March 5, 1983 – The “Journey into Imagination Attraction” Opens in Walt Disney World’s Epcot Theme Park
“Figment the playful, purple dragon is your guide on this whimsical tour of the Imagination Institute.”
On March 5, 1983, the “Journey into Imagination” attraction opened in the Future World pavilion in Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park. The attraction’s host was a top hat-wearing red-bearded man called the Dreamfinder (played by Chuck McCann) who collects dreams with his Dream Catcher, and creates a new character, Figment, the dragon (voiced by Billy Barty), from a figment of his imagination. Visitors were taken to several different rooms filled with imaginative ideas, and at the end of the attraction, their pictures are taken as they travel on the omnimover. The attraction was closed on October 10, 1998, to be completely renovated into the Journey into YOUR Imagination 3-D movie, hosted by Dr. Nigel Channing (played by Eric Idle). This version was then closed on October 8, 2001, and reopened again on June 2, 2002, as “Journey into Imagination with Figment.” The song performed in the attraction, “One Little Spark,” was written by the Sherman Brothers, and has been used in all three incarnations; the most recent incarnation has Figment voiced by Dave Goelz.
disneydetail 