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

[ryan1]

I'm not in construction or architecture, but if the basic infrastructure is already in place, wouldn't that decrease the amount needed to spend on a refurb?

If TLM cost approx $150 million, I would assume that a large chuck of that money went into building the infrastructure itself.

I'm not going to claim we are getting the quality of the Haunted Mansion or IaSW with this refurb, but I also think that we shouldn't dismiss the fact that all of that money is being used to change the inside of buildings that are already built.

That being said this is TDO we are talking about. Any form of optimism is usually met with a smack of reality.

One would assume they are going to demo basically everything down to the support beams and exterior walls of the ride building interior while keeping the ride system secure and safely intact. That will take time and time = money, then rebuild the interior from scratch. That is a good chunk of change right off the bat. Plus all the work and money spent building the ride scenes and AAs.

Then you have to add the meet and greet which, based off its current location and limited amount of area they have to work with the Puffin Roost will have to be gutted and rebuilt from scratch. Then you have the Theater and queue area to redo and I'm sure there will be some additional stuff they added or changed that the haven't mentioned yet (the restaurant, bakery, bathrooms, or seating area).

That $75 mil will go pretty quick.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

How about Olafia? Sounds Eastern European but it would work

Or into 'They're having 'o laff'.

 

[spacemt354]

One would assume they are going to demo basically everything down to the support beams and exterior walls of the ride building interior while keeping the ride system secure and safely intact. That will take time and time = money, then rebuild the interior from scratch. That is a good chunk of change right off the bat. Plus all the work and money spent building the ride scenes and AAs.

Then you have to add the meet and greet which, based off its current location and limited amount of area they have to work with the Puffin Roost will have to be gutted and rebuilt from scratch. Then you have the Theater and queue area to redo and I'm sure there will be some additional stuff they added or changed that the haven't mentioned yet (the restaurant, bakery, bathrooms, or seating area).

That $75 mil will go pretty quick.

Has all of this been confirmed or is this just rumor?

I've been in and out of this thread so I don't know if anything has been added except for what was initially announced.

I'm not saying the $75 million won't go quick, I'm saying what is it being used for and what's the priority? Seems like a lot of stuff is being built but where?

 

[Monkee Girl]

I assume you're referring to my comment.
I was just joking But I wouldn't be surprised if the Norwegian stuff WAS replaced with Frozen cupcakes.

Ha, I know they got the Olaf cupcakes there, they had them in April. And when my family ate in Akershus, my cousin got a Frozen cupcake for her birthday. It didn't have a character on it but it was blue, white and hand snowflakes on it. Was very pretty. And a surprise because we didn't think they did things like that at breakfast.

so yea, they are taking over!

 

[Monkee Girl]

Has all of this been confirmed or is this just rumor?

I've been in and out of this thread so I don't know if anything has been added except for what was initially announced.

I'm not saying the $75 million won't go quick, I'm saying what is it being used for and what's the priority? Seems like a lot of stuff is being built but where?

Nothing confirmed yet outside the initial report. All speculation right now. I think the money is all combined in the the whole Frozen thing (ride, meet and greet and any touch ups needed to fix the ride) but we won't know until more is announced.

I of course don't want to hear it....I would prefer Disney sent out a notice saying due to unexpected anger regarding the project, they will be leaving Norway as is. But that's just me. If happened with NFL and Merida's make over...it could happen...if I wished upon a star....

 

[FutureCEO]

Somehow that does not seem very kid friendly. I'm thinking R-rated thoughts. Sorry, maybe I've been watching too much Law and Order.


All I can picture now is the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

 

[BrerJon]

My point is that Walt Disney did use movie tie-ins and animated characters some, but not always. And many of his and the company's best ideas were original. EPCOT itself was an original idea, and a good one at that. It is a part of the Disney universe, but like those orginal rides mentioned above, has its own identity, as well as a mission.

I think classic Disney mixed attractions and films by making sure the attraction stood alone perfectly. Almost nobody who visits the Swiss Family Treehouse has seen Swiss Family Robinson, I doubt most of the visitors to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea had seen the film, and in the modern era the same goes for DINOSAUR. The goal should be that 99% of visitors have a great time, and don't even know the attraction was originally inspired by a movie.

 

[BrerJon]

Also, and I know this will come as a shock to some - especially at Disney, but kids do grow up. Well, most of them anyway.

This whole 'kids find it boring' myth infuriates me. I went to EPCOT Center as a kid, I understood it, I learned from it, I loved it... it was easily my joint favourite park, along with the working studio at MGM.

I'm no super genius, was just an average ability kid from an average family but EPCOT transported me from Seabase Alpha to the future, to the history of communication, and in Communicore, a real future that would be coming soon. It was awesome, and I loved it, and it annoys me when people say kids today are too stupid to understand any of that - kids are really smart, but you have to let them discover that.

 

[Phil12]

It'll still be called the Norway Pavilion, there just won't be very much left about Norway.

All they need to do is bring down that Beatles cover band (British Revolution) from the UK pavilion and have them play Norwegian Wood every so often:

 

[SpaceMountain77]

Earlier today, I received my Disney Insider e-mail. Although the focus of the e-mail is on the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, there was a link for the Frozen announcement. Have you seen the latest wording?

"If you’ve always wished you could visit Arendelle, now’s your chance. Just this morning, it was announced that a Frozen-themed attraction will soon grace the Norway Pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World. The ride, which will replace Maelstrom, promises to take guests through the fictional landscape of Arendelle and right into scenes and songs from the movie. There’ll be music, there’ll be light, there’ll probably be some breathtaking animatronics."

The wording is truly shameless. Clearly, there is blatant disregard for the world's cultures and, specifically, shared beliefs, attitudes and practices. Instead of providing experiences that foster an understanding of the common thread that unites us all, World Showcase pavilions will now be facades for Magic Kingdom dark rides.

 

[math mathson]

I have two young daughters and the world show case is painful with children. The beer helps and this will help even more.

 

[unkadug]

I have two young daughters and the world show case is painful with children. The beer helps and this will help even more.

The beer helps the children?

 

[Mike S]

Earlier today, I received my Disney Insider e-mail. Although the focus of the e-mail is on the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, there was a link for the Frozen announcement. Have you seen the latest wording?

"If you’ve always wished you could visit Arendelle, now’s your chance. Just this morning, it was announced that a Frozen-themed attraction will soon grace the Norway Pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World. The ride, which will replace Maelstrom, promises to take guests through the fictional landscape of Arendelle and right into scenes and songs from the movie. There’ll be music, there’ll be light, there’ll probably be some breathtaking animatronics."

The wording is truly shameless. Clearly, there is blatant disregard for the world's cultures and, specifically, shared beliefs, attitudes and practices. Instead of providing experiences that foster an understanding of the common thread that unites us all, World Showcase pavilions will now be facades for Magic Kingdom dark rides.

There we have it. Cheap and no ties to Norway at all. Seriously, what's the point anymore? Tear down Spaceship Earth and put up another castle. Call it "Disney's Magic Kingdom overfill park, because we can only replace when we add things." I'm starting to feel dirty for getting that shirt now and giving them my money.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I have two young daughters and the world show case is painful with children. The beer helps and this will help even more.

Then why visit WS with your two young daughters?

Club Saint Tropez is painful with two senior citizens. But please nobody turn off the music and remove the dancefloor with a bingo hall to accomodate seniors.

 

[BrerJon]

I have two young daughters and the world show case is painful with children. The beer helps and this will help even more.

I wonder if part of the perceived 'kid problem' at Epcot comes from Future World being so decimated? In the olden days, when Future World was operating at full force, most people spent most of the day there, then did World Showcase late afternoon, into the evening.

Nowadays they rattle through Future World so quickly that there's a lot more time spent in World Showcase, making it the central feature of the park instead of a gentle wind down from the wonders of existence.

 

[BigTxEars]

Somehow that does not seem very kid friendly. I'm thinking R-rated thoughts. Sorry, maybe I've been watching too much Law and Order.


All I can picture now is the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

It would be pretty horrific to a kid, it looks to be a pretty huge Olaf. Found it on the net, it's well done and all but too tall!

 

[Cesar R M]

Adjusted for inflation, Snow White grossed higher than Frozen.

Also the lion king had 422,783,777 millions just for domestic, and 564,700,000 foreign.

adjusted to inflation according to box officemojo is $726,543,300 for domestic (around 850,000,000 for foreign?)
giving the total to 1,576,543,300 (or 1,578 million)

Comparing.. Frozen is total of $1,274,219,009 (400,738,009 USD local or 399,683,500 adjusted to inflation), with a huge of chunk of it from foreign marked.

locally 101 Dalmatians and Snow-white and the seven Dwarfs did waaaay better.

 

[BigTxEars]

Or into 'They're having 'o laff'.

Is there a Olafian flag? I mean white clearly would be the base color but what other color and symbol?

 

[FutureWorld1982]

I would call death threats over a ride/attraction a bit beyond passionate, that is deep into crazy land territory.

To stay with the Epcot theme: "Passion governs, and she never governs wisely."

 

[DsnyFevr]

Not a fan of Norway becoming essentially a Frozen pavilion, but it is something new for Epcot and will certainly bring in an audience. I would like to see what the plans are for the retrofit of the ride. If they are going to do it, I hope they do it right (as in, not just a simple overlay but with actual animatronics using the new face technology from the seven dwarfs mine train ride)---unless the idea is a simple overlay to be able to change it back soon after the Frozen hysteria goes away.

Not for it being closed for 2 years to do. That definitely sounds permanent.