Everything We Know About Te Fiti Coming to EPCOT

EPCOT is preparing to welcome a brand new attraction to World Nature this fall: Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana! This immersive walk-through trail will give guests the chance to interact and even “play with magical, living water” while surrounded by characters and theming from Moana.

Both literally and figuratively, one major part of Journey of Water has loomed large over the project: guests will encounter the goddess Te Fiti along the way, by way of a 16-foot tall sculpture! We can’t wait to see her at Journey of Water, and if you’re as excited as we are, join us as we explore EVERYTHING we know so far about this stunning addition to EPCOT: Te Fiti!

The Journey of Water attraction was first announced in August 2019, complete with a first glimpse of concept art.

Initially it was anticipated that Journey of Water would open in 2021; however, as was the case with several other projects around Disney World, construction met with delays when the Resort temporarily closed in 2020.

All that to say… Disney fans (and, specifically, Moana fans) have been looking forward to this new experience for some time now. So it may come as a surprise to think back over the timeline and realize that the Te Fiti sculpture itself wasn’t announced until last fall!

It was September 2022 when Disney shared a new look at Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana during a media preview of the Wonderful World of Dreams Exhibit. As part of the exhibit, they revealed that the new attraction will include a huge 16-foot tall Te Fiti, revealing the news along with an absolutely beautiful scale model of the sculpture.

Placards underneath the model shared that “Imagineers began by making clay models, called maquettes, to study the overall proportions of Te Fiti. They referenced Moana and used sketches and photographs to study ways the figure could embody the idea of protecting water.” And, in fact, you can see Te Fiti’s hands in a position that seems to imply guiding a spray of water with care.

Fairly shortly thereafter, in December 2022, Te Fiti ARRIVED in EPCOT and was placed within the attraction at her position in the walk-through!

It was New Year’s Eve when Good Morning America revealed a video look at the construction progress, where Disney Imagineer Reid Ekman shared that about a dozen characters from Moana are “hidden within the nooks and crannies” but that Te Fiti will be “at the heart of the experience, greeting guests as they travel through.”

Early this year, Disney provided another behind-the-scenes video glimpse with details regarding how, over several years, Disney engineers managed to re-create Te Fiti down to each flower. Senior Production Designer Diana Bibee spoke about how Walt Disney Imagineering artisans figured out the “exact texture and color that would evoke [Te Fiti’s] presence into a physical form,” and came together with animators to determine her pose.

Bibee also expressed that “Te Fiti is a guardian of water, and we hope that that inspires our guests… to continue their own personal stewardship towards the conservation of our natural resources.”

April 2023 delivered a new sneak peek during Disney’s recent shareholders meeting, and you can see just how massive the Te Fiti sculpture is when compared to Disney CEO Bob Iger and others in this photo below:

Every time Disney shares a new bit of info or we catch a glimpse of Te Fiti as we check out the latest Journey of Water construction, it only makes us more eager to take in the entire experience when it opens this fall in EPCOT! How about you 🙂 ?

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