For months we have watched the gradual progress being made at the Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana attraction coming to EPCOT, but now we have BIG news!

We’ve already shared a look at the Moana carving coming to the attraction, an updated look at construction in the area, and more. But at Disney’s D23 Expo, a MASSIVE structure coming to the attraction was revealed and we’ve got a first look at it right here for you!

During the D23 Expo, we got the chance to get a preview of the Walt Disney Parks & Experiences booth that will be on the show floor for all D23 Expo guests to visit. The booth is called The Wonderful World of Dreams and within it, you’ll find details about a Tiana’s Place Restaurant(!!), sneak peeks at new rides coming to the Disney parks, and more.

Among the many things in this space is a look at the Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana attraction. Specifically, we got to see a beautiful Te Fifi model that is inspiring the giant Te Fiti figure that will actually be part of the attraction.

According to the display information, the Imagineering team worked with Disney Animation to finalize her pose and size.

It all started with some clay models that eventually made their way into Te Fiti’s more final form.

The figure there on display at the D23 Expo was created by a team of Imagineers to inform the creation of the final Te Fifi figure that’ll be featured within the attraction. That final figure will actually be around 15′ tall(!!) and will be made of over 3,000 pieces of foliage.

Here’s an idea of just how LARGE this figure may be. Keep in mind that this is an artist’s concept and things can change.

Isn’t she just gorgeous though?!

In terms of where she will be within the attraction, she’ll be closer to the bottom left in the concept art below.

We can’t wait to learn more about this attraction and see it in its final form. Be sure to stay tuned for all the latest updates from the D23 Expo!

What do you think of the Moana attraction? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. We were invited by Disney to attend D23 Expo as media. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ

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