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

[Horizons '83]

While I agree with most of the complaints of why this was pigeon holed in Norway, I have high hopes that this attraction turns out fantastic.

 

[wdisney9000]

Yes, but there is a but. Disney's themed entertainment is driven by pre-existing popular mental property. That is, it takes existing concepts of places and design and transponds these into lands and themed areas.

You ride what you know at Disney, even if non-movie IP: steamtrains, steamships, rockets. Through worlds you already know, the exotic locales of 40s/50s adventure movies, or the frontier as imagined through Westerns, books, popular imagery of the Old West. Disney themed entertainment is derivative. It is not a big leap to make the parks derivates of IP and franchises.

There is a flip side to that coin though. A child riding the steamboats or seeing the 40/50s locale doesnt technically know or understand that world. Lets face it, most kids arent exactly going to sock hops or brushing up on their Mark Twain before hitting O-town. They do however, see a huge steam paddle boat gracefully floating down river with smoke billowing out of the top. Its new, its unique, its amazing to them. They ask mom and dad, "what is that"?!!! It opens a dialogue to which mom and dad explain what it is, the era it came from, what it was used for, etc... The kids want to hop on board and cruise around, go to the top deck and watch the steam come out of the stack and hear the horn blow. None of which require an IP or a Disney character.

Its just a grand and majestic icon of an amazing time in our history that fits perfectly into the dynamic setting. The proper elements working together can be an amazing force on their own and create a world of wonder and fantasy without the aid of a cartoon or fantasy story.

 

[danlb_2000]

castle as in inside the Frozen building at Epcot.

someone claims they were going to build a new dinning area there.

That baffles me.

Yeah, the new M&G building is far to small to have a dining area, but a small gift shop might not be out of the question.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

Will the boats still peek out of the waterfall? That was always my favorite part.

 

[aladdin2007]

Will the boats still peek out of the waterfall? That was always my favorite part.

I can't imagine them not given the track.

 

[OvertheHorizon]

Instead of asking the question, "What is the fantasy at the root of this franchise and how can we bring that to life for our guests?" Disney seems to be asking "What is the least risky thing we can do to satisfy fans of an existing franchise?" Take Ariel's Incredibly Bland Undersea Whatever at Magic Kingdom - the ride could've been like Peter Pan and taken you under the sea into another world. We could've gone exploring with Ariel, or been dazzled by Triton's kingdom, or any number of things. Instead it's a bunch of dioramas asking the question, "Hey, remember that scene from the movie? Wasn't that great?!" Little kids will get to point and cry "ARIEL!" and their job is done. They can spend money on detail and theming and "story" and make everything quite attractive, but they somehow completely miss the heart of the thing, which suggests they weren't even trying. The ride brings nothing to the table other than it's connection to an IP.

You nailed the issue.

 

[Matt_Black]

They do however, see a huge steam paddle boat gracefully floating down river with smoke billowing out of the top. Its new, its unique, its amazing to them. They ask mom and dad, "what is that"?!!! It opens a dialogue to which mom and dad explain what it is, the era it came from, what it was used for, etc...

Depending on the parent, that could be a short dialogue.
"Dad, what is that?"
"It's a paddle boat."
"Why do they call it a paddle boat?"
"Because that's the boat you send naughty children to to get paddled if they don't stop asking questions!"

 

[Lee]

Yeah, the new M&G building is far to small to have a dining area, but a small gift shop might not be out of the question.

Gift shop is indeed in there.
It's the only way out...through the shop.

 

[George]

Gift shop is indeed in there.
It's the only way out...through the shop.

NextGen genius idea - a slow ride through a themed shop, aisle by aisle and you no longer have to keep your arms in the vehicle as you take the items you wish to purchase. No screens here! Actual animatronics that vaguely represent characters from the themed environment (an environment similar to one in an extremely popular IP of some type!) you are moving through will re-stock the shelves! Your band gets scanned as you exit, charges are applied, and the need to exit through a shop is now gone. No purchase is required of course, but the rumor is the ketchup gun finale at the end of the ride is much more likely to soil the shirt or blouse of the Cheapy McCheapy Pants who didn't make a single purchase despite the countless opportunities.

 

[Matt_Black]

NextGen genius idea - a slow ride through a themed shop, aisle by aisle and you no longer have to keep your arms in the vehicle as you take the items you wish to purchase. No screens here! Actual animatronics that vaguely represent characters from the themed environment (an environment similar to one in an extremely popular IP of some type!) you are moving through will re-stock the shelves! Your band gets scanned as you exit, charges are applied, and the need to exit through a shop is now gone. No purchase is required of course, but the rumor is the ketchup gun finale at the end of the ride is much more likely to soil the shirt or blouse of the Cheapy McCheapy Pants who didn't make a single purchase despite the countless opportunities.

And, instead of a gift shop at the exit- DRY CLEANERS!

 

[Cesar R M]

And, instead of a gift shop at the exit- DRY CLEANERS!

that charges 20$ per Magical Dry

 

[Seabasealpha1]

I'm sure it's a worn out notion...but I'll say it again...rather randomly in this part of all the discussion...

Frozen can have a ride. Frozen should. Just not in a bastardized form in a display of world cultures and when there's already a certain "vibe" and "flow" to World Showcase...

Sure. Donald duck is a bit of a rough fit in Mexico...and most "Disney fans" now-a-days haven't the patience or the slightest bit of gumption to buy the films or study why anything with Donald Duck and latin cultures exists at all...to which I say that there is a heck of a reason worth finding out! And the company (I'm sure) really thought that part out...

But this Frozen "shoe horn" job is shamelessly IP related and really screams corporate ignorance, stupidity, and greed...to me, it is Disney and the Imagineers caught with their pants down...a global company acting like a bunch of 'Mericans... to be honset I'm kind of embarassed.

And there ain't a darn thing anyone can do about it. Its happening now in our lifetimes...


I would have rather seen the ride be turned into Maelstrom: The Quest for Thor's Hammer ...a Marvel IP than this stuff...at least we could make references to Norse mythology instead of a couple of cutesy songs about two animated princesses thought up in Burbank...with their friggin' snowman...

 

[wdisney9000]

Just bumping this thread since some members feel their desire to express their hard core belief that Norway is Arrendelle (@A foolish mortal ) and our conversation in the other thread was deleted (im sure someone cried to the mods). Please spare us the "beating a dead horse" comments and memes if you dont care to discuss it, but many still want to share their viewpoints on WS and its future. the Frozen invasion of Norway pavilion plays a pivotal role in that.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Moving the conversation over here:

Yeah. Because a meet and greet is worth working on 24/7.

If they were working on it 24 hours a week, they should have finished in less time. Of course it also took them 6 months to move the Studio Backlot Tour vehicles and they have wheels and an engine.

Given the amount of time they're spending on Frozen Ever After and Royal Sommerhaus, they could have done a new build in a more logical space. We're at 16 months since Maelstrom closed and we're probably 3-4 months away from Frozen Ever After opening.

 

[A foolish mortal]

Moving the conversation over here:

If they were working on it 24 hours a week, they should have finished in less time. Of course it also took them 6 months to move the Studio Backlot Tour vehicles and they have wheels and an engine.

Given the amount of time they're spending on Frozen Ever After and Royal Sommerhaus, they could have done a new build in a more logical space. We're at 16 months since Maelstrom closed and we're probably 3-4 months away from Frozen Ever After opening.

*Sommerhus

 

[Mike S]

Moving the conversation over here:

If they were working on it 24 hours a week, they should have finished in less time. Of course it also took them 6 months to move the Studio Backlot Tour vehicles and they have wheels and an engine.

Given the amount of time they're spending on Frozen Ever After and Royal Sommerhaus, they could have done a new build in a more logical space. We're at 16 months since Maelstrom closed and we're probably 3-4 months away from Frozen Ever After opening.

That's probably what they're doing currently and why it's so slow

 

[spacemt354]

Was she scared by those pesky trolls? Maybe that's what she meant? Because Maelstrom has far less drops and is about 95% shorter ride time than Pirates. Or maybe she just meant the incredibly crappy storyline and Norway tourism commercial at the end were too much for her. lol.

All in all, it was in the top 3 worse rides in all of Disney.

Malestrom actually had more drops than Pirates, and if you count the show at the end, has a similar length.

To each his own. I prefer something unique, which was what Malestrom was.

As a side note...it's been so long I honestly forgot this redo was happening. I was so much happier before. Ignorance is bliss

 

[Phil12]

You can tell that it is a success because the usual critics are complaining in chorus about how long it has taken, Norway is not being represented properly and WS is going to hell in a hand basket due to abject toonification.

 

[Andrew C]

Moving the conversation over here:

If they were working on it 24 hours a week, they should have finished in less time. Of course it also took them 6 months to move the Studio Backlot Tour vehicles and they have wheels and an engine.

Given the amount of time they're spending on Frozen Ever After and Royal Sommerhaus, they could have done a new build in a more logical space. We're at 16 months since Maelstrom closed and we're probably 3-4 months away from Frozen Ever After opening.

Ok. Thank you.

 

[marni1971]

You can tell that it is a success because the usual critics are complaining in chorus about how long it has taken..

Not at all.

TDO will quantify it a success due to two hour waits, stroller hell and poor little darlings crying because they can't ride thanks to a THC of 800.