The closing moments of D23 Expo Parks Showcase came with 2 huge announcements! Right after after announcing a Tomorrowland reimagining at Disneyland, Neil Patrick Harris came out from the doors dressed as Dreamfinder and Thomas Malzoum announced that Epcot will be getting a new attraction featuring Figment and Dreamfinder to go in the Imagination Pavilion. In this post, we’ll share the news before adding our commentary at the bottom of this post. Let’s get to it!

Ok, picture this: two tiny wings, eyes big and yellow. The horns of a steer (but don’t worry, he’s a lovable fellow). From head to tail, he’s a royal purple pigment. Are you imagining it? Good, because voila — you’ve got a Figment!

Announced during the closing moments of the Disney Experiences showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it’s time to take a new flight of fancy into our imagination at EPCOT. Not only will everyone’s favorite creative purple dragon be sticking around, but he’s finally reunited with Dreamfinder, too.

You know what they say: a dream can be a dream come true.

“We are taking a new journey into imagination at EPCOT with Dreamfinder and Figment!” Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum told the cheering crowd. “I’m so happy to share this news tonight. We know how important this is to you. We’ve heard you, and this is one more way we’re putting you in the center of everything we do.”

There’s so much more to come about Dreamfinder and Figment’s journey back to EPCOT, but it’s not like either one of them has totally disappeared from our hearts.

Who is Figment?

Unless you’ve been living under a geodesic sphere for the last few years, you’ve probably seen Figment out and about around EPCOT — both doing meet-and-greets in the Imagination! pavilion, and adorning copious amounts of EPCOT and festival merchandise. Figment has been the focal point for EPCOT International Festival of the Arts since the inaugural season back in 2017. His most recent resurgence kicked off with a viral novelty popcorn bucket in 2022.

But Figment’s been at EPCOT since 1983 when the first iteration of Journey into Imagination opened. While the attraction has been through a few different versions over the years, that loveable purple dragon has always been a staple in the park, becoming one of the park’s most recognizable and enduring icons.

As the embodiment of imagination itself, part of what makes Figment so special is that he’s uniquely EPCOT. His curiosity and playfulness most represent the identity of EPCOT as a park.

Who is Dreamfinder?

Before there was Figment, there was Dreamfinder, the whimsical dream-chaser who helped bring imagination to life. Introduced in the original Journey Into Imagination attraction at EPCOT in 1983, Dreamfinder guided guests “collecting sounds, colors, ideas, anything that sparks the imagination.”

The cheerful inventor and storyteller served as both creator, mentor and friend to Figment, encouraging guests to remain curious. All it takes is one little spark.

For 15 years, from 1983 to 1998, Dreamfinder was at the center of Journey into Imagination, inspiring generations of EPCOT fans with his boundless optimism and sense of wonder. Decades later, fans still hold Dreamfinder close to their hearts, not just because of the adventures he shared with Figment, but because of the feeling he inspired: that imagination is something worth holding onto, no matter how old you are.

Commentary

Did this really happen? The Parks Showcase seemingly ended, I watched Honda Center attendees speeding down the stairs to try and beat the rush and then all of a sudden Neil Patrick Harris was back on stage dressed as Dreamfinder. The delirium of the Tomorrowland announcement followed by this in the waning moments of the event felt like a fever dream. Or maybe that’s just what day 2 of the D23 Expo feels like, as you try to write and update posts on your phone for 3 hours in a large arena!

A revitalized Figment and Dreamfinder ride has been on the top of any Walt Disney World fan’s wish list for a long time. I should say before I write anymore that the press release and Malzoum did stop short of saying there’d be a new attraction. That’s sure what it felt like and what was obviously hinted at but my headline is doing just the final 1% of assuming, the other 99% was given by this brief, fever dream announcement.

Every once in a while, I feel a bit of imposture syndrome while writing about Disney Parks. I’ve been doing it for quite a while now but there are a few topics that feel like other people’s nostalgia and not mine. Figment has always been that topic. The first time I ever stepped foot in Epcot was the year the current iteration of the ride opened. Journey into Imagination with Figment is all I’ve known and no amount of YouTube videos, research or gushing social media posts could change that. While I’ve always enjoyed the character and love to hear people wax poetic about Dreamfinder and Figment, I can’t relate.

That’s going to change with redone Imagination Pavilion and that makes me extremely happy. For all intents and purposes, Journey into Imagination with Figment is a bad ride. I just don’t enjoy going on it. But it has the bones of a ride that I really like – a dark ride featuring original parks characters that tells a unique story. I’d say that they don’t make rides like that anymore but, well, it seems as if they’re about to!

Lord willing, Figment and Dreamfinder get the ride they deserve. Like the Tomorrowland announcement, this was void of detail. Epcot’s 50th anniversary is in 2032. I hope that the reimagined attraction and pavilion are done before then but that could be a target, considering all of the other projects going on in Walt Disney World right now.

As the news blip mentions, Figment has only grown in popularity in the last few years. That’s despite the ride that heavily features him, not because of it. Disney has smartly showcased the dragon in festivals and recent meet & greets. Introducing Dreamfinder to a new generation should only deepen the connection to this new look pavilion.

Outside of (finally) listening to what fans want, which I don’t want to downplay, the growing Figment popularity makes a redone Imagination Pavilion make financial sense for the company. Figment sells a lot of merch already, think about what he and Dreamfinder could do with a great ride! That, the 50th and Epcot’s recent emphasis on improving existing rides makes this move make sense.

Even as I’ve missed out on the nostalgia and my lack of Figment connection may have me feel like I’m on the outside of this conversation, not wanting to step on other superfan’s shoes, there’s something really touching about Figment and Dreamfinder finally getting their attention. Maybe all of the love and nostalgia for them has rubbed off on me more than I’ve realized. My love of IP-free attractions probably plays a role too. Not to put too sweet of a cherry on top, but this feels like watching a beloved sports figure come back to their original team.

I’m excited for more details in the coming months and years. This ride will carry a burden of making nostalgic fans happy while trying to bring in a new generation of Figment and Dreamfinder fans. Until then, we’ll all be humming One Little Spark over the next few days.

Are you excited to have Figment and Dreamfinder reunited at Epcot’s Imagination Pavilion? Let us know, along with any questions you have, in the comments below! Want discounted tickets to Walt Disney World? Check out this site! Planning at trip to Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney, please subscribe to the blog on the right side of this page. That’s where you can find links to our social media accounts, as well. Thank you for reading!