Moana’s Journey of Water: NEW EPCOT Attraction Coming to Walt Disney World
Moana’s Journey of Water is a brand new attraction coming to EPCOT at Walt Disney World! This new experience is currently being built in the World Nature neighborhood in EPCOT.
Based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios film fan favorite Moana, this new attraction will be inspired by Moana’s friendship with water and her devotion to nature.
Keep reading for everything if you need to know about this new experience, plus a new look at the area from Disney.
Moana’s Journey of Water Opening Date
Moana’s Journey of Water will open in Fall 2023! While we haven’t received a specific announcement regarding a date, Disney Visa Rewards members received an email about Disney theme park offerings throughout the year which included this headline:
This fall, you won’t want to miss the debut of Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana at EPCOT®! This new exploration trail will connect guests to the story of our planet’s water.
When: Fall 2023.
We will update more when we have an official opening date! But for now, looks like Disney is targeting a Fall completion date which would likely fall sometime between September-October.
You can read more about other new attractions and rides at Disney World in our tracker.
New Moana Journey of Water Photos
During the Walt Disney Company Annual Shareholders meeting, Disney CEO Bob Iger toured the new Moana Journey of Water area and shared that the attraction marks the “completion of our spectacular transformation of EPCOT”.
You can see in the scale from the photos how massive the Moana Te Fiti figure is compared to the Disney CEO and Imagineers seen below.
Te Fiti Figure Completed for Moana’s Journey of Water
Walt Disney Imagineering revealed via Instagram (see above photo) that Te Fiti has been installed in her position along the trail inside Moana’s Journey of Water. As a reminder, Te Fiti is a 16 foot tall masterpiece that guests will encounter as they experience this new Moana attraction. It looks like this photo was taken from someone standing level on the ground so you can get an idea of its size.
When I first saw this image on my social media feed, I thought it was a photoshopped rendering at first and it took me a moment for my eyes to catch up! She’s absolutely breathtaking and I cannot wait to see the beauty that Imagineers have created for this experience.
Moana’s Journey of Water fits in nicely with EPCOT especially when you consider the long standing history this park has had with nature. All you have to do is look towards Living with the Land to see that connection and innovation. This is a nice opportunity for Disney to add a popular, beloved film franchise into the park while still ensuring it maintains its relevance to what EPCOT stands for. They’ve hit it out of the park with this one and I think even the most hesitant EPCOT fans will end up liking what they see when it’s revealed.
You can read the full post from Walt Disney Imagineering below.
Disney also has released a full sneak peak of Moana’s Journey of Water as we await more details regarding its Fall 2023 opening date:
Te Fiti Concept Model
A NEW concept model at D23 Expo revealed a built to scale model of Te Fiti. Disney used scale models to develop the color and digital models to get all the details right. This model of Te Fiti will stand 16 feet tall! This shows the attraction in a much larger scale than previously shown in the 2019 concept art.
We’re counting the days until this amazing experience comes to EPCOT!
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Moana’s Journey of Water
Journey of Water will be a walk through experience that will immerse guests in a lush environment featuring the global cycle of water which will be brought to life. Guests will be able to interact and play with water as it travels from our skies to our oceans and back again.
This experience is designed for all ages and is inspired by Moana’s friendship with water and her devotion to protecting nature around her.
Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with artists and cultural consultants from Walt Disney Animation Studios to design this experience and capture the beauty of the natural water cycle within the attraction. Imagineers were also inspired by Moana’s fierce determination to protect her environment.
Guests will notice familiar shapes and characters carved into the rocks and waterways through Journey of Water. An example of this will be Moana herself as she celebrates water’s arrival to our ocean.
We’ve also received an Instagram update from Zach Riddley, Disney’s Creative Portfolio Executive, as he shared a preview of the graphic style used in the attraction to show the “dynamic movement of water as it travels throughout the experience.”
View this post on Instagram
The images above will be used to guide guests through the cycle of water and to show the importance humanity plays in preserving water as a natural resource.
Moana’s Journey of Water is part of EPCOT’s transformation and is being built in the World Nature neighborhood of the park where Living with the Land and other similar themed attractions are located.
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- What to Do When it Rains at Disneyland? Use Our Disneyland Rain Guide!
- Disney Springs: Ultimate Guide to Dining, Shopping, and Entertainment
- Attraction Guide to Walt Disney World’s: Magic Kingdom
- Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios Attractions Guide
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