EPCOT is being changed and if you’ve recently visited the park you’ve seen that there are construction walls up all through the middle of the “spine area.” On the west side towards The Land, Journey Into Imagination and The Seas with Nemo and Friends, is construction on a new Moana inspired, walk-through attraction, called ‘Journey of Water.’
This new area will be in a section of the park now called “World Nature.” This is the area of EPCOT (in what was called Future World and I will continue to call it that) on the west side. EPCOT’s new “neighborhood” (Future World West) is “dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe, and balance of the natural world.” I guess that makes sense given The Land and The Seas with Nemo and Friends are in this section.
“Journey of Water will allow guests to explore and engage with water as it travels from our skies to our oceans and back again. Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with artists and cultural consultants from Walt Disney Animation Studios to bring this experience to life.”
Now the Disney Parks Blog has shared a “first look” at some of the elements they are working on for the new area.
Here is the original concept art:
Fans of ‘Moana’ will see familiar elements from the film and Moana will also be featured.
Here’s a look at the current progress:
Here is a foam maquette of the Moana design for the attraction. Principal Dimensional Designer, Jim Towler is shown sculpting the maquette.
“This gives you a glimpse into the earliest stages of our design process, before paint and additional details have been added. Once the pose of the character is defined, sculptors add detail and texture until the emotional expression of the carving is just right. We then do a paint study and often create full-scale samples to test final materials and carving techniques. This process ensures the production and creative vision for the experience align.”
Another example presented by the Disney Parks Blog, is a rock formation featuring the recognizable spiral shape from the ‘Moana’ film. You can see this was featured in the concept art above.
A great source for seeing the progress on Journey of Water is @bioreconstruct on Twitter!
Some rock work in progress that can be seen in park, and the area it is located within Journey of Water. pic.twitter.com/amCuPQhWlP
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) August 20, 2022
Scaffolding and a steel frame near what is likely a service building for custodial supplies and other all-day maintenance needed in Journey of Water. pic.twitter.com/4wsGYGq7zM
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) August 20, 2022
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Sources: Disney Parks Blog, @bioreconstruct
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.