Frozen ride replacing Maelstrom?

[doctornick]

Let's get back to the discussion about the RUMOR that a Frozen ride is going to replace Maelstrom.

At this point, it seems the scuttlebutt is that Maelstrom will get a Frozen overlay -- that might mean just adding Frozen characters to the existing ride or totally changing the scenes to make the ride all about Frozen. I think the distinction between the two, once we get that information, will be key when it comes to how we assess the ride. Also, obviously, how it is executed.

The other question seems to be what other changes will come to Norway to go along with it. A new A+E M&G? Or maybe just adding them to Akershus? With the store become all Frozen or still retain a good bit of Norwegian items?

I guess we will find out more as new information leaks....

 

[GoofGoof]

At this point, it seems the scuttlebutt is that Maelstrom will get a Frozen overlay -- that might mean just adding Frozen characters to the existing ride or totally changing the scenes to make the ride all about Frozen. I think the distinction between the two, once we get that information, will be key when it comes to how we assess the ride. Also, obviously, how it is executed.

The other question seems to be what other changes will come to Norway to go along with it. A new A+E M&G? Or maybe just adding them to Akershus? With the store become all Frozen or still retain a good bit of Norwegian items?

I guess we will find out more as new information leaks....

Putting aside the issue of Frozen not belonging in WS, I am interested to see how they pull off the ride. There's just not enough space or time to tell the whole story from the movie. Maybe select scenes or maybe just a ride based on the movie without trying to retell the whole story. I always remember feeling Maelstrom was short. I can't see them extending the boat ride, but maybe a walk through area before or after the boat ride and they have the theater too. I'm not liking hearing that budgets were cut, but I was pleasantly surprised at the way Mine Train turned out so I'll hold judgement until we get some more details.

 

[dadddio]

Newer posters don't get to dictate who the community respects and trusts.

Of course they don't, just like you don't get to dictate what anyone other than you believes. Still, you get to express your belief or disbelief.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Of course they don't, just like you don't get to dictate what anyone other than you believes. Still, you get to express your belief or disbelief.

Except that wasn't happening. pheneix was being treated by you and your new buddy as though he just popped out of nowhere and everybody got caught up in a frenzy. People believe him for a reason you repeatedly deny.

 

[morningstar]

It's taken me a while to sift through all the bickering to understand what the rumor actually is. So the claim is they're not only retheming the ride, but also that the whole pavilion will be called Arendelle. Maybe it's true, but it just doesn't make sense. America, Germany, Japan, Arendelle, Mexico. Which one of these does not belong? Not that I care. A turd by any other name would smell as foul.

 

[dadddio]

Except that wasn't happening. pheneix was being treated by you and your new buddy as though he just popped out of nowhere and everybody got caught up in a frenzy. People believe him for a reason you repeatedly deny.

First of all, no one in this forum is my 'buddy', so drop that junk. Second, you might take another read of my posts before you make yourself seem more foolish than you already have. Third, I am not concerned with why so many people blindly believed him. What he contended simply didn't meet the minimum standards for plausibility, in my opinion, so I did not believe it and stated as much. As it turns out, I was right to not believe it, since it wasn't accurate. Perhaps next time, I'll be wrong and you'll get to say 'I told you so'. Good luck with that since you are now 0 for 2.

 

[morningstar]

That's a bit of a stretch. I imagine that the "I'm such a huge Disney fan that I hate everything that Disney does" crowd probably believe what you posted, but I think that an honest look at the two attractions shows that Space is far superior to Horizons.

Umm, no. Mission: Space is technically revolutionary, but it just doesn't really engage you.

I wasn't mad when I heard Horizons was replaced, because I thought, "Hey, progress. Maybe they will give us something new that's really cool. It sure sounds cool." I wasn't disappointed until I rode it. Maybe it's growing to expect those let-downs based on past experience, but I don't even expect the Frozen Maelstrom to be good based on the description.

 

[morningstar]

Norway is not mentioned once, not at all. Norway is never spoken of. The troll twins just lack oxygen to the brain and cannot comprehend that INSPIRED BY does not mean TAKES PLACE IN.... But then again, they don't know the difference between rumors and facts..

Are are people even debating these turds? Ignore them, they will go away...

Just look at it. It's Norway. There are thousand-foot deep fjords. The highest point in Denmark is 171m. Sweden has mountains but they're mostly far from the sea. Other places in the world with fjords, such as Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand, do not make sense culturally. Iceland could possibly make sense.

In the Lion King, do they ever actually say it takes place in Africa? Come on.

 

[morningstar]

I'm imagining Anna & Elsa giving a tour of an offshore rig LOL. Yeah, regardless of how they frame the ride (story or tour) that part will have to go

That actually sounds like ridiculous fun.

 

[bhg469]

Just look at it. It's Norway. There are thousand-foot deep fjords. The highest point in Denmark is 171m. Sweden has mountains but they're mostly far from the sea. Other places in the world with fjords, such as Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand, do not make sense culturally. Iceland could possibly make sense.

In the Lion King, do they ever actually say it takes place in Africa? Come on.

Africa isn't a country. Besides there is no lion king in the African outpost. The debate is and always will be the cartoonifying and dumbing down of world showcase.

 

[bhg469]

That actually sounds like ridiculous fun.

No

 

[wdisney9000]

First of all, no one in this forum is my 'buddy', so drop that junk

Did u just say "drop that junk"?

Good luck with that since you are now 0 for 2.

you do realize your keeping score in an online, unofficial, Disney fan forum, right?

 

[wdisney9000]

i've tried to find a forum buddy but no luck

That's risky junk, you better drop it!

 

[Matt_Black]

It's awesome that you can access wikipedia, but I wonder why you ignored what was just a few paragraphs below what you copied.

"Several landmarks in Norway appear in the film, including the Akershus Fortress in Oslo, the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, and Bryggen in Bergen."

To say nothing of the fact that Norwegian is sung in the film. You would logically hear the Norwegian language in Norway as opposed to, say, Australia.

 

[orky8]

A Frozen themed boat ride...
If they stayed true to the movie, the boat would not move as the water (fjord) is, well, frozen.

Did you miss the ending?

 

[GoofGoof]

It's taken me a while to sift through all the bickering to understand what the rumor actually is. So the claim is they're not only retheming the ride, but also that the whole pavilion will be called Arendelle. Maybe it's true, but it just doesn't make sense. America, Germany, Japan, Arendelle, Mexico. Which one of these does not belong? Not that I care. A turd by any other name would smell as foul.

It's a bit of a mess in here. To summarize: The rumor Pheneix dropped was that there was an original plan to re-theme the entire pavilion, but the budget was cut and now it looks like it's just a re-theming of Maelstrom into a Frozen ride. Several people in the thread have chimed in that they have heard that the ride will be re-themed to Frozen as well. WDW1974 popped in on a different thread and mentioned a Frozen presence is coming to EPCOT. Details to follow when he gets back.

I'm with you, it's not likely they would change the pavilion to Arendelle. Not sure if it's a turd yet, but it certainly stinks to me.

 

[flyerjab]

It's a bit of a mess in here. To summarize: The rumor Pheneix dropped was that there was an original plan to re-theme the entire pavilion, but the budget was cut and now it looks like it's just a re-theming of Maelstrom into a Frozen ride. Several people in the thread have chimed in that they have heard that the ride will be re-themed to Frozen as well. WDW1974 popped in on a different thread and mentioned a Frozen presence is coming to EPCOT. Details to follow when he gets back.

I'm with you, it's not likely they would change the pavilion to Arendelle. Not sure if it's a turd yet, but it certainly stinks to me.

@GoofGoof, you are consistently one of the best posters on the threads! I like your style.

I also am getting a headache from the evolution - or de-evolution (Star Trek Next Gen reference for you trekkers out there) - of this particular thread. That being said, the only thing I am trying to find out is if this is still only a rumor or if we are beyond that point. Meaning, it is 'official' that a Frozen something is 'definitely' happening to the Norway Pavilion...we just do not know what specifically.

Also, is this one of the re-imaginings that will be happening to the new direction of all of EPCOT under the tutelage of that elder imagineer that was recently reassigned to EPCOT (can't recall the name). This, along with the Rat Ride for the France Pavilion, Soarin' 2.0, and an apparent daring new paint scheme for FW?

Makes you wonder what the next big, pleasant and engaging discussion will be about on the forums.

 

[GoofGoof]

@GoofGoof, you are consistently one of the best posters on the threads! I like your style.

I also am getting a headache from the evolution - or de-evolution (Start Trek Next Gen reference for you trekkers out there) - of this particular thread. That being said, the only thing I am trying to find out is if this is still only a rumor or if we are beyond that point. Meaning, it is 'official' that a Frozen something is 'definitely' happening to the Norway Pavilion...we just do not know what specifically.

Also, is this one of the re-imaginings that will be happening to the new direction of all of EPCOT under the tutelage of that elder imagineer that was recently reassigned to EPCOT (can't recall the name). This, along with the Rat Ride for the France Pavilion, Soarin' 2.0, and an apparent daring new paint scheme for FW?

Makes you wonder what the next big, pleasant and engaging discussion will be about on the forums.

Thanks

When this thread first started in January I dismissed it as unlikely and probably just a rumor. I think maybe it started with a pod cast involving Jim Hill or something like that. Then when Spirit offered his teaser and Pheneix posted in this thread a few days ago it started to seem like more than just a wild rumor. I've been around here long enough to know that there are no guarantees this does happen, but the rumor has some legs now.

Tom Fitzgerald is the WDI guy you are talking about. It seems like maybe he was brought in to do more than just ride out his last few years at WDI until retirement. The rat ride rumor is still out there (a ride he worked on in Paris) and the extra theater and refreshed movie for Soarin seem to be a done deal. My gut says they may not have the budget to do rat ride and Frozen plus the upgrade to Soarin. Your guess is as good as mine on Imagination. I haven't heard anything about it. If we are "tooning" up the place there was an old rumor about Phineas and Ferb taking over the Imagination pavilion including a new 3D movie and a meet and greet location. That one is still in the category of "wild rumor", I think. Unlike Maelstrom which was a solid ride to begin with, almost anything they do to Imagination would be an improvement (short of shuttering it forever).

 

[tribbleorlfl]

If horizons was still open to date and you heard they were going to change it into a power Rangers pavilion, would you be upset?

I only mention it because your avatar. Of course horizons was ripped out for a less loved attraction but the internet and social media was nothing like today. There would be an equal uproar for sure.

Nice try appealing to my emotions by bringing up Horizons, but I find your argument falls flat. Why? For starters, construction on Mission Space started in 2000 and the attraction opened in 2003, the same year they bought the PR franchise. As such, your hypothetical scenario doesn't warrant comment or speculation.

Second, true social media didn't really exist in the late 90's like it does now, but your assumption that there wasn't a thriving theme park enthusiast community online at that time is categorically false (I was a member of WDW forums as early as the 80's on Prodigy). When Mr. Toad was going to be gutted and replaced by Pooh, there was a "Save Mr. Toad" site set up with a petition. No such site or fervor existed for Horizons' demise.

My point with my post was I just find this discussion (and the sister one for the Ratatouille rumor) and people's outrage over losing the "Epcot of Old" to be a bit over the top. A Frozen overlay of Maelstrom would undoubtedly be popular, have wait times dramatically higher than Maelstrom and increase Epcot attendance dramatically. Isn't that the point of any new or updated attraction to a theme park?

If you are implying there was any truth to the mythical sinkhole under the pavilion, that was debunked long ago.

By whom? My father was the 3rd shift maintenance supervisor on Horizons in the mid 90's. I can assure you according to him, there was indeed foundation and structural cracking. At the time of its first extended closure, the plan was to remediate the damage and update the attraction during the downtime. However, I think the lack of corporate sponsorship, constantly-empty queue lines (in ride-starved Epcot no less) and operating/maintenance costs convinced them it was far more cost efficient to start from scratch on a replacement attraction.

 

[Mike S]

Thanks

When this thread first started in January I dismissed it as unlikely and probably just a rumor. I think maybe it started with a pod cast involving Jim Hill or something like that. Then when Spirit offered his teaser and Pheneix posted in this thread a few days ago it started to seem like more than just a wild rumor. I've been around here long enough to know that there are no guarantees this does happen, but the rumor has some legs now.

Tom Fitzgerald is the WDI guy you are talking about. It seems like maybe he was brought in to do more than just ride out his last few years at WDI until retirement. The rat ride rumor is still out there (a ride he worked on in Paris) and the extra theater and refreshed movie for Soarin seem to be a done deal. My gut says they may not have the budget to do rat ride and Frozen plus the upgrade to Soarin. Your guess is as good as mine on Imagination. I haven't heard anything about it. If we are "tooning" up the place there was an old rumor about Phineas and Ferb taking over the Imagination pavilion including a new 3D movie and a meet and greet location. That one is still in the category of "wild rumor", I think. Unlike Maelstrom which was a solid ride to begin with, almost anything they do to Imagination would be an improvement (short of shuttering it forever).

I would rather keep the current Imagination if the other option would be P&F. At least we would still have Figment, even if he does fart on us.