By author and historian Michael Crawford
When EPCOT Center opened in 1982, its most iconic denizens were the two whimsical hosts of the Imagination pavilion: Dreamfinder and Figment. Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team developed the beloved characters, but it took some time to figure out just how they would appear, act… and sound.
This rather remarkable casting call appeared in one of Disney’s own cast member newsletters in the fall of 1981. It’s an open request for employees to send in cassette tapes if they have “distinctive” voices, which would prove suitable for a “youthful, restless, mischievous, excitable, daydreaming purple dragon.”
While the role of Figment’s voice eventually went to stage-and-screen veteran Billy Barty, it must have been exciting at the time to have a shot at voicing this future Epcot legend!
