Epcot continues with the transformation project. With lush, green space for you to relax, plus the opening of Communicore Hall and Communicore Plaza, a central location in the park will be the new home for festivals and the perfect space to gather with family and friends. It will also be home to Dreamers Point, a new area where you can view the new Walt Disney statue called “Walt the Dreamer.”

Over in World Nature – the EPCOT neighborhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe, and balance of the natural world – Disney is excited to share that Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, will also open in late 2023. The new exploration trail will allow guests to learn about the story of water on our planet. As you may have seen through Moana’s bond with the ocean, water has a mind of its own, and guests will get to interact with it throughout this attraction.

Imagination has always been a core theme at EPCOT, with attractions and experiences that push the boundaries. There’s one key character who always comes to mind when we think about imagination, and he’s coming to life in a whole new way by the end of next year. That’s right, you’ll be able to meet Figment in person at EPCOT.

Commentary

The updates about Journey of Water and the Walt Disney statue were largely known before D23, although some of the details and model reveal for the Moana project were promising. I know they aren’t everyone’s favorite thing but I love a good exploratory path. The Te Fiti model is detailed and beautiful. If it stands to be 16 feet tall as was stated at D23, it will be a stunning addition to the park’s skyline.

Epcot being divided into new neighborhoods is still a bit confusing but the Journey of Water will fit into the nature section, as does The Seas and Land Pavilion. Adding a green and beautiful area to the concrete of Future World (or what was once Future World?) is welcome from an aesthetic point of view. Having the walkthrough attraction also incorporate some education fits in with the original Epcot idea. I’m intrigued and slightly surprised that we’re still roughly a year away from the opening.

Speaking of the new neighborhoods, I’m not sure how Figment fits into the nature side of things but it’s exciting to see the meet & greet come back. When D’Amaro first brought up this section of the presentation at D23 a photo of the Imagination Pavilion showed up behind him. It felt like the air got sucked out of the room as everyone was hoping for a redone Figment ride. Alas, the meet & greet was announced.

I mean, we’ll certainly take it! Like the Hatbox Ghost coming to Magic Kingdom, I’m happy to see any theme park specific character get more attention. Figment is incredibly popular, as we saw from the great popcorn bucket fiasco of 2022. The character is loved by so many Walt Disney World fans and I hope that the meet & greet is so popular that Disney can’t look past giving the pavilion the re-imagining it deserves.

What do you think of these Epcot announcements? Let us know your thoughts, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!