Dr. Nigel Channing

**Dr. Nigel Channing** is a character from the attraction *Honey, I Shrunk the Audience* who has become affiliated with the *Journey Into Imagination* attractions of EPCOT.

## History

Dr. Nigel Channing is a domineering and painfully unfunny British scientist employed by the *Imagination Institute* where he once was awarded the, "Inventor of the Year Award". During the time he was awarded he was already affiliated Figment, a creation of psionic energies made by the Dreamfinder who was ran the institute's *Imagination! Pavilion* before them.

By the late-1980s/early-1990s and following the mysterious absence of the Dreamfinder, Dr. Channing was chairman of the Imagination Institute with him making his offices and lab in the Imagination! Pavilion. While Dreamfinder was fixated on studying imagination to let it flourish and advance, Nigel was much more concerned with controlling imagination in a sterile environment for corporate progress.

Channing's plans for a sterile and professional environment were however constantly put at odds with the chaos created by the mad-science and extreme personalities of his subordinates and peers. In addition to this, Channing was regularly terrorized by Figment who held Dreamfinder's virtues but had become much more troublesome following his creator's apparent disappearance.

At some point between 1989 and 1994 and in correlation with the Imagination Institute's 100th anniversary, Dr. Channing presented an, "Inventor of the Year" award to institute inventor Wayne Szalinski for his creation of the, "Shrinking Gun". This event turned to chaos when the shrinking gun accidentally shrunk the audience of the awards ceremony in addition to Channing and his peers.

Following this event, Channing would host guided tours of the Imagination! Pavilion to try and instruct guests of his constricting views of imagination. These tours were interrupted by Figment who wreaked havoc in order to try and teach Channing that imagination is best when allowed to be set free. By the end of one of these tours, Channing was persuaded to Figment's side and joined Figment in singing the Dreamfinder's song, "One little spark" while Figment used his powers to temporarily transform Channing into a nightmarish face on a moon resembling the man on the moon from George Méliès' *Le Voyage dans la Lune* (1902) much to Channing's delight.

## Appearances and allusions

### Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Nigel first appeared in this attraction where he awarded Dr. Wayne Szalinski an, "Inventor of the Year Award" only to be accidentally shrunk by Szalinski's shrinking machine. When he shrink-ray also shrunk the audience he complained and whined about the lawsuits which Szalinski was creating.

### Journey Into Imagination

#### Journey Into Your Imagination

In this short-lived and unanimously hated replacement for *Journey Into Imagination*, Channing served as the ride's host. Here guests were taken through the *Imagination! Pavilion* by Dr. Channing where he harassed and demeaned guests for having no imagination until after lecturing them in sterile rooms for approximately six minutes he decreed them as having imaginations thanks to his lecturing skills.

#### Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment

In this replacement to *Journey Into Your Imagination*, Channing attempts to do his tour of the institute only to be tormented and terrorized by Figment. While in the original *Journey Into Imagination* Figment was portrayed as something of a wide-eyed innocent child, here he is a mischievous trickster who causes chaos for the institute and Channing.

### Disney Kingdoms

The chairmans of Illocrant and Auckley appear to be the Disney Kingdoms counterparts to Channing in-terms of occupation and stuffy, contemptuous personalities. They are chairmans of the *Academy Scientifica-Lucida*, the Disney Kingdoms parallel to the Imagination Institute.

## Trivia

* One photograph of Dr. Channing erroneously identifies him as being Imagination Institute founder despite the Institute having been founded in the 19th century.
	+ It is worth noting that a similar continuity error occurs within the queue of *Big Thunder Mountain Railroad* with the character of Jason Chandler who is erroneously stated as founder of the *Society of Explorers and Adventurers*. However the apparent solution incorporated by Disney for this plot-hole was that he was a founder of S.E.A.'s international presence in the 19th century rather than the society itself.
* Eric Idle was casted last-minute for the attraction with them originally wishing to cast late-actor Raul Julia.
* Dr. Channing is broadly considered to be one of the most disdained characters in Disney Parks.
* Channing was likely born around 1943, the birth-year of his actor Eric Idle.