Journey Into Imagination with Figment

Figment the playful, purple dragon is your guide on this whimsical tour of the Imagination Institute.

“It’s not about listening with your ears. It’s about listening with your imagination!”

This is another of EPCOT’s more confusing attractions because it has been through at least three different iterations, each going by a slightly different name. In order from first to worst, er…third, we have: Journey Into Imagination, Journey Into YOUR Imagination, and finally the current version, Journey Into Imagination with Figment. To keep things simple, we shall use the short name of Imagination.

Imagination focuses on the five human senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. A simple premise that should be more educational and entertaining than what awaits guests on their journey. What could have been an enlightening experience is instead full of fun house gimmicks (upside down rooms, anyone?), and cheap sensory tricks such as blasting guests in the faces with a smell that guests continue to debate what it might be. (A favorite guess is “wet skunk eating dog food while rolling around in the inside of a garden hose” but the real supposed answer is burnt coffee, which is highly debatable.) 

The attraction is narrated by one Dr. Nigel Channing (Monty Python actor Eric Idle) and EPCOT’s mascot, the purple dragon known as Figment. Try as they might, both characters seem to fall flat in their attempts to ham it up and rise above a rather unfunny script. By the time guests exit the ride after being told their heads are now jammed with exciting new ideas, they can be forgiven for the shaking of heads and disappointment in what they just experienced. Younger riders may get a kick out of it, but that’s about as far as the enjoyment goes. This is especially true for those who remember the original version of the ride and still lament its demise. A decision surely made by a clueless committee who were not listening to their imaginations.

Behind the Schemes:

It is impossible to discuss the current attraction without comparing it to the original Journey Into Imagination which starred not only Figment, but the long-missing (and missed) creator of the dragon, the Dreamfinder. These characters played off each other perfectly and brought a sense of levity to the wonders they were espousing about the abilities of every person to bring captivating new ideas into the world. Those who never experienced that version may be puzzled by the vicious opinions older guests had when it became Journey Into YOUR Imagination. But they should know something was wrong when that version managed to only last roughly two years before it underwent yet another refurbishment. (Surely, more than one person was taken to task – if not outright ousted – for the debacle that version caused, requiring even more capital expenditures to be thrown at it as a lifesaver.) The second version marked the first appearance of Idle replacing Dreamfinder and crowds were not amused at the update which makes it even more baffling that the beloved character wasn’t returned to the attraction to salvage the wreckage. No such luck. And now, the third version putts along, futilely trying to capture the magic of the original without much success.

One good thing about the newer version is that it retains the Sherman Brothers’ catchy theme song “One Little Spark.” While it’s not enough to lift the attraction out of its own morass, it’s a clear attempt to connect to the past and slightly please disgruntled guests.

Reality Check: 

The ride’s main concept and design came from Disney Legend Tony Baxter who had a clear understanding of what he wanted to achieve and how to effectively communicate his ideas to a wider audience. What he thinks of the new versions is relatively unknown as his level of professionalism seems to keep him from slinging barbs when the results of the changes can speak volumes themselves.

Figment was originally voiced by miniature actor Billy Barty who starred in numerous film and television production including such roles as the title character on the Sid and Marty Krofft show Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, as well as Noodles the cameraman in the “Weird Al” Yankovic vehicle, UHF. Following Barty’s death, Figment was voiced by David Goelz who has a long history of working as a puppeteer and voice actor for various projects featuring the Muppets.

One Disney legend about a former iteration of the attraction focuses on a room where a stacked pile of blocks spells out the word “surprise,” and a quiet sing-song voice bellows out a very un-Disney friendly lyric that can’t be reprinted here. Guests who consider themselves amateur gumshoes now have a new mystery to solve.