'Moana' Inspires Massive New Disney World Addition
Disney World guests will soon be able to visit the fictional island Motunui. More than six years after the hit 2016 animated film Moana first debuted, Journey of Water, a new attraction inspired by the movie, is heading to Walt Disney World Resort's EPCOT park, and the theme park recently gave fans their first glimpse at one massive fixture at the center of the upcoming attraction: Te Fiti.
On Saturday, Walt Disney Imagineering shared the first photo of the enormous statue, which is practically identical to the goddess in the film. Standing amid a backdrop of EPCOT's Spaceship Earth, the statue is adorned in greenery and flowers. Disney went on to announce in the caption that the Journey of Water project team officially "welcomed Te Fiti at her position along the trail" that morning, calling the moment a "momentous milestone for the project team as we continue to bring this experience to life for EPCOT guests in Late 2023." The post went on to congratulate "the team of Imagineers and all of our partners that made this happen!"
Te Fiti's arrival in EPCOT marked the first major step in the ongoing work to bring the Journey of Water to park goers. First announced in 2019 and marking the first attraction themed after Disney's film Moana, Journey of Water will invite guests to "explore the wonders of water" through an interactive self-guided outdoor trail. Throughout the trail, guests will be able to "play and interact with water as it travels from the sky to the oceans and back again," all while learning "about the importance of water and discover its playful personality-just as Moana did on her heroic voyage."
Further information about the project had been quiet until Disney announced during the Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, California earlier this year that a massive 16-foot statue of Te Fiti would be included in the park. At the time, Disney said, "Te Fiti represents life and the balance of nature. She will be seen protecting water as it voyages around the water cycle." It also explained that bringing Te Fiti to life in statue form involved the exploration of the character's pose, the color design of her figure, clay model conceptualization, sketching, and photo reference.
Journey of Water is set to open within World Nature-the EPCOT neighborhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty and balance of the natural world – sometime in late 2023. An exact opening date has yet to be announced.