Figment Feature Film Being Made by Seth Rogen
Disney is working on a film featuring the character Figment with Seth Rogen, per writers working on the project. That’s right, Figment. The fan favorite from Journey into Imagination at EPCOT. This post covers the attraction adaptation, the latest in a line of movies based on Walt Disney World rides.
The Figment feature hails from Seth Rogen’s Point Grey, an independent film and television production company that he co-founded with his producing partner, Evan Goldberg. Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, who previously worked on Pokémon Detective Pikachu, are set to write the Figment film (which they have confirmed via social media).
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver have released various TV and film projects under their Point Grey banner. These include Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, Amazon’s The Boys and The Boys Presents: Diabolical. On the feature front, they’ve done 50/50, The Neighbors, The Night Before, Blockers, Long Shot, This Is The End, The Interview, The Disaster Artist, and An American Pickle.
Point Grey Productions currently has Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Where’s Waldo, Black and White, The Something, and a full slite of other films in production in 2023 and beyond.
The writing team of Hernandez and Samit penned 2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu, 2021’s The Addams Family 2, and created the upcoming Hulu animated series Koala Man, premiering in 2023. Their other notable credits include Apple’s Central Park, The Tick for Amazon, and One Day at a Time.
In terms of commentary, I feel like I have a somewhat unique perspective here and one that probably won’t be shared by many others. It probably goes without saying to anyone who has read this blog for over a month, but I’m a diehard Figment fan.
Figment is my favorite Disney character. Always will be. Not because of the current attraction or his personality today, but because of what he was in the original Journey into Imagination in the 1980s through mid-1990s. He was whimsical and inquisitive, funny and endearing.
Figment embodied the best things about childhood curiosity, and resonated deeply with adults who saw a little bit of their kids in Figment (or vice versa), and both kids and adults who saw a little of themselves in the character.
The reason for the original Figment’s success is profoundly simple: he showed us all the best of ourselves.
That’s written in the past tense because the current character is not that version of Figment. Despite this, many longtime fans–myself included–still hold out hope that the “real” Figment will return. This is a testament to the indelible mark that character left, being formidable in so many childhood visits to Walt Disney World.
It’s also a testament to how formative Figment was to our imaginations–it requires a vivid one to think the current company might actually bring back Figment, Dreamfinder, and a worthwhile Journey into Imagination.
My obsession with all things Journey into Imagination, Figment and Dreamfinder have been well-documented on this blog. You might even say that the original EPCOT Center attraction and these characters were my one little spark into Disney fandom.
The now-defunct FigmentsImagination.com (available here via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine) was my first foray into the online Disney community. Back in the late 1990s, I regularly participated in that site’s social side while I was still just a dorky high schooler.
As a dorky adult, I scoured eBay and grew a formidable Figment collection after Sarah and I first returned together to Walt Disney World. A few years later, I had the good fortune of meeting Tony Baxter and briefly discuss the original pavilion with him.
Later that same trip, I had the near out of body experience of seeing Dreamfinder, Figment, and Richard Sherman perform “One Little Spark.” In fact, this is all so significant to me that Figment and Dreamfinder made my Top 10 Disney Experiences (So Far) List twice.
However, that’s not why my perspective here is unique.
There are undoubtedly thousands of Walt Disney World fans my age who have similar Figment fandom bona fides. (When I see the art, clothing, or puppets other Figment fans create, I definitely feel ‘creatively inferior’ to others. But again, it’s a testament to the original Journey into Imagination and how it shaped people my age.)
Where I differ, presumably, is in being a huge fan of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
I’m going to go out on a limb and assume there’s not a tremendous amount of crossover between Walt Disney World fans and Sausage Party. (For what it’s worth, I don’t actually like that movie–way too much hype and reliance on shock value–it’s just the most ‘extreme’ example that comes to mind. It’s also the type of humor those who are critical of Rogen would cite as why he shouldn’t be attached to a Figment project.)
Still, I think Rogen’s movies are mostly really well done. I’m not sure I’ve laughed at anything as hard as the main “McLovin” scene in Superbad. One of our Christmas traditions is a viewing of The Night Before. From start to finish, The Disaster Artist is probably one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in the last decade.
I also think Rogen and Goldberg have a decent amount of range. 50/50 is a tender and nuanced rumination on the impacts of cancer, and how the people it touches cope. Long Shot is an underrated political comedy. There are scenes in other movies that demonstrate they’re not one-note filmmakers.
With all of that said, the body of their work is certainly cause for concern. I’d be lying if I said that my initial reaction to this news about a Seth Rogen-helmed Figment film was positive, or even one of cautious optimism. That’s definitely not the case. I think there’s a higher probability that the movie disappoints rather than that it delivers.
For Figment fans, there’s just a lot that needs to go right. Rogen and the writers need to “get” Figment. The project needs a sufficiently healthy budget to render Figment. The character model and voice both need to hit the mark. Imagineering needs to be involved, but without Disney executives meddling too much in the creative process.
Even as a fan of Rogen and co., I will readily admit that they’ve had plenty of duds. Disney also has plenty of phoned-in, unambitious adaptations in the last decade.
My concern is that this will be one, especially since the Figment character doesn’t naturally lend himself to Rogen’s brand of comedy and given that Disney is likely looking for a certain formula of film for its Disney+ service. (Given that Figment has relatively low name recognition outside the Walt Disney World fandom, it’s a safe bet that this is a Disney+ project, rather than a theatrical release.)
Speaking of which, Figment’s low name recognition is actually what makes it a surprise that a name as big as Seth Rogen is attached to this. While it may seem like Figment is on par with Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean, that’s only inside the ‘bubble’ of Disney fandom. Those attractions are in the cultural zeitgeist and have been for ~50 years.
Those rides also exist in California, within a short drive from Los Angeles. Many in Hollywood grew up taking their kids to Disneyland; by contrast, I wouldn’t be surprised if most executives in Burbank have never even heard the name “Figment.” (Just watch for all of the mainstream articles about this movie that dub him a dinosaur!) Simply and bluntly, EPCOT Center originals don’t have the same cachet as Disneyland ones.
On the plus side, Figment has seen a recent resurgence and will further benefit from this movie (if it’s good and/or performs well).
Recently, we’ve mentioned the Figment popcorn bucket sold at this year’s EPCOT Festival of the Arts. That proved that Figment still has serious popularity, drawing power, and merchandising potential. That garnered so much media attention that it caused Disney executives to take note. This could be one of the fruits of that, along with the meet & greet that’s coming by late 2023. (This movie might just explain why that’s taking so long, too…)
With that said, I’m not allowing myself to get too excited for this Figment film. In playing out potentialities, it seems to me like the likelihood of disappointment (creatively or commercially) outweighs the likelihood of something positive.
Granted, we know absolutely nothing about the Figment film other than that it’s in development (maybe?), but this just feels like the type of project that will involve too many compromises, and conflicting visions and approaches. This has ‘vanilla viewing’ streamer written all over it. The kind of thing you watch once and is fine, but totally forgettable. And that’s probably the best case scenario.
More than anything, I want my knee-jerk reaction to be wrong. Perhaps it’s simply a defense mechanism I’ve developed over years of disappointment when it comes to Figment, Dreamfinder, and Journey into Imagination “rumors.” I’m almost numb to this news, and don’t want to get my hopes up about something that may not even come to fruition–and may underwhelm if it does.
The part of me that still has that sense of optimism wonders about the genesis of this project. Seth Rogen, of all people, coming to be attached to a Figment film probably is not be accident or coincidence. It’s not like anyone at Disney thought he’d be the perfect fit and pitched him on it. He’s also a relatively big name to be attached to what might otherwise be a smaller project.
Even though Figment hasn’t made the same mainstream impact as the aforementioned attractions, it’s also no secret that Figment has fans in unexpected places. Most notably, there are the South Park “Imaginationland” episodes. Figment also has fans high up at Pixar, although that’s far more expected.
It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if Seth Rogen (age 40) visited EPCOT Center as a child, and the character left the same indelible mark on him as it did so many others. If the D23 Expo has taught us anything, it’s that there are a lot of hardcore parks fans in Hollywood. Perhaps this is a pet project for Rogen, and one he intimately understands and wants to get right.
There’s also the fact that the writers of Detective Pikachu are attached.
In fairness, I’m completely clueless when it comes to Pokemon, but I thought that movie was really well done. Probably better than it had any right to be, with most of the same potential pitfalls as this Figment film. Yet, it managed to avoid all of them. If that’s a template of sorts for this Figment movie…maybe it’ll be a pleasant surprise? I don’t know–I’m just thinking out loud, at this point.
Even all of that wouldn’t be a guarantee that the Figment movie will be a creative success–or that it’ll result in positive changes to the Journey into Imagination pavilion.
Kevin Feige is a huge Walt Disney World and old school EPCOT Center fan, and yet, Marvel’s hit-to-miss ratio in the parks is not so hot. When it comes to anything Disney, there are a lot of chefs in the kitchen. There are also some odd metrics for success. Perhaps the only in-park tie-in for this Figment film will be a studio-sponsored character appearing in Avengers Campus for 2 weeks.
Ultimately, if this Figment film is good and ends up being a commercial success, it could reinvigorate Journey into Imagination as an actual IP attraction. Thus far, nothing has convinced Disney to invest money in the tired version of the ride, which has been rumored for reimagining for over a decade.
Maybe Seth Rogen’s Figment project will be what finally moves the needle on a much-needed attraction overhaul. One way or another, the current incarnation of Journey into Imagination is on life support. It’s not popular with guests, doesn’t score well in satisfaction surveys, and is long overdue for a reimagining.
There’s an Inside Out sequel on the horizon, and that’s another property that is rumored to be in the running take over the Imagination pavilion. While I’d like to think that old school Figment is a strong enough brand or park IP to justify investment, I’m skeptical that executives agree with that assessment.
Given that, a big part of me is willing to roll the dice on Rogen’s version of the character as I like Figment’s chances against Inside Out if he has a successful movie on his side. Who knows–this could end up being that one little spark that saves/reinvents Figment for future generations.
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Your Thoughts
What do you expect from a Figment film by Seth Rogen? What would you like to see happen with Journey into Imagination in an ideal world? Are you excited? Skeptical? A little of both? Any other thoughts, insights, etc? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
My the hopes for new Figment movie:
1. a fun, whimsical, catchy, original, a Sherman Brothers-style soundtrack.
2. Figment’s voice is a professional voice actor similar to Bill Barty, Corey Burton, or David Goelz, not some random celebrity.
3. Elements from the original Journey attraction
4. Easter eggs related to EPCOT Center
5. Little to no celebrity cameos or references to current fads.
If they refurbished Journey, I hope it is similar to the original version. Instead, I would stick with the current Journey rather than an Inside Out redo with little or no Figment.
I’m excited that Figment is getting attention. I hope that it ends up being awesome and wonderful but I’m just grateful that someone is keeping the “spark” going.
As far I can tell, its Rogan’s production company, not Rogan himself confirmed to be working on this. He might be hands off, but who knows, but casting himself as Dreamfinder would be a big no-no.
I think an really cool concept for a new Journey Into Imagination would be an Inside Out story where Figment becomes the new Bing Bong. Perhaps a visit to Epcot sparks Riley’s imagination again and that’s what starts the journey and we get to see Figment along with the Inside Out characters? Idk, I’m just hoping for anything at this point.
I couldn’t agree more with your opinion on the original Figment versus the current reincarnation. The original was formative to my childhood and my heart aches every time my kids and I visit the park. I lament about “how it was when I was a kid” versus the feeling my kids have never had that experience, having only experienced the truly disappointing current state. My kids do still currently enjoy Figment and play along with me when I carry on about how the current version is so horrible and they will likely love to see a movie starring him but I worry like you that it could ruin him forever if not done right.
So this article prompted me to dig a little deeper about Journey into Imagination ride. When you have written about Figment I remember him, but I only went to Disneyworld once in 1991 so I don’t have as many memories. I watched two youtube videos about the ride changes and it was fascinating to hear all about how Kodak’s lack of money is basically the reason the redo was so terrible. I also had no idea that the ride used to be so long with the feature round section and they just cut so much of the ride out of it! I never saw the “journey into YOUR imagination” version, but it does seem truly terrible. For reference I watched the Defunctland and Yesterworld videos about the ride.
I agree about cautious optimism as I do love certain Seth Rogen films and anything that brings Figment forefront is good in my mind.
I may be biased, but I’ll trust the folks who made An American Pickle to make an entertaining Figment movie. Even if that’s one of the films Tom thought was too self-indulgent (not saying it was, but I’d understand feeling that way), it’s done in such a way that I think would work for a certain kind of Figment movie.
Stupid HBO Max. They pulled it off the service.
“Stupid HBO Max. They pulled it off the service.”
In Warners’ defense, at least they’re putting great streaming content onto HBO Max in the first place. That’s a lot more than can be said about most other streamers! 😉
I wish they would take the money invested in this movie and use it toward updating the journey into imagination attraction. The premise of the attraction leaves room for the most creative minds in imagineering to create a family friendly ride that is absolutely astounding. It could be imagineering’s flagship showcase attraction. Instead EPCOT continues to become dismantled further into a state of blah shopping mall and food court.
If we’re going to reallocate money from one division to another, I’d love to less money dumped into throwaway content on Disney+ and instead invested in the parks. The Hallmark-caliber movies and series would be prime candidates, but personally, I also don’t think there need to be so many Marvel or Star Wars shows. It has become exhausting (Marvel especially–what normal person can keep track of all this multiverse stuff?!).
Figment could get both a movie and a new attraction. I would’ve preferred an educational series for Figment, but if this works (huge if), it’ll be even bigger.
**Maybe** this will help to drum up enough hype so that a re-do of the figment ride could finally happen!
Yeah- I can’t keep up with all the marvel stuff. I used to really enjoy the movies but there’s just too much content now for someone without an usually large amount of free time. I watched the first episode of she hulk and I was like yeah, life is too short to be watching this kind of content. I think their streaming strategy is going to backfire on them by cheapening the brand and millions canceling subscriptions when they are forced to raise prices higher and higher.
As soon as I saw the title of this post I was dreading it (Seth Rogen and Disney — really???), but I’m very much encouraged knowing the writers of Detective Pikachu are at the helm. I’m a little too old for both Figment and Pokemon, but I thought the Pikachu movie was adorable. If that’s the direction they’re taking, I would think Figment is in good hands.
And your choice and placement of photos in the post was hysterical — I think I can guess at some of the 1,000 words a few of those were meant to cover!
If this turns out similar to Detective Pikachu, it’ll be a huge win. That movie is better than it had any right to be.
I don’t know how hardcore Pokemon fans reacted to it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was met with more criticism. The same will happen here, as it’ll never comport with expectations or preconceived notions of diehard Figment fans. Even if it’s an excellent movie, some will complain.
I’m already starting to warm to the idea more. Hollywood is getting better with its adaptations–everything from the Last of Us series at HBO to Haunted Mansion at Disney look really good. (Sonic isn’t my jam, but those movies seem to do well, too.)
Sorry, When I seen Seth Rogan and Figment in the same sentence, I have immediately checked out. What corporate hack looked and sausage party and Santa’s inc and said, yea this is the guy we want to film Figment. Can not wait to see the garbage and how this turn this into a not for children, children’s movie. They should of given this to the people who created Soul, or Moana. I miss Walt Disney.
How can it be that nobody has commented yet on Teen Tom’s incredible first online effort back in the 90s, http://www.figmentsimagination.com? (accessible via wayback machine link up above). That is an absolutely amazing (and hilariously cute) example of the dawn of internet fandom. Made me smile a mile wide. Thanks for sharing it, Tom. I’m a professor of digital marketing, and am going to use that in my class for sure!
Just to clarify, I participated on that site–I didn’t create it.
I don’t even know how you’d characterize my involvement in modern internet language–basically a forum, I guess.
I mostly agree, Tom, with your representation of Seth Rogen’s films. I’m still cringing from the fear of an odd-couple, bro-comedy based on the current irritating and destruction-bent iteration of Figment. Whether or not this happens, and whether or not the movie happens to disappoint, this news feels like the death knell for my hopes of a comic-book inspired Imagination film, opening with Dreamfinder at the Academy Scientific Lucida. I’ll be hoping, rather than expecting that the movie will pull off something special.
You’re not alone. I’ll watch anything that Rogen does, but I’m still skeptical that he’s the right fit for Figment.
I’m not so close-minded that I won’t allow for the possibility that he and the writing team have a great idea in mind and will do justice to the character…I’m just skeptical.
I think the ship sailed on a comic book adaptation long ago. The next JII redo isn’t this or that…it’s probably this or Inside Out. (With the third possibility being something totally random that doesn’t make any sense at all and would be a perfect fit for some other land/pavilion, but is shoehorned into the Imagination pavilion for some reason.)
Make Figment an official film IP and today’s Disney management can finally justify a Figment attraction at EPCOT.
Any post that references the South Park Imaginationland trilogy (certainly inspired by EPCOT experiences, and one of the most genius works of comedic/satiric art of the past 20 years) gets a hearty endorsement from me. But Tom, did you ever stop and wonder whether Harmonious was secretly created to fulfill the mission of Project Imagination Doorway? Chilling…
https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Project_Imagination_Doorway
Oh man…now I am KICKING MYSELF over not referring to the Stargate as the Project Imagination Doorway instead. Talk about a colossal missed opportunity.
Sure, only ~7 readers would get the reference, but what is this blog if not a repository of obscure pop culture references?!?!?!
I love Figment and all other 80’s/early 90’s WDW rides and merchandise. I guess the older I get, the more nostalgic I become. Rogen’s films are hit or miss.. I’m a little apprehensive that this could be really silly or it could be really something creative and interesting. It’s an odd choice to become a film to me in the first place, but I do see some potential. I guess we will all just have to wait and see!
If this movie is an excuse to “reimagine” Journey into Imagination into something closer into its original form, possibly with an animatronic Seth Rogan as the Dreamfinder, then I’m for it, and may even get a Disney+ subscription just to watch the movie and help the cause.
Love Monty Python. Loved the old Figment ride. Was super disappointed in the new and latest version. I’ll be generous and leave it at it’s not very good.
What are we really talking about when we discuss a Figment movie?
Pirates of the Caribbean was a great ride but when I heard they were making a movie based on it I had grave doubts. The casting of Depp turned out to be brilliant. When he shows up in the crows nest of a sinking ship cruising into port and walks off onto the pier you just knew this was going to be special. The movie was terrific and when you went to WDW to visit the ride there was no disappointment.
If Figment turns out to be a wonderful film, when people visit EPCOT they will be let down and unhappy about waiting in “that” line so Disney had best be working on improving the ride.
A good movie doesn’t help a bad ride anymore than a bad movie hurts a good ride; point in case Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror.
Improving the ride is a win win.
The most important connection between the movie and the ride is that the character of Figment has got to be the same for both and I agree with Tom that the 1990 Figment is superior to the latest Figment.
Meantime prayers to all of you in Florida.
The critical difference between those movie projects and this is that Journey into Imagination is, essentially, on life support and those rides were/are iconic. The rumors around its reimagining aren’t baseless–had Frozen not been a smash hit, we would already have a new version of the attraction. The current version underperforms and is ripe for replacement.
While I’d like to think that Figment is a strong enough “park IP” to justify restoring the attraction to its former glory with a version centered around him, I’m not completely confident that Disney executives feel that way–even given Figment’s “success” in selling merchandise and popcorn buckets.
Not to be dramatic of overemphasize the stakes, but I think we’ll either end up with Inside Out or Figment (film form) as the next incarnation of Journey into Imagination–with it coming down to whether this movie meets or exceeds expectations.
I truly thought my husband and I were the only ones who adored the original Figment! We were so heartbroken when we returned to find that everything had changed. I do hold out hope for the movie.
I get your apprehension BUT I was also nervous about Jason Segel and the Muppets. That was easily my favorite Muppet-related project since Christmas Carol. Until the Mansion special, of course.
Jason Segel is a huge Muppets fan who really pushed to get that movie made.
If the story is the same here–and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it is–and we start hearing from Rogen about his fondness for Figment, I will immediately revise my position to one of ‘cautious optimism.’
No matter what people might think of Rogen’s creative output, he and Evan are tremendously talented and have the ability to pull this off. However, that requires them “getting” the character, Disney not meddling, there being a decent-enough budget, good character model for Figment, and more. There’s a lot that needs to go right…not much margin for error.
Ha! My first thought was Sausage Party, too (or any of his other movies that play out ok, and then combust at some point).
BUT, I also think he might be just the right age to get it right.
****fingers crossed****
All of their movies that disappoint do so because they go off the rails or become self-indulgent at some point. Sometimes it feels like they need a better check against their own worst impulses.
On the optimistic side, that’s the kind of thing Disney and its brand-management are really good at doing–providing guide rails.