This is the major problem....for such a unique and recent IP...I expected an actual water RIDE instead of a glorified water playground/queue being treated as an ENTIRE attraction. Plus, it took WAAAAY too long to build this lol just like Tron
I agree it's laughable when compared how long it took to build this attraction. Especially how we're seeing the massive Epic Universe is progressing quickly! 🤦🏻♂️
I love this experience from the looks of it. Sadly, it was placed in the wrong spot. Could’ve worked great at Animal Kingdom, Adventureland or maybe even a new World Showcase Pavilion.
I honestly think it’s fine in Epcot. It’s right next to The Seas and The Land. The problem is that Epcot needs more green space so it can mesh better as well as provide more shade in the parks
I vote MK the hottest with so many more people crowded into a smaller space, finding shade or space indoors is a bigger chore there than any other park.
I wish Imagineers would be allowed to create the old school stuff that wasn't necessarily attached to a movie IP. Japan could get a roller coaster... But the idea of a unique attraction like Pirates or the Haunted mansion. For that matter, Space Mountain was totally unique when it opened.
Funny that you mention the heat at Animal Kingdom, because I always feel like EPCOT is the hottest park due to so much of the real estate being unshaded concrete paths between pavilions!
I wholeheartedly agree with you! Glad I'm not the only one who thinks it would be a better fitting offering in Animal Kingdom because the first thing I thought when it was announced is why not Animal Kingdom. Which is only more questionable with the relationship between Moana and Animal Kingdom now. As for the EPCOT transformation as a whole I can confidently say it was a BUST! There was so much promise in the initial announcements and we didn't even get HALF of it. They're now rebuilding buildings that they already tore down just to get rid of the construction walls. EPCOT does not feel transformed in my opinion.
In what way would Moana fit in with Animal Kingdom? I mean, I guess humans are animals. But if certain groups of humans believe you’re claiming they’re “animals,” they WILL get offended. So instead, what animals are there? A rooster? A pig? A few seconds of a stingray? Some ginormous crab thing? Instead, what they should do is having an entire Finding Nemo/Dory land. Maybe even clone the Little Mermaid part of Tokyo’s DisneySea. An ocean themed land works in Animal Kingdom so long as there are aquatic animals, not some silly splash pad. But honestly, Moana doesn’t belong anywhere. Land expansions are ridiculous! Take Toy Story Land, Galaxy’s Edge, Pandora, and any of these many many numerous conceptual lands, and build a fifth park already! They aren’t adding ride capacity. All they’re doing is making existing parks more crowded, causes guests to spend multiple days in individual parks, which results in poorer ride capacity and traffic flow problems.
@@toyaliens I wouldn’t call an entire Play! Pavilion a “small attraction.” Ever since the closure of Wonder of Life, EPCOT had fewer attractions. Rethemes and replacements didn’t add anything. IMO, the ONLY addition we got was that Ratatouille clone. Guardians replaced energy, and Moana replaced Innoventions East which, even if you didn’t care for it, took a lot people out of lines and put them at meet and greets.
@@UmmYeahOk The theme of Animal Kingdom, ironically, isn’t animals, it’s conservation and humans’ relationship with the environment. Moana is about both, not to mention it heavily features animals in its storytelling. And they already have a “finding nemo land”, it’s the Seas with Nemo and Friends. As far as your last point regarding capacity, I can see your point, but a new park with a bunch of random, unrelated lands doesn’t sound that appealing to me, as I prefer the parks to have a cohesive theme (although that’s not to say Disney isn’t jumbling the themes a lot these days).
@@snastehsketlen5852yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what Eisner meant when he said “Welcome to a kingdom of animals… real, ancient, and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs, and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony, and survival; a kingdom we enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the drama, and learn.” Other than pushing for donations to the wildlife fund, and Tough to be a Bug teaching the importance of their own existence exactly what else teaches the importance of conservation? The Kilimanjaro Safari originally did that, when they taught guests about the horrors of poaching, even having them help stop poachers, but they don’t even have that storyline anymore. It’s just “look at the animals that were born here.” There used to be a Pocahontas show. That movie, like Lion Kong, was all about teaching the importance of Mother Nature, but as an attraction, I’m not so sure. Pandora took over Pocahontas, which is fine because it not only brings that fantasy aspect back, but the first movie was essentially Pocahontas. As for a fifth park… …just look at Epic Universe. It’s all random IPs. They could clone something similar to Tokyo Disney Sea in that each land is a “port.”
I think a bigger problem is this was such an underwhelming final “attraction” in WDW, as others had commented this would have been a ride queue in old Disney days to an even better actual attraction,there is zero investment planned for WDW now, you can say Splash Mountain turning into Tiana but that is literally the exact same ride with different animatronics. I would have much rather had the Mary Poppins or have them build out the Africa or Morocco sections of Epcot. WDW has lost focus and Epic Universe is on track to open earlier now possibly, that is an entire new theme park built with many lands, in the same time as Moana Journey of Water….let that sink in. Don’t get me wrong I love Tron and guardians and other stuff but I dread the complete drought of innovation coming over the next decade unless Disney starts reinvesting in the parks
@@jessigirlrae1688decided not to go anywhere special this year, and instead, planning a trip to Tokyo Disney next year. 2025 Epic Universe should be open, but I don’t know yet if we will go opening year.
It’s almost as if they didn’t believe Universal could deliver on that new park and now they are just sitting on the porch looking at the oncoming car crash. You would think such a big company could react more swiftly. One could argue that maybe they have gotten TOO big to move swiftly.
They needed something to make the World Nature concept work besides the Seas and the Land. I think its fine and serves a purpose. If anything taking away the Polynesian and Moana theming, making it an exhibit learning about water with the retro Epcot Pavilion style theming, different landscaping etc. would have been cool and less jarring to see than a jungle in the middle of Epcot. However, they did it as an attempt to make young families happy, so I understand why Moana was tacked on.
Yes, the long range plan is to turn that half of future world into more of responsible conservation. Similar to DAK but with an emphasis on responsible implementation of emerging technologies. And I still think that is the plan but who knows at this point?
I was lucky to get a preview of this just the other day. I think it was beautiful! Funny, I think of Epcot as the hottest park. I felt it's a welcome way to cool off in that park. It's educational and fits in with the nature aspect of The Land and The Seas. When it was over, we came out and went right into the Nemo ride. Also did some nature theme things in the Soarin' bldg. So it felt like it fit in there. Was hoping to meet Moana herself at the end. That's the only thing I would add/change. She should be right there when you come out of the walk through.
Thanks for the review. I have no doubt that it's very well done, but I absolutely agree that it doesn't seem to fit in EPCOT and would have been better placed in AK. I appreciate any improvement in the parks, but if you wanted to make an impact in EPCOT, wouldn't Mary Poppins have been a better investment? As you mention, build time is also alarming. One needs to only to look at how quickly Epic Universe is going up to realize there is some type of issue with Disney getting projects from concept to completion!
Even though the Moana walk through makes way more sense to be built in Animal Kingdom, it's clearly another attempt at Disney to hopefully draw more children to Epcot cause now they have Moana joining Guardians, Ratatouille, Frozen IP in Epcot. That said, I'm much rather see another country pavilion get added to World Showcase but I assume adding countries can be so political in this day and age.
It may not be the Moana volcano roller coaster many of us thought we were getting, but it still fascinates and intrigues me with your review! My only thing is when will they add a Moana meet and greet at Epcot?
Congrats on the family addition. I respectfully whole-heartedly disagree that this would be a better fit at AK. AK was about Animals: current, ancient(not extinct by lack of conservation, just extinct), and fictional. FantasyLand or the already disjointed Disney Studios were the only sensible options without hastening the further demise of "theming" in their Theme Parks
The idea that people pay the high price to go to the park and then are seeking "a way to kill half an hour" is NONSENSE Jack and you know it. I admit not all attractions can be "A" level (or is it E ticket) shows, but come on now. This is a LOSER and misguided and a pretty damn weak way to put Moana IP into EPCOT where it does NOT belong.
I disagree, when you have kids in the park, and the older ones want to go ride a coaster, you need places to kill half an hour with the little ones or older family members. Disneys always had walkthroughs where you can kill some time. There’s nothing wrong with that. Now was the IP needed, that debatable.
@@dlfendel2844 Disney doesn't want to stay Disney, they just want to compete with Universal instead beat them with Disney. What was non rollercoaster now is because they want to fit in with Velocicoaster!🙄
Remember when Epcot was about education? Remember when Epcot had an actual Identity? The good old days. They could have slapped this nonsense anywhere. Putting education in an exhibit is not the same as educating though an exhibit. Sad and unfortunately typical
Animal Kingdom is about conservation in regards to the relationship between animals and humans - not something Moana really relates to. This particular Moana experience does belong in EPCOT imo. It's right up there with Living With The Land in terms of messaging. Just because it's lush and green doesn't mean it doesn't belong in EPCOT. Not every Disney property is going to have a perfect theme park fit. That being said I don't agree with the Moana bluesky addition to AK as I feel that would be a better fit in adventuee land or a further extension of new fantasy land back by little mermaid as the landscapes would feel like they blend together better there. But Disney is going to Disney and I think with Rhode gone AK is destined to become a place not for animal conservation but for any property loosely related to animals or anything relating to a lot of foliage. Would JoW fit visually into AK? Yes. Does it fit message wise? No. Overall I think we need to stop choosing where we think a property should go based on the property itself. But rather we need to focus on the attraction itself to determine whether or not it belongs somewhere. A good example is Cosmic Rewind and how Imagineers designed the attraction around it being an actual EPCOT pavilion like one of the world showcase countries. At surface level sure super heroes don't belong in EPCOT...but the attraction that Imagineers created around those super heros absolutely DOES belong in EPCOT.
I love that this exists but I am getting a little sick of every new Disney thing being made having to be premised with 'manage your expectations'... Its Disney ... Rewind 10 years ago I'd have expected even them building a new path way to be the best pathway ever made... Now everything is 'remember this isn't supposed to be amazing'... Why?!
they created a queue copying the Avatar flight of passage queue and want to advertise it as an attraction 😒! Disney used to be good. This is disastrous!
No! Boneyard needs to stay! Wait till your kid is a toddler and then you’ll understand it’s importance. Besides it keeps the theming of animals of the past, present, and fantasy. I mean, there is an entire episode of Sabrina the Teenaged Witch where her aunts dig within the boneyard.
The Disney parks have always had walkthrough attractions - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, the Aladdin Bizarre - so I kind of like having a new walkthrough attraction at the parks rather than JUST another thrill ride. Not every guest enjoys thrill rides, and kids do like interactive play. I’m unsure about Moana and Animal Kingdom, there’s not a huge amount of animals in Moana beyond Hei Hei, Pua or some fish. Sure, they could focus on the monster side of things, but that’s only a small part of the story. Personally, it’s more of a Fantasyland or even Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom thing for me.
Absolutely. The original ImageWorks was incredibly popular. And yes, AK does not make sense for Moana. The only reason it seems like it does to people is because of the also very misplaced Pandora and its conservation message.
@@devonalomar9012 if you think about it, so much if 1980s Epcot was a walk around attraction. ImageWorks, The Living Seas, most of World Showcase. In recent years they’ve very much been trying to attract that teen-adult market with thrill rides and forgetting younger guests. And far too many fans and visitors seem to want every attraction built and targeted specifically for them.
Congrats on becoming a new Dad :-). Thank you for this review. Do you feel for teens and/or adults that this area will just be a visit-once-and-done attraction? ? Will it maintain interest on repeat visits or just seem to be an easy area to bypass getting to other areas of the park? Giving up Communicore’s best potentials for sake of a mini water learning adventure just doesn’t thrill me, sorry. Don’t we already share similar thoughts over at the Land experience?? I get it the brand tie-ins and all, but after watching, this area doesn’t seem to be more than a reuse of space.
I agree this would have been a good fit for Animal Kingdom. But also closer to the seas in Epcot would have been a solid choice. Its definitely out of place where it is currently
Congratulations on your baby boy and I hope you like living here in the USA. Glad you like the Water Moana attraction. I saw on another youtube vlogger and at night time, the attraction looks MAGICAL with the Epcot sphere behindwards. I like walk through attractions and I hope they build even more to come. So not what's the next attraction? Nothing in the books....I don't count Tiana as it's just a reskin. Truly truly hoping that Zootopia is coming next. NO MORE ROLLERCOASTERS!!!!
I have said it makes some sense to me to have this kind of thing in that area of Epcot. Think about how for all this time The Land and The (Living) Seas, areas dedicated to nature have all been completely indoors, and in the middle of large stretches of pavement. Having this new attraction in the middle of that area now makes sense to me. Maybe taking away the Moana theming and making some modern design within the water area would have it fit better. But also, I think if the rest of the plans for the new Epcot were actually going through, this would fit better. That big festival building was shown with trees, etc, on the top. If maybe we get the expanded trees and landscaping seen in the rest of the concept art, that may help the concept feel more at home.
I dunno… I kinda like the juxtaposition of nature with Spaceship Earth. When EPCOT was built, the 1980s vision of the future was very detached from nature. Our current vision sees far more harmony and integration of nature with our engineered environment. Seeing Spaceship Earth through the lush environs of Journey of Water seems right to me.
Got to hand it to Imagineering for doing all they could to make this an interesting and interactive exhibit. Got a concern over it though: Looked good during the limited release and controlled access during this pre-view. But given the current state of parenting seen around the parks, can just imagine the interactive points being mobbed by groups of kids playing with the features, refusing to leave for others to enjoy them. Leaving the majority of the crowds relegated to walking passively by and not getting any of the personal effects of the carefully--designed interactivity, or waiting and clogging up the pathways until they can get their turn to enjoy these activities.
Actually I’d like to see them restore the Imagination pavilion to the cool two story interactive area it had and bring back dream finder. Just can wait for it all to be done. I don’t like the constant construction it takes away from the experience
So much time and money. So many other cities... like downtown LA in the financial district... by the Walt Disney Concert Hall... amazing gorgeous and clean water gardens. It is free to walk around the LA water gardens. Dallas water gardens. Anywhere water gardens. $175 to walk through the gate and see the water gardens of Moana. The do look nice. PUT IN MORE ATTRACTIONS. Fix Figment. Put an omnimover ride in Wonders of Life. you know... stuff to do.
October 16th is the Walt Disney Company's 100th birthday; I wonder if you could make a video about that and apparently, I am continuing to celebrate that birthday by plotting to witness more Disney-related clips and I already visited Disney 100: The Exhibition.
What would've been accurate for EPCOT would be a Scotland Pavilion. Test Track is being updated futuristically and the day Moana's attraction opens is the day Disney 100 Years of Wonder is celebrated.
WDW is a mess right now. This doesn’t belong in Epcot. This should’ve been in Animal Kingdom. DAK is lacking in new attractions. DHS is lacking in lower height attractions for all to enjoy…and zero water rides. Tron, while fun, just feels so out of place in MK….and what’s left that hasn’t opened yet? Tiana retheme to Splash? WDW needs to get their act together.
I just wish the conservation-themed attraction wasn't almost completely full of fake foliage and concrete rockwork. Or that the conservation elements weren't just signs that the majority of guests won't read. Also those motion sensors in the hanging gourd and basket birdhouses are horribly obvious. It just seems like an unnecessarily bulky and awkward technology. There seemed to be quite a lag between arm waving and the fountain jets when it was just one person controlling the water, let alone dozens of guests flailing their arms around. Will it even look like you're controlling them?
It reminds me of a zoo with all of the signs. The "education" is underwhelming. If they were going to use real world information about water, they could have put in some real world examples that adults could find interesting, such as the world's largest lake, longest river or just facts about interesting and unique water sources. For instance, Hot Springs, Arkansas springs take 4,000 years to reach the surface of the earth and the temperature of the water is from the hot layers beneath the earth. The attraction looks boring and I wonder how long it will take before those signs get vandalized.
It doesn't belong in Epcot. If they insisted on putting it in Epcot, use the Innoventions building they knocked down to do some sort of ride. My concern, how long until it breaks (like the Octopus things in Pandora) and Disney never fixes it?
The Moana walk thru looks fun, and whether it would have fit better in AK is moot- it is where it is. Personally I’ve always found Epcot very hot, without much shade except inside. So to me a shady walk thru where you can cool off is a welcome addition. I just wish they’d take the money they saved not building the Festival building and revamp Spaceship Earth, completely retool Journey into Imagination and build a Mary Poppins ride in the UK pavilion ( just a better one than they had been planning, though!). I’d love to a new country added as well. And if I was to get everything on my wish list I’d like for a updated version of Horizons to replace Mission Space or if there really is anyone who likes that sick-making ride, add it in the same area. (Maybe if the Play! Pavilion is really dead they could add it there.)
when you think about it, Moana ties The Land pavillion and The Seas pavillion together quite nicely. (Im trying to be positive since I think that there were better uses for this kind of money, time, and imagineering capacity.)
Well to be fair, even The Seas with Nemo and Friends have animal exhibits. Then again, the building did open as The Living Seas years ago before Animal Kingdom opened but that’s a whole different story
When I visit the Walt Disney World Resort again, I will be certified as an Imagineer and work there. Also when I visit that park again, I would like to see you, your wife and child.
I think the optics of putting a Moana-related experience in Animal Kingdom would not be great, so I think it being in Epcot fits in that respect (I say this as a poc, but that's just the way I see it as someone with a very casual interest in Disney parks who understands how the public reacts to these things)
That’s so funny that you said that about animal kingdom being hotter, back in 2007 I actually fainted at animal kingdom from overheating and cast members had to take me to the medical area.
I would like all the DisneyToon Studios characters to be seen in real life as well and two new Disney Cruise Ships are about to launch; the Disney Treasure and the Disney Adventure.
I agree completely with what you said. Had low expectations but think this actually looks great for what it is. But style wise seems like a better fit for AK. Especially if a Moana area does end up going in there this would have been perfect there. I think if they added a lot more trees and forested the whole World Nature area of EPCOT it would fit in better.
But it's not where the seas is. The seas is theme to Nemo (water is very different in those stories), and people hate that theming because it doesn't really fit. It's in the middle of future world...behind spaceship earth lol. Animal kingdom feels right. Magic kingdom (as part of a Moana land) would be good. DHS ehhh, it's a movie but def a stretch, still fine. Epcot was easily the WORST location...it would fit better at volcano bay.
@@alexandersims1613 then don’t go. You’re just another toxic Disney fan that complains about everything and wants to armchair imagineer the parks. The seas is right across the way. If you don’t want to enjoy the experience, take your money elsewhere, we won’t miss you in the crowd.
Oh my goodness thats going to be absolute chaos with kids pushing and waving arms 7 thousand times and not letting others have a turn. A lot of upkeep.
Looks like they could have scaled it down a little and used the space between The Land and The seas. That would tie both pavilions together since both rely on water, if they really want to reinforce conservation.
This area looks beautiful! And I actually feel like it fits really well in Epcot. I personally feel like our ideal vision of the future does incorporate aspects of nature and conservation, in which humans and technology coexist with the natural world. This is very representative of that vision, and I think that the idea of tracing the water cycle is an extension of the themes presented in Living With the Land. I do agree that Animal Kingdom would benefit from a water based experience, but it still fits in Epcot in my opinion.
How many animals were in this attraction that you think should be in animal kingdom? I think its a great addition and fits in great. Consercation is also a part of The Land and Seas. I'm glad you said it exceeded expectations because I also didn't have high hopes for it. We are excited to check it out next time we visit.
It's interesting that you think that DAK is the hottest/most humid park. I have always thought that EPCOT owned that title. Since it opened, the biggest complaint about the park has been that it's...so...hot.
I think it does not work for Epcot. The concept of it taking over the Dinoland Boneyard made the most sense, even as a transition point if the Moana themed land were to fall through and not happen.
I’m also a fan of classic epcot, but I think this fits just as well at Epcot as it could at animal. The land pavilion being near a edutainment section about water feels right to me.
Congrats on becoming a father. I always enjoyed Disney World before having kids, but I have really enjoyed the visits to the parks through their eyes. Enjoy fatherhood!
Congratulations on becoming a new dad! I do think this will be a very fun experience for all ages, especially the little ones. This looks like something my kids would thoroughly enjoy! Looking forward to experiencing it soon. Thanks for the honest review!
Thanks for your review. I enjoyed the details and information. While it seems and feels amazing to be able to walk straight up to the various water effects, as depicted in your video, I seriously doubt the normal person’s experience will be like your experience. You even stated towards the end of the video that it will be popular attraction. So there will be crowds and queues. If you only had one day to spend in EPCOT would Moana’s Journey of Water be a top priority?
Wouldn’t be a priority if you don’t have little kids. But if you have kids under the age of 6, then yes, I would say giving them a break to have fun in here would be a must-do. A bit like the Boneyard is at DAK or Casey Jr splash pad at MK.
I think most of the changes they've made in the last few years have been disappointing. The parks do not seem to have much direction. Tron should not have been built in MK, the park is the most crowded and has the most rides already. They could have used the architecture and put it in Epcot with a different theme and it would have been a better fit. Moana belongs in AK, it is nature themed. The redo of EPCOT with the 4 lands is terrible and an unnecessary change. Guardians is excellent, but I question how it fits in EPCOT, it should be in HS. The skulker should be extended to AK and AK Lodge too.
What a terrible way to waste water. Now the video says something about the great theming ........excuse me but shrubs, rocks and palm trees surrounding fountains is subpar. These sensors are not technology to make our jaws drop. They are clearly in those coconut shaped decortations that are replicated all over the experience. I am sorry but this is a no no. Unless you have a toddler who loves water but it is not worth making your way to this and miss something more interesting. This is failure give it a few months for it to be deserted. I hate to day this when I love Dinseyworld so much. This attractions makes the Journey into Imagination ride look like a state of the art experience
I literally said the technology is not groundbreaking lol. But rock-work, foliage, placemaking, fountains is all theming. It's not subpar. But it also is inexcusable that it took two years to do.
I hope Disney continue to invest in more attractions for the parks Hollywood and animal kingdom need more things to do but i hope is more of a actual ride than this. Even interessing flat rides if very well themed could help. The level of theming in this project is very impressive to me to although it is kinda weird to see spaceship earth besides it
Animal Kindgdom needs to add a night time Electric Light Floatilla. Use the stadium seating for Lightning Lanes. And the parade could be seen from all of the bridges and waterways. It would add life to the park in the evening. Right now Pandora is the only reason to stay after dark.
@@DSNYNewscast Hey Jack, ‘sorry; I meant to say that everyone is calling it a new attraction. I never ever thought that the day would come that I, perhaps the biggest Disneyphile that ever existed, could be turned into a non-believer in the magic. It’s almost like the powers that be are purposely trying to destroy the company from the inside. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was all by design to reduce its worth so investors could swoop in and buy it cheap….
Congrats on becoming a father Jack! I agree with you that it seems weird to split the Moana IP through the parks, but I disagree with you that this edutainment experience fits better in Animal Kingdom. Like you mentioned, Epcot has always been about education, with future world teaching us about the future and world showcase about the world around us. I think that water conservation (and conservation in general) is one of the main aspects of the future, and that if we don't become better at taking care of the planet we will destroy it. That's why I think it fits perfectly in Epcot. But, if you were to take out the education aspect then Animal Kingdom would probably be better.
Congrats on joining fatherhood, you get the opportunity to semi relive bits of your childhood through the eyes of another little human. It is very much a rollercoaster with many ups and down, but thoroughly enjoyable.
Watched a full walkthrough, and honestly... I kinda love it. It's just a walkthrough of course, but it feels smart, educational, and feels aspirational / inspirational. It really does look beautiful, while seeming fun, yet quaint. The signs along the way do a fine job of teaching the basics of the water cycle, in an approachable way that can be read by or to children, and still appreciated by us older folks, who may need a reminder of the importance of water and protecting it. The little conservation tips are a nice touch. It actually felt a bit more substantial, at least more so than the impression I got with the written descriptions. I can say with full confidence, my niece would love something like this!
