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

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Brian Swan

Well-Known Member
Mike S said:
More fitting ideas could be a draw to World Showcase as well. I brought these up before and I'm doing it again.
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The various Mountains are some of Disneys most popular rides in any of their parks. They would definitely work in World Showcase as well, no need for Frozen being put where it doesn't belong. Disney's just too cheap to build them and a proper Frozen expansion.
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I couldn't agree more!
 
Sped2424

Sped2424

Well-Known Member
Magenta Panther said:
1. Avatar is not a Disney creation, plus it was a stupid Iger-generated kneejerk reaction to Universal's Potterland, plus it was a flash-in-the-pan movie fad, plus there are actual Disney adaptations and creations that much better deserve a land of their own, like, say, The Lion King and The Jungle Book. PLUS the AK sign includes a dragon silhouette, not a Banshee or whatever Cameron called his stupid flying lizard things. Mythical creatures like dragons, unicorns, griffins, etc. are creatures that have appeared in literature and art for centuries, people all over the world are familiar with them, and wouldn't have to be aware of a movie in order to enjoy them. THAT'S why Avatar doesn't fit in at AK, and why I for one am questioning it. Just saying.
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While I think avatar land could work if done right how has disney dropped the ball so long with no lion king attraction or even land at the animal kingdom? Build it with pride rock and people would FLIP.
 
B

Brian Swan

Well-Known Member
Monkee Girl said:
Like others here, I have no problems with characters in the countries. They don't change the major theme/message/feel of the pavilion and are just additions of things to do. And what is best is they are temporary. Should the next manager or who ever should decide they no longer wanted meet and greets, they could be moved with little or not hassle.

However, making permanent changes to the rides is different to me. It adds nothing to them and most people are riding those rides because they want to be immersed more into that country. I can live with or without Donald in the Mexico ride. As others have said, at least the ride is still about going through Mexico and its traditions/tourist points. I would prefer that Donald was removed just so it matches the 'realism' of the rest of the countries. What they are doing in Norway is so offensive to me, I can't stand it. Between the ride, the meet and greet, the museum at the Stave, and the merchandise...it's just too much. Why even bother calling it the Norway Pavilion?

What they should have done was take that pavilion space between Mexico and Norway (their new character meet and greet area) and just build a full on Arendell Pavillion. Make the facade like Norway or something like that so it matches the realistic country atmosphere and then have all the Frozen stuff there. It should all fit, right? The ride, the museum, the stores, the character dining, meet and greet...all of it. Then Norway could be it's own unmolested place. They would never do it, I know. but it would be nice and I could choose not to bother with it if I didn't want to and still ride my Maelstrom.

And I still think they should just redo Blizzard Beach and make it a Frozen them Park. Seriously....how much cheaper do they want to get? It's all right there!!! lol
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Norway is perhaps the most abused area in WDW. The first black eye came when the converted Akershus - once a very good Norwegian restaurant and a personal favorite - into princess cattle call dining. The second black eye came when they installed Frozen stuff in the Stave Church. The Maelstrom debacle is the final kick in the balls that will bring it to it's cultural knees. But I guess it will make a lot of 10 year old girls happy...
 
B

Brian Swan

Well-Known Member
Sped2424 said:
While I think avatar land could work if done right how has disney dropped the ball so long with no lion king attraction or even land at the animal kingdom? Build it with pride rock and people would FLIP.
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Maybe no "land". but arguably the best live show in any of the parks is based on The Lion King, and KS, the "premier" attraction in AK, is a celebration of African wildlife...
 
danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member
Brian Swan said:
Norway is perhaps the most abused area in WDW. The first black eye came when the converted Akershus - once a very good Norwegian restaurant and a personal favorite - into princess cattle call dining. The second black eye came when they installed Frozen stuff in the Stave Church. The Maelstrom debacle is the final kick in the balls that will bring it to it's cultural knees. But I guess it will make a lot of 10 year old girls happy...
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I actually didn't have a problem with the Frozen stuff in the Stave Church since I think it was handled appropriately. It was very clearly showing how the real Norway influenced specific elements of the world of Frozen.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Weren't the mountain rides part of the "Project Gemini" expansion? Seems like I remember it including these two mountains plus a rainforest suspended coaster over at The Land, an Autopia at Test Track, and Time Racers in the Spaceship Earth dome... the overall plan was to add attraction capacity all over the park...Which would have been wonderful!
 
Disney Analyst

Disney Analyst

Well-Known Member
Figments Friend said:
Yep.
The key with our 'movement' was that is was done in a positive manner.
It was not presented as a 'bunch a grumpy fans making demands'.
It was presented in a way that was not meant to come across as a 'protest'.

That was one of the reasons why our planned Event was seen as positive, and was separated from becoming perceived as being just a 'fan uprising' or 'unruly mob of disgruntled people' trying to make trouble.
Because of the positive approach, it turned into something quite wonderful for everyone in the end.

Disney was also approached behind the scenes in a positive way that encouraged this idea of it being a positive gathering..and it eventually grew into something far bigger and better then i think any of us involved in it could have possibly imagined.
It also has to be said that the press and online coverage it was getting made them rethink the situation as well.
People CAN make a real difference, but it is in your tone of approach to the matter that is key to making actual real changes.


I remember clearly stating in that famous first post that got the ball rolling that the gathering of fans i was proposing NOT turn into a 'fan protest', with people showing up with signs and pitchforks.
Wanted to make that very clear right from the start.
At the time, there were plenty of ticked' off fans who were upset Disney seemed to be blowing off EPCOT's 25th Anniversary.
The suggestion i made to come together and celebrate in our own way peacefully was what turned all that disappointment into quite a joyful experience.
A small group of people came together to help make it happen, and the thousands of fans who attended certainly did as well.
The end result is what history now tells.

It was a shared victory.
Many people came together to make it happen so i cannot in any way take sole credit.
We all shared in that experience.
I am still amazed at how it all happened, and i am happy to see some here still remember it.
It was a true 'one-off'.
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Wait what? What happened? PM me? I want to know this story.
 
Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
Bocabear said:
Weren't the mountain rides part of the "Project Gemini" expansion? Seems like I remember it including these two mountains plus a rainforest suspended coaster over at The Land, an Autopia at Test Track, and Time Racers in the Spaceship Earth dome... the overall plan was to add attraction capacity all over the park...Which would have been wonderful!
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The mountains were actually part of early plans for EPCOT Center as proven by this model.
image.jpg

Man would it have been awesome to see those two mountains looming at the far end of World Showcase. Talk about a huge draw.

I could do without Time Racers replacing Spaceship Earth though. Thankfully they found that it wouldn't be possible to replace SSE so easily :)
 
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SnarkyMonkey

SnarkyMonkey

Well-Known Member
Brian Swan said:
I don't want to turn this into another "I hate the Avatar idea thread" (there are enough of those already), but Avatar is a modern fable about commercial greed destroying ecosystems, and the interconnectedness of organisms within an ecosystem. Thematically, I think it is an excellent fit for AK. Discussions of whether someone liked the movie or not, or if it is an ideal IP for a Disney park is best left for other threads...
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I know this is off topic but thank you for that, Brian. Not knowing much about Avatar, this helps me to see how it fits in with AK and what you say makes good sense.

danlb_2000 said:
I actually didn't have a problem with the Frozen stuff in the Stave Church since I think it was handled appropriately. It was very clearly showing how the real Norway influenced specific elements of the world of Frozen.
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No, no, no. Frozen has nothing to do with Norway. It has never even heard of Norway. It and Norway are two completely different things...no matter what its creators say. o_O
 
wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
SnarkyMonkey said:
No, no, no. Frozen has nothing to do with Norway. It has never even heard of Norway. It and Norway are two completely different things...no matter what its creators say. o_O
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The Kingdom of Norway and the animated movie Frozen are very much indeed two COMPLETELY different things. The creators have talked about Norway "inspiring" aspects of Frozen, I do not recall them ever saying they are the same? How would that even make sense...on any level????
 
SnarkyMonkey

SnarkyMonkey

Well-Known Member
wdisney9000 said:
The Kingdom of Norway and the animated movie Frozen are very much indeed two COMPLETELY different things. The creators have talked about Norway "inspiring" aspects of Frozen, I do not recall them ever saying they are the same? How would that even make sense...on any level????
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No, no, no... The creators hadn't even heard of Norway. They just coincidentally came up with an imaginary place that looked exactly the same and drew from the exact same mythology. Stop trying to shove the two together! ;)
 
danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member
SnarkyMonkey said:
I know this is off topic but thank you for that, Brian. Not knowing much about Avatar, this helps me to see how it fits in with AK and what you say makes good sense.



No, no, no. Frozen has nothing to do with Norway. It has never even heard of Norway. It and Norway are two completely different things...no matter what its creators say. o_O
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True sign that you no longer want to participate in mature debate on the subject. We've seen it many times before and will see it many times again. It normally ends with the stamping of feet and deceleration that the member will never return to these boards which they will continue to do anyway.
 
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Hula Popper

Well-Known Member
The stupid Norwegians think there is actually a relationship between their country and the setting for the Frozen. They need the folks on this board to edumucate them.

http://en.trondelag.com/disneys-frozen-inspired-by-trondelag-central-norway/

http://www.nordnorge.com/en/frozen/?News=405

http://campaign.visitnorway.com/en/us/Disney-Frozen/Discover-Norway-in-the-footsteps-of-Frozen/

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-25982656

It's awful what Disney is doing to the Norwegians. Because of this movie, and the EPCOT attraction, no one will learn anything about real Norwegian culture, topography, architecture, climate, etc. . . if only there was some way for Disney to be forced to compensate Norway for all the damage it is causing them . . .

http://www.ibtimes.com/frozen-norway-disney-hit-brings-blizzard-tourists-1590853

http://time.com/2827339/frozen-tourism-norway/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/behind-norways-frozen-windfall-from-disney/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/t...n-sparks-web-search-increase-tips-Norway.html
 

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