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| By Keith Mahne |
What I'm about to show you is extremely graphic (not really unless you consider mishandled auto-animatronics graphic). Continue after the page break for some horrifying decayed remains of the Figment auto-animatronics used in the original Journey into Imagination attraction...
These were auctioned off on eBay back in 2008. Have a look:
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| This one is possibly the Mountain climber Figment or the pirate Figment being that one hand is stretched out, with the other recoiled in. |
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| The Figment above was probably the ship driver or the weightlifter Figment. These Figments had hands that are both clasping something like a steering wheel or the dumbells. |
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| The figment above is cowboy figment I'm assuming based on his posture and was made to swing back and forth on the horse. |
Sad huh? Now of course the title and tone of this article is one of a joking matter but it is a bit sad to see these old Figment animatronics not taken care of or even archived by Disney. Hopefully someday soon, a brand new Journey Into Imagination attraction will be amusing us again with Dreamfinder and Figment back in their rightful home together.
Keith... Just before I shipped out to Orlando to help open EPCOT Center in '82, I had occasion to visit the Disney Studio and watched the filming of one of the Figment scenes used at the end of the ride (which included the mountain climber, song-and-dance man, superhero, cowboy, etc.) which you referred to in your article. These dragons were not audio-animatrons at all! They were hand-operated puppets, shot against blue screen and operated by puppeteers wearing matching blue costumes so as not to be seen onscreen.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can't tell you which charred and dessicated dragon pictured above was used in which scene of the ride, I'm fairly certain that they were not used in those film loops.