Frozen Burnout

[piccolopat]

Too much of a good thing almost always turns it into something not so desireable. I don't mind that Disney added an A&E meet and greet (though we won't wait on line to meet someone who is pretending to be a fictional character), the Frozen sing alongs, Frozen castle lighting, etc. I do think that Disney crossed the line with their plans to revamp Norway into a Frozen land of sorts. I would have even been OK if they had some Frozen characters peek out from behind the polar bear and then narrate an up to date film about the neighboring country of Norway. What do you like or not like about the Frozen craze in the parks?

 

[bumbershoot]

Almost none of those things change my day, so I just ignore it all. It's not even hard to ignore it. The main thing I see is all the kids dressed as A&E, which is generally adorable, and during the Wine&Dine Half there was a guy dressed as Kristoff with Sven the Reindeer stuck to his arm. Oh and it's a lovely little movie with some nice songs. Other than that, it doesn't change my park experience.

 

[pooch]

at WDW someone pretending to be a fictional character? Up to and including the big Mouse himself?

 

[jenfur]

My daughter is a CP right now and she used to love Frozen until actually being in the parks with it all the time. Of course she still sings along with it every chance she gets and used facetime to let me watch the Frozen show at HS. Last week when she ranting about the Frozen take over of the Maelstrom, I just told her to let it go....

 

[MrInfinity]

I couldn't agree more. Love Frozen, think it's great that they're integrating it, but just not at the expense of a more authentic Norway. This will sell tho and Anna and Elsa at the restaurant will no doubt bring in the money and that's important too.

 

[LSUfan4444]

What do you like or not like about the Frozen craze in the parks?

I like that it offers an option for those who want it, and it is easy to skip for those who don't.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My family and I really enjoyed Frozen and we feel it only makes sense to incorporate the characters into the park. A meet and greet was obviously necessary. I thought the Frozen summer idea was a good one considering it was something that could cool guests off, added to Hollywood Studios, and really fit the film well. I was indifferent about them doing to castle lighting. I had no problem with Elsa doing it, in fact, I thought that made sense. However, I wish it had incorporated other princesses, especially Cinderella, seeing as how it was her castle that got iced. I thought adding them into the Christmas parade was a good idea, but I feel like three floats is a bit much. Not sure why they couldn't have had one float for Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristof.

I am unhappy about Maelstrom and for multiple reasons. The biggest reason I'm upset is because Frozen/Arendelle is NOT Norway. It isn't a fictional story that takes place in Norway. It wasn't written by a Norwegian. The only ties it has to Norway is that the animators went to Norway and drew on the landscapes and architecture for the film. That's cool and all, but what they did inside the Stave Church was sufficient. Plus, it actually incorporated the country of Norway. The second biggest reason I am upset is because Maelstrom was a popular ride. I would have no issue with them saying that they were going to redo Ellen's Energy Adventure to be about weather and feature Elsa. Maelstrom, however, was the third or fourth most popular ride in the park, it seemed. Sure, it could have used an update or two, but a complete change to Frozen was not the way I would have recommended they go. And finally, if they absolutely insist on changing Maelstrom, why Frozen? As I mentioned before, Frozen has nothing to do with Norway. You know what does? Thor. You know who owns the rights to Marvel and thereby owns the rights to Thor? Disney. You know what kind of god Thor was? Not Greek or Roman. No no. He was a Nordic god. As in Norway. He actually has ties there. If they got the itch in their britches to change a perfectly good ride in Norway, why not do Thor?

 

[AngiTN]

I couldn't agree more. Love Frozen, think it's great that they're integrating it, but just not at the expense of a more authentic Norway. This will sell tho and Anna and Elsa at the restaurant will no doubt bring in the money and that's important too.

This is where I think the line was crossed for me. I actually like the idea of Elsa covering the Castle in ice for the Holiday's. That seems like a logical event for me. Though if I had been writing the script I would have had The Fairy Godmother and Cinderella there and have them ASK her to light it. As opposed to she and Anna discussing should she or shouldn't she.

But turning the real country of Norway in to the fictional Arendale, that's a bit much. Hopefully it is less than it seems on the surface.

 

[AngiTN]

My family and I really enjoyed Frozen and we feel it only makes sense to incorporate the characters into the park. A meet and greet was obviously necessary. I thought the Frozen summer idea was a good one considering it was something that could cool guests off, added to Hollywood Studios, and really fit the film well. I was indifferent about them doing to castle lighting. I had no problem with Elsa doing it, in fact, I thought that made sense. However, I wish it had incorporated other princesses, especially Cinderella, seeing as how it was her castle that got iced. I thought adding them into the Christmas parade was a good idea, but I feel like three floats is a bit much. Not sure why they couldn't have had one float for Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristof.

I am unhappy about Maelstrom and for multiple reasons. The biggest reason I'm upset is because Frozen/Arendelle is NOT Norway. It isn't a fictional story that takes place in Norway. It wasn't written by a Norwegian. The only ties it has to Norway is that the animators went to Norway and drew on the landscapes and architecture for the film. That's cool and all, but what they did inside the Stave Church was sufficient. Plus, it actually incorporated the country of Norway. The second biggest reason I am upset is because Maelstrom was a popular ride. I would have no issue with them saying that they were going to redo Ellen's Energy Adventure to be about weather and feature Elsa. Maelstrom, however, was the third or fourth most popular ride in the park, it seemed. Sure, it could have used an update or two, but a complete change to Frozen was not the way I would have recommended they go. And finally, if they absolutely insist on changing Maelstrom, why Frozen? As I mentioned before, Frozen has nothing to do with Norway. You know what does? Thor. You know who owns the rights to Marvel and thereby owns the rights to Thor? Disney. You know what kind of god Thor was? Not Greek or Roman. No no. He was a Nordic god. As in Norway. He actually has ties there. If they got the itch in their britches to change a perfectly good ride in Norway, why not do Thor?

They can't. Disney owns Marvel but Universal owns the rights to use the images of Thor, and all the Marvel characters, east of the Mississippi. Disney is forbidden from using the images inside their parks (which is why the Iron Man monorail was not on the Epcot track) And they own it for perpetuity unless Disney parts with amounts of money we can't being to imagine. It's all Universal has, outside of HP. Sadly. While they can add that to DL, WDW will remain "Thor-less"

Otherwise, a remarkable idea. I wish it could happen.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

They can't. Disney owns Marvel but Universal owns the rights to use the images of Thor, and all the Marvel characters, east of the Mississippi. Disney is forbidden from using the images inside their parks (which is why the Iron Man monorail was not on the Epcot track) And they own it for perpetuity unless Disney parts with amounts of money we can't being to imagine. It's all Universal has, outside of HP. Sadly. While they can add that to DL, WDW will remain "Thor-less"

Otherwise, a remarkable idea. I wish it could happen.

Good to know. Thanks for the information.




So, how about we just keep Malestrom? Or, really anything that actually pertains to Norway?

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

When Frozen ceases to be a massive money maker and the current most popular Disney related movie, the influx of Frozen things will calm down. Until then, be prepared for them to likely add more before stopping. I feel a character breakfast is inevitable, can definitely see them being added to Philharmagic in the near future as well as on the boat in Fantasmic! I would be shocked if they did not become a fixture in one of the non-Holiday parades. They already tested an Olaf M&G at the 1st party and by all accounts it went well. Seems inevitable they'll have one for the public soon. It also wouldn't surprise me if there is some more Frozen stuff done at DHS during the renovations that are likely going to happen, to keep that park viable. None of this takes into account the possibility of a sequel. If that happens I expect a 5th gate dedicated solely to it, haha.
Frozen is here for the long haul, and even when the hype dies down, I still see it as having a presence along the lines of Toy Story.

 

[mom2rtk]

This will sell tho and Anna and Elsa at the restaurant will no doubt bring in the money and that's important too.

That restaurant sells out already without them.

 

[piccolopat]

at WDW someone pretending to be a fictional character? Up to and including the big Mouse himself?

Actually, yes. Over the years we would go to a character breakfast here or there, especially when DD was little (she's all grown and married now), or we would stop if we saw a character out and about and have pictures taken. Even then, a short wait (think 10 or 15 minutes) would be fine but anything more than that and we moved on. I know others will wait 100 minutes for an A&E meet and greet, but for our family we would rather have fun doing something than waiting in line. Same goes for rides. We'll wait if the line is 30 or 40 minutes long otherwise we go to something else. Of course it helps that we've been to the parks many times and so we don't feel bad if we miss something because it will usually still be there when we go back. We do wish we had one more ride on Maelstrom...

 

[HatboxHaint]

5th Gate = Frozen Kingdom

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It's there because many guests demanded it.

If you aren't likely to want to meet "someone pretending to be a fictional character" then you don't really want to meet any characters, much less the Frozen ones, but there are many guests who enjoy meeting the characters.

Add that into the fact that during the past year Disney has had to witness the extreme demand for Frozen merchandise, the 7 hour lines for Anna and Elsa when they were at Epcot before moving to MK where they had a better setup, and the countless demands from guests to provide something to do with Frozen and it's not all that surprising.

Anna and Elsa will not be at the restaurant. They will have their own separate meet and greet in the Norway pavilion.