“Great Figment Movie”? “Fasting and random thoughts”? “Imagining one after another”? “Star Wars: Episode XIII – The Figment Menace”? Is Disney making a “Figment” movie?
Now, when Walt Disney Co.’s newly appointed CEO Josh D’Amaro was asked about future plans for Figment, Epcot’s longtime dragon mascot, after Wednesday’s annual shareholder meeting, he didn’t say no. But that was far from Jesus. You need to use your imagination.
“While we don’t have anything new to announce at this time, I can assure you that we’re always looking for new ways for guests to engage with Figment and other fan-favorite characters,” D’Amaro said.
Even though it was literally D’Amaro’s first day on the job, he wasn’t surprised by Figment’s question.
“I’ve obviously been listening to these shareholder meetings for a long time and I know that questions about Figment always come up,” he said. “And you know, I have to say I love it. I also love the fact that there’s so much adoration for Figment. He’s stood the test of time as a fan favorite and clearly continues to inspire creativity and imagination across generations.”
Figment is a purple dragon animated character developed for the Journey into Imagination ride, which debuted at Epcot in 1983, five months after the theme park first opened. He has made several other appearances, including cameos in the films Inside Head and Toy Story 4, and has been made into stuffed animals, pins, comic books, statues, topiary, smoothie and popcorn containers, and more. Figment’s costumed walking characters now interact with Epcot visitors.
But he wasn’t a big screen star. A movie project starring Seth Rogen was announced in 2023, but that was during CEO Bob Chapek’s time, replaced by Bob Iger 2.0, and now ends with D’Amaro taking over.
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Asked about Figment in 2024, Iger said he gets asked a lot about Figment and suggested that perhaps there could be a future for a limited series of Figmentphiles.
still.
“Some of our fans may have seen Figment recently make a special appearance in the short ‘How Not to Draw,'” D’Amaro said. The two-minute production, available on YouTube, is narrated by Disney World regular Neil Patrick Harris, who uses his artistic skill and imagination to portray the characters. You’ll also see the Orange Bird, a fellow WDW mascot found around Magic Kingdom.
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Mr. D’Amaro answered several other questions from shareholders after the meeting. Topics include differences in Lightning Lane policies at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the attraction’s disability pass process, stock splits, and how programming is determined on the Disney+ streaming service.
Mr. D’Amaro, 55, joined Walt Disney Co. in 1998. Previous positions include Chairman of Disney Experience Worldwide, President of Walt Disney World, President of Disneyland, and Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. His appointment as CEO was announced last month.
Iger, 75, is said to remain with the company as a senior advisor and director until the end of 2026.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
