The Secret Behind Figment: What Disney Didn't Want You to Know
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- If you're like me and don't understand the hype around Figment, this video is for you. If you didn't grow up going to EPCOT and got to meet Figment later in life, he's a bit of mystery, but even more mysterious is how he became the darling of Walt Disney World. This video explains who Figment is, where he came from, why you're not wrong not to like him, and how his fans aren't wrong to love him. Figment was designed to be something more than a theme park character!
As an ex cast member from 86. Original figment was the best. Thank you for this. Please bring him back. The entire original ride. Rebuilt. Disney. Time to fix your mistake. I was gone for decades. I came back to live here and was depressed on this lame version of Figment. Please for the love of DreamFinder bring it back. ❤❤❤
Yes, yes, YES!!!! 🙌
The original ride was amazing! Dreamfinder was Walt and Figment was his childlike spark of Imagination. That ride gave heart to EPCOT.
When I first went on the ride it was amazing. My mind was overwhelmed by the true meaning of imagination and what we are all capable of 😊. I still adore Figment because of what he taught me 😊
Restore the Imagination! Bring back Dreamfinder!
What an imaginative expose! I never knew half of this backstory, and I loved the original attraction. You’ve done it again, Brickey!
You Really missed out on the Orginal Ride, its one of the things I remember most when I was a kid on my Trip to WDW. That attraction was incredible, you would have loved it.
I’ve been going to Epcot since October 1982. Imagination pavilion was incredible. Dreamfinder was the Man. Joe Rhode also was in the movie guests could play a part in. 80’s Epcot was Legendary. Horizons is my channels avatar.Todays Epcot is nice,but the original was special.
Jealous I didn't get to see the EPCOT you got to see Mike! Take care bud.
YES!!! 🙌
My fiancé, Ron Schneider, is the original Dreamfinder who appeared in Epcot when the park opened. He was voiced a few of Dreamfinder’s lines in the ride and is the Dreamfinder who appears in the Today Show video . He also voiced Dreamfinder in the other attractions in the pavilion.
When Figment accompanied Dreamfinder in the park he was a rubber puppet that Dreamfinder would operate to interact with his fans.
Finally, a vlog that explains the Figment phenomenon completely. Most Figment videos I've watched only speak of this dude in a way that assumes everyone just knows who he is. Your video answers some questions. 🤘
I think we are in the same boat with our fandom, so the video was made for us, I just happen to be the one who made it.
It's a crime what they did to figment. The original ride was great!
I remember the first version with the original Dreamfinder. Kodak was huge, and had a long association with the parks due to Walt’s relationship with Linkletter who agreed to host the opening of Disneyland on TV for the rights to put his Kodak (a company he co owned) in a shop at main street. The popularity is nostalgia.
The orginal ride was great! My family are from the UK so this ride, the song and the characters weren't something we knew about until we visited in 1993, but it made such a connection and was one of the most memorable things from the holiday.
Definitely a case of executives not understanding when they have something special. ...and later not understanding why it was special.
I appreciate this video as someone who first went to epcot when the original version of the ride was still there and fell in love with the little purple imagination dragon. Hell I have a Figment tattoo. :)
This is me, figment! It seems I have been summoned here and I found this video. This is a great video and I’ve been searching through TH-cam on my imagination browser and this video was really Interesting on giving more history. It has been a while since me and Dreamfinder parted. I would love to be reunited. We must tell Disney that we’re tired of dreaming about the past and that it is time to revive Journey into imagination back to its original glory! #SaveFigment! 💜 - Your friend, Figment ⭐️✨💜
Yeah I remember the original ride with the dream finder and figment. It was so much better it was magical. The first half of the ride was so mesmerizing because you could tell you were moving and yet you seemed to be standing still moving with the show😮🎉 I've never seen anything like it since.
I fall into the camp that does not get Figment, so thanks for the background
A character fit, for any imagination, suited for all possibilities and willing to please the toughest of nay sayers.
Just watched a full ride through of the original and i truly believe all disneyfans need to band together and demand they bring this back!! Recreate it please!!!!
I loved the original Figment ride and was just crushed when they changed it the first time. The second time was a bit better but still not nearly as good as the original. We used to wait in long lines to go on that ride now it’s a walk on ride all the time.
Thank you for this! I rode this ride for the 1st time last year and I thought it was terrible and didn't know why it was so popular
Thanks for this episode - I'm with you ... as a west coaster I've never gotten it. Who he is, WHAT he is, etc. I guess it's a bit clearer now, but yeah ... I doubt I'll ever be "Team Figment".
Thanks for this explanation! I’ve always been curious about this and got to finally ride it at the end of a long Epcot day last year… I was confused, surprised but smiling and happy.
I’m a Californian that identifies Disneyland as my home park but was lucky enough to go to WDW a few times as a kid to ride the original Journey Into Imagination. And moreover, I can still remember The Living Seas, World of Motion, Horizons, The Universe of Energy, and so many more pavilions.
See, Figment is the holdover from that time where Edutainment was more important than IP integration. The IP were the attractions themselves and they adhered to Walt as an Optimistic Futurist.
You could say Figment is one of the last holdovers from that beautiful vibe EPCOT Center used to have, which is why the character is held so dearly by we who were lucky enough to experience what this park used to be - a celebration of who we are and where we are going.
They got rid of the Living Seas?? The big tank with the divers?
@ct6852 it's still there, tank and all, but it has a Finding Nemo theme overlay. The old ride is now a Finding Nemo ride. But the aquariums and sealife are all still there, and the interior is largely the same.
@@jl9627 Oh ok. That makes sense. Yeah was thinking that would leave a major hole in the park if they ever got rid of that.
We're very lucky people to have seen EPCOT in its prime.
You had my husband at Magnum PI. I’m old old school WDW and the first Imagination pavilion was really cool. I had forgot about all the sponsors. But immediately remembered Kodak. I guess Chevy is the only one left. Back in the day, I thought Figment a little lame. Where was Mickey? But now I love him. Total nostalgia vibes.
A friend's dad worked for Kodak early during this era. We're trying to get as many stories as possible, but it was incredibly stressful. EPCOT's been through so much, and always deserved more sustained attention and effort.
Speaking of Kodak , who can ever forget the preshow by Kodak of " True Colors". Pre-shows at that time were mostly boring, but this one always left me feeling a emotional and glad I watched it. I wish that a good video of it was still available, most are shaky and from a distance and it is just not the same. I also remember the Kodak Picture spots throughout the park.
Very interesting. I remember riding the original and thinking it was cool. I was kind of confused about the later version thinking I remembered the ride wrong, lol.
Hello! Obsessed Figment person here. I've loved Figment myself for 3 years, and he's been my favorite Disney Character of all time. He's loveable, cute, and a childlike character. I've always wanted Disney to bring back Dreamfinder and the Original Journey Into Imagination because I know how much people loved the ride and would want it to return. I really loved more of Billy Barty's version of Figment because he had such a personality that sticked with us for years, and concluding the fact that Disney took down the original attraction broke so many hearts. I have never been to EPCOT in my life, nor have I ever ridden the attraction, but I am someone who knows what people want in terms of EPCOT, and believe me, I know what is up. But in the end, I hope Disney makes the RIGHT choices and bring back the loveable, imaginary, most creative characters of all time, Dreamfinder & Figment as a Duo.
For my 80's EPCOT kid, Figment was the Mickey Mouse! I'm so happy to have experienced it. COME BACK FIGMENT!
Ive always wondered what the big deal was with Figment, seemed goofy to me.
Your video has helped, but, Im still not too sure about him.
Thanks, Bricky!
👍👍
Been a long long long time since I've been there, but pretty much all I remember is Figment, that Viking ride with the drop, the Aztec pavilion, and my marble elephant that went flying out of plastic bag when I was swinging it around that broke into four pieces. Oh and elephant #2 that's sitting on my desk right now.
CORE Memories 😂 Thanks For Sharing!
@@HeyBrickey Absolutely. So, so heartbroken when I broke that figure. 💔
Great video! Yeah, Disney did Figment dirty when they redid the ride in 98.
I wish I could see the Dreamfinder in today's ride. If you want some OG Figment, the graphic novel/comic Disney released is pretty entertaining!
Figment 1 was awesome! And when I worked in and around the parks, he embodied a lot of why I was there.
Another reason why this ride got replaced was because Kodak was in a little bit of a ditch because of bankruptcy and digital photos becoming popular in the late 90s.( also because the ride was ahead of its time so that means that they had to pay a lot of money for the turntable scene.)
I've never had the chance to ride the original 1983 version or the 1999 version, I grew up with the current one and call me insane but, I love Journey Into Imagination with Figment... I rode it SO many times when I was young in it hits the nostalgia for me. Yes, I do prefer Dreamfinder than Dr. Nigel Channing, but I find a charm with the current one. Honestly, I love the current and original equally..
Thanks for this video. My first time at WDW was in 1989 on my honeymoon. I loved the Imagination ride! We still have a 1989 plush Figment from that trip. We met Dream Finder and Figment once outside the gift shop.
I missed the first change (fortunately) and am grateful for the revision. I never knew the “why” other than knowing Honey I Shrunk the Audience was part of the change. It’s crazy to me that they did what they did for a change they wanted - not listening to the people. But they continue on. Figment deserves better!
It's nostalgia. I went to WDW for the first time in the early 90's with my school choir. And my friends and I thought the song was so funny. So it just became a thing. So I think for most it's the nostalgia is the character.
My home park! So glad you went back!
One little spark
I’ve been lucky enough to ride all 3 versions and I LOVE the original Figment. I don’t think the original ride would cut it today, but we really should have gotten an upgraded Dreamfinder and Figment instead of version 2, it was awful.
I did ride the original attraction but it was so long ago that the memory is hard to recall. The original ride being redone was definitely a loss but the distance between my memory of the original ride and starting to come to the parks again regularly was the Gulf of over 20 years. Although ride 2.5 is definitely a lack for luster. I have a simple example that works for me to explain the playful mischievous figment of that ride, let me take away your sparkmaker (mentor, friend) and replace him with a stuffy old professor, and tell me that doesn't drive you to act out a bit.
great video !
Very cool. I learned so much!
Glad to hear it!
I was lucky enough to go to E.P.C.O.T. Center (back when it was called that) in 1985 on a school trip, and Figment was one of my favorite parts of the park. The original Figment was so much fun! I was so disappointed when I returned to EPCOT years later and they had totally changed the ride and Figment's personality.
Jealous of that field trip
@@HeyBrickey Heh, we sold chocolate bars for 2 years to fund that trip lol! (It was from Montreal, Canada)
I believe back in the 80’s or early 90’s Disney was planning to bring Figment to Disneyland Tomorrowland I think they wanted figment to be the main character for Tomorrowland but not really sure what happen with the plans
Never heard that. Time to investigate. Thanks for sharing.
@@HeyBrickey I heard from Jim hill media on one of there podcast episodes I do not remember which episode it was but Jim talk about figment was almost coming to DL TL. Podcast is call Disney dish with Jim hill
Yes , that needed some in depth explaining. I do recall the eighties attraction and most definitely the dream finder. “Wonka” like and very memorable 😀. Last year same, completely confused. But “hey” thanks for the backstory. I’m a little better off now !
I never rode the OG ride, but still when I did visit the park my kids (young adults) rode it and loved it
I want a reimagining of this ride. Let the imagineers go wild telling us about imagination, creativity, and dreaming. And I want Jack Black as the Dreamfinder!
Let me guess, Figment is played by Chris Pratt?
Nice to see you back at WDW
thanks. god to be back. I love it.
As a big figment lover. He means a lot to me and my childhood. The day I went to see the first of the two remakes before the current one I walked of the ride mad. So mad. They almost removed figment altogether. I was stopped by a cast member to do a survey. I was honest. And harsh on how I felt. Two weeks later when I was home from my trip I got a call from Anaheim. It was a cast member asking me all about the survey. And my feelings on figment. A few weeks after that call I got a post card from figment. They redid the ride to what it is now. Do I love the ride. No. Am I happy I get to see figment. Yes. I always cry at the very last scene with all the figgies. Disney needs to do better.
I wasn’t cool enough to ride the first 2 versions but as a wdw pass holder I cannot tell you enough how much I love figment. He’s precious, even when he’s annoying 😂
Thanks for more East Coast content Brickey!
Thank you for bringing to the world here why so many of us are so enamored with Figment...for GenX, another help...that maybe we didn't catch until later...Figment was originally voiced by an actor/voice actor who did a lot of children's television in the '70s...so an adorable child-like character with a familiar voice cinched his popularity early on...and that carried on to GenX's children for those lucky enough to experience the original Journey Into Imagination
I got to Disney in 1985 and fell in love with Figment. In fact,mwhen I got to choose a character to buy i got a figment, and I had it nearby for years.
Yay Brickey! Awesome video about Figment’s backstory. You had me at the VIP tour of Walt’s apartment at DL (which I took by the way!) 😜 WDW is my home park (NYC) and I never knew the full Figment story! You have a mastery for storytelling and you have gained a subscriber with bell notifications on! 🥳🎉🫡 🏰
I think one of the main draws to Figment related items is the fact that he's a symbol of original Epcot. A lot of the people who are "Disney Adults" grew up with 80/90's Epcot and it's vastly different than today's Epcot. A lot of that generation misses "old" Epcot. That combined with most of those Disney adults being millennials and us seem to be a generation obsession with nostalgia in general... It makes sense why people flock for Figment merch. I'm sure some people grab it, because simply it's just a popular item, or because "he's cute". However, I think the main reason is because a lot of people are just holding onto what they can of "old" Epcot before it disappears. I kind of wonder if they grab it simply because it "may be the last time". As I don't recall being this much hype about Figment until just the last few years when it was announced Disney was making changes at Epcot. He's always been popular, but it's definitely peaked since constructed started.
WOW, so much information. I rode this ride in the early 80's, it was great. I haven't been to Disney in 20+ years, sad to see it end up the way it did. There's allot of things that don't exist in EPCOT anymore, some might remember the touch screen information centers all around the pond in EPCOT. ROFL, there long gone. I'm old, but I'd love to go back again. 🙂
I never got to ride the original attraction, but I'm a sap for an adorable dragon. I was a Figment fan from day one. And although now it does seem to be all about the quick cash grab, I for one was touched by meeting him. I actually cried tears of joy. I can see the views from both sides, but I'll always love Figment!
I love Figment I originally saw him in the 1983 version.
"Can I be inside that beautiful glass pyramid?" "NO. That's a private DVC lounge for our wealthier clients..."
My grandma was heading to Disney and asked me if there was anything I wanted from there. Epcott had just open so excitedly I said "a Figment plushie!" When she returned she had a pair of mouse ears. She admit she had no clue who or what Figment was. I was so bummed by it but did put the ears up for display in my room until my brother destroyed them. I wish they'd bring back the Dreamfinder in some form because he was my favorite character of WDW.
Was maybe 5 when I feel in love with some silly dragon that overrode Mickey fo me Now, I got the bucket (40 Anniv version), some new Figment merch....but if they don't FIX that pavillion, I won't buy anymore because I consider it a manipulation of what I felt strongly about as a child. I'm glad you researched his back story because it broke my heart when you first visited Epcot and was confused. Pained me you did get it but why would you. Great vid, even if inside (AND they need to FIX the jumpy water....again broke) arrrgh......
I want a movie, a TV show, and a new ride for Figment. Come on, Disney! He's been my fave since 1989, when I rode the first iteration.
I rode the original ride as a kid. I still have my own life size puppet of figment they use to sell. Absolutely love figment. And yes the ride does not do him or the dream finder justice at all.
Fun video, keep up the good work.
If you listen to the original Dreamfinder (One little spark) song, which you can still hear as an instrumental version at the Imagination pavillion (also throughout most of this video, fittingly enough), the lyrics give you a perfect sense of who the beloved Figment 1.0 (and Dreamfinder) are. I love that song. It's very 80's Disney, but still timeless. I miss the original ride :-) And pre-2000 Epcot, for that matter.
I saw the original back in the early 80’s when I was a kid, took my kids there in 2016 and was utterly disappointed in the ride and pretty much everything in the Disney parks.
The last time I had been to the parks in general was 1993 the year I graduated high school and the parks in Disney World were still fun and enjoyable. When I went in 2016 the parks did not live up to what they used to be. I have no plans to ever go back and my kids feel the same way. There was very little they enjoyed there. They were 9 and 10 at the time the age that should have been perfect to enjoy the parks but again it had no long lasting impact on them. They loved the hotel room, we stayed at the Caribbean Resort, and that was one of their favorite parts of the trip that and when we went to Lego Land.
And boy was that song an earworm! Imaaaaaaaginaaaaation!
Billy Barty’s voice always bothered me. Otherwise loved the original pavilion. I can still hear all the songs in my head. It didn’t age well,but they flubbed all renovations.
Maybe fourth times the charm.
Really? I thought he was much better than the current guy who voices Figment.
Maybe I missed something while I was watching this cooking dinner, I think most fans come from the comic tv part of it.
Love the video! You truly knocked it out of the park. Literally brought up every point and explained the history & why we love this attraction & characters perfectly. Best video I’ve seen explaining what happened, to folks. Thanks so much, God bless ya man! 😁👍🏻👍🏻 (Though, I’d like to add a note.. I personally don’t think the turntable was fully dismantled/destroyed/removed, I believe it was Infact disabled. The current load area sits on top of the OG turntable, much like much of the rest of the track is simply disabled and laid over with hollow flooring that makes up parts of the current queue & downstairs ImageWorks. (The queue and load area taking up the original load & turntable, the current downstairs ImageWorks taking over the original film finale and unload). So theoretically, I believe the original could fully make a comeback with tech & spfx enhancements, similar to how Disney’s enhanced some of the other classics with new tech. And considering Disney has so many elements within the archives. Whether it be original maquettes/molds, audio & visual media, blueprints, etc. It really would be fairly simple to bring it back I feel and would be a HUGE win to bring back goodwill and fans back to the company, especially the theme park side of things. But yeah, here’s hoping & praying for the best! I totally agree that Dreamfinder, Figment, and this ride deserves the love & proper comeback us fans have been begging for, for years. A timeless iconic classic in line with the others like Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, etc. 🙏🏻)
The original sounds so creative and it’s important to have rides for younger audiences that older audiences can also enjoy. It has so much potential with modern technology
They should bring back the og concept!..this ride was the first of many to suffer a type of corporate "$$$" 😢 tampering along with The Great Movie 🎥🍿 Ride.😢 Splash...to a lesser extent lol.😂🎉
I would have LOVED to have rode the original version and I even remember seeing lots of ads for the Dreamfinder and Figment but never got to go to Disney World till late 2000's. I didn't mind the ride but it wasn't all cut out to be like most people who rode it after they had rode the original ride. I do love me some Figment. I wouldn't mind an animated movie or series or even a live action/CGI hybrid film about Figment.
This was a great historical overview of Figment and Journey Into Imagination. There seems to be lesser interest of corporate sponsorship of attractions at EPCOT, in some cases leading to their demise, as with Wonders of Life. Without that corporate sponsorship, there is less investment into keeping the magic in the attractions leading to very bad corporate cost-saving decisions. It is also sad to see that Restaurant Marrakesh has been diminished a glorified rest area. WDW management, listen to the "guests" and bring Journey Into Imaganination back to its original splendor with Figment being a prominent character.
My headcanon as to why Figment had a personality change is that Figemt takes a short break from the ride after 15 years (first renovation), and when he comes back everything changed, so rejoins the ride just to f*ck with Dr. Channing and the rest of the Imagination Institute (second renovation)
Executives live in a bubble. In Business Management, there exists a triangle where the executives are at the top and the workers are at the bottom. Executives who are worth their weight, know that triangle is upside down with the customer service workers at the top because they know what the people want.
No surprise here, Figment has always been the mascot for Epcot for marketing.
Makes sense. EPCOT was always the least 'Disney' park in vibe. As a kid I remember wanting to skip it altogether just because I didn't understand what it was.
I agree, we need the original version of the attraction back, or as close as possible. I have ridden it and today’s version is nowhere near as good. Thanks for the backstory on Figment and Dreamfinder. I really had no idea the ideas came from Disneyland.
They'll have a problem with putting the dream finder back. They put him in Phantom Manor as the beheaded Mayor.
In a very loose way, does anyone else think that Professor Marvel and his dragon sound like precursors to Henry Mystic and Albert? I mean, it is a house of all these artifacts and instead of being a walk-through house of illusion it's a ride-through house of magic, but it just seemed like there might be a connection there.
Galaxy’s Edge is great, but look at what we could have had!
Interesting comment on how rerouting the crowd contributed to the downfall of the original attraction. I still firmly believe that one of the reasons that Ellen's Energy Adventure failed was because it was set so far back, and most of the crowd was contained inside the building, rather than lined up outside. New visitors often felt that the attraction was not open. The entry doors were even non welcoming. In all of my visits, I don't ever remember seeing a cast member stationed outside of it either. Had they changed up the boring movie screen portions of that attraction to make them more audience interactive, it would have made a world of difference! . The dino section was amazing and I think that one day, people will look back on this loss much like some do Horizons or the original Dream Finder. I hate the trend away from real set design attractions, movie animation just never gives you the wow factor of a well designed large set.
I’ve experienced all 3 versions of the ride. The biggest problem with the second one ( besides being incredibly dull ), is that it was so drastically different from the original that it was a shock to the senses. If they had tweaked it a bit would have been one thing but they gutted out a fun, whimsical attraction and replaced it with something cold, dark and even eerie in places. Oh. Did I mention that it was dull? The current incarnation is only slightly better than the second one.
Cool
Hmmm I wonder how well Bricky would pull off the Dream Finder... Seems to be very similar to the guy that went around the park with the puppet.
BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL FIGMENT RIDE!!!!!!
Original ride was 11 minutes long. Not sure what the "4 minutes" you mentioned refers to. It was a fantastic ride. I miss it dearly.
What baffles me all these years: Why don't they get Apple to sponsor Imagination? There's the Pixer/Jobs/Iger connection; Iger sat on the Board of Apple for years; Apple is the spiritual successor to Kodak; the crystal building looks like a Norman Foster design; the Imageworks could be rebuilt as the perfect Apple product playground; etc. Apple has a DOJ antitrust suit and could certainly start building up some extra goodwill. Apple is sitting on a pile of cash bigger than Scrooge McDuck - dropping $300m on a revamp of the pavilion would be nothing for Apple. Very strange missed opportunity. Imagine Tim Cook walking on stage with Bob Iger at D23 or an Apple keynote and having Figment show up. The crowd would go apesh*t...
Yeah I wonder. Apple is a major force in Hollywood and they have a big office there. Pretty sure they provide a lot of money for producing already. Maybe they just weren't ready to be thought of as an entertainment company yet.
I think the original show was more of an all age show than the remake. I always heard that that there were a lot of costs associated with keeping it running due to all the moving parts, as as you can see, much of that went away and it turned into more of a stagnant simple kiddie ride. th-cam.com/video/PYhXa9FShoc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Y8-3cULc-5OZxdNB
6:08 St. Clause, Professor Marvel, The Dreamfinder
Thank you for the history lesson Brickey .I never knew why Figment was changed and yes bone headed buisness suits that did this
I’m so happy I got to ride the original back in 1992
📸Kodak-you see kids, we used to take film photos that were sent off for development 😂
I went to Epcot for the first time a couple months ago and had no idea Figment was a major character in the park! I like the character, but I thought he was just a part of the ride. 🤷♂️
Eisner destroyed the most amazing attraction because of his greedy idea that they needed to attract older kids! That turntable with Dreamfinder, the Dreamcatcher, and Figment was some incredible imagineering which we will never see again! 😢
The popcorn bucket is honestly not cute. Everyone just wants to send the message so bad to Disney to restore Figment's ride, but Disney thinks we all just want more Figment merch.
Isn't it ironic that they said that Epcot wasn't adult oriented enough and they wanted to fix that by bringing in Disney characters? As you young adult back then, to me, Epcot always was the ultimate adult park which I even preferred over the MK. Never understood the need to bring the characters everywhere. Same for AK.
I worked there in 83-84. In 84 we sent out empty trains all day
IMAGE WORKS, not Imagenworks
I loved the original . I don't go to the imagination pavilion any more. The ride was cute whimsical. You walked out singing that song.
They mo longer have the 3D movies any more. Captain EO was good loved Honey I Shrink the audience even more. Other than the exterior. There is no reason to ho in there
The ride is so outdated and needs some reimagining. Also , the meet and greet character looks creepy
They should bring back Dreamfinder while they're at it. #FreeDreamfinder
The updated ride is OK. They should of just left it alone