Okay.
I’m going to try to keep this professional.
I’m going to try to write an actual news article.
But Disney just announced that Dreamfinder is coming back to EPCOT, and honestly, all bets are off.
After 28 years without him, Disney has confirmed that Dreamfinder and Figment will be reunited for a new journey into imagination at EPCOT.
And yes, there may have been some tears.
Dreamfinder Is Coming Back
During the closing moments of the Horizons: A Carousel of Progress Disney Experiences showcase at D23, Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum made the announcement Disney fans have been waiting decades to hear.
Disney is taking guests on a new journey into imagination at EPCOT with Dreamfinder and Figment.
That’s it.
That’s the announcement.
And somehow, it was enough.
Disney hasn’t revealed an opening date or provided many details about exactly what the new experience will look like.
But there was one very important thing missing from the announcement that suddenly doesn’t matter quite as much as it used to.
Dreamfinder isn’t missing anymore.
For Younger Disney Fans, Here’s Why This Matters
If you weren’t visiting EPCOT in the 1980s or 1990s, you may be wondering why everyone suddenly lost their minds over a character in a top hat.
Fair question.
Dreamfinder was the central character of the original Journey Into Imagination attraction, which opened at EPCOT in 1983.
He was an eccentric explorer of imagination who traveled through a fantastical world with his little purple creation, Figment.
Together, they introduced generations of guests to the idea that imagination could take you just about anywhere.
And then Disney took him away.
The Day Dreamfinder Disappeared
The original Journey Into Imagination closed for refurbishment in 1998.
When the new version opened in 1999, Dreamfinder was gone.
Figment was barely there.
And Disney fans were not exactly thrilled.
The attraction eventually became Journey Into Imagination With Figment, which brought Figment back into a much larger role, but Dreamfinder never returned.
For nearly three decades, he remained one of those pieces of classic EPCOT history that fans could remember but never actually experience again.
Until now.
One Little Spark Just Got a Whole Lot Brighter
There’s something particularly fitting about Dreamfinder returning to an attraction about imagination.
Because for years, bringing him back was something Disney fans imagined themselves.
Fans talked about it.
They hoped for it.
They begged for it.
And Disney finally said yes.
We don’t know exactly what form Dreamfinder will take in the new experience yet, but Disney has made one thing very clear: he and Figment are coming back together.
And that’s the part that matters.
Disney Says It Heard the Fans
During the announcement, Mazloum specifically acknowledged how important Dreamfinder and Figment are to Disney fans.
He told the D23 crowd that Disney had heard them and that the new journey was another way of putting fans at the center of what the company is doing.
Well, Disney.
We have notes.
And apparently, for once, somebody actually read them.
What We Don’t Know Yet
There are still plenty of questions.
Disney hasn’t announced exactly what the new Journey Into Imagination experience will include.
We don’t have an opening date.
We don’t know how much of the existing attraction will remain.
We don’t know whether we’ll see a completely new adventure or a reimagining that incorporates elements from the original attraction.
And we certainly don’t know whether One Little Spark will return in the way longtime fans are hoping.
Although, Disney, if you’re reading this…
You know what to do.
Welcome Home, Dreamfinder
For all the questions that remain, this announcement doesn’t need much explanation.
Dreamfinder was part of what made early EPCOT feel different.
He wasn’t simply a character.
He represented the idea that imagination was something worth exploring.
And after almost three decades away, he’s finally coming home.
So yes, I’m excited.
Yes, I’m nostalgic.
And yes, I absolutely cried when Disney made the announcement.
Because sometimes a Disney announcement isn’t about a new coaster or a new land.
Sometimes it’s about getting a little piece of your childhood back.
Welcome home, Dreamfinder.
We’ve been waiting.
