Details have been released about the new Frozen attraction that is taking the place of the Epcot’s Maelstrom in the Norway Pavilion. The ride will be called “Frozen Ever After” and is set to open early next year; rumors are that the opening date has been set for May 1, 2016.
Imagineering creative executive Kathy Mangum gave Wall Street Journal reporters a tour of the storyboards and ride plans. She says they are trying to take theme park guests “back to the movie without retelling that story. This is a celebration of the characters, a way for guests who love the film to experience it in a completely different way.”
The logs guests rode in on Maelstrom will still follow the same path, but the story of the ride has changed. Guests will visit a “winter festival that takes place in summer, when residents of Arendelle apparently celebrate their favorite season of the year in the midst of its polar opposite.”
Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post will be in the queue, so guests waiting in line will hear Oaken call “yoo-hoo!” and clear steam from his sauna’s windows.
Olaf and Sven are in the first part of the ride, setting things up for the Winter Festival. Grandpappy Troll is waiting in Troll Valley to tell the story of how Anna and Kristof met; the logs then go up a ramp to see Olaf singing while ice skating alongside Anna, Kristof and Sven.
Mangum says the next scene is the “centerpiece of the ride, the big, big, scene.” Doors open to bring guests to Elsa singing “Let It Go” on the balcony of her ice palace. Simulated snow will fly around the room.
Marshmallow, the snowman Elsa created, will be featured along with the Snowgies from the Frozen Fever short. The final scene has fireworks and a goodbye from all the characters.
Mangum says the audio-animatronics will use projectors for “more lifelike animation,” like the figures in Magic Kingdom’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
A meet and greet location will be added to the area for guests to meet Anna and Elsa. There was previously a small meet and greet location inside one of the shops, but that is currently closed. Anna and Elsa can currently be found at Princess Fairytale Hall in the Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland.
News source: Wall Street Journal Speakeasy
Photo credit: Disney
Leah grew up in a little farming town in Illinois, right on the Mississippi River. Her Chicago-born husband, David, left the city for her, and they're now raising their three children (Jacob, Jonah and Lydia) just 12 miles from her hometown. As the Senior Editor of the DIS (wdwinfo.com), Leah spends a lot of time writing about, reading about, and discussing Disney. So, it should come as no surprise that one of her family's favorite ways to spend time is going to Walt Disney World and traveling on Disney Cruise Line. She also enjoys shopping, watching movies with her husband and doing crafts with and for her kids.
