Have you ever heard of the Journey to Imagination with Figment ride at Disney World? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't. The ride is not nearly as popular as it used to be, and kind of sucks nowadays. Anyway, Journey into Imagination with Figment is a ride at Epcot on the west side of Future World, very close to the Canada showcase. Maybe you've seen the two glass pyramids while wandering aimlessly and wondered about what could be inside. I wouldn't be surprised if only 2 or 3 people reading this have ever actually ridden the ride itself. In the ride, you explore the wonders of imagination with your 5 senses, aided by a tiny purple dragon named Figment. He proceeds to cause quite a bit of mischief, and acts like a 5-year-old who's had way too much sugar. After going through the main ride, you are allowed to explore a tiny play area and are soon released into a gift shop. You can pick up the stereotypical Disney merchandise, and a few articles unique to the attraction. One thing that you may notice in the gift shop is an enormous, white support in the middle of the shop. Upon closer examination, you may find a set of stairs roped off from the rest of the shop. These stairs lead to the second floor, and are the only thing separating you from a piece of Disney history.
Journey into Imagination was a ride opened in March of 1983. The original ride featured the adventures of Figment, as well as his creator, Dreamfinder. The two would travel around in the Dream Mobile, or Dream Catcher, as some call it, and collect dreams and ideas to create magical new things. You can explore the different aspects of creation, including art, literature, performing arts, and sciences. In the end they would take your picture. The second floor was the Imageworks, the original play area. It was, to be honest, much more creative than the current play area. You could play in fountains that launched water back and forth, and even meet Dreamfinder and Figment in the flesh. Unfortunately, in 1998, the ride was set for renovation. Soon the ride was replaced with Journey into YOUR Imagination, with a testing facility. This version had much more influence on the version with Figment, which opened in 2002. After the first renovation, Imageworks and Dreamfinder were forgotten.
You may be wondering why I bothered to research all of this. Well, when I was a kid, the original was my absolute favorite ride. On my first visit to Epcot in 1990, my parents decided each of us, my 2 siblings and I, could pick a ride. Epcot didn't have much to offer back then, so my older brother chose to walk through the Wonders of Life Pavilion and my older sister chose to look at the France Showcase. The Wonders of Life Pavilion is also gone, by the way. Anyway, as you can imagine by now, (no pun intended) I chose Journey into Imagination. I can still remember, being 6 at the time, the only reason why I chose Journey into Imagination was that the shape of the building interested me. It's funny looking back on it now. I can still remember all of the excitement and amazement I felt when I sat in the buggy and went through the ride. My mom actually had to hold me back to keep me from jumping out of the vehicle. I enjoyed the play area thoroughly, and my dad even bought the photo from the ride as well as a plush of Figment. I even cried a little when I finally met Dreamfinder. From then on, I was obsessed with Journey into Imagination. Every time we went to Epcot, I demanded we ride Journey into Imagination. I memorized the lyrics to "One Little Spark" and would sing along on the ride, much to my fellow riders' annoyance. I framed Dreamfinder's signature and hung it above my bed, and slept with the figment plush every night. I was even one of the last people to ride the original on its last day of operation.
I didn't think about the ride as much when I moved to college. I went to UCLA, so Disney World was all the way across the country. I kept myself busy, and pushed my memories to the back of my head. I still kept my Figment plush with me, though. I felt like the little guy was too precious to leave behind. Days turned into months, and everything began to mesh together. I was bored, and the magic that I felt when I was little, was gone. I didn't get another chance to visit Disney World until last year, so it had been over a decade and I was in my late 20s. I was still as excited as ever, and I bolted to the ride as soon as I was let in through the gates. I had known that the ride had been renovated, but I wasn't aware of the disappointment I would face. I rode the ride once, but the ride had lost the magic it had when I was little, and I couldn't stand to ride again. I didn't experience anything that bizarre until that night. I heard...strange noises coming from the pavilion as I passed it on the way out of the park. It was faint, but I swear I could hear screaming, but not screams of fright. They were...the screams of excited children. There was laughter and screams of delight. The noise sounded...strangely familiar. I couldn't believe what I heard. Why on Earth would Disney broadcast something so random? I chalked it off as my imagination running wild as the result of a long day.
That night, I had a very interesting dream. I sat in the old buggies that went through the ride as the ride played out as perfectly as I remembered. The same carousel in the art room, the telescope in the science room in perfect detail, Figment's little animatronic dance from the performing arts room. As soon as I was past the final scene, the area where you get your picture taken, I was taken into a room of complete darkness. I was confused. I wasn't really aware I was dreaming at this point, so I thought that I was supposed to be getting off the ride by now, but the darkness continued for another 5 minutes. Then, the laughter began. I could also hear "One Little Spark" playing in perfect rhythm with the movement of the ride. The buggy was moving towards the sound, so I simply sat in the buggy and waited. I was whisked away into the Imageworks of all places, and watched the kids playing. I was enjoying myself by now. Some kids were playing with the giant kaleidoscopes, some were stomping on the tiles in the electric philharmonic, and others played with the various other attractions. I soon saw the rainbow tunnel, my favorite part of the Imageworks when I was little. But, on the other side, was darkness again. I was starting to question why I was seeing all this, when I saw Dreamfinder. He was standing there under a spotlight, in all his glory. He looked the just the same as he had when I was younger. I felt like squealing with joy. He had the same dark-blue coat, the same curly brown beard, everything. As I got closer, his grin appeared to widen. When I was just a few feet away, the buggy stopped. Dreamfinder held out his hand,which seemed odd. His grin was extremely wide. I felt myself stand up, almost against my will, and walk towards him. I woke up when I was only a couple feet away.
The next few times I visited the park, which was often, since my mother had gotten me a season pass as a gift when I moved back to Florida, were filled with about the same experiences. I started riding Journey into Imagination with Figment more often, and the more I rode the ride, the louder the laughter became. I also had the same dream more often; each time, I got closer to Dreamfinder, and his grin got wider and wider. I thought I was going crazy, but something kept drawing me back. I didn't know what it was, but I couldn't resist. One night, the screams became so loud, that they were all I could hear. I was almost afraid to go to sleep. I wanted to avoid the dream, I was so close to actually reaching Dreamfinder, and I was paranoid about what would happen. Soon, I became too tired, and fell asleep.
This time, the ride was not at all the same. In fact, it actually looked better. All of the decorations seemed real. The animatronics moved like real humans, and it scared me a little bit. When I arrived at the Imageworks, all of the kids were moving super-fast. Than, I saw her. A six-year-old me was staring at me, with those big blue eyes. I couldn't understand why she wasn't joining the other kids. This was so much fun. Her face was pale, and her expression was panicked. She was making gestures at me, gestures to turn back. I tried to leave, but I couldn't. She started crying, but I didn't know why. I couldn't control anything now, so all I could do was watch my dream play out. I went through the rainbow tunnel, and there was Dreamfinder. The walk started, and I was filled with a small sense of dread. I was finally close enough to take his hand. Then, in his ever-cheery voice, he spoke. "Hello, dear. You have been a good little girl, and followed me without fail." I didn't know what to say. My mind was racing with questions. Why was all of this happening? Dreamfinder continued. "As a reward for remaining so faithful, I will ask you; would you like to join me?" I felt my throat dry up as a smile crossed my face. I began to laugh and nodded violently. He clapped his hands and smiled. "Splendid! Then follow me!" he chuckled. He took my hand and we walked to the dream mobile, which was parked nearby. I took the seat where Figment usually sat, and we flew off. We reached the clouds, and I was ecstatic. The air was thin, but I didn't care. I was home, and I could help people. Best of all, I could finally live my childhood dream. I could live my childhood over and over again, with HIM, for the rest of my life.
The TV flickered on. A female reporter appeared on the screen. "Our next story: a young woman has strangled herself to death. She was reported to have visited Epcot the same day. There were no signs of struggle, but she was found with both hands squeezing her neck and a smile on her face. Police are still looking into the case, but so far, our sources say she showed no signs of depression or mental illness. She was found in her apartment about two days after she died. However, over the past two days, we have received some strange calls from people claiming to see this woman in their dreams. She and a man in a blue suit have been seen flying through the sky in a strange device. Each of them also report having brilliant ideas, and were inspired to start a form of project. Whatever has happened here remains a mystery. Hopefully, we will one day be able to learn the truth. Later tonight, we will visit a man who claims to have been a target in the murderous rampage of a video game character. We will return to CNN news in a few minutes." The TV turned off. The tiny purple dragon watching the TV let out a sad but innocent giggle as tears filled his eyes. "So, Dreamfinder," Figment said with a grin, "You've finally found my replacement."