Vanellope leaves EPCOT as work begins on new Figment meet and greet at the Imagination pavilion

Aug 24, 2023 in "Imagination! (Pavilion)"

Vanellope meet and greet closed
Posted: Thursday August 24, 2023 11:05am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Vanellope meet and greet in EPCOT's Imagination! pavilion is now closed as work gets underway to prepare for the new Figment character experience.



Located inside the Image Works post-show of the Journey into Imagination ride, the new Figment meet and greet is expected to open soon.


Announced by Disney Parks chairman Josh D'Amaro at the D23 Expo in 2022, no marketing art was shown for the Figment character, but Disney later said in a blog post, "he's coming to life in a whole new way."

The Joy meet and greet at Image Works remains open as usual.

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Figments FriendSep 13, 2023

Here it is folks, THE most epic photo of this meet and greet you will ever see - Figment meets his ‘Dad’, Tony Baxter. ❤️ -

Figments FriendSep 13, 2023

The way I see it, the proportions were directly inspired by the original design sculpts used for the animatronic versions of the character. He was a slender, serpentine figure…not the chubby ‘fat’ Figment that was primarily used on merchandise in the 90s and beyond. A lot of fans have only ever known him as the pudgy version, which is why I think there has been a lot of commentary regarding the proportions of his ‘new look’. But it’s actually a really nice throwback in the design that harkens back to the Original Attraction. This looks really nice to me, and SO much better than the cartoony craziness that was the former form ‘Figzilla vs. 1’. 🙂 There are indeed PhotoPass photographers present during Figment’s appearances. Saw this yesterday when I visited, two were present for the time I was there. Disney must be making some serious money on just PhotoPass sales alone here over the last two days. Hey, maybe now they will have some money to invest in a improved and imaginative ride through Attraction! 😁 -

MagicHappens1971Sep 13, 2023

$$$$$$ Character performers are cross-casted. Whoever is “friends” with Figment is also friends with other characters. They simply do not want to spend the money.

RodjSep 13, 2023

7 days is definitely absurd, I edited my post, though I still believe that they only have one or two per day, why else would it end quite early in the day? Regardless, I think that they should look for some more so that it can stay open longer. Speaking of hours, the times were yet again changed today. The new hours are 9 AM to 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM to 4 PM.

DobergeSep 12, 2023

Unsure who to credit for this one that was forwarded along.

ToTBellHopSep 12, 2023

Figment attempting to return to us, but stumbling and face planting is honestly nothing new. It’s been going on at Journey Into Imagination since 2002.

MisterPenguinSep 12, 2023

They forget to tag @OSHA!

TheMaxReboSep 12, 2023

Good job by Disney to address so quick - hopefully this eliminates anymore falling Figmenta

MagicHappens1971Sep 12, 2023

I believe there are PhotoPass photographers set up

GillyanneSep 12, 2023

I can't tell from any of the pictures I've seen; is there a PhotoPass set up there, or is it BYOC?

jeanericuser001Sep 12, 2023

I think we can best describe figment as what he is, a figment of someone's imagination. In one person's imagination he is a little imp. In another he is a fearsome dragon. In this case its geriatric figment with bad eye sight, dad bod, and wings like an ostrich. Who ever had this vision of him in this light obviously has a very poor imagination. I pity that person.

Fido ChuckwagonSep 12, 2023

You think they’ve got one guy or gal working 7 days a week, do you?

cheezbatSep 12, 2023

His proportions are…off. Visibility must be problematic in that costume if performers are tripping.

Figments FriendSep 12, 2023

So as promised, here is a photo I snapped of the postcard ‘autograph’ you can receive if you ask Figment for his autograph. The backside has the Imagination Institute logo….boo…! Now having had a meeting with the character up close and very personal, I have to say that I discovered something neat about this particular incarnation of the character - The material used for his ‘skin’ is made to look and feel like it has dragon scales. This is only really noticeable when you are face to face with him, and can touch his hands or arms. It is not at all noticeable in photos from a distance, or even notable when standing a few feet away. But up close, actually meeting him one to one, it is clear some extra thought went into the fabrics used. It’s a really nice embellishment and adds an extra element to make it seem more ‘real’. Someone really did their research when designing this version of the costumed character. Even the yellow sweater is made like a real knitted sweater, and not just plain yellow fabric as it appears in photographs. Having attended the Destination D event where he made his first appearance, these details were not noticeable from a distance…even if standing a few feet in front of him. These are details you only really notice when you are very close to him, and i found it to be a nice plus. More photos coming at a later time…. Today when I did the official meet with Figment I brought along a surprise for him…..a large picture of his ‘dad’ Tony Baxter. Yes, I had a photo session with the ‘three’ of us….. Wait until you see these! 😎