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EPCOT Anna, Elsa and Kristoff Audio-Animatronics refresh coming to Frozen Ever After in EPCOT

J

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
JohnD said:
www.wdwmagic.com

Frozen Ever After Now Closed for Audio-Animatronics Overhaul at Walt Disney World

Frozen Ever After Now Closed for Audio-Animatronics Overhaul at Walt Disney World
www.wdwmagic.com www.wdwmagic.com

Awesome. After this one re-opens, do 7DMT and MMRR next, especially MMRR. The Mickey in the car is especially egregious.
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IMO, the 7DMT ones work decently because the beards obscure the edges and the gems are supposed to be emitting an otherworldly glow. MMRR could definitely use a rethink, but the issue is more with the attempt to bring 2-D into 3-D than with the projection itself.

If I had to pick another ride to close next for animatronic upgrades, it'd definitely be Mermaid. I think it's the one currently most hindered in appeal by lack of motion in the supplementary figures and poor initial build and maintenance of its core figures.
 
flyerjab

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
BrianLo said:
I know this is now old and in response to a sarcastic comment, but the presser from @wdwmagic now says the body movements are also being “refined”.

Your assumption was my assumption, just want to make sure that detail didn’t get overlooked.
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That is good to see. I appreciate the movement capabilities of the advanced AAs. However, I do mind when they seem to flail rather vigorously when there is no need (ie., the first Tiana figure in TBA). They should be programmed to move with purpose. Hoping that is what we see here.
 
D

DCBaker

Premium Member
Original Poster
According to the Walt Disney World website, Frozen Ever After is listed as closed through February 11, with operating hours returning on February 12:

Frozen-Ever-After-Refurb-Reopening-Date.png
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
FigmentFan82 said:
So is it really as easy as popping on some news heads? Would have thought this refurb would have taken longer, not that I’m complaining
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not sure but some fairly significant construction work had been going on the exit area thats closed off from the store, whether its elevator work or something else in there,,was loud whatever it was.
 
D

DCBaker

Premium Member
Original Poster
Additional details reported by Dewayne Bevil in an interview with Ken Ricci, Executive Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering:

Walt Disney World has confirmed that its Frozen Ever After ride will reopen at Epcot on Feb. 12, sporting familiar (but updated) faces on the key animatronic figures of Elsa, Anna and Kristoff.

The attraction has been closed since Jan. 26, and the effects area are currently being tested in anticipation of their debuts.

“I was in awe and got chills seeing Elsa, because it’s literally like she stepped off the screen and it’s standing in front of you now. You will notice the improvement,” said Ken Ricci, executive creative development. He oversees show quality for Imagineering at Walt Disney World.

The change for the heads of three of the attraction’s figures comes with advancements in technology, he said.

“This is a more lifelike articulated head that has a silicone skin,” Ricci said. In the past, their faces were created with projections.

“The technology advanced, and there was opportunity to improve the quality of the show and the guest experience,” he said. “As we saw these figures progress for [Disney parks in] Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, we saw that as an opportunity to leverage that technology for Walt Disney World.”

The look of the new figures is similar to the Tiana figure in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the Magic Kingdom ride that opened in 2024 as a replacement for Splash Mountain, he said.

There have been several animatronic developments at Disney World lately. A Clawhauser figure fronts the new “Zootopia: Better Zoogether” show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and a new figure has been revealed for the renovation of Magic Kingdom’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin ride. An animatronic version of Scooter has been announced for the upcoming Muppet makeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Frozen Ever After opened in the Epcot’s Norway pavilion in 2016. It is a remodeled version of the Maelstrom boat ride that opened in 1988 and closed in October 2014.

The updating of the show control system was done while Epcot was closed, Ricci said.

“Then we literally had to modify the figures’ necks to accept the change in the heads. And that took a few days, but we did a lot of pre-planning with technology and software to make sure that we were ready to port over these figures,” he said.

The reopened ride maintains the same experience and story as before, echoing some themes and scenes from the 2013 animated film.

“Anytime an attraction goes down, we take an opportunity to freshen up what we can,” Ricci said. “So, we touched up a lot and some show lighting so it should look refreshed.”
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www.orlandosentinel.com

Face time: Epcot’s Frozen ride almost ready for return, Disney says

Fresh tech enables update of figures at 10-year-old attraction
www.orlandosentinel.com www.orlandosentinel.com
 

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