Disney confirms 'Frozen' makeover coming to Epcot's Norway Pavilion

[FigmentsFangirl]

Now THAT is a beautiful idea. Just imagine that magnificent crystal ice staircase as a backdrop!

How about better ? Elsa's meet and greet at the TOP of the stairs on one direction, and then when done down the other side! The fountain in the middle and the giftshop or even a dining room underneath her meet and greet location! Its perfect!

 

[RSoxNo1]

Anyone know what Test Track 2.0 cost? That could give us an idea since it also was a ride that was completely changed and kept the same ride system. Heck lets throw MK's Buzz in there too since it also uses the same track as the previous ride.

Test Track's makeover also took a lot less time and has 0 new moving parts. Animatronics are expensive.

 

[Mike S]

Test Track's makeover also took a lot less time and has 0 new moving parts. Animatronics are expensive.

Which is why I also threw Buzz in there.

 

[NearTheEars]

$450-$500 million, Tokyo's rumored Frozen budget, is even more.

Face it. Disney is spending the absolute bare minimum here.

It certainly pales in comparison to Tokyo, where they are building an entire land.

But $75M still isn't chump change.

Just to clarify, though, I'm not a supporter of this project. I loved Maelstrom. And it's awful knowing that one of my favorite EPCOT rides has been gutted.

 

[Mike S]

It certainly pales in comparison to Tokyo, where they are building an entire land.

But $75M still isn't chump change.

Just to clarify, though, I'm not a supporter of this project. I loved Maelstrom. And it's awful knowing that one of my favorite EPCOT rides has been gutted.

Disney does tend to spend more and get less with inflated budgets though. As an example Universal spent less on either Harry Potter land (not both together) than Disney did on New Fantasyland and those lands actually included very impressive large scale rides unlike NFL.

 

[wdisney9000]

$75 million sounds like a lot to me.

Where does the freaking money go? Just for fun I looked up multi million dollar homes for sale. Here is a sprawling estate that's waaaaaaay larger than the Norway pavilion and has a massive home with top shelf luxuries. Take a looksie.

This house is for sale for $18 million dollars. Keep in mind it's on 29 acres and the home is appx 23,000 sq feet. The land and the home are way larger than the size of the Norway pavilion and the ride it has. Keep in mind that 18 million is the selling price so we know it cost even less than that to.build it. The home has stone walls, hand scraped wood floors, extraordinary custom woodwork, intricately laced ceiling patterns, custom wrought iron, wine cellar, and salon. Grounds include outdoor kitchen, infinity pool, 8-car garage, well-stocked pond, vegetable gardens, and fruit trees.

Those materials and designs are far beyond what we see in an attraction amd it's appx 1/4 of the price Disney is spending. So where does the money go? Disney uses faux materials and animatronics can't cost them too much. They use old AA's from other rides all the time as well. So even considering that Disney hires design teams and set directors and what not, how does it cost $75 million? The track and ride system are already in place so it can't be too much for technical stuff. And what's crazy is that $75 million is on the low side for what an average attraction costs.

 

[Wikkler]

Unfortunately, my darling bhg, we need to realize that the Epcot of today is not the Epcot of yesterday, and the Epcot of tomorrow will be dumbed down for the kids, but guaranteed adult beverages for the older crowd.

I honestly wonder if they aren't thinking of adding more animated movie based pavilions and attractions to all of Epcot, and revamping the park, little by little, into a "new" epcot where every pavilion features characters from that general region. We are already seeing it happen.

This might be the beginning of Arrendale, and actually proving the theory correct.

Regardless, I'm sad to say that I'm happy something is coming to Epcot. Their rock work and scenery has been amazingly done as of late, I'm sure it'll look fantastic when it's done, but hopefully the surrounding pavilions get a bit of a facelift to match (wishful thinking, I know)

Even if it's just another meet n greet, a total waste of space, it's better than nothing, or losing more of Norways charm.


Edit because my iPad is really digging the idea of randomly capitalizing letters tonight.

So I guess the Epcot of the future is a couple of drunks harassing Elsa?

 

[Phicinfan]

Wouldnt all of that just turn Epcot into MK 2.0? Why not just put another Peter Pan ride in HS and AK while theyre at it? Would people ride it? Of course, but it does not make it proper. Diversity is a wonderful thing. Its what distinguishes one park from another.

I love walking through WS with my niece and nephews and watching them speak with the CM's from other countries and learn how to say hello and goodbye in another language. We watch the videos in the countries and they ask me questions. They learn things at WS and have fun doing it. A CM speaking to them in French is just as cool as Peter Pan. Resorting to characters in WS is just plain lazy and completely not needed.

Good point, as stated I get the original scope of what WS was meant for. But things change, and so must the scope. At some point, with international travel much more prevelent today, The WS isn't really needed per say. So why not "Disneyfy it" and make tie ins to very popular movies or stories that Disney is so well known for? That way, by doing a "tie in" rather than a complete rebuild or redo, you maintain the original purpose of that part of the park, while also adding more draw and interest from those not looking for that type of thing? To me it is a clear simple win/win.

 

[Wall-e]

What people need to look at are the Disney comp's highest grossing properties and how they are presented in the parks. It's not 1984 anymore and call me a heretic but none of us know what walt's vision would be for his company and for epcot in particular if he were here to have a say in it. Frozen is an unforeseen cash cow and it needs to be milked and that milking starts with a presence in the parks wherever it can. Has anyone stopped to consider how many frozen rides we will see across all the parks before they are done?

 

[Kman101]

If we're cartoonifying World Showcase, let's see, we have Donald shoved into Mexico, The Frozen sisters shoved into Norway ... how about Mary or Alice in the UK, the Rat in France (who needs Impressions de France! That's boring!) ... put Wall-E in the Energy Adventure, replace Figment with Inside Out ... let's give the people what they want! Instant gratification. Who cares if 10 years from now no one cares about a certain property. That's the next regime's problem!

And yes, I'm being sarcastic.

Though I would object less to Mary/Alice or Ratatouille ... even though I would still argue they don't fit.

And I actually wouldn't object to Inside Out or Wall-E having a presence ... just not at the expense of Figment.

If they're going to add characters to Future World and World Showcase, have it feel nature and make sense. Not shoehorned in there. Where's Donald? Where's Nemo? I'm sure Where's Olaf is next. At least teach me something.

 

[Matt_Black]

Who cares if 10 years from now no one cares about a certain property. That's the next regime's problem!

Actually, Disney does a very good job at making sure their popular properties stay popular.

 

[Wall-e]

I don't know you, so I can't speak for your children or your "child eye". But I do know my children, DD10 and DS12, aren't happy about this.

Daughter says, "NOOOO!!!!" to this refurb.
Son says, "What's for me?"
My 46 year old "child eye" says, "a M&G? No. I wasn't interested in them as a kid, not interested now..."
Expansion pad lost.

The unfortunate problem for you is that the majority of people buying tickets have the opposite opinion as your family does. Just look at the m&g lines.
And how do you know your children won't enjoy the ride before even trying it? Or would people somehow enjoy it more if it were somewhere other then EPCOT?

 

[Brian Swan]

I don't have the time to read through 100 pages of why Frozen shouldn't be in EP to see if this has been posted - Is there any confirmation (or at least some "insider info") as to whether the old ride system will be kept or if they are installing a new system?

 

[Phicinfan]

If we're cartoonifying World Showcase, let's see, we have Donald shoved into Mexico, The Frozen sisters shoved into Norway ... how about Mary or Alice in the UK, the Rat in France (who needs Impressions de France! That's boring!) ... put Wall-E in the Energy Adventure, replace Figment with Inside Out ... let's give the people what they want! Instant gratification. Who cares if 10 years from now no one cares about a certain property. That's the next regime's problem!

And yes, I'm being sarcastic.

Though I would object less to Mary/Alice or Ratatouille ... even though I would still argue they don't fit.

And I actually wouldn't object to Inside Out or Wall-E having a presence ... just not at the expense of Figment.

If they're going to add characters to Future World and World Showcase, have it feel nature and make sense. Not shoehorned in there. Where's Donald? Where's Nemo? I'm sure Where's Olaf is next. At least teach me something.

Okay, I have to ask, why is linking in some type of movie or story well known by disney "cartooning" or negative?

Is it simply because it is change?

If so, fine, I get it, as stated in my original post I understand how this goes against the original plan for this area.

But folks, at some point we all have to get up and smell the coffee. Disney is and every will be a giant marketing company that is fighting hand over fist to get every dollar they can get. The fact we have not seen any "new country pavilion"' in forever tells me this is a failed system. Yes, it is a popular park, but it is stale and even most everyone here who loves Epcot says that.

Disney has realized with its movie moves that this is the future for Disney. I think you will see much quicker action by Disney to tie in on that success. Again, I am NOT a proponent of totally walking away from what WS was for. All I am suggesting, and what I think we are starting to see, is how can they do simple tie ins to those pavilions and make it more Disney. As suggested - Ratatouille for France, Any choice for England - Mary Poppins, Peter Pan , Brother Bear for Canada, Pocahontas for US, or some older movies like Davy Crockett. Mulan in China and so on.

Is it the "best" for the park, maybe, maybe not. Depends on what type of lens you are looking through.

 

[bhg469]

If we're cartoonifying World Showcase, let's see, we have Donald shoved into Mexico, The Frozen sisters shoved into Norway ... how about Mary or Alice in the UK, the Rat in France (who needs Impressions de France! That's boring!) ... put Wall-E in the Energy Adventure, replace Figment with Inside Out ... let's give the people what they want! Instant gratification. Who cares if 10 years from now no one cares about a certain property. That's the next regime's problem!

And yes, I'm being sarcastic.

Though I would object less to Mary/Alice or Ratatouille ... even though I would still argue they don't fit.

And I actually wouldn't object to Inside Out or Wall-E having a presence ... just not at the expense of Figment.

If they're going to add characters to Future World and World Showcase, have it feel nature and make sense. Not shoehorned in there. Where's Donald? Where's Nemo? I'm sure Where's Olaf is next. At least teach me something.

I don't mind the Morocco Aladdin tie in because you have to seek out the characters. I just feel like if they insist on these tie ins, let the country remain the attraction and the characters should be used in a way that doesn't take away from the pavilion.

There is no way that Norway is going to be able to handle what's in store for them though, that is going to be miserable.

 

[Kman101]

I really don't mind characters in the pavilions. I have no problem with Aladdin meeting guests, Aurora, Snow White, Mulan, Alice, etc. meeting guests.

The problem is the attractions leave a lot to be desired, first of all. Gran Fiesta Tour is the least problematic but it's still "Where's Donald?" when they could have done it just a little bit differently to promote tourism. Nemo and Mr. Ray could have had a field trip instead of rehashing the movie. It's how they're used I have a problem with.

But if we're embracing cartoons in World Showcase, I stand by my put Rat in France, put a Mary Poppins flying ride into the UK ... if that's the direction they really are going, they need to embrace it, say this is what we're doing and give us brand new experiences.

And they really need to get to work on fixing Future World. Replacing Maelstrom should not have been a priority in the grand scheme of Epcot at this point.

I want to be glad they're not resting on their laurels with a popular movie and that they're jumping at building a new ride. I wish I could appreciate that but shoving it where they are just does it a disservice. But I know people are tired of hearing that so ... moving on.

 

[Travel Junkie]

Okay, I have to ask, why is linking in some type of movie or story well known by disney "cartooning" or negative?

Is it simply because it is change?

If so, fine, I get it, as stated in my original post I understand how this goes against the original plan for this area.

But folks, at some point we all have to get up and smell the coffee. Disney is and every will be a giant marketing company that is fighting hand over fist to get every dollar they can get. The fact we have not seen any "new country pavilion"' in forever tells me this is a failed system. Yes, it is a popular park, but it is stale and even most everyone here who loves Epcot says that.

Disney has realized with its movie moves that this is the future for Disney. I think you will see much quicker action by Disney to tie in on that success. Again, I am NOT a proponent of totally walking away from what WS was for. All I am suggesting, and what I think we are starting to see, is how can they do simple tie ins to those pavilions and make it more Disney. As suggested - Ratatouille for France, Any choice for England - Mary Poppins, Peter Pan , Brother Bear for Canada, Pocahontas for US, or some older movies like Davy Crockett. Mulan in China and so on.

Is it the "best" for the park, maybe, maybe not. Depends on what type of lens you are looking through.

If done appropriately, “cartooning” is fine. This is not thematically appropriate for the park and land that Disney created. They set the rules here by creating a non fiction park in EPCOT. If they feel they don’t want to be in this type of business anymore then by all means, blow it up and start over.

However, Disney can’t have it both ways. They can’t go on and on about attention to detail and creating immersive thematic environments and then break their own rules without being called out on it. Some people are okay with Disney breaking their own rules. Other’s are not.

For all the those who say Disney is a business and things change crowd, despite all of EPCOT’s faults, it remains WDW’s 2nd most attended and profitable park. A lot of people still enjoy what EPCOT brings to the table and they are not going because they can meet Mary Poppins against an English backdrop. EPCOT is unique. That is a large part of its draw. It should remain so and part of that is keeping it thematically appropriate. Frozen is the largest and most permanent encroachment on EPCOT’s founding principles.

 

[Kman101]

World Showcase didn't "fail". Disney chose not to invest in any new countries. They don't NEED sponsors or government funding. They have had plans for a Swiss pavilion, numerous Japan rides, a Germany ride, a UK ride ... buildings even exist for for Germany, Japan ...

It's making Epcot even more muddled than it's become.

It's not about change, or hating change. I'm all for change. I'm all for new things in the parks. The problem is they'd rather replace something than actually expand, they'd rather do the minimum instead of raising the bar.

They'd rather take the easy way out by putting Frozen there instead of taking a chance than say building Mt. Fuji, or building a Japan Bullet Train ride.

I'm also really tired of hearing that they are a business. Yes, we know they are. That doesn't excuse poor decisions and it shouldn't. I'm not faulting them for wanting to make money. I'm faulting them for how they go about it.

 

[Prince Thomas]

Allow me to preface this by saying while I may disagree with those who are for Norway becoming Frozen, I respect the opinions of others so please dont take my post as a trying to pick an argument.

Serious question. If you knew that waiting 5-10 years would yield a bigger and better attraction and maybe even an entire area much larger than Norway pavilion, would you choose that over what is happening? Not a loaded question, just curious.

Its Disney...I have a life with MUCH more important things to worry about. All i know is that I'm excited for it and can't wait!! I really only care about myself and the experience I'll be having.
Also allow me postscript this by also syaing i hope this come across too snarky. But again...Its just Disney, i dont take it too seriously!

 

[Prince Thomas]

Its Disney...I have a life with MUCH more important things to worry about. All i know is that I'm excited for it and can't wait!! I really only care about myself and the experience I'll be having.
Also allow me postscript this by also syaing i hope this come across too snarky. But again...Its just Disney, i dont take it too seriously!

*didnt come across to snarky