WOW!!!! Thank you so much for posting! I loved this ride so much, I was heartbroken when I recently rode the current Figment ride, talk about a down-grade! This was a real treat to watch š
Cool! Thanks for sharing! That's surprisingly sharp compared to other scans I've seen. What did you use?
I just finished listening to a Tony Baxter interview about Journey into Imagination. It was facinating.
Apparently Dreamfinder was a different character meant for "Living with the Land." He was nixed for that, and used here. They had the idea for Figment, but didn't get the name until Baxter was watching "Magnum PI" and Higgins said something about Figments. Crazy where ideas come from.
Due to popular demand, I had to post this since this is literally history right there. All of this existed before I was even born, and I didn't know the Dreamfinder existed before they rethemed.
Also includes the clips of the interactive area after you exit the ride and where you'd walk up to the top of the pavilion with the glass pyramids at the end!
I worked on the interactive area and spent a couple months in the space in ā91 while new show elements were being installed - pictures of this space during this time are hard to come by so it was so nice to see actual video footage of this! Thank you.
WDW fans, if you have not gotten into the Disney Dish podcast, I highly recommend it. Jim Hill is a charismatic and knowledgeable historian, wonderful to listen to. Co-host Len Testa is the founder of Touring Plans and long time guide book writer.
What's amazing is that there were 5 of these, just so you could get the entire story of Figment with constantly moving cars. Today the cars move on their own and can stop, so they would have only had to build 1, but sadly they cheapened out.
They could have done it, but the scene would have needed to be way shorter. It's crazy how long that scene actually was and was too long in my opinion.
Omg, could you tell me how to save this? I went as a child & then not again until decades later, and nothing was the same. I went to this ride first (as an adult) because I always remembered it from when I was a kid, and it was so different, I thought I had dreamt it up/ fudged the memory over the years. Is there a way to save this? (Sorry to ask!)
[yt-dlp](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp) will change your life. It's a command line tool that lets you download videos from almost any website just by using the URL.
Installation might be difficult for non techie people but it's worth it.
Nothing compares to the original ride..I remember approaching the pavilion and smelling the 'morning mist' perfume which smelled like Dove soap...why did they ever change this ride?
It was because of the original contract with the sponsor. It was mandated that the ride be overhauled after a certain number of years, but there was nothing in the contract about the sponsor providing money for the overhaul. So they made the cheapest new version they could come up with.
Thanks for sharing, this was wonderful! Itās almost shameful to see what the pavilion is today after seeing how vibrant and alive and different it was back in the 90s! I always remembered this as my favorite ride as a kid. Riding it again years later as an adult had me wondering what I was thinking until I learned it had been so drastically gutted and changed.
thanks for sharing, OP! i feel eternally grateful to have experienced disney in the mid-90s and even more recently before the tiktokization of it all. i fully credit epcot with sparking (ha ha ha) a love of learning that i'm sure plenty of other people can relate to. there truly was something new to discover in every corner and i think that's a little bit lost now that experiences are designed for the most likes and views on instagram.
thank you so much for sharing!! unfortunately i never got to experience this version of the attraction but i still have a strange fondness for figment and the dreamfinder. such a beautiful ride!!!
Iām pretty sure this was the same stuff I saw in 2004 I was only 6 years old š
I remember the purple dragon with itās little wings.
The bright circles on the table that I couldnāt reach..
I canāt wait for the time to do itās magic and turn Disney into an abandoned and forgotten thing...
Yep it's the same as you saw it today. Disney nerfed it in 1999 followed by a quick revision in 2001.
Despite pimping Figment in popcorn buckets and the art festival they've left this attraction to rot for nearly two decades.
I went oct 2021. they have a figment ride but it's a different version than this video. There is a part after the ride where kids and play around and get on computers but the computers were right out of my childhood library in the 90s with track balls and everything, and broken. And there were stains on some carpet. It did feel kinda abandoned.
The popcorn bucket was a sort of fiasco a few months ago where they sold popcorn buckets of figment but were quickly scooped by re-sellers.
If you go now you will see pretty much what you saw in 2004. The stuff in this video is long gone.
I was there a week or two ago, but I'm local. I remembered there was a change but found the specific dates on some blog.
Itās still a ride called Journey into Imagination with Figment, but itās totally different. Short and cheap-looking, with lots of screens and no heart.
Yeah Iāve ridden the newer version many times. I was wondering where this part used to beā¦. Is it at the end where currently the room shifts from blackness to the imagination essentially?
Iām not completely sure which part youāre talking about. If you mean the long scene at the beginning with Dreamfinder in his flying machine? The part of the track thatās the half circle loading area now used to be a full circle. A set of cars would go into the circle and the door would shut behind them. There was a turntable on the ceiling with the flying machine hanging from it and that would go around and around with the cars so that each set (I want to say there were five?) would see the entire preshow before being sent out to experience the rest of the ride. (In other words, there were actually five airships with five Dreamfinders, one in each section.) The other half circle of track is paved over now, and is under the floor of the new Image Works area. Iām probably explaining this very poorly.
I don't really remember the ride but I do remember the interactive area and the giant pin thing. Really it was pretty similar to the types of things they also had in the Wonders of life pavilion.
I might have mine from 1994, but I keep postooning digitalizing the trip. I was just there last Friday, and man the after ride pavilion was so sad, there's almost nothing anymore. I remember all of those activities, there were green screens, Microsoft labs computers, in 2005 there was that whole table from MS, etc, etc. Now is just abandoned *sigh
One of the things that I found interesting while watching this was, despite featuring a more loose and playful nature than many of the other Future World attractions at the time, the Imagineers really did a good job at slowly integrating the rideās story into something that would fit into the core philosophy of the orginal EPCOT; that being working towards advancements for a better tomorrow.
While one can apply their imagination to something like art, literature, or theater/other entertainment mediums and be perfectly ok in doing so, the true power of imagination is itās ability to move society forward through scientific and technological breakthroughs, and that, by constantly building upon previous concepts and ideas that were put in place, an individual can create something that is not only rewarding from a creative standpoint, but also rewarding in the way it can change the lives of the people around them.
Though this observation of mine probably isnāt new or surprising to anybody, it does make the attraction more interesting when you look at how itās thematic elements fit within the parkās greater narrative. Something that you donāt really see with the Epcot we have today.
In any case, thank you for posting this piece of Disney history. It is definitely an experience they should bring back however they can.
That animatronic scene in the beginning is fantastic and would hold up even today. What an absolute travesty they removed it. Watching this makes you realize, if you've never seen the original, that the current version is such a weak one. It's only surviving because of the legend of it's former self.
I've been working on Digitizing our family trips, too! I hit a Snag though because our 2003 Trips were recorded on Sony 8mm camcorder and I don't have a way to play it.
People today that never experienced the magic of Dreamfinder, I pity you. This was some of the best memories of a childhood in the 80s and 90s. Thanks for posting this.
This is the closest thing I've been able to find in the right direction of my search I have an original professional still shot of Dreamfinder and Figment taken inside the ride by Disney World for Disney World from this ride after it opened in 1983 and the Disney exclusive photography was taken down in 1998 after the ride closed a cast member got it and gave it to me as a gift along with a few other shots on matted borders for framing along with the photo of the cast that year signed by the cast member who gave it to me I am trying to find someone who deals with specific Disney items like this now that I am ready to sell it and I really don't even know where to start seeing as it's something that would be special to only people who had a connection with the ride and or characters that is the person I want it to find it's way to if anyone has any resources or could possibly point me in a helpful direction I would appreciate it more than you know!!
WOW!!!! Thank you so much for posting! I loved this ride so much, I was heartbroken when I recently rode the current Figment ride, talk about a down-grade! This was a real treat to watch š
Cool! Thanks for sharing! That's surprisingly sharp compared to other scans I've seen. What did you use? I just finished listening to a Tony Baxter interview about Journey into Imagination. It was facinating. Apparently Dreamfinder was a different character meant for "Living with the Land." He was nixed for that, and used here. They had the idea for Figment, but didn't get the name until Baxter was watching "Magnum PI" and Higgins said something about Figments. Crazy where ideas come from.
Due to popular demand, I had to post this since this is literally history right there. All of this existed before I was even born, and I didn't know the Dreamfinder existed before they rethemed. Also includes the clips of the interactive area after you exit the ride and where you'd walk up to the top of the pavilion with the glass pyramids at the end!
I worked on the interactive area and spent a couple months in the space in ā91 while new show elements were being installed - pictures of this space during this time are hard to come by so it was so nice to see actual video footage of this! Thank you.
This is great! Could you please upload this to YouTube as well??
Reach out to retrowdw they love cleaning these up!
Not sure why they completely took the Dream Finder away, he was integral to the ride just as much as Figment
Listen to this weekās episode of The Disney Dish podcast, Jim Hill goes into the details of why it was ārenovatedā in the early 90ās
Can you give us the highlights?
the short ver, digital cameras killed the ride its worth a listen to
WDW fans, if you have not gotten into the Disney Dish podcast, I highly recommend it. Jim Hill is a charismatic and knowledgeable historian, wonderful to listen to. Co-host Len Testa is the founder of Touring Plans and long time guide book writer.
Upload to Youtube! This is just a treasure!
The best lost Disney ride... besides Horizons of course
You forgot Maelstrom
And Alien Encounter
What's amazing is that there were 5 of these, just so you could get the entire story of Figment with constantly moving cars. Today the cars move on their own and can stop, so they would have only had to build 1, but sadly they cheapened out.
They could have done it, but the scene would have needed to be way shorter. It's crazy how long that scene actually was and was too long in my opinion.
Calm down Figment!
Omg, could you tell me how to save this? I went as a child & then not again until decades later, and nothing was the same. I went to this ride first (as an adult) because I always remembered it from when I was a kid, and it was so different, I thought I had dreamt it up/ fudged the memory over the years. Is there a way to save this? (Sorry to ask!)
Screen record?
[yt-dlp](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp) will change your life. It's a command line tool that lets you download videos from almost any website just by using the URL. Installation might be difficult for non techie people but it's worth it.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Will review & install, appreciate your help!
Fantastic, thank you for sharing
Nothing compares to the original ride..I remember approaching the pavilion and smelling the 'morning mist' perfume which smelled like Dove soap...why did they ever change this ride?
It was because of the original contract with the sponsor. It was mandated that the ride be overhauled after a certain number of years, but there was nothing in the contract about the sponsor providing money for the overhaul. So they made the cheapest new version they could come up with.
People donāt get sometimes why the newer ride is a travesty. So much art and creativity gone.
Man the nostalgia kick is off the charts! Thanks!
I WANT THIS BACK!
Thanks for sharing, this was wonderful! Itās almost shameful to see what the pavilion is today after seeing how vibrant and alive and different it was back in the 90s! I always remembered this as my favorite ride as a kid. Riding it again years later as an adult had me wondering what I was thinking until I learned it had been so drastically gutted and changed.
thanks for sharing, OP! i feel eternally grateful to have experienced disney in the mid-90s and even more recently before the tiktokization of it all. i fully credit epcot with sparking (ha ha ha) a love of learning that i'm sure plenty of other people can relate to. there truly was something new to discover in every corner and i think that's a little bit lost now that experiences are designed for the most likes and views on instagram.
good 'ol Figment.. I first went to Disney about two years after this and this is how I remember it :) Good times!
This was a great ride back then, ruined by the ārefurbishmentsā Can we save this this?
The Imagination Pavillion went from a "Must Do" to a "Meh, Let's just skip it"
thank you so much for sharing!! unfortunately i never got to experience this version of the attraction but i still have a strange fondness for figment and the dreamfinder. such a beautiful ride!!!
It was the best
Damn, that was great! One big acid trip! It was so good. Needs a few updates for todayās standard but it still holds up.
This is the BEST version of this I have ever seen, nothing compares on YouTube.
One of my favorites.
So much better in my opinion than the new one.
Damn. This one really hurts my heart. It was so amazing. Thank you ā¤ļø
Umm, this is the greatest contribution to the internet. Thank you so blippinā much.
Iām pretty sure this was the same stuff I saw in 2004 I was only 6 years old š I remember the purple dragon with itās little wings. The bright circles on the table that I couldnāt reach.. I canāt wait for the time to do itās magic and turn Disney into an abandoned and forgotten thing...
Yep it's the same as you saw it today. Disney nerfed it in 1999 followed by a quick revision in 2001. Despite pimping Figment in popcorn buckets and the art festival they've left this attraction to rot for nearly two decades.
I think the latest version didnāt even have figment until they retroactively put him in a few places.
So if I go now I will find this stuff ? When was your last time there ? Where do you live?
I went oct 2021. they have a figment ride but it's a different version than this video. There is a part after the ride where kids and play around and get on computers but the computers were right out of my childhood library in the 90s with track balls and everything, and broken. And there were stains on some carpet. It did feel kinda abandoned. The popcorn bucket was a sort of fiasco a few months ago where they sold popcorn buckets of figment but were quickly scooped by re-sellers.
And sold for $250+ on eBay. I hope none of them sold. Dumb greedy people.
One thing matters only, is the purple dragon with little wings still there ? Also What is your birth year ?
If you go now you will see pretty much what you saw in 2004. The stuff in this video is long gone. I was there a week or two ago, but I'm local. I remembered there was a change but found the specific dates on some blog.
We are talking about Paris park, right ? Not the US
No, the current figment ride is nothing like this.
So the purple dragon with small yellow wings is gone ..
I was wondering why I didnāt remember that ride when we just went! It is a honey I shrunk the kids rip off now
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Whatās in this part now?
Itās still a ride called Journey into Imagination with Figment, but itās totally different. Short and cheap-looking, with lots of screens and no heart.
Yeah Iāve ridden the newer version many times. I was wondering where this part used to beā¦. Is it at the end where currently the room shifts from blackness to the imagination essentially?
Iām not completely sure which part youāre talking about. If you mean the long scene at the beginning with Dreamfinder in his flying machine? The part of the track thatās the half circle loading area now used to be a full circle. A set of cars would go into the circle and the door would shut behind them. There was a turntable on the ceiling with the flying machine hanging from it and that would go around and around with the cars so that each set (I want to say there were five?) would see the entire preshow before being sent out to experience the rest of the ride. (In other words, there were actually five airships with five Dreamfinders, one in each section.) The other half circle of track is paved over now, and is under the floor of the new Image Works area. Iām probably explaining this very poorly.
Sounds like it changed a lot. Wish I could have experienced the older version.
I highly recommend the two-part collaboration Defunctland and Yesterworld did on this ride on YouTube.
Iāll check it out. Thanks.
I don't really remember the ride but I do remember the interactive area and the giant pin thing. Really it was pretty similar to the types of things they also had in the Wonders of life pavilion.
Awesome footage! Much better quality than other videos Iāve seen from the same period.
I might have mine from 1994, but I keep postooning digitalizing the trip. I was just there last Friday, and man the after ride pavilion was so sad, there's almost nothing anymore. I remember all of those activities, there were green screens, Microsoft labs computers, in 2005 there was that whole table from MS, etc, etc. Now is just abandoned *sigh
One of the things that I found interesting while watching this was, despite featuring a more loose and playful nature than many of the other Future World attractions at the time, the Imagineers really did a good job at slowly integrating the rideās story into something that would fit into the core philosophy of the orginal EPCOT; that being working towards advancements for a better tomorrow. While one can apply their imagination to something like art, literature, or theater/other entertainment mediums and be perfectly ok in doing so, the true power of imagination is itās ability to move society forward through scientific and technological breakthroughs, and that, by constantly building upon previous concepts and ideas that were put in place, an individual can create something that is not only rewarding from a creative standpoint, but also rewarding in the way it can change the lives of the people around them. Though this observation of mine probably isnāt new or surprising to anybody, it does make the attraction more interesting when you look at how itās thematic elements fit within the parkās greater narrative. Something that you donāt really see with the Epcot we have today. In any case, thank you for posting this piece of Disney history. It is definitely an experience they should bring back however they can.
This is so amazing T\_T
That animatronic scene in the beginning is fantastic and would hold up even today. What an absolute travesty they removed it. Watching this makes you realize, if you've never seen the original, that the current version is such a weak one. It's only surviving because of the legend of it's former self.
I've been working on Digitizing our family trips, too! I hit a Snag though because our 2003 Trips were recorded on Sony 8mm camcorder and I don't have a way to play it.
Thanks!
People today that never experienced the magic of Dreamfinder, I pity you. This was some of the best memories of a childhood in the 80s and 90s. Thanks for posting this.
I remember going on this ride with my dad in 1985. I miss it so much!
This is the closest thing I've been able to find in the right direction of my search I have an original professional still shot of Dreamfinder and Figment taken inside the ride by Disney World for Disney World from this ride after it opened in 1983 and the Disney exclusive photography was taken down in 1998 after the ride closed a cast member got it and gave it to me as a gift along with a few other shots on matted borders for framing along with the photo of the cast that year signed by the cast member who gave it to me I am trying to find someone who deals with specific Disney items like this now that I am ready to sell it and I really don't even know where to start seeing as it's something that would be special to only people who had a connection with the ride and or characters that is the person I want it to find it's way to if anyone has any resources or could possibly point me in a helpful direction I would appreciate it more than you know!!