Journey of Water featuring Moana coming to Epcot

Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
gianguy said:
I'm glad the park is getting this, in a central location no less. The concept of building a "natural" environment in this spot, while still retaining the symmetry of the original building it replaced, is an interesting concept and I'm curious to see how it looks in person from ground level. The park has always suffered from a lack of transitional areas, and while the barren pathways of Future World worked well for 1982 and helped to make each pavilion feel distinct, it's a style that feels almost feels TOO clean for today. Even more so when you consider all the clashing styles that have been attempted over the years.

Areas that have remained untouched since opening day feel more out of place than ever, making a true return to simplicity nearly impossible. That said, maybe that simplicity isn't needed. In fact, it's no longer representative of what we now consider the future to be. A concept that's always morphing too quickly to grasp our heads around, that it maybe shouldn't be represented by something so clear cut and dry. Future World was a successful concept in that each pavilion had it's own identity while still underneath the overarching idea of what "EPCOT Center" was supposed to be as a whole. We can still retain those individual identities, but have them interweave to support the larger idea of EPCOT. I believe Journey of Water is a step in the right direction.

One thing Disney excels at today is landscaping. It's glaringly obvious that EPCOT lacks many of these lush, immersive environments that are present in the other parks. That's not to say EPCOT needs its own Pandora, but rather, the design philosophies of these newer lands should be carried over here on a larger, overarching scale. I don't want to be immersed into the world of a single IP, I want to be immersed into EPCOT, a place that stands on its own. The problem is, it's hard to decipher what that actually means nowadays. Currently, EPCOT's identity is largely focused on nostalgia, and while that often works for the parks symbolism / typography, the same cannot be said for the design / layout of the park itself. Many of the parks original structures have actually aged quite nicely (a testament to how innovative their designs really were), but many of the interweaving elements have not. Architecture today, while admittedly simple in its design, places a huge emphasis on natural beauty and environmental conservation. Future World may technically no longer exist, lifting the burden of staying relevant with the times, but that doesn't mean the park shouldn't continue to evolve with that design philosophy in mind. It makes sense that a modern day "Future World" would be a lot more lush than the one we're presented with currently.

Imagine an Imagination pavilion (ha) where water leaps throughout a colorful field of flowers. Where the glass pyramids seemingly form right out of the ground below while roots and vines creep up the base of the building. Imagine heading towards the Land, only to wander into a forest where the only clearing frames a perfect picture of the glass structure above. This is what "World Nature" should be (and yes I am aware Imagination is not currently a part of that but it could be) with the central spine serving as the perfect transition between the beauty of the natural world and the beauty of the manmade world. There's something to be appreciated in having different styles and materials come together to make up the pre-existing symmetry of the spine. I myself have been wondering if it will be jarring once the walls come down, but I think the variety of styles at play here will actually work in favor of this new direction of the park, with Journey of Water serving as the perfect "gateway" into World Nature.
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This is beautifully written. This is more beautiful than the concrete jungle they are taking way too long to build in EPCOT.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Do you think the restored entrance plaza looks Barren? That is what EPCOT was... The original Communicore was also not barren...it had waterways and trees...Not so dense you could not see your way to navigate the plaza, but beautifully placed and planned. It was what happened later that made the park look dated and cluttered... The original vision just had to be restored... This new Journey Of Water artificial rock and water play and explore structure would be fine somewhere but hardly suits the entrance area of this park...not to me anyway. It feels as misplaced as TRON would be next to the Tusker House in Animal Kingdom.
It all feels off-brand to me. I keep trying to like it, but can't seem to find anything to love about...in this location anyway.
 
Casper Gutman

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
Yup. Epcot92 is correct. Moana is not transitional and glaringly ruins the symmetry of FW.

What Gian describes, a marriage of Future World’s distinct architectural style with pronounced natural elements, sounds great. I believe it’s reminiscent of the old Project Gemini. It’s not Moana, a mass of faux rock work without even a cursory gesture to the aesthetics of the surrounding area.
 
J

J4546

Well-Known Member
Casper Gutman said:
Shoulda made it a miniature golf course. Then it could have served some purpose.
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I love mini golf and I wish theyd build a couple new courses at Typhoon Lagoon....maybe indiana jones themed...temple of the forbidden putt lol. But seriously, build a coupe more courses and create some kind of celebrity/charity putt putt championship show for disney+. Easy peasy content.
 
Epcot82Guy

Epcot82Guy

Well-Known Member
SCOTLORR said:
Is this something we expect to open before the rest of World Celebration or alongside it? I'm hoping we get these walls down asap
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It's currently unclear. The end-of-2023 "commitment" seems well communicated. But, whether they open in phases hasn't been official said. Hinted, but far from confirmed. (and, even where hinted, we don't know exactly what those phases might be.)

Please correct me if anyone has more up-to-date info.
 
Coaster Lover

Coaster Lover

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I'm trying to compare progress to the progress on Pandora 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months out. Pandora 6-9 months out had the floating islands essentially 100% done, but everything that sat <20 ft from the ground was more or less the same state that Moana is now. Based on Pandora as a reference, it would seem opening in 6-9 months should be possible (if they really wanted)...
 
Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Coaster Lover said:
I'm trying to compare progress to the progress on Pandora 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months out. Pandora 6-9 months out had the floating islands essentially 100% done, but everything that sat <20 ft from the ground was more or less the same state that Moana is now. Based on Pandora as a reference, it would seem opening in 6-9 months should be possible (if they really wanted)...
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You hit the nail on the head. If they really wanted. It would not surprise me if they delayed opening things to be inline with the opening of EPIC universe.
 
cookiee_munster

cookiee_munster

Well-Known Member
J4546 said:
Well again, its Journey of Water, a walkthrough about the lifecycle of water and featured Moana IP. I think it fits Epcot great
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As long as it has a high edutainment level, then I have no issue with it being where it is. If it's purely for aesthetics and for people to just go to cool off and get wet, then it's a total waste of space.
 

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