Psssst. World Market imports Jul Must at the beginning of Christmas merch. Anyone who wants it needs to buy a bottle immediately since it sells out fast.
I love World Showcase for the same reasons you listed. It’s disheartening to see Disney dumb it down instead of build it up with thrilling attractions that don’t require cartoons (of course I’m thinking about Mt. Fuji). I’ve also traveled around the world, and Epcot scratches a lot of itches when you’re in the States.
Also, since I keep seeing people repeat an erroneous Internet myth, I’ll address it here: Disney never pretended WS was a substitute for the real thing. It was never supposed to be. World Showcase was intended to offer tastes of historic culture and to spur tourism to the real countries.
Thanks for the tip!!! I do love visiting World Market for certain Swedish items I can’t find easily. I’ve probably always come by the time they’re sold out.
And thank you for addressing the myth! To my knowledge, the only time Disney Parks tried to be a replacement location for travel was Disney California Adventure...and we all know how well that turned out.
Have either of you tried IKEA VINTERSAGA? I enjoyed it when I had it a year or so ago and I've been told that it's basically Julmust. I'm sure it's not as good as the real thing but its easily available in the US so I'd be interested to hear your take on it.
Yeah, I’ve tried it. My best description would be buying a shasta over a coke. I’ll do it if it’s my only option but it’s just not the same. They used to sell the real thing, then started making their own branded knock-off stuff.
Yup. Maybe that rumor persists because the World's Fairs that Disney used as the model for Epcot have now begun to fade from public memory. Nobody who attended the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows would have likely assumed that visiting, for example, the Swedish pavilion and eating some meatballs would have shown them all they need to know about the country. The intention was to whet the appetite for actually visiting the real country (although given the state of Swedish cuisine at the time, maybe "appetite" is not a good metaphor).
Hey, now, as a half-Swede, I have to say our food is pretty fantastic! Meats, salmon, potatoes and cheeses. With a side of lingonberries. You can’t go wrong
I know you’re just making a point, but do you really think Disney’s actions the last few years have been in reaction to just a small vocal minority? I’ve been in all the Splash threads and the old PC Pirates changes threads and the “5th Key” thread- I know there are a lot of folks here who seem to think that Disney reacts to complaints from a few haters and ignores the input from the faithful majority.
But that doesn’t make sense to me. How would it help Disney to anger their biggest supporters just to pander to a few?
It seems to me that either:
- There are a LOT more people upset about these things than most here know about and Disney is trying to appease this audience, OR
- Disney is pursuing it’s own agenda and is willing to risk alienating their core audience to do it.
Thoughts?
Most people on this board are going to say 2 because of how they are set in their ways. The reality is probably both. I can tell you that not all Disney Parks fans feel the same way about these changes. This board often becomes an echo chamber, and anyone that attempts to have an intelligent conversation about what’s considered appropriate or not today is often mercilessly attacked, without any reasonable exchange. It’s why I don’t bother with most of those discussions. I have enough stress in my life already.
maybe Im misunderstanding but nothing they used in the original pavilion or ride was useless or wrong facts, all of those elements are very much a part of Norway's history and culture. They may not be specific to only Norway (though trolls are more to Norwegian than to the other Scandinavian countries except maybe Iceland) but they were still a huge part of it, and all of it was presented well for its time. It just needed updating which unfortunately never got a chance to happen even after various attempts and sides tried.
Scandinavia mostly shares similar heritage, stories and folklore. Trolls and vikings are a major thing for all of those countries.
The pavilion had needed updating for a long time. I still maintain that the original attraction the Imagineers wanted to build would have been far more interesting than Maelstrom, which would have leaned more into the folklore. Disney attractions need to be allowed to really explore the fantastical...that’s where they really succeed.
Frozen was always technically set in Norway (though the team did actually visit a few different Scandinavian countries for research.) They ultimately went with Norway because of the fjords. Fictional stories are often based in the real world, and generally to help reinforce certain ideas and themes in a story. Yes, Arendelle isn’t a real place, and Elsa is a fictional character, but Arendelle and Elsa with her ice powers are grounded in the setting that is Norway.
If the UK Pavilion had gotten its A Christmas Carol ride, would we be splitting hairs about that version of London being fake and Scrooge not being a historical person, with ghosts that aren’t real trying toget him to turn his life around?
I know that people gripe about what’s popular, and it’s hard to see a favorite ride replaced, but plans for World Showcase attractions were never intended to be completely nonfiction. I can’t tell you how many excited little kids I’ve seen walking up to the pavilion bursting at the seams to see Elsa and Anna.
The key to it all is balance in the parks. That’s the harder thing, but having some loved IP is good, too.
