10 Fun Facts About Journey Into Imagination

1. Introducing Figment

When EPCOT Center first opened, the Kodak-sponsored pavilion had only one attraction, the film Magic Journeys which played in the Magic Eye Theater. At the time, our little purple friend was still being created, but the world met Figment soon enough when he joined Bryant Gumbel on “The Today Show” in the fall of 1982. Barry Braverman, senior vice-president and executive producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, was also on the show. Braverman explained the plans for the pavilion, which included Figment’s ride, created by Imagineers Tony Baxter and Steve Kirk, as well as a showcase of futuristic play at Kodak’s ImageWorks.

2. And Introducing the Dreamfinder

On March 5, 1983, the new attraction opened and Guests finally got a chance to meet Figment in person. After heading through the glass pyramid’s doors, they boarded OmniMover-style vehicles that took them through clouds toward a strange blimp. This odd, vacuum-powered vessel held the Dreamfinder, voiced by character performer Chuck McCann as well as Ron Schneider. The red-bearded, top-hat-wearing old man used his flying blimp (commonly known as the Dream Catcher) to collect dreams, ideas, and inspiration. With the following words: “Two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow, horns of a steer, but a lovable fellow. From head to tail, he’s royal purple pigment, and there…voilà! You’ve got a Figment!” he created Figment, a fun-loving, mischievous creature originally voiced by film actor Billy Barty. The Dreamfinder and Figment took riders through several rooms focusing on art, literature, performing arts, and science. Here Figment painted walls, avoided scary monsters in stories, tried on theater costumes, and gazed into space.

3. The Original ImageWorks

After an inspirational goodbye from the Dreamfinder and Figment, Guests would exit and climb the stairs to the ImageWorks, which was a creative playground of the future. The second floor featured interactive attractions that mixed imagination with computer technology. Large kaleidoscopes, pin-tables, and vibrating mirrors filled the floor. A popular feature was the Rainbow Corridor, a twisting tunnel with colored lights that followed Guests as they walked through. Families were able to electronically “paint” pictures of Figment by swiping their hands over a screen. Kids could also try their hands at acting. The Dreamfinder’s School of Drama used bluescreen technology to transport Guests into Western, fantasy, and science fiction films.

4. Reimagining Imagination

In October 1999, the Dreamfinder – along with Figment’s explorations into art, literature, performing arts, and science – were dropped to make way for a revamped attraction called Journey Into Your Imagination. The attraction featured Dr. Nigel Channing from the 3D film Honey, I Shrunk the Audience which was now playing next door. Even the name of the pavilion was changed to Imagination!, and the song “One Little Spark” disappeared from the attraction. The attraction was much more science-based than fantasy, but many missed the whimsy of the former attraction.

5. Figment Returns

To the delight of many, Figment was brought back to the attraction during a 2001 renovation and is now a playful foil to Dr. Channing’s imagination studies. This time, Figment and Dr. Channing take Guests through new labs based on the human senses. Figment causes chaos in three of the sense labs, forcing Dr. Channing to give up the tour and leave Figment in charge. (Disney of course recently announced that the Dreamfinder himself will be returning…though we’ll have to wait a bit to see exactly what that means!)

6. Hidden Jokes

Visual jokes and puns can be found throughout this whimsical attraction. For example, look for the name “Dean Finder” on an office door in the initial showroom; this is a clever reference to the Dreamfinder. As you pass by the computer lab, see if you can spot a pair of red sneakers outside the door. This is a reference to the 1969 Disney film, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. The film takes place at the fictional Medfield College, home of Professor Brainard and his humorous invention, Flubber (as seen in the 1961 classic, The Absent-Minded Professor). And now you know why Professor Brainard’s portrait is hanging alongside that of Dr. Channing and Professor Szalinski’s in the queue.

7. The Dream Catcher (Or Whatever You Prefer to Call it!)

You can see a silhouette of the original Dream Catcher on the sheet music for “One Little Spark” in the final scene. You could also once spot a deconstructed Dream Catcher blimp on the west wall of Epcot’s former Mouse Gears store.

8. A Mystery Princess

In the Smell Lab, look closely at all the pipes and tanks running throughout the room. You’ll find lots of puns and clever jokes! For instance, see if you can spot a (perhaps unintentional) reference to a Disney Princess…

9. The Figment Vase

In the Sight Lab, see if you can spot the variation of the famous vase/two faces optical illusion. Look closely and see if you can find Figment!

10. A Treasure Trove of Special Effect

78 out of the 200 special effects patents created for the original Epcot Center were used in the Journey Into Imagination attraction.