Disney is planning a new Journey Into Imagination with Figment and a reimagined Spaceship Earth at EPCOT. Dreamfinder will return alongside Figment, while Spaceship Earth’s story will expand from human communication to the broader idea of human connection.
There are no closure dates or opening windows for either project. Both attractions remain open until Disney says otherwise.
Dreamfinder will rejoin Figment
Journey Into Imagination will receive a complete reimagining built around Figment and Dreamfinder. Disney has not yet revealed a new name, scenes or artwork for the finished ride.
Dreamfinder and Figment first appeared together when the original Journey Into Imagination opened in 1983. Dreamfinder collected sounds, colours and ideas, using them to create the small purple dragon.
The original attraction closed in 1998. A short-lived replacement opened the following year without Dreamfinder and with a much smaller role for Figment. The current Journey Into Imagination with Figment arrived in 2002, bringing the dragon back as the main character alongside Dr Nigel Channing.
Figment has remained visible around EPCOT through a character meeting, merchandise and the Festival of the Arts. Dreamfinder has been absent from the ride for nearly three decades, so their reunion is the main piece of news.
Disney has not explained how Dreamfinder will appear.
Spaceship Earth will move into the internet age
Spaceship Earth is also getting its first major update in nearly 20 years. The current ride follows the development of human communication, from cave paintings and writing to printing, telephones and computers.
Disney says the reimagined version will continue into the internet age and beyond. Its broader theme will be human connection, which Disney describes as “still classically EPCOT”.
Disney has not said which scenes will remain or whether the narration will change.
A different Spaceship Earth overhaul was announced in 2019 and due to begin in 2020, but did not go ahead after Walt Disney World closed during the pandemic. The new D23 project has a different theme and no inherited timetable from that earlier plan.
Both rides are still open
The current versions of both rides are indoors and have no height requirement, which makes them easier to fit around younger children or a wet EPCOT day. Disney has not said whether that will change after the work.
If either ride matters to a future trip, check its status before you go once Disney announces the closure dates.
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