Figment Meet & Greet Coming to EPCOT!
Figment is returning to EPCOT and will have a new meet & greet for a limited time. In this post, we’ll share everything we know, plus some commentary and a look at the last time Figzilla appeared in the park near Journey into Imagination.
This announcement was made during the “A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experiences and Products” presentation at D23 Expo 2022. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared the news during a brief segment about the future of the new neighborhoods at EPCOT.
As long time readers no doubt know, 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.
My obsession with all things Journey into Imagination, Figment and Dreamfinder have been well-documented on this blog. In a matter of speaking, this 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 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.
While this news is not nearly as exciting as Journey into Imagination 3.0 would be (a perpetual entry in my D23 Expo Wishlist for Walt Disney World), it’s still an exciting announcement. It was says to me that Walt Disney World hasn’t forgotten about Figment.
My sincere hope is that this meet & greet line is perpetually the longest at Walt Disney World, similar to the 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.
I’m not naive enough to think that one little popcorn bucket–or even a meet & greet–means a new Journey into Imagination will be greenlit imminently (I’ve gotten my hopes up for nothing too many times in the past), but it’s certainly a positive for the longevity of the character and his future prospects.
As for the Figment meet & greet, here’s a look at us when we were many moons younger. This costumed character was fondly known as Figzilla, but disappeared before the character’s current rise in popularity.
Our guess is that the “limited time” Figment character that will meet & greet guests in EPCOT is very similar. Perhaps a bit smaller in statue to avoid the comparisons to Godzilla, but it’s unlikely he’s accompanied by Dreamfinder. We would love to be wrong about that one, though!
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Your Thoughts
What do you expect from the return of Figment’s meet & greet character to EPCOT? 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!
Figment is also my favorite. I need all the updates!
i wonder why “limited time” and not a more permanent schedule? the demand is obviously there. then again, the demand is there for a total ride overhaul to the original ride, yet they do nothing…
i also have the early 90s photo of meeting Dreamfinder and puppet Figment and even have an autograph.
Our kids so loved EPCOT Center’s Journey Into Imagination pavilion back in the ’80s. Dreamfinder and Figment out front, the Journey Into Imagination ride, Magic Journeys and especially the upstairs Image Works. The Rainbow Corridor, School of Drama, the Sensor, the Magic Palette, the Lightwriter, Stepping Tones and so much more. What I wouldn’t give for my seven grandchildren to experience Journey Into Imagination. EPCOT Center, and in particular Future World, was the most incredible man-made wonder I had ever seen. Be it Epcot ’94, Epcot ’95, Epcot or now EPCOT, none of them have been able to capture the inspiration that was the essence of EPCOT Center.
I’m glad that there’s will be a worthwhile attraction with Figment, even if it is for a limited time only.
Journey into Imagination version 2 is mostly about how terrible Journey into Your Imagination was. It truly was bad enough to justify it’s lifespan of two years and one week, which must make it the “Light Magic” of dark rides. I admit, I thought it was cute when it opened, glad they replaced JIYI, and figuring that they’d have to update it within the next decade.
Over twenty years later, there’s no way a meta-joke about a ride that lasted less than a tenth as long as the current one is worth keeping in it’s current form. Even a light Disneyland-esque update would be worth doing, just to tweak it in a better direction. Keep the Figment meet and greet at least long enough for that and to add/update more interactive exhibits to ImageWorks.
I am hoping it will be around Figment’s birthday!!!! There is nothing else that could ever be better than that!!!! ❤❤❤❤
It is encouraging to see a continuing Figment presence in the parks. The wasted potential of the current Figment attraction is always a disheartening. Of all things, an attraction about the joy and wonder of imagination and the whimsy of reliving childhood-level imagination should be a home run at a Disney park and especially in Epcot. The Imagineers could do Figment justice, if given the freedom to use their imagination and creativity. Here’s hoping….
A full human size figment is so weird to me!! I’m kind of freaked out by it! I have a 1985 photograph of me talking to Dreamfinder and Figment, who was a puppet. This was back when the characters just hung about and you just walked up to them, no lines. I was obsessed with him! I can still remember how the ride smelled. I got a plush, a shirt, and hat… and stayed in love with the character even though it would be another 10 years before I was on the ride again. It’s not like he was on my Saturday morning cartoons. The love for this character will never fade. Even with the current attraction being an abomination, my son loves Figment like I love Figment!
In going through my stack of ” memories” of the first of my working days at EPCOT , I found a picture of The Dream Finder ( cast member Steve Taylor, at that time ), with Figment sharing a funny moment with actress Sally Struthers. Those characters were and should be a very charming part , of the Disney family. I though the ride was absolutely delightful, until the ,” changed it” and in my opinion made a mess of a real ” draw ” .
It is my sincere hope that they bring back BOTH Figment , and Dream Finder ……a WONDERFUL team . !!!!!
The lead-up to this announcement in today’s presentation really made it seem like they were going to announce a journey into imagination ride reimagining. It was incredibly disheartening that it was just a meet and greet.
I do not understand the cult of figment as I have only ridden the versions of the ride since ’96. He is a fun character but the ride that he currently comes from does not come close to validating his fame in my eyes
Please please please let this “limited time” extend into early February, when I will be there!
I was thinking that a trackless ride system with full animation, like Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway would be perfect for a new era of Figment’s Journey into imagination =)
I hope Dreamfinder is there too!!
My daughter was born 10/1/82! Needless to say her favorite character is Figment!! She will be excited about this news.
OMG THAT IS THE BEST NEWS EVER!! The EPCOT execs. have actually realised what a underrated hero Figgie is! Unfortunately I live in the UK so unlikely to meet Figgie this time round but I love him too Tom and have done since meeting him with the Dreamfinder in 1983. He is my absolute favourite Disney character ❤️
My favorite!!!! I lucked into a random photo with Figment back in 2006 and have always been disappointed I can’t recreate the magic with my kids. This would be the bestest thing ever!!!
Omg when when when so I can plan the trip!!
This is some of the most exciting news I’ve seen on your page…ever! Oh my goodness, now I really want to go to Epcot!