Norway Pavilion Frozen construction - Frozen Ever After ride

[jensenrick]

Star Wars was shot just outside of Tataouine (pronounced Tatooine) Tunisia. The Jawas and Jedi are dressed in traditional Bedouin (North African nomads) attire. The Skywalker home place is designed after Tunisian desert homes. And Mos Eisley Spaceport was inspired by

So, no X-wing spinner, just a Mos Eisley cantina, and you are set for SW?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Never mind

 

[KikoKea]

you'll see how many plan to stomp angrily past, (or only go once, just to assure themselves it's as horrible as they think it is) no matter what it looks like.

LOL!

 

[jensenrick]

Maybe we can dress up the Safari vehicles to look like sandcrawlers?

Oh I see, going to turn the Safari into Star Wars? Genius! Have to get rid of all those pesky animals though. Hmmm. Is there a dentist in the house?
If they did make this change, my favorite part- would be how everyone would start whining about how SW was being forced where it doesn't belong. And I would laugh and laugh.

And on that note, I'm done with the absurdity that is "Star Wars fits better in Africa." Peace out.

 

[DisneyGentleman]

Would you try to make corn bread out of a pineapple just because pineapples were a popular ingredient at the time?

If it was DoleWhip cornbread, I would in an instant.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Oh I see, going to turn the Safari into Star Wars? Genius! Have to get rid of all those pesky animals though. Hmmm. Is there a dentist in the house?
If they did make this change, my favorite part- would be how everyone would start whining about how SW was being forced where it doesn't belong. And I would laugh and laugh.

And on that note, I'm done with the absurdity that is "Star Wars fits better in Africa." Peace out.

Yeah, I had already gone back and deleted my sandcrawler post. Too far.

 

[jensenrick]

Yeah, I had already gone back and deleted my sandcrawler post. Too far.

Hey, I got a chuckle out of it anyway. LOL.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Where is this coming from that maelstrom was unpopular? Every time I went , it had at least a 20-40 minute wait. All 900 people per hour filled. The new attraction , by design , will have the same capacity. So it really can't be more popular than maelstrom.

I can vouch for the fact that it was a recent upsurge, mostly when rumors started about Frozen. There were many, many years when Maelstrom was totally walk on, many times you were the only one on the boat. This was especially true when you "had" to sit through the movie at the end. It picked up a little when they let us bypass the movie.

 

[DisneyRoy]

So then all the other world showcase pavilions should be kicked to the curb too and replaced with somthing else, not just Norway.

Not necessarily the whole pavilions. But if there is a ride that fits, then by all means squeeze it in. Ratatouille in France for example. A Mulan ride in China? Sure. Mary Poppins in the UK? Yup. Do it. Frozen was HEAVILY influenced by the Norwegian countryside. Close enough for me. Replace the weird, old, tired ride, with something else. And I say thank you to them.

 

[DisneyRoy]

So, you would be OK with Star Wars being in Africa@DAK? It actually fits better than Frozen in Norway.

Now that's just being silly. Star Wars has nothing to do with Africa. It was not influenced or set there. It is not focused around animals so it doesn't fit there. Lion King in Africa though? Yup!

 

[DisneyRoy]

Claiming that people have a mentality of trying to "keep Epcot in the 80s" is a weak substitute for not being able to actually comprehend the true reasons for disappointment.

The true reasons for disappointment is the attraction is gone. Something else will come in and replace it. How about giving Disney a chance to wow you again instead of just continuing to pine away for the old ones?

Most of Disneys popular attractions and shows rely heavily upon outdated technology and/or design. They are the antithesis of what you claim, yet they remain at the top of their class. I wouldnt exactly call that, "left beihind"

There is a difference between classic and kitschy. Haunted Mansion is outdated. But it's a classic. Maelstrom was outdated. Definitely not a classic.

Not all theme parks MUST be about attractions and how big or fast they are

I agree. And that's why I love Disney!

 

[DisneyRoy]

I don't get the mentality of people who believe that all change is good.

I don't either.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Now that's just being silly. Star Wars has nothing to do with Africa. It was not influenced or set there. It is not focused around animals so it doesn't fit there. Lion King in Africa though? Yup!

The landscape and cultural aesthetic inspired the films, which is exactly the same as how Norway is related. At least one of the Hero's thousand faces is also probably from Maghreb.

The true reasons for disappointment is the attraction is gone. Something else will come in and replace it. How about giving Disney a chance to wow you again instead of just continuing to pine away for the old ones?

You've just proven that you are not bothering to pay attention to any of the critiques, much less the very post you can't properly quote.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Seriously, we have not even gotten to explore the finished attraction and many people have nothing but negative stuff to say. We get it, you hate Frozen. I wasn't that thrilled with the movie, but if little kids like it, then just let the kids be happy. Change sucks eggs, but change happens no matter what we say. I looked at the pics of the HUB in MK. I, yes I bemoaned the destruction of trees, and landscape. Once there in January, even with walls galore, I could see where it was going and what it was going to accomplish. And guess what, I liked it.

I try not to bemoan stuff quite so much now. Disney has to change, and when they change some will like it, some won't. Can't please everyone all the time. HM didn't like the idea of the enhanced queue, but having walked it many times in January, I like it now.

Maelstrom was old, out of date, and generally unpopular. Disney had something that would draw crowds into the pavillion, so they went with it. Little girls flock to Frozen. It has been a couple of years and it is still going strong. Look at a Disney store, 1/6 of the local store is Frozen. They have a cash cow and like any smart business, they are reaping the benefits of something that is still immensly popular a few years after the theater release.

Here's why you're wrong...

We recognize Frozen needs an attraction. We recognize that Maelstrom wasn't anything special. Just because those two things are true doesn't mean that Frozen going into World Showcase is the right move.

Thematically it is a poor fit and continues the unfortunate trend of retrofitting intellectual property where it doesn't belong (Seas with Nemo, Stitch, Monster's Inc Laugh Floor). When cohesion goes away so too does the idea of a "theme" park. The characters from Frozen could be talking about the history of Norway (they aren't) and it would still be a bad fit. Donald, Panchito and Jose aren't a good fit in Mexico and they're doing just that.

The other HUGE issue is that we all know what a juggernaut Frozen is and how popular this attraction will be regardless of where it is in property or even how good a ride it may be. Re-using Maelstrom's infrastructure only allows for 900-1200 guests per hour. That's Toy Story Mania level and that's a HUGE problem. A D/E-ticket Frozen ride (which Frozen fans will make this into) needs 1600-2000 guests per hour. They are solving the capacity issues at Soarin' and Toy Story by adding a third theater and track and then creating a much worse capacity issue in Norway.

Arrendelle could have been part of DHS 2.0 or it could have been part of an additional expansion to Fantasyland. It could have been done right. Frozen deserved better and World Showcase deserved better. The ride very well may be awesome but it doesn't mean it isn't incredibly short sighted. It is the single worst attraction decision in the history of Walt Disney World from a thematic and operational standpoint.

 

[ABQ]

Folks, we've veered off the topic this thread was made for and exactly on the topic it was NOT made for. From post 1:

This thread is specifically for construction information at Norway as part of the Frozen makeover.

Please keep any discussion about the merits of the change to the original Frozen at Norway thread which you can find here - Disney confirms 'Frozen' makeover coming to Epcot's Norway Pavilion.

Any posts that do not follow this guideline will be deleted.

Just placing this here in the event that Steve gets frisky and chooses to follow through and delete anything.

 

[wdisney9000]

I agree. And that's why I love Disney!

So you agree with me and your saying thats why you love Disney, because theyre not always focused on bigger or faster.....but the other day you said,.....

People want bigger, better, faster, more. And Disney is going to give that to them.

I dont follow your logic there. Also, I dont see how the Frozen ride will be any "bigger, better, faster, or more" in any way. How exactly are they "giving the people what they want", with the exception of giving Frozen fans an attraction? And please dont get me wrong, I dont hate Frozen in the slightest, it was a cute movie and Im glad those who love it are getting an attraction. But for all their love, devotion and hard earned money theyve spent on Frozen, Disney is rewarding them with an attraction that will be small, short and most importantly, a capacity NIGHTMARE. At the same time, theyve managed to achieve the total abandonment of proper fluidity and cohesiveness which was extremely important to the designers who went to painstaking measures to assure that Epcot had its own identity and was not in any way a clone of the Magic Kingdom, which in turn allowed the entire Walt Disney World property to grow and become something bigger than just rides and parades.

Frozen has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that some people are upset over the loss of originality and a larger concept that was at play. A subtle yet powerful distinction that allowed for a deeper experience. You and many others though, continue to confuse that with the simplistic idea that we are simply "pining over old attractions" and are "stuck in the 80s"

 

[Tony Perkis]

Not necessarily the whole pavilions. But if there is a ride that fits, then by all means squeeze it in. Ratatouille in France for example. A Mulan ride in China? Sure. Mary Poppins in the UK? Yup. Do it. Frozen was HEAVILY influenced by the Norwegian countryside. Close enough for me. Replace the weird, old, tired ride, with something else. And I say thank you to them.

But Frozen is not based in Norway. This is an indisputable fact. The film takes place in a fictional land. Not Norway. Thus, the dumbing and theoretical tearing down of World Showcase.

 

[wm49rs]

Not necessarily the whole pavilions. But if there is a ride that fits, then by all means squeeze it in. Ratatouille in France for example. A Mulan ride in China? Sure. Mary Poppins in the UK? Yup. Do it. Frozen was HEAVILY influenced by the Norwegian countryside. Close enough for me. Replace the weird, old, tired ride, with something else. And I say thank you to them.

And yet the entire pavilion is being converted to accommodate Arendelle....

 

[DisneyRoy]

And yet the entire pavilion is being converted to accommodate Arendelle....

Not the whole pavilion. From what I understand there will still be the bakery, the princess dining, and the Norwegian merchandise store. The only thing Frozen is taking over is the old Maelstrom ride. And the expansion pad next door...

 

[Tony Perkis]

Not the whole pavilion. From what I understand there will still be the bakery, the princess dining, and the Norwegian merchandise store. The only thing Frozen is taking over is the old Maelstrom ride. And the expansion pad next door...

So only the primary attraction and a large gift shop. Got it.