Journey of Water Inspired by Moana is a brand new water exploration path, formally opening in October 2023 as one of many last items of the EPCOT overhaul. This Walt Disney World attraction evaluation shares our ideas on the expertise, night time images, comparisons to different sights, and commentary about the way it suits into EPCOT.
Let’s begin with some fast background for many who are unfamiliar with Moana’s Journey of Water within the EPCOT’s newly-rebranded World Nature space, which is devoted to understanding and preserving the sweetness, awe, and steadiness of the pure world. In addition to Journey of Water Inspired by Moana, World Nature contains The Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilions.
Moana’s Journey of Water is basically on the outer fringe of World Nature, and the bottom of the walkthrough abuts World Celebration. Most of that space of EPCOT remains to be behind a sea of development partitions, and would be the final space accomplished. That contains CommuniCore Hall, which is basically the one factor of substance left to debut after Moana’s Journey of Water. The remainder of World Celebration is principally simply bushes and stuff.
Turning to the evaluation, there are a variety of other ways to strategy Moana’s Journey of Water and opinions of it could actually (and can) fluctuate broadly primarily based on the context and issues. Normally, we evaluation issues in a vacuum. Which is to say that the encircling circumstances, development, and operational realities are ignored.
This is how Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has been our #1 attraction Walt Disney World (technically, tied for #1), regardless of it utilizing a digital queue, having frequent downtime, and different frustrations. Same goes for TRON Lightcycle Run scoring properly regardless of being a clone that took means too lengthy to construct.
Our common view is that each one of those variables can inform views and shade opinions, however they’re extra worthy of dialogue previous to opening. A primary-timer strolling into Magic Kingdom as we speak most likely received’t care how lengthy TRON took to construct–it’s immaterial to them. But somebody who visited the park final October whereas it was someway nonetheless underneath development and missed it’d really feel in a different way.
In any case, we do wish to briefly tackle a couple of such issues with Moana’s Journey of Water…
The first is just about the identical frustration followers have confronted with all latest Walt Disney World additions: development length. Journey of Water was introduced over 4 years in the past, and like the remainder of the EPCOT overhaul, it has been tormented by delays. Some of that is attributable to the pandemic, closure of the parks, and the plans for World Celebration altering because of this.
Even although Moana’s Journey of Water shouldn’t be a part of World Celebration, it’s shut sufficient to the central backbone that it completely has been impacted by that. Frankly, whereas 4 years is means too lengthy to construct an interactive water walkthrough, many of the blame for the delay is attributable to the uncertainty with World Celebration and the CommuniCore development.
Despite it being almost completed for months, I believe Walt Disney World has hesitated in opening Moana’s Journey of Water because of the development partitions across the Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit™️. That’s as a result of there seemingly had been/are operational considerations about crowd circulate via this space as soon as Moana’s Journey of Water opens.
In specific, the large query marks with Moana’s Journey of Water are hourly capability, overcrowding, and the place to place the standby line amidst the ocean of development partitions surrounding the Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit. The present hall is already cramped because of the development, and there’s not a ton of house for a bodily standby line on this space till extra partitions come down.
Hopefully, these are solely points within the near-term. If you go to within the subsequent couple months, you would possibly encounter chaos and crowds that shade your opinion of Moana’s Journey of Water, and decide that it’s “not worth it.” If you go to in 2024, you would possibly encounter zero crowds or development partitions, no line in anyway, and a totally snug expertise.
When it involves the situation of Moana’s Journey of Water relative to World Celebration, there are additionally everlasting issues. One of the complaints we’ve heard on this entrance is that the walk-through destroyed the symmetry of the previous Future World–specifically, the Innoventions or CommuniCore buildings.
If you have a look at an aerial earlier than/after view of World Celebration, you’ll see that is true. The buildings behind Spaceship Earth had been beforehand excellent symmetrical, and that has been carried over on the opposite facet, with the reimagined Connections Cafe and Creations Shop. Meanwhile, the Moana Maze and CommuniCore Hall usually are not.
This is a bizarre one. When I’m navigating a theme park, I’m not fascinated by aerial symmetry. As a lot as I appreciated parts of the previous central backbone and Innoventions, its symmetry was not one of many issues that made me a lifelong fan. Maybe I’m only a simpleton, however the symmetry complaints strike me as a ‘Very Online’ perspective, and one that might solely come to thoughts when idea artwork or overhead images. Is anybody really pondering this whereas strolling via the park? (Maybe I’m the minority.)
I’ve many complaints about World Celebration (many!), however symmetry shouldn’t be certainly one of them. Not solely that, however I feel complaining about Journey of Water changing symmetrical buildings requires taking a really idealized and even summary view of EPCOT and ignoring what it was really like in 2019. Innoventions could have been symmetrical, however it additionally had severe lifeless mall vibes. Something needed to be carried out.
I don’t assume the World Celebration plan was the perfect, or perhaps a good “something” given the 4 years it took to perform. But we’re beginning to veer off into reviewing that as an alternative of Moana’s Journey of Water. I’ll simply say that I might’ve liked to see a extra formidable plan that had a counterpart to Journey of Water on the opposite facet of Spaceship Earth. How cool would it not have been to have a water exploration path right here, and an interactive fiber optics walkthrough reverse it?!
With all of that out of the way in which, let’s flip to the substantive evaluation of Moana’s Journey of Water in isolation. From my perspective, this walkthrough is a superb attraction that exemplifies the spirit and unique mission of EPCOT Center. It was additionally very a lot wanted.
As a part of the overhaul, there have been numerous issues which have tried to strike the correct steadiness between edutainment and mental property, appeasing each diehard EPCOT Center followers and informal company anticipating to see characters. I might argue that no different addition accomplishes this in addition to Moana’s Journey of Water.
Journey of Water is an ‘edutainment’ attraction at its coronary heart, strolling company via an atmosphere that engages and educates company concerning the water cycle and the way it sustains our world. In basic EPCOT vogue, it does so by each displaying and telling.
For those that wish to have enjoyable or study by doing, merely work together with the water shows all through the expertise. You could not essentially study concerning the water cycle in an instructional method, however Journey of Water nonetheless informs and engages in probably the most elementary sense, and might act as a basis for understanding how water ‘works’ for teenagers.
You would possibly even say that there’s a little bit of studying by osmosis for teenagers in exploring Moana’s Journey of Water. It jogs my memory of taking part in with LEGOs or Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, for instance, which might educate structural engineering, utilized physics, and problem-solving expertise. Somewhat comparable thought right here.
For those that wish to good ole long-established e book information, there are graphics all through Moana’s Journey of Water that educate concerning the water cycle. These share the important hyperlink we have now with water throughout our planet, and encourage the essential position all of us share in preserving this life-giving and life-sustaining valuable useful resource.
I’ve seen some Walt Disney World followers criticize these placards and, frankly, I can’t perceive why. Reading signage has been a staple of EPCOT Center since I used to be a child. All this does is add a layer of depth for many who wish to study extra, or in much less of an summary method. I can’t fathom how it is a adverse–you’re free to disregard these graphics if you happen to don’t wish to learn or are illiterate. No one goes to drive you to study something–that is nonetheless America!
My largest shock was really how a lot Journey of Water leans into edutainment and away from the animated film characters. Although it options mental property, Journey of Water is just Inspired by Moana. Aside from the doorway and the towering Te Fiti determine, the references to Moana are minimal–largely simply Easter eggs carved into the rockwork. You might undergo many of the walkthrough with out ever realizing it’s associated to Moana in any respect. (I do know the images right here counsel in any other case, however that’s as a result of I centered totally on the photogenic parts, that are these that includes Moana stuff.)
This is likely one of the most pure incorporations of mental property into EPCOT in years, with Moana being an natural match for this expertise. If something, Moana is a little bit of a pretense–a conduit for “tricking” children into studying concerning the water cycle, having enjoyable, and taking part in with water.
If you informed me that Imagineering conceived of this as an IP-free water exploration path however might solely get funding with Moana connected, I’d imagine you. It very a lot seems like an genuine EPCOT expertise, reasonably than a thinly-veiled excuse for extra characters and movies within the park.
As a lot as I like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, this virtually feels just like the reverse of that. Whereas the queue and preshows of Cosmic Rewind do an incredible job of weaving collectively a story framework that makes the attraction a believable match for EPCOT, it’s nonetheless shoehorned. It’s a matter of constructing lemonade out of lemons, and to their credit score, Imagineers did an admirable job with making the Wonders of Xandar really feel “close enough” to an EPCOT pavilion.
By distinction, Journey of Water is an EPCOT Center attraction at its coronary heart. It is completely at dwelling within the former Future World, and seems like an natural match to the park. If something is shoehorned in, it’s the Moana references. Journey of Water might drop these with out shedding something. (In actuality, nothing is shoehorned into this–the characters and the edutainment high quality meld flawlessly with each other.)
Not solely that, however Journey of Water seems like the proper out of doors counterpart to each the Land and Seas pavilions, showcasing the intersection of the 2. It’s a superb method to spherical out the World Nature neighborhood, and makes for the proper little self-contained space. Journey of Water is actually a greater counterpart to these pavilions than no matter was beforehand inside this space of Innoventions.
With that mentioned, Moana’s Journey of Water is solely separate from these pavilions when you’re contained in the water exploration path. It’s secluded from each World Celebration and Nature, and the one time you see the remainder of the park is when Spaceship Earth is completely positioned as a backdrop. I’m positive one thing may very well be mentioned concerning the symbolism of this man-made image of the Water Planet juxtaposed in opposition to the (additionally man-made) model of earth’s water cycle. But actually, I simply assume it appears to be like cool.
To that time, the format and staging of Moana’s Journey of Water is superb. Originally, I used to be skeptical about this being a self-contained space reasonably than a water space you can bump into whereas strolling via EPCOT, however they made the correct name. (This shouldn’t be a path which you could minimize via to get from level A to B in EPCOT. It’s a horseshoe-shaped path, with the doorway and exit in the identical common space.)
Several of the interactive areas function Spaceship Earth as a backdrop, and are completely picturesque because of this–way more photogenic than they’d be in the event that they had been merely water options and rockwork. Of course, there’s the Te Fiti in direction of the tip, the reveal of which with Spaceship Earth within the background is about as a lot of a ‘wow-moment’ as you can presumably get from a walkthrough path.
Speaking of the rockwork, it’s very properly carried out. Imagineering has turn out to be extremely adept at designing rockwork within the final decade-plus, with Cars Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Pandora – World of Avatar, and even areas of New Fantasyland coming to thoughts as exemplars. Most of that is attributable to Imagineer Zsolt Hormay, however I’m uncertain whether or not he was concerned with Journey of Water. Regardless, the rockwork in Journey of Water is nice.
Another factor Imagineering does properly is lighting, and that’s additionally on full show in Moana’s Journey of Water. The lighting fixtures provide a mushy, heat mild; focal factors have a greater diversity of colours and are evenly lit; the water itself is cooler colours; mercifully, they don’t overdue it with deep blues in every single place.
The finish result’s an expertise that, like so many issues at Walt Disney World, is a lot better at night time. Moana’s Journey of Water completely nails the unreal lighting, with a serene and moody high quality. While fulfilling throughout the day–particularly the 47 weeks of the yr when Florida is scorching–you completely should do Moana’s Journey of Water at night time. It’s gorgeous when illuminated, and with Spaceship Earth’s Beacons of Magic dancing within the background.
From my perspective, the most important query mark within the medium and long-term is interactivity. Moana’s Journey of Water has options which can be eerily paying homage to these present in interactive queues at Walt Disney World from the final decade. If you’re unfamiliar with these interactive queues–precisely. Most of them had been disabled way back.
My worry is that Journey of Water will undergo the same destiny. Already, my visits to the water exploration path have seen a number of stations briefly unavailable resulting from points. In equity, that’s to be anticipated as a result of the attraction remains to be in previews, and Imagineering all the time has to work out pesky issues pre-opening.
But it’s additionally not troublesome to ascertain a situation the place park ops decides sure guest-triggered interactivity is extra hassle than it’s value, or is inflicting pinch-points and crowding, and places them on a timer. That actually wouldn’t be the tip of the world, however it will make the interactivity much less spectacular.
With a lot gushing, it’s essential put Journey of Water Inspired by Moana in context to appropriately set expectations. As must be clear from the above, it is a walk-through water path and never a giant funds thrill journey or family-friendly darkish journey. No one ought to plan a visit round this, and it’s not almost pretty much as good as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and even Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. (It being a greater thematic match for EPCOT isn’t the identical because it being as massive of a draw.)
The factor is, that’s tremendous. Not all the pieces must be a blockbuster addition. Walt Disney World wants a greater diversity of issues to do, and particularly tactile experiences the place folks can actively play and have enjoyable. In that regard, that is an unimaginable addition. Beyond that, certainly one of Future World’s largest points was that it was a concrete jungle with little shade, water, and lushness. This cures all of these complaints, whereas additionally providing children a spot to play and blow off some steam.
Actually, it’s not simply children–it’s adults, too. I had a blast exploring and photographing Moana’s Journey of Water. Much greater than I anticipated, in actual fact. My view on this beforehand was that it will (most likely) be a wanted addition to EPCOT, even when it didn’t attraction to me, personally. As it seems, it does attraction to me personally. My group of associates had a blast going via on a Saturday night time at EPCOT, taking within the views, participating the interactive options, and seeing each other get hit by the water.
Below are extra images I took of Moana’s Journey of Water throughout the daytime, sundown, nightfall, and night time. Its look and ambiance change tremendously over the course of the day, and I’d suggest visiting in direction of the start of the morning and finish of the night if in any respect doable.
Suffice to say, Moana’s Journey of Water is a much-needed addition to the park that embodies the spirit of EPCOT Center and its edutainment roots. The water exploration path is splendidly executed and way more enjoyable than I anticipated. It’s among the finest additions at Walt Disney World in latest reminiscence (whereas including the compulsory “for what it is” asterisk).
I can’t wait to do Moana’s Journey of Water once more, and I actually hope the crew of Imagineers behind that is given extra tasks within the EPCOT portfolio. The at occasions underwhelming overhaul is certainly in want of a section 2 already!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited for Moana’s Journey of Water? If you’re additionally an EPCOT Center purist, are you apprehensive that it will match the park, or do you assume studying concerning the water cycle makes this exploration path a superb match? If you’ve skilled Journey of Water, what did you consider the attraction? Where does this rank among the many EPCOT overhaul additions for you? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!