EPCOT Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment

[Mickeynerd17]

Yep.

Brass finally tripping over his popularity likely saved the concept from total replacement. He'll be there. Channing won't. How else they walk the tightrope remains to be seen. Or not.

Took them long enough, but at least they finally see the potential.

Now it really is more a matter of when than if it will happen.

 

[Haymarket2008]

Hopefully Dreamfinder is there (or someone similar).

I don't think Figment really works without a Dreamfinder figure.

I think he definitely works as a character without Dreamfinder, the proof is in the pudding, BUT I do agree at the core of it. Both were designed in tandem and are yin/yang to the concept of Imagination.

I would be extremely disappointed if Dreamfinder doesn't make a triumphant return. And, frankly, I would be surprised if he didn't.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Both were designed in tandem and are yin/yang to the concept of Imagination

Exactly! A "figment" of the imagination needs someone to think it up!

 

[aladdin2007]

Yep.

Brass finally tripping over his popularity likely saved the concept from total replacement. He'll be there. Channing won't. How else they walk the tightrope remains to be seen. Or not.

its too bad a sponsor could not back into play,,,, would certainly help budget wise.

 

[flyerjab]

Yep.

Brass finally tripping over his popularity likely saved the concept from total replacement. He'll be there. Channing won't. How else they walk the tightrope remains to be seen. Or not.

I still don’t see why they wouldn’t bring back Dreamfinder. The diehards would lose their minds. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think he definitely works as a character without Dreamfinder, the proof is in the pudding, BUT I do agree at the core of it. Both were designed in tandem and are yin/yang to the concept of Imagination.

I would be extremely disappointed if Dreamfinder doesn't make a triumphant return. And, frankly, I would be surprised if he didn't.

I think he works as a character on his own in the abstract (merchandise, meet and greet, etc.) -- I just don't think he works well narratively, as would probably be needed for a good Imagination ride.

 

[zipadee999]

I think he works as a character on his own in the abstract (merchandise, meet and greet, etc.) -- I just don't think he works well narratively, as would probably be needed for a good Imagination ride.

Yeah, figment without dreamfinder is like Groot without Rocket or Sam without Ollie (America Sings reference). He was designed as a side character who is meant to be ‘learning’ alongside the rider while somebody else is a host who does all the talking (dreamfinder). Nigel Channing doesn’t work because Figment becomes the ‘teacher’ and Nigel learns about imagination. When figment is in the teacher role, he becomes loud and annoying, and what was once considered childlike wonder when Figment was in his original role is now played off as a bothersome nuisance.

The perfect character dynamic aside from the original JII to look at would be Henry Mystic and Albert.

 

[Bocabear]

Bring back Dreamfinder with a spectacular Kinetic Steampunk Dreamport...Something really amazing...a literal factory of Dreams... A new ride, a Walk-through attraction similar to the traveling Museum exhibits like the Van Gogh interactive... Everything grand and over the top and jaw-droppingly beautiful. They really do still have the talent to do it if they were allowed to develop it... Maybe even an attached "Imagineering Labs" preview center.... Bring the fun back....

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I think he works as a character on his own in the abstract (merchandise, meet and greet, etc.) -- I just don't think he works well narratively, as would probably be needed for a good Imagination ride.

I'm surprised they never went a Disney Jr route with him in the style of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse CG style..They could have called it "Figment's Dreamfinders" where Figment helps out people to release their Sparks of Inspiration to everyday things..

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Bring back Dreamfinder with a spectacular Kinetic Steampunk Dreamport...Something really amazing...a literal factory of Dreams... A new ride, a Walk-through attraction similar to the traveling Museum exhibits like the Van Gogh interactive... Everything grand and over the top and jaw-droppingly beautiful. They really do still have the talent to do it if they were allowed to develop it... Maybe even an attached "Imagineering Labs" preview center.... Bring the fun back....

I totally agree. And I think he has broader appeal than they were thinking. I was at Epcot with my friend and her kids (5 and 8). The favorite was GOTG. Second... Figment. Not because of the ride, but just because of him. Bringing back something like you're describing - and being a true love letter to the original - would be a win across the board.

(And I agree on Imagineering. I've said for awhile the "Bluesky Loft" on the second floor - being a preview center and replacement for the ImageWorks - could be a slam dunk. They could even enclose a bit of the garden to create a mezzanine and allow better access to all floors.)

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Don't they need to make the upstairs more fire safety compliant?

This gets brought up constantly, and I strongly believe it's nothing more than an urban legend. If it weren't safe up there it would not be open right now with even less exit points available than there were in 1982.

 

[Moth]

This gets brought up constantly, and I strongly believe it's nothing more than an urban legend. If it weren't safe up there it would not be open right now with even less exit points available than there were in 1982.

See, I realized this while typing the message and it's stuck with me the whole day. So weird that the rumor has stuck around for so long.

 

[pdude81]

This gets brought up constantly, and I strongly believe it's nothing more than an urban legend. If it weren't safe up there it would not be open right now with even less exit points available than there were in 1982.

It's much smaller up there now though. Maybe those 2 egress points are enough for 30 people upstairs with current fire code but not 300

 

[PizzaPlanet]

I've stayed quiet on this because there's not much of any noise on my end.

With that said, the boss keeps bragging about that giant bucket of money about to rain down from Burbank and internal players are acting accordingly. If the little scuttlebutt I've picked up on is indeed accurate, there could be a nice proposal on the table: New sets, new effects, new story, and a new neighbor. I would be shocked to see a ride layout change, but what's been discussed is a decided improvement and would keep most of us happy.

The new neighbor has to be an Inside Out 4D show right? It makes too much sense and that theater hasn’t had a real attraction in so long

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I'm surprised they never went a Disney Jr route with him in the style of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse CG style..They could have called it "Figment's Dreamfinders" where Figment helps out people to release their Sparks of Inspiration to everyday things..

The reason why I don’t like that idea.. of taking the modern Disney Junior approach (taking all the nuance, personality, humor, and genuine sincerity out of it in favor for something that falls completely flat in comparison & feels overly pandering/like it’s trying way too hard.. looking at you Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Funhouse and related works) is because if you read the original Dreamfinders show material from the 80s.. it says they were going for a modern “Our Gang” (which, for those of you that don’t know.. was another name for Little Rascals. And if you also don’t know, was a big inspiration on Peanuts. Meaning the show they had in mind actually was intelligent. ‘That’ would be the direction to take it if they decide to do a new show..
The moment you go strictly for little kids and don’t take older ages into consideration is the moment it becomes a short term venture rather than long term.. which actually hurts both future financial and good will. (See Barney & Friends and it’s over marketing for further proof of what I’m talking about regarding the problems with that approach in comparison to say the marketing of the Disney classic films & shorts through the years. The Barney/Play date with Pooh/Mickey Mouse Clubhouse approach is the last thing we’d ever want Dreamfinder & Figment to be associated with. Same goes for reputation.)

There’s a reason why, say, ‘The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’ worked a lot better than the recent “Playdate with Winnie the Pooh” and made a lasting impact on people. Same can be said for Mickey Mouse Works/House of Mouse or the shorts like Mickey & the Beanstalk/Prince and the Pauper/Mickey’s Christmas Carol, etc. in comparison to anything Clubhouse or Funhouse put out.

Another approach that would work well would be something like Gummi Bears or Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers.. aka: the “Disney Afternoon” approach.
Imagine a new Dreamfinder & Figment animated series written by the likes of Jymn Magon and the House of Mouse & New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh team. Something that’s sincere but with plenty of fun & humor regarding the further discoveries and adventures/journeys they make in the realm of imagination..
‘That’ may Infact be the best approach to take a new show I think. Who doesn’t love & have fond memories of those classic “Disney Afternoon” style shows? All written well and appealed to any age that watched it.
Interesting little fact for those of you that are deep in the know. There Infact was another approach with Mickey that has largely been lost to time lately (one that is “conveniently” ignored to (IMO) spread a false narrative surrounding more modern iterations of Mickey, seen in a certain documentary on Disney Plus recently that I’m not going to name…) but that I think captured a lot of the fun, humor, and nuance in Mickey media through the years, rooted more in the 40s/50s comic books in the style of those classic Disney afternoon shows. (Fitting since most of that staff originally came from Walt Disney Records) & Mickey Mystery Kit storybooks and tapes..
Interestingly enough.. that recent Figment Little Golden Book that came out recently. The one ‘everyone’ loves, due to the fact it’s essentially ‘the’ original 83-98 ride in Golden Book form. (It even includes the classic turntable/opening scene I ought to mention) That’s what these Talking Mickey Mouse & Mickey Mystery Kit storybook & tapes remind me of.. regarding the very tasteful approach to making new content with classic characters without being pandering or dumbing down or coming at the expense of what was originally there/came before… that’s the approach Dreamfinder & Figment media should be going after the attraction is fixed/restored back to it’s former glory w some tech & spfx enhancements, just my 2 cents on the matter…:

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

The reason why I don’t like that idea.. of taking the modern Disney Junior approach (taking all the nuance, personality, humor, and genuine sincerity out of it in favor for something that falls completely flat in comparison & feels overly pandering/like it’s trying way too hard.. looking at you Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Funhouse and related works) is because if you read the original Dreamfinders show material from the 80s.. it says they were going for a modern “Our Gang” (which, for those of you that don’t know.. was another name for Little Rascals. And if you also don’t know, was a big inspiration on Peanuts. Meaning the show they had in mind actually was intelligent. ‘That’ would be the direction to take it if they decide to do a new show..
The moment you go strictly for little kids and don’t take older ages into consideration is the moment it becomes a short term venture rather than long term.. which actually hurts both future financial and good will. (See Barney & Friends and it’s over marketing for further proof of what I’m talking about regarding the problems with that approach in comparison to say the marketing of the Disney classic films & shorts through the years. The Barney/Play date with Pooh/Mickey Mouse Clubhouse approach is the last thing we’d ever want Dreamfinder & Figment to be associated with. Same goes for reputation.)

There’s a reason why, say, ‘The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’ worked a lot better than the recent “Playdate with Winnie the Pooh” and made a lasting impact on people. Same can be said for Mickey Mouse Works/House of Mouse or the shorts like Mickey & the Beanstalk/Prince and the Pauper/Mickey’s Christmas Carol, etc. in comparison to anything Clubhouse or Funhouse put out.

Another approach that would work well would be something like Gummi Bears or Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers.. aka: the “Disney Afternoon” approach.
Imagine a new Dreamfinder & Figment animated series written by the likes of Jymn Magon and the House of Mouse & New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh team. Something that’s sincere but with plenty of fun & humor regarding the further discoveries and adventures/journeys they make in the realm of imagination..
‘That’ may Infact be the best approach to take a new show I think. Who doesn’t love & have fond memories of those classic “Disney Afternoon” style shows? All written well and appealed to any age that watched it.
Interesting little fact for those of you that are deep in the know. There Infact was another approach with Mickey that has largely been lost to time lately (one that is “conveniently” ignored to (IMO) spread a false narrative surrounding more modern iterations of Mickey, seen in a certain documentary on Disney Plus recently that I’m not going to name…) but that I think captured a lot of the fun, humor, and nuance in Mickey media through the years, rooted more in the 40s/50s comic books in the style of those classic Disney afternoon shows. (Fitting since most of that staff originally came from Walt Disney Records)
Gonna try to get these all archived & uploaded soon. and I’m going to be both covering/doing some interviews & archiving more info & behind the scenes stories surrounding this era and these works very soon. (Surrounding The Talking Mickey Mouse Show (a revolutionary for the time, audio-animatronic toy similar to Teddy Ruxpin (which.. btw, on the topic of Teddy, I helped provide some materials for a recent docuseries surrounding Ken Forsse, former Imagineer, and the team that created it, this is the same team that also created the costumes for Welcome to Pooh Corner. Great stuff if you want to check it out: ) & Mickey Mystery Kit storybooks and tapes.. possibly even Mickey Mouse Works & House of Mouse if I’m able to get the right contacts surrounding those) so keep watch on my YouTube account on that btw…
Interestingly enough.. that recent Figment Little Golden Book that came out recently. The one ‘everyone’ loves, due to the fact it’s essentially ‘the’ original 83-98 ride in Golden Book form. (It even includes the classic turntable/opening scene I ought to mention) That’s what these Talking Mickey Mouse & Mickey Mystery Kit storybook & tapes remind me of.. regarding the very tasteful approach to making new content with classic characters without being pandering or dumbing down or coming at the expense of what was originally there/came before… that’s the approach Dreamfinder & Figment media should be going after the attraction is fixed/restored back to it’s former glory w some tech & spfx enhancements, just my 2 cents on the matter…:

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So what is your thoughts if they took the route of the educational Figment Films?

I also noticed you never mentioned the other shows of Disney characters Welcome to Pooh Corner and Dumbo's Circus?

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

So what is your thoughts if they took the route of the educational Figment Films?

I also noticed you never mentioned the other shows of Disney characters Welcome to Pooh Corner and Dumbo's Circus?

Love Welcome to Pooh Corner & Dumbo’s Circus.
The Figment educational films.. even say Jiminy Cricket had those types of shorts back in the day, they’re okay and do what they’re meant to do, but I wouldn’t say they’re the ideal route to take going forward. They’re a fine side/spin off product but shouldn’t be the main route or main marketing tool they go for, for new content. Tbh, I feel somewhat similarly about Clubhouse.. it’s fine for what it’s intended for as a side project.. but not the main content/focus… or else it damages the overall reputation & quality of the character, which I’d argue Clubhouse absolutely has for Mickey in a lot of ways, due to the way it and the other Mickey media before then has been handled in regards to marketing and availability. Clubhouse being overly marketed and available, and the latter completely under-marketed/available sadly..

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

And in regards to Larry Nikolai.. he actually came up with various designs for Figment later on. Mainly a very early Figment costume design before the 04 or current ones we have now, a Disney & Kodak executive award that never got fully made.. ‘and’ also designs for the Figment Cafe, which I believe was a cafe in Glendale for the WED/WDI team at the time:

That’s just a small selection of stuff he did.. you can view his other work on his Instagram and Facebook page. Interestingly enough, going further on this connection. The Book “The Imagineering Workout”, utilized Larry Nikolai for all the illustrations of Figment in that ‘and’ Peggy Van Pelt, The author and editor of the book, was the very person that helped get the talent gathered for Ken’s company, Alchemy II when it was started in his garage. Funny stuff lol! Really is a “Small World after all”

 

[spock8113]

I've always liked Eric Idle, but this rendition of Journey Into Imagination has been.......awful.
Briefly cute and mildly amusing but a shadow of its former self.
I'm sure they have all the original plans, drawings and drafts. Please, bring it back so we can all move on.
The lines at this "attraction" speaks volumes of the popularity now and before.
When do they replace the skylight panels in Living With the Land? It looks like a 3rd world airport terminal!!!

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Like a lot of original EPCOT Center, the main point was really to inspire vs. educate or entertain (though all 3 were pillars). It was forward looking, not to get the future right. But, to get people hopeful and excited. That runs into problems with tech-focused pavilions like most of FWE. But, IMAG was different. As several people are saying, the goal with JII should be to inspire the kid in everyone. Believe it or not, even in our modern era, there are things that can almost universally delight and inspire people. Aiming toward the kid in everyone (not just the actual kids) is what needs to happen to make this successful. Disney gets that in a lot of WDW marketing.

Let the theater side be update over time. Make this a timeless story (as the original was). I hope this idea can translate into anything done for this attraction. It, again, could be an absolute home run if so. (And Tony's fingerprints should be all over it.)