Journey of Water Inspired by Moana

Explore the wonders of water along a lush trail that’s fun for all ages—based on the Disney animated film Moana.

“Our cycle begins…”

Journey of Water is EPCOT’s newest attraction and is a wonderful throwback to the old-school feel of the park. (The only glaring difference is Disney’s use of yet another piece of Intellectual Property (IP) to attach to the attraction in a not-so-subtle way of luring in the younger generations.) Guests take a leisurely stroll between rocks and foliage as they learn a Cliff’s Notes version of the global water cycle, focusing on collection areas such as lakes, streams, and underground crevices, before restarting its journey back into the world and returning to those same types of locations. It nourishes all living matter on Earth in a multitude of ways: water nourishes nature; it sustains living creatures while also providing a majority of our planet’s beings in its waters; it carves new paths and formations in the land that surrounds us – all ending in its eventual return. The cycle relentlessly continues and our job is to conserve it when needed and attempt to curtail as many pollutants as we can for it is water that keeps us and our world alive.

The paths wander through different interactive areas where guests can run their hands past sensors and trigger musical notes or create geyser-like spurts that reach for the sky. There’s even a path to walk through what appear to be streams of never-ending showers and come out the other side completely dry. 

Journey of Water is truly a return to capturing the wonder of the world around us while providing a reminder that we must also temper our technological advances with concern and caring toward the powers that sustain us. While not as heavy handed as other former Future World attractions, Journey of Water will surely gain the ire of those who feel it to be too “woo-woo” and full of itself – a problem that EPCOT has always faced in the old Future World, which indicates that Disney may be making some headway in their willingness to be more provocative in the way it faces real scientific problems.

Behind the Schemes:

Journey of Water is placed in an unexpected area – the pathway leading up from Spaceship Earth before ending in the section leading to the west side attractions. It’s almost in the middle of the path but has a larger footprint than one might expect. It is almost a nice surprise for guests who aren’t expecting an attraction to be such an odd location.

If the beauty of the attraction isn’t enough, it’s also fun to find the hidden Moana characters and symbols found in the rockwork throughout the pathway. Coupled with the apropos soundtrack, this makes for an even more involving experience and one that fans of the movie will surely enjoy, while others may miss or ignore the extras completely.

Reality Check:

Some guests may be disappointed that Journey of Water isn’t an actual ride and feel it is merely a useless eyesore taking up space. Ignore this line of thinking and approach the attraction for what it truly is – an engaging lesson about nature as well as a great place to cool off a bit and get out of the hustle and bustle that is happening outside of its perimeter.

One can’t help but smirk that Journey of Water also has restrooms along the pathway. It’s okay to have a little seventh-grade humor in the park, right?

There is a splash and spray zone near the exit so if keeping your kid(s) dry for the day is the plan, good luck.