Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. Figment and Dreamfinder are two of the most iconic EPCOT characters of all time, these characters are so beloved that there was such a large fan outrage after they were removed that EPCOT was forced to reinstate Figment into the ride. And well, Figment and Dreamfinder are getting a new lease on life thanks to Marvel and their Disney Kingdoms line comics, which first debuted last month with Seekers of The Weird, a comic series based on the long abandoned Museum of The Weird attraction.
D23 first reported the announcement of this comic last week. And my reaction well, I was excited. Because I love Figment as he is my favorite Disney World character and one of my favorite characters in general. In an interview with ComicVine, writer Jim Zub explained that it is an origin story.
It’s an origin story showing how the Dreamfinder and Figment came to be. We’re putting together a sweeping adventure of exploration and wonderment inspired by the Journey Into Imagination attraction from Walt Disney World.With any work for hire project I feel it’s important to understand that you’re working with someone else’s creation. That requires research and trying to understand the core of that property. Figment is no different, but channeling aspects of an a famous Disney attraction and the original design material from the Disney Imagineers into a storyline was a really unique challenge.
Now, this doesn't bug me because well, Figment and Dreamfinder aren't as well known as they once were. And while hardcore classic EPCOT fans will know who these two are, it makes sense to make this an origin story to introduce these two to a new audience.
I do have some faith in the writer as Zub mentions in that interview, he had been on the original Journey Into Intimation (lucky!), when he was 14 years old. So knowing that this writer has firsthand experience with the attraction does give me some hope for this to be an entertaining series.
Yes, actually. I went to Walt Disney World with my family when I was 14 years old and the ride really stuck with me. At that point in time I was obsessed with everything sword & sorcery, so a ride with a dragon mascot and magical adventure was definitely a big plus. When you’re that age the whole park seems full of endless possibilities, but Journey Into Imagination really takes that concept to another level by stressing the creativity within all of us.
Now I'll freely admit that I at first was taken aback by The Dreamfinder's new look as he looks relatively younger compared to his ride self.
But knowing that this is an origin story, I can let that slide. Now, you may have noticed that there is a bit of a steampunk element to the look and I'm okay with that because as Zub points out in the interview and from viewing the original attraction on YouTube, that was already there. My biggest fear with this comic is that it's going to introduce an antagonist. Why do I say this? Well, Journey is a ride doesn't rely on a bad guy, it's about wonders and creativity that can come from the mind. There's a reason that one of the inspirations for Dreamfinder was Walt Disney because it many respects, Journey celebrated what Walt was known for . Using creativity to make beautiful pieces of work.
This five issue mini-series will debut in June and I can already guarantee, that I'll be picking up the first issue as I love these characters and I know it won't happen but I would it love it if EPCOT would consider putting the Dreamfinder back in Journey as he is a beloved character, even by people that never got to experience the ride with him such as myself. I went over this during my A Look at Disney World event but I know that this won't happen, it's just too much to ask. At least, they'll get new fans with the comic and Figment will get to be with his rightful companion that treats him with respect. And in the end all this comic needs is just One Little Spark to get things right. Sorry, it'd be wrong to not end with that song.
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