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

Tim Lohr

Well-Known Member
has it been confirmed yet or not if they are simply using the existing track and this being a boat/water ride... or will they redo all of that and use much more of the building space (many of us didn't know existed haha)

I'd think if they were simply reusing the existing track it wouldn't take 2 years to complete, and they did haul off the old boats so that at least that will be new. Plus the majority of the old ride was on the second floor, it seems like "if" they were going to expand the ride the second floor lounge would be the place to do it, but considering how mad so many people are that this is happening this Frozen ride better be amazing or there'll riots in the street
 

danlb_2000

Premium Member
I'd think if they were simply reusing the existing track it wouldn't take 2 years to complete, and they did haul off the old boats so that at least that will be new. Plus the majority of the old ride was on the second floor, it seems like "if" they were going to expand the ride the second floor lounge would be the place to do it, but considering how mad so many people are that this is happening this Frozen ride better be amazing or there'll riots in the street

But we don't know if it will take two years to complete. With a 2016 opening it could be as little as 15 months. Also, the main permit filed for this expires in one year from the date it was filed in September.
 

RayTheFirefly

Well-Known Member
I'd think if they were simply reusing the existing track it wouldn't take 2 years to complete, and they did haul off the old boats so that at least that will be new. Plus the majority of the old ride was on the second floor, it seems like "if" they were going to expand the ride the second floor lounge would be the place to do it, but considering how mad so many people are that this is happening this Frozen ride better be amazing or there'll riots in the street
I'd be personally surprised if they didn't reuse the existing track. It just sounds way too cost efficient and easy to not do it.
 

Tim Lohr

Well-Known Member
But we don't know if it will take two years to complete. With a 2016 opening it could be as little as 15 months. Also, the main permit filed for this expires in one year from the date it was filed in September.

If it's a year from this past September I guess it would be a year of reconfiguring the existing queue and load area, and probably be open no later than summer 2016. The slow part of FLE was laying foundation and putting up the buildings, but with Maelstrom they can skip those steps

I'd be personally surprised if they didn't reuse the existing track. It just sounds way too cost efficient and easy to not do it.

I think it could go either way, in the past the Buzz Lightyear ride and Seas with Nemo used the existing tracks, but with Pooh and Test Track the gutted the buildings and started over from scratch. I'd like to think they know better than to deliver another "Journey into your Imagination", the main reason they are doing this thing in Epcot is because the park needs attractions that are a step up from what they currently have, and whatever Frozen ends up being it needs to be better than what it's replacing
 

RayTheFirefly

Well-Known Member
I would like to see the concept art of Frozen the ride! I would like to see what vehicle will be look like when it's finished!
tumblr_lxajavE6Cx1qjjfwm.gif
 

Private Duck

New Member
Epcot is my favorite park- and precisely because its initial "spirit" (i.e. science, technology & world culture) was so unique- and so "Walt" (even if the '82 version was a fraction of what he had intended/dreamed). Part of me therefore (as many others have expressed in the thread) is skeptical/nervous about bringing "characters" in and from such a high-profile/successful franchise (loved Frozen BTW and definitely think it deserves an attraction somewhere in WDW).

That said- Epcot has just seemed so apathetic and "frozen" (lol) the last several years- that frankly I'm grateful that its receiving any sort of attention from the suits. I guess at this point- I've decided to turn a perceived "negative" into a positive (in true Disney fashion)- and at least be pleased that such a popular film is finding a landing spot in my favorite park. Hopefully it drives new-found energy and creative thinking with respect to Epcot.
 

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
Here's a blueprint of Maelstrom that merges the 1st and 2nd floors of the ride, but you can see how they could add a couple big new show scenes in and before the current load area, and get an idea just how much space the current lounge takes up compared to the current ride track

r-1410141101-NorwayPavilion1.jpg
While I don't think they will expand into the lounge, that's really the only way to TRULY expand this ride and make it feel different from Maelstrom. It's a bit of a missed opportunity tbh if they don't utilize that space for expansion, but we all know they won't.
 

BrerJon

Well-Known Member
I'd think if they were simply reusing the existing track it wouldn't take 2 years to complete,

Ha! This is Disney we're talking about.

Construction flowchart:

Are you a timeshare? Yes: you will be built rapidly. No: Next question
Are you a DVC kiosk? Yes: You will be built rapidly. No: Next question
Are you a toilet? Yes: You will be built reasonably fast. No: Next question
Are you Starbucks? Yes: You will be built quickly. No: Next question
Are you an attraction? Yes: Next question. No: Thank you for your feedback.
Are you an E-ticket? Yes: Thank you for your feedback. No: Next question
Are you complicated to build? Yes: Please allow 5 or 6 years. No: Please allow 2-3 years.
 

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Ha! This is Disney we're talking about.

Construction flowchart:

Are you a timeshare? Yes: you will be built rapidly. No: Next question
Are you a DVC kiosk? Yes: You will be built rapidly. No: Next question
Are you a toilet? Yes: You will be built reasonably fast. No: Next question
Are you Starbucks? Yes: You will be built quickly. No: Next question
Are you an attraction? Yes: Next question. No: Thank you for your feedback.
Are you an E-ticket? Yes: Thank you for your feedback. No: Next question
Are you complicated to build? Yes: Please allow 5 or 6 years. No: Please allow 2-3 years.

The Kingdom Crossing toilets were not built all that fast. Nor when the skyway building was torn down in Tomorrowland.
 

Sped2424

Well-Known Member
Well wasn't the rumored re opening date early 2016? so it's really like 18 months. Not 2 years a year and a half. Rather short given their prefered timetable to do anything.
 

MerlinTheGoat

Well-Known Member
And supposedly that number is for the ENTIRE redo, not just the ride.

I won't be surprised to hear that number rise though given the way WDI spends.
I'd be more inclined to say the budget will fall rather than rise. Not because WDI is good with money, far from it. But TDO loves slashing budgets with extreme prejudice whenever they get the chance. I don't know how far this project has gotten to be able to avoid a budget cut, and whether TDO are being kept out of the process. But I would not discount the possibility that the ride's budget will end up below that. New Fantasyland was hit pretty hard with the slashes. And I find it hard to believe they'll allocate more funds just because WDI asks for it. If WDI runs out of cash, we're more likely to just end up with an incomplete ride (ala the descent in Spaceship Earth, the 2009 refurb of Space Mountain and Countdown to Extinction) than upper executives approving more money for it.

Budget cuts are IMHO also doubly possible to happen due to the fact that Disney execs are well aware of how insanely successful and popular Frozen is. They know they don't have to put much effort into the ride to garner interest beyond just linking it to Frozen's name and putting some general Frozen related crap in it. The ride is already being built in a lazy fashion with reusing an existing show building and rumored to be the same track layout as well, I would be surprised if we've imagined the worst of the half-a$$ing it will get before its done.
 

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
I'd be more inclined to say the budget will fall rather than rise. Not because WDI is good with money, far from it. But TDO loves slashing budgets with extreme prejudice whenever they get the chance. I don't know how far this project has gotten to be able to avoid a budget cut, and whether TDO are being kept out of the process. But I would not discount the possibility that the ride's budget will end up below that. New Fantasyland was hit pretty hard with the slashes. And I find it hard to believe they'll allocate more funds just because WDI asks for it. If WDI runs out of cash, we're more likely to just end up with an incomplete ride (ala the descent in Spaceship Earth, the 2009 refurb of Space Mountain and Countdown to Extinction) than upper executives approving more money for it.

Budget cuts are IMHO also doubly possible to happen due to the fact that Disney execs are well aware of how insanely successful and popular Frozen is. They know they don't have to put much effort into the ride to garner interest beyond just linking it to Frozen's name and putting some general Frozen related crap in it. The ride is already being built in a lazy fashion with reusing an existing show building and rumored to be the same track layout as well, I would be surprised if we've imagined the worst of the half-a$$ing it will get before its done.
The budget has already been slashed to get down as low as it is. You can only go so low...
 

spiritofNorway

Well-Known Member
According to my sources, they are aiming to open for Christmastime 2015...
Early 2016. I think they calculate more time than really needed... But Maelstrom has some construction errors that really needs to be fixed to make the ride stable. Theres a lot of leaking and stuff that really wouldnt be approved with todays standards of building stuff.
 
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Timekeeper

Well-Known Member
There was some water leaking into the gift shop recently, adjacent to the register in the H/H clothing area. Couldn't tell exactly what the source was, but it was clearly something that shouldn't have been happening.
 

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