As we look towards the future of Epcot, we wanted to create a single space for you to be able to reference for the Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana attraction. On this page you’ll find facts, descriptions, and photos of not only what the experience will look like, but also a current look at the progress made from on-the-ground reporting from Epcot. (Updated January 28, 2023)
Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana
Announced at the 2019 D23 Expo media preview event on August 22nd, Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana will be the first-ever attraction based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit film. This new experience will let guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting. The water will have a life of its own – just like Moana’s friend, the ocean – and guests will learn about the importance of the natural water cycle. Bob Chapek described the experience as an “exploration trail”.
Journey of Water Concept Art
The concept art showcases the lush landscape and flowing water feature centerpiece. In the concept art below, we can see jumping water that will come alive in front of guests magically. While we expect the jumping water to be similar to what guests can currently find near the Imagination pavilion, Journey of Water will be a seperate experience in a different location.
In May 2022, Disney shared more concept art for the upcoming attraction.
Opening Date
Disney has not announced an exact opening date for the experience yet, but Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that it will be open by late 2023.
Current Progress and Latest News
January 27, 2023 – More trees and foliage are installed.
December 9, 2022 – The 16-foot-tall Te Fiti figure has been installed. Take a closer look!
November 23, 2022 – Walt Disney Imagineering shares a closer look at the sculpted characters guests will find in Journey of Water.
September 11, 2022 – Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro announced that Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana would be open by late 2023 at EPCOT.
July 26, 2022 – Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley shared a look at the graphic style that Imagineers will use for the Journey of Water attraction.
July 7, 2022 – Rockwork for the entrance to the attraction is taking shape!
May 5, 2022 – Disney shared new concept art for the Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana attraction coming to EPCOT.
April 24, 2022 – Rocks begin taking shape.
April 10, 2022 – Disney begins to prepare sections of the construction site for rockwork as multiple walls take shape for the expeirence.
March 14, 2022 – An update from the monorail shows a busy construction site as multiple elements continue to take shape.
February 8, 2022 – Imagineering files a permit for some show element work.
February 2, 2022 – We take a closer look at the complex infrastructure installed for the project.
January 2, 2022 – Infrastructure work is underway for the project.
July 27, 2021 – Land preparation continues for the project.
June 3, 2021 – Construction goes vertical on the Journey of Water Moana attraction at EPCOT.
As of January 2021, the former Innoventions West building has been completely gutted and is ready for demolition to clear the space for Journey of Water.
In December 2020, Disney began gutting the former Innoventions West building.
As of October 2019, there is land clearing near where the attraction will reside. It’s likely that the attraction will sit on the site of the northwest Innoventions building, but work seen in our latest update (HERE) appears to be related to the eventual demolition of the Innoventions West structure.
Attraction Poster
Here’s the Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana attraction poster that was originally released at the 2019 D23 Expo, and is now on display at The Epcot Experience. Just like the concept art, it features what will likely be the water feature centerpiece and jumping water.
Journey of Water Location
Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana will be located in the World Nature neighborhood when the Epcot overhaul is completed. Judging by concept art, we believe that Journey of Water will take over a new space once the northwest section of Innoventions is demolished. As a reminder, the Epcot overhaul project will require all of Innoventions West, with a festival center poised to take over the southwest section of Innoventions.
Our biggest clue to the location isn’t an official press release, but rather a piece of overview concept art that was released during the D23 Expo and is now a massive mural inside The Epcot Experience.
A closer examination of the concept art and mural shows the Journey of Water attraction right where the northwest section of Innoventions sits now. You can see the Journey of Water experience in the art below, complete with jumping water.
Journey of Water Model
As part of the expansive model at The Epcot Experience, the Journey of Water is represented amongst the pavilions and more. We have a supercut of the preview video below, but here’s a look a some photos of the specific Journey of Water model as well as the larger Epcot overhaul model during the Journey of Water teaser video.
Just like the concept art and the attraction poster, the model features a twisting trail through a lush forest area. Keep in mind that the photos below are from during the projection mapped portion of the teaser video for the attraction. Where you see a river flowing through the middle of the model, there will actually be a pathway that guests can walk from the Dreamers Point area towards The Seas pavilion.
Here’s an overview of the Journey of Water model and greater Epcot overhaul model during the Journey of Water teaser video.
Teaser Video
As part of the larger 12-minute video preview of the Epcot overhaul project inside The Epcot Experience, Journey of Water gets a roughly 90-second segment.
Here’s a transcript.
Narrator: There’s a magical, new interactive trail to explore where water is alive and waiting to play.
Gramma Tala: Water is ancient. It has journeyed around our world since the beginning of time. Born as rain falling from the clouds, this water travels to our ocean where sun and waves send it back to the sky to begin the cycle once again. Everywhere it goes, water is alive with personality – changing form and inviting us to play. More magical than we know, this most precious of resources is waiting to share its secrets. Come, Journey with Water!
The Bigger Picture
Journey of Water could be a textbook example of what the future of Epcot could look like. It’s an Intellectual Property (IP) based attraction/experience that attempts to drive forward the theme of the neighborhood it resides in. It will be joined by The Land and The Seas pavilions as anchors in World Nature, the neighborhood that is about understanding and preserving the beauty, awe and balance of the natural world. By adding an IP into the space, that likely furthers the “more Disney” portion of the Epcot overhaul mission statement, but by still keeping a bit of Edutainment in the experience when talking about the water cycle, this could be a perfect example of what Epcot will look like when the overhaul is completed.
Ever since Moana hit the big screen, it’s been a popular addition to the Walt Disney Studios lineup of films. While we’ve heard music from the movie in the parks (and even seen a Moana section of Happily Ever After), this will be the first-ever attraction/experience for a Disney theme park. It’ll be interesting to see just how much of the Moana IP will be integrated into the experience, and we can’t wait to cover the latest developments over the coming years. Stick with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to cover the Epcot overhaul project and the work surrounding the Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana attraction.
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