Dreamfinders (unproduced Disney Channel series based on "Journey Into Imagination" Epcot ride; 1983)

Advertisement of the show.

Status: Unproduced

When The Disney Channel launched in 1983, the channel premiered several original programs, like Welcome to Pooh Corner and You and Me, Kid. Those shows were aired on the channel for years, but there was one original show that was announced for the channel's launch but never produced called Dreamfinders. The show is based on the former EPCOT Center (now called Epcot) attraction, "Journey Into Imagination," which turned to "Journey Into Your Imagination" in 1999 and is now currently "Journey Into Imagination with Figment."

Plot

The show, as The Disney Channel Magazine described it, was about a group of children in a "real world" setting, as they are in some kind of problem. Dreamfinder (or as the show called him, Old Eli) would take the kids to "The Realm of Imagination," where they use their ideas to find a creative solution. However, Fear, the show's villain, along with his minions, would attempt to take the children and Eli into the abyss of "Bewilderedness."

Availability

The show was to be an hour long and was scheduled to air on the weekend. Even though the show was never produced, it was represented by a short appearance of Old Eli during the Disney Channel's launch countdown on April 18th, 1983.

The series started to have a ramp-up in people joining the search for it on December 12th, 2016, when Lost Media Wiki user "ccateni" made a thread trying to get people to "help" him find the series.

On December 16th, 2016, LMW user "theraincrafter" managed to contact a scriptwriter of the TV show and obtain a script of an episode called "Just in Time." He then posted a download to the script along with emails sent to the scriptwriter of the show on the original forum for the search of Dreamfinders. It confirms many of the rumors of the show while also giving an accurate depiction of how the show would appear on TV.

Disney's archives on their official fan club website, D23, contains information about Dreamfinders, coming straight from their Chief Archivist Emeritus, Dave Smith. The description of the show given was the same as the description in the advertisements. However, Smith goes on to state that "no shows were ever completed."

On July 28th, 2022, LMW user “nostalgiaguy” found a promo for the show in the Disney Channel launch video. The promo contains clips of the set and the actor.

Gallery

Images

• 

  Another advertisement for the show.

• 

  Screenshot of "Ask Dave" question concerning the status of Dreamfinders.

Videos

Dreamfinder/Old Eli (appears at 1:23).

Clip of the promo.

See Also

Disney Channel

• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (partially found pitch pilot of Disney animated TV series based on animated film; 1996)
• The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (partially found revival of Disney variety TV series; 1989-1994)
• Amazing Animals (found Disney Channel educational animated series; 1996-1999)
• Amphibiland (found pitch pilot of "Amphibia" Disney Channel animated series; 2018)
• Arwin! (partially found pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Disney Channel sitcom; 2007)
• Bonkers "Fall Apart Bomb Squad" (found episode of Disney Channel animated series; 1993)
• Country Club (partially lost test pilot of "Big City Greens" Disney Channel adventure-comedy animated series; 2015)
• Disney Channel Interactive (lost Dish Network game channel; late 2000s)
• Disney Channel "Disney's One Too" (partially lost "Recess" gags of TV channel block; 1999-2003)
• Disney Channel "Wand Idents" (partially found bumpers from TV channel; 2003-present)
• Disney's Coyote Tales (found Disney Channel extended version of "The Coyote's Lament" animated short; 1991)
• Disney's Doug (found episodes of animated TV series; 1996-1999)
• Dumbo's Circus (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1985-1986)
• Fish Hooks (partially found test pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2009)
• Going Wild with Jeff Corwin (partially found Disney Channel documentary series; 1997-1999)
• Gravity Falls (found Comic Con 2012 promo of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2012)
• Gravity Falls (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2010)
• Hannah Montana (lost production material of cancelled anime adaptation of Disney Channel teen sitcom; 2009-2010)
• Herbie the Lovebug (lost Disney Channel animated pilot; late 1990s-2000s)
• The Jersey (partially lost Disney Channel sports-themed comedy series; 1999-2004)
• J.O.N.A.S. (partially found original pilot of "Jonas" Disney Channel comedy series; 2007)
• Katbot (partially found unreleased Disney Channel animated series; 2005)
• Lizzie McGuire "Season 3" (lost production material of cancelled season of Disney Channel comedy series; 2020)
• Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
• Mousercise (partially found Disney Channel exercise series; 1983-1996)
• Mouseterpiece Theater (partially found Disney Channel cartoon compilation series; 1983-1990)
• The Owl House (found test animation of Disney Channel animated series; 2017)
• Pepper Ann (found Disney animated TV series; 1997-2000)
• Pepper Ann (partially found Nickelodeon pitch pilot of Disney animated series; 1996)
• Phineas and Ferb "Delivery of Destiny" (partially found Simon Pegg version of Disney Channel animated series episode; 2013)
• Phineas and Ferb: Spot the Diff (found Disney Channel animated special; 2008)
• The Proud Family (partially found Nickelodeon pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated sitcom; 1999)
• Recess "The Break In" (partially found pitch pilot of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Shooting Star Milkshake Bar (found full version of "Phineas and Ferb" song; 2008)
• Star and the Forces of Evil (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2011)
• Talespin (lost Phil Harris audio recordings from Disney Channel animated series; 1990)
• Teen Angel (partially found Disney Channel serial drama; 1989)
• Welcome to Pooh Corner (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1983-1986)
• What's Stevie Thinking? (lost pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Lizzie McGuire" Disney Channel comedy series; 2005)

Playhouse Disney

• Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (found Playhouse Disney animated short series; 2004-2007)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (found unaired pilot of Disney Channel puppet series; 1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 1997-2006)
• The Book of Pooh (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2001-2004)
• Breakfast with Bear (partially found spin-off of "Bear in the Big Blue House" Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2005-2006)
• Handy Manny (partially found DKP Studios pilot of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005)
• Imagination Movers (found pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney series based on children's music group; 2006)
• JoJo's Circus (partially lost Playhouse Disney stop-motion animated series; 2003-2007)
• Little Einsteins (partially found British dub of Playhouse Disney animated series; 2005-2010)
• Little Einstein (partially found pitch pilots of Playhouse Disney animated series; 2003-2004)
• My Friends Tigger & Pooh (partially found test pilots of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005/2006)
• Out of the Box (partially lost Playhouse Disney children's series; 1998-2004)
• PB&J Otter (found original credits sequences of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1998-2000)
• Playhouse Disney UK (partially found interstitial material of TV channel block; 1999-2006)
• Stanley (found pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1999)

Disney Junior

• Beverly Hills Chihuahuas (found pitch pilot of cancelled Disney Junior animated adaptation of film series; 2012)
• Jake's Team Pirate (found pitch pilot of "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" Disney Junior animated series; 2009)
• Jungle Junction (lost pitch pilots of Disney Junior CGI animated series; 2003-2008)

Toon Disney

• Teamo Supremo (partially lost Toon Disney animated series; 2002-2004)
• Toon News (partially found Toon Disney CGI animated interstitial series; 2004/2005)

Disney XD

• The 7D (found pitch pilot of Disney XD animated series; 2012)
• Billion Dollar Freshmen (lost pitch pilot of "Lab Rats" Disney XD live-action comedy series; 2010)
• Commando Crash (lost pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Crash & Bernstein" Disney XD sitcom; 2014)
• DXP (partially lost Disney XD video game block; 2017)
• Power Rangers Animated Series (lost Disney XD pilot of animated adaptation of live-action superhero series; existence unconfirmed; 2007-2009)
• Very Important House (found Disney XD animated pitch pilot; 2016)

Other

• Green Monkeys (lost Disney animated pitch pilot; 1999)
• Kingdom Hearts (found animatic of cancelled Disney animated TV adaptation of game series; 2003)
• La Chambre Folle (lost French Disney children's TV block; 1998)
• Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (found English dub of anime series; 2015)
• The Mouse Factory (found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
• Robodz (partially found Disney Toei animated TV series; 2008)
• The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (found episodes of Disney animated TV series; 1995)
• X-Heart (partially found unreleased English dub of "X-Coração" Brazilian animated TV series; 2014)