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

[Bocabear]

I think the Little Mermaid ride is new without replacing anything too? (although could argue it replaces 20,000 leagues). Of course Snow White closed when seven dwarves opened.

Exactly...We lost 20k Leagues and Snow Whites Scary Adventures, and gained Seven Dwarfs and Little Mermaid... ride for ride...no net gain. Unless we want to consider the Belle M&G...

 

[danlb_2000]

There's no way this track doesn't change or get extended. They're definitely going to change it up a bit or a lot.

What is your source for this? It doesn't make much sense to change the track layout since there isn't any room to significantly extend it.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Exactly...We lost 20k Leagues and Snow Whites Scary Adventures, and gained Seven Dwarfs and Little Mermaid... ride for ride...no net gain. Unless we want to consider the Belle M&G...

1. 20,000 Leagues closed 21 years ago. People need to get over it already. Somehow linking that to New Fantasyland is a bit of a stretch, don'tcha think?

2. Seven Dwarfs is a clear upgrade over Snow White's Scary Adventures.

3. Enchanted Tales with Belle is hardly a traditional meet and greet. It has some of the most advanced audio-animatronics that Disney's ever built but people here punish it as "just a meet and greet" so that it fits their narrative of how New Fantasyland sucks and TDO is cheap.

 

[ABQ]

1. 20,000 Leagues closed 21 years ago. People need to get over it already. Somehow linking that to New Fantasyland is a bit of a stretch, don'tcha think?

But, but, we lost the Skyway too!!!!1111!!1!UNO!1!!

All joking aside, 20K closed eons ago and was a real mess for a while before that, even during an era when maintenance wasn't terribad.

 

[draybook]

It hardly takes just the Belle M&G to display how cheap TDO is. Simply looking at what NFL was supposed to be accomplishes that task.

 

[thehowiet]

1. 20,000 Leagues closed 21 years ago. People need to get over it already. Somehow linking that to New Fantasyland is a bit of a stretch, don'tcha think?

I disagree, respectfully. It took 21 years to replace the capacity lost by removing 20k Leagues, which is a little insane for the most visited theme park in the world.

2. Seven Dwarfs is a clear upgrade over Snow White's Scary Adventures.

Agreed, but it's still a 1 for 1 replacement with 0 net gain.

3. Enchanted Tales with Belle is hardly a traditional meet and greet. It has some of the most advanced audio-animatronics that Disney's ever built but people here punish it as "just a meet and greet" so that it fits their narrative of how New Fantasyland sucks and TDO is cheap.

Enchanted Tales with Belle has capacity of what, 300 people an hour? That's not really adding a whole lot capacity wise, and it serves a very specific audience...but yes, that is indeed an additional experience that did not exist prior to NFE.

My point is mainly what I said in regards to 20k Leagues, which is that it's a bit perplexing that it took so long to add back capacity that was removed from the most visited theme park in the world.

Now to bring this back on topic, and speaking of capacity, how long do we think the lines for Frozestrom are going to be when it opens?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I disagree, respectfully. It took 21 years to replace the capacity lost by removing 20k Leagues, which is a little insane for the most visited theme park in the world.

Agreed, but it's still a 1 for 1 replacement with 0 net gain.

Enchanted Tales with Belle has capacity of what, 300 people an hour? That's not really adding a whole lot capacity wise, and it serves a very specific audience...but yes, that is indeed an additional experience that did not exist prior to NFE.

My point is mainly what I said in regards to 20k Leagues, which is that it's a bit perplexing that it took so long to add back capacity that was removed from the most visited theme park in the world.

All fair points. I was looking at things more from a "what did we get as guests" perspective rather than an operational "impact on crowds and capacity" perspective. As a guest, I'd much rather have Mine Train, Belle, and Mermaid than Snow White and the empty box where 20K used to be.

Now to bring this back on topic, and speaking of capacity, how long do we think the lines for Frozestrom are going to be when it opens?

Lol, please let that be the name when it actually opens.

 

[Sage of Time]

Peaked through the doors to the queue, this weekend. Couldn't see much, save for that the place is gutted.

 

[SJN1279]

I disagree, respectfully. It took 21 years to replace the capacity lost by removing 20k Leagues, which is a little insane for the most visited theme park in the world.

Agreed, but it's still a 1 for 1 replacement with 0 net gain.

Enchanted Tales with Belle has capacity of what, 300 people an hour? That's not really adding a whole lot capacity wise, and it serves a very specific audience...but yes, that is indeed an additional experience that did not exist prior to NFE.

My point is mainly what I said in regards to 20k Leagues, which is that it's a bit perplexing that it took so long to add back capacity that was removed from the most visited theme park in the world.

Now to bring this back on topic, and speaking of capacity, how long do we think the lines for Frozestrom are going to be when it opens?

What was the subs capacity 500 an hour? Good riddance to that slow loading claustrophobic mess.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

But look at the bright side, this now paves the way for the Yavin 4 rebel base attraction next door at the Mexico pavilion. It would be perfect.

I mean Yavin 4 was inspired by the Mayan pyramids. You don't have to have star wars in just the studios.

I'll do you one better. The base was modeled after Ti'kal in Guatemala, which I had the chance to check out personally:



The ledge:



And looking down:

 

[AndyMagic]

I can say with certainty that the ride track will not be extended. The existing layout takes up all available space within the show-building. If they were doing something ambitious or worthy of the film we'd be seeing an assortment of new building permits and a scheduled opening date far beyond 2016. Expect a shorter, cobbled together version of The Little Mermaid attraction that takes you through some random sequences from the film highlighting the big musical numbers and a beautiful new queue that will be more detailed and impressive than the attraction itself filled with iPads that have some sort of abomination of a mini-game to distract the little ones while the parents endure a 400 minute stand-by wait. The current unload scene will double as loading to allow for the addition of a brief show-scene at the former load area. The "show-stopping" Let It Go sequence will begin shortly after the current troll encounter with lots of fiber optic white lights blinking around you during the backwards sequence. The forward flume will act as the climax to the song leading into the former Oil Rig show-scene which will now contain some sort of digital projection of the transformed Ice Castle mixed with large plastic icicles hanging from above. Unload will provide a brief and rushed "good-bye" using an Olaf voice-over. Befuddled guests will be asked to disembark quickly and then funneled into an enormous gift shop selling things that are already available at every store on the planet. The End.

 

[FigmentJedi]

3. Enchanted Tales with Belle is hardly a traditional meet and greet. It has some of the most advanced audio-animatronics that Disney's ever built but people here punish it as "just a meet and greet" so that it fits their narrative of how New Fantasyland sucks and TDO is cheap.

No, that's EXACTLY the problem: Impressive animatronics wasted on a glorified meet and greet show. Just imagine if they built that Beauty and the Beast Tiki Room they designed for Paris instead for those figures.

 

[Horizons '83]

I can say with certainty that the ride track will not be extended. The existing layout takes up all available space within the show-building. If they were doing something ambitious or worthy of the film we'd be seeing an assortment of new building permits and a scheduled opening date far beyond 2016. Expect a shorter, cobbled together version of The Little Mermaid attraction that takes you through some random sequences from the film highlighting the big musical numbers and a beautiful new queue that will be more detailed and impressive than the attraction itself filled with iPads that have some sort of abomination of a mini-game to distract the little ones while the parents endure a 400 minute stand-by wait. The current unload scene will double as loading to allow for the addition of a brief show-scene at the former load area. The "show-stopping" Let It Go sequence will begin shortly after the current troll encounter with lots of fiber optic white lights blinking around you during the backwards sequence. The forward flume will act as the climax to the song leading into the former Oil Rig show-scene which will now contain some sort of digital projection of the transformed Ice Castle mixed with large plastic icicles hanging from above. Unload will provide a brief and rushed "good-bye" using an Olaf voice-over. Befuddled guests will be asked to disembark quickly and then funneled into an enormous gift shop selling things that are already available at every store on the planet. The End.

Wow, that is most likely spot on! I really will miss Maelstorm. Even though it was a stereotyped view of the people of Norway, there was a certain charm to it that I loved.

 

[wdisney9000]

Now to bring this back on topic, and speaking of capacity, how long do we think the lines for Frozestrom are going to be when it opens?

Long enough for kids to learn all about Norway and its rich history and culture! No longer will children be bored with World Showcase because now they have a 90 minute wait for a ride and a Meet and Greet which are both sure to kick start their thirst for knowledge of foreign lands!

And dont forget, this Frozen overlay which is strictly confined to Norway pavilion, will somehow miraculously spark new found interests in the ENTIRE park for families who previously found it uninteresting and left for lack of entertainment. Thats the Disney magic we have been missing. Now children will rejoice in the exquisite craftsmanship found in the Morocco pavilion, they will bypass Soarin' in a mad dash to experience O'Canada, born anew will be a desire to learn the origins of the 'Christmas pickle' in Germany, and parents and children alike will truly understand why we should, "thank the Phoenicians"....all of this simply because they saw Frozen characters in what was once Norway pavilion. Checkmate to all other theme parks who even attempt any form of edutainment.

 

[Kman101]

I hate hearing Frozen should go to DHS. No. It doesn't belong there OR Epcot. It belongs in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Bocabear]

1. 20,000 Leagues closed 21 years ago. People need to get over it already. Somehow linking that to New Fantasyland is a bit of a stretch, don'tcha think?

2. Seven Dwarfs is a clear upgrade over Snow White's Scary Adventures.

3. Enchanted Tales with Belle is hardly a traditional meet and greet. It has some of the most advanced audio-animatronics that Disney's ever built but people here punish it as "just a meet and greet" so that it fits their narrative of how New Fantasyland sucks and TDO is cheap.

Ok, and time frame was unimportant to my point in ride capacity...we once had more, then a lot less, now around the same as what we had...and yes the M&G is very nice, but in the end it is just a M&G with nice animatronics thrown in...

 

[Mike S]

Since talk of the subs came up I might as well join in. I never got to ride 20k since it closed the year I turned 1 but I do remember the lagoon itself. Recently I went to Disneyland and rode their subs.

I like Little Mermaid and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (both could've been much better but that's not the point) but we did lose some really nice scenery. It was nice just watching the subs float by and the ride made me wish I could've ridden 20k just once at an age where I could remember it.

Now back on the Frostrom topic. I don't know about you guys, but when early 2016 comes around I'll be excitedly waiting in line for a different ride up the road. An actual E Ticket. Who wants to join me?

 

[raven]

The current unload scene will double as loading to allow for the addition of a brief show-scene at the former load area.

I still don't see how this will work with the current track configuration. The left side of the boat at unload is the maintenance area so guests would have to exit on the same side as they load in that area. This would already double the wait times that Maelstrom had.

I hate hearing Frozen should go to DHS. No. It doesn't belong there OR Epcot. It belongs in the Magic Kingdom.

I agree. but look at how Disney sees it. All those little girls (currently) love frozen. That means mom & dad will now have to add another day onto their pass to go to Epcot. $$$

 

[jakeman]

I hate hearing Frozen should go to DHS. No. It doesn't belong there OR Epcot. It belongs in the Magic Kingdom.

Thematically I agree, but where? And at this point why?

MK is a borderline unbearable crush of people even on slow days now. Last thing Disney needs is another reason for people to only go to MK.

 

[Mike S]

Thematically I agree, but where? And at this point why?

MK is a borderline unbearable crush of people even on slow days now. Last thing Disney needs is another reason for people to only go to MK.

They should've been building out all the other parks for all this time so we wouldn't have this problem today. Disney made their bed, now they have to lie in it.