I think it could be a hit.
Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
As soon as a movie gets released, Oriental Land Company will pay for multi million dollar Figment ride in Japan and we'll still get nothing lol.
Bocabear
Well-Known Member
I can see that happening...lol Sad but true....and at Tokyo Disneyland they would sell the heck out of the merchandise....and come up with much better then an annual Popcorn bucket.... It would have been fascinating to see what the OLC would have done if they built a mirror EPCOT park in Tokyo....and what it's condition would be today...
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
Part of the issue with a film is how simple Dreamfinder and Figment are as characters, especially Figment. He doesn't lend himself to deeper character development, nor should he. The simple joy of imagination is why he worked so well in his first incarnation. In the current ride, he has more depth - seems a bit older. And, it just doesn't work that well. I fear that's how any Figment story will go. It would be much better as a series of silly shorts, where Figment leads us through the ideas in the Dream Port. (I actually think that would work, but I'm not sure it would fly in today's world.) If it has the conflict and arc of a well done full-length film, I think it will ruin Figment even more.
Earlie the Pearlie
Well-Known Member
If they do what the comics did and give Dreamfinder the arc instead, that might work. And it can be another entry into the genre of "uptight guy discovers a CGI talking animal and is like 'whoa what are you' and then they go on an adventure and he learns to love" that way.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
The comic was more of a "Creative learns to become more self confident in himself with the help of the physical embodiment of his childhood optimism" story.
DreamfinderGuy
Well-Known Member
I think there's a ton of potential in fleshing out Dreamfinder more. You're introduced to him in the ride as this mysterious figure, and while he is explaining to you who he is (and furthermore while going through the Dreamport) it becomes more and more apparent that he has done many things "off-screen". He tells you what's relevant and your car is on your way, there's an endless supply of stories there to be told. Figment, he's simplistic because he's just been born. You're experiencing his character development throughout the ride. The current ride falls flat there not because Figment is now more established, but because his character is so different. He's not the curious child anymore, he's mischievous. If you develop Dreamfinder, that instantly leads to being able to develop Figment. At their core yes, you can distill Dreamfinder to the explorer/adventurer type and Figment as curious. You can give it depth or not, but either way it sounds like the easiest outline to a children's film known to man.
All of that mess said, I think you can absolutely make a low stakes silly movie without giving either character much development. Give them the same intro the ride did and send them off on an adventure to kill an hour. The Mario Movie earlier this year proved that you can throw a paper thin plot into a movie with great visuals and still return a slam dunk enjoyed by all ages. They could really go either way and get a good movie out it.
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
Still trying to figure out why Figment is just known as a "Latest Discovery" We all know who made him, why give Figment such a downgrade in who he is? What did they find him in a corner behind some boxes holding a Dreamfinder picture in tears....
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
Mickeyblog shows the inside of the book..And Huzzah! Dreamfinder is present! Plus a nice nod to the rainbow tunnel on the last page.
Pics from mickeyblog
Pics from mickeyblog
Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
Mickeyblog shows the inside of the book..And Huzzah! Dreamfinder is present! Plus a nice nod to the rainbow tunnel on the last page.
Pics from mickeyblog
SPECTACULAR.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
It has almost nothing to do with the current version and basically everything to do with the original. The bright, buzzing, dynamic version of the character in the original just "did it" for a lot of people. It may have helped that he was one of the most traditionally-Disney elements in the early days of EPCOT, while still being a new character for people to discover and imagine. I'm sure the catchy song helped people grab onto him too.
That said, not everything appeals to everybody - if he didn't endear himself to you in the original ride the character may simply not suit your tastes, which is fine.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the responss (and for not taking offense at the question)! I certainly don’t dislike the character, I guess I just didn’t connect like others have.
Yours is a very good explanation.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I've honestly never understood it either, even though I think the original was one of the best attractions they've built. I certainly like Figment, but he was never a major draw.
I've pointed out before that (at least for me) Figment really only works well with Dreamfinder (doesn't have to be Dreamfinder specifically; but any similar character). He feels like a complementary character -- a new Imagination attraction that heavily features Figment but doesn't include some Dreamfinder-like figure to help frame Figment will probably be a miss again, although it could still easily be better than what currently exists.
I'm guessing it's just a combination of being a small purple dragon and love for how good the original ride was, although the latter obviously doesn't apply to people who never rode the original.
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