"Frozen" food for thought

[Batgirl67]

I am not quite sure how I feel about Norway’s Maelstrom attraction getting a “Frozen” overlay. Maelstrom is one of my favorite attractions and I love the charm of the whole Norway Pavilion as a whole. At first I was kind of excited about the “Frozen” overlay because I simply adored the movie and if they are possibly going to keep the Anna and Elsa meet and greet at Norway than it sort of makes sense.

However, I believe that World Showcase is supposed to be about the cultures of the representative countries and if we immerse a pavilion with too much Disney movie magic then it will detract from that point. The Maelstrom ride does a great job of describing the history and folklore of Norway (as some of you already pointed out) and really ties in with the “feel” of the pavilion as a whole. Does the ride need an upgrade (the movie sure does)? Certainly, but let us not lose Norway in the process.

Side note - While Mexico's ride features the Three Caballeros, this does not detract from the pavilion (IMHO) because you become so immersed in the culture as soon as you ascend the pyramid steps and walk inside under the starry sky into the marketplace filled with the cultures' crafts, food and other notions and because the ride is almost hidden in the back corner that some probably never even know it is there.

I was taught to always give options if I did not agree with a suggestion. So let’s all put on our Imagineering caps for a moment and talk about other “Frozen” opportunities in or out of the parks.

For instance we could overly the Winter/Summerland miniature golf courses with a ‘Frozen” theme. The winter side could feature Elsa’s Ice castle while the summer side could be the sunny side of Arendale. No melting for Olaf in either section.

And for something drastic (and I know this crosses “land” boundaries) how about we upgrade Mark Twain island and build Elsa’s Ice Castle where the fort stands? We could trudge through the “snowy” countryside looking for hidden Olafs. Maybe even have a meet and greet there. This might help disperse crowd levels around the magic Kingdom.

Let’s discuss; I am sure we have lots of ideas.

Cheers!

 

[jimim]

Good thread. I didn't know about this. It's going to be interesting how they even incorporate it into the ride. The ride is so much diff from frozen in general. I like the ride. It's a very overlooked ride. It kind of is nice to go on it cause when in world showcase u are so separated from the other rides. It's a nice stop. Adding frozen to another part of another park would be cool. I'm easy to please though.

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[mesaboy2]

It's only a rumor, and not a particularly strong one at that.

 

[AmyB2006]

Oooh, I didn't know about this. Why would they do that?

They could definitely house an Elsa and Anna meet and greet or something Frozen related on Tom Sawyer's Island. Does anyone even go over there anymore? LOL

 

[fabulousfive]

We loved Maelstrom for it feeling authentic. My girls were so excited to ride it because they are so interested in Norway since the movie Frozen came out. They made a connection without it being outwardly Disney. So I do like it how it is, but I definitely think Anna & Elsa should stay there as a M&G as the other princesses are throughout WS in their countries. That's our favorite part of Epcot!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

It's only a rumor, and not a particularly strong one at that.

Thanks - I was wondering how I missed it going from rumor to solid info!

 

[BrianL]

Yes, just a rumor, no need to panic yet. However, I do think Frozen has earned an attraction and they could definitely put in something for it. Too bad there's not an Arctic section at AK. MK is pretty packed too.

Hypothetically, I think a "sleigh ride" type of thing there you are pulled by Sven could be fun. There could be a "jump" and maybe the snow monster. I know it shouldn't be too wild for the kiddies. Maybe something that incorporates projections that doesn't really move that much (like a "super speed tunnel" but more advanced). Something like that wouldn't even take up a ton of room. Well, I'm no Imagineer though, but just a thought.

 

[Batgirl67]

forgot to mention it was only a rumor, my Bad.

 

[PoohsFan1]

It's only a rumor, and not a particularly strong one at that.

Thanks - I was wondering how I missed it going from rumor to solid info!

Same here, I remember reading about this when it first came out as a "Rumor" but hadn't heard anything since.

As for the whole overlay thing and if this rumor actually comes to fruitation, I am not sure how I would like it. I agree with the PP that said that Maelstrom and Frozen are so different from each other, I really like how Maelstrom talks about the history and the culture of Norway (which it should). And even though I loved Frozen, I don't think they should change Maelstrom to support it. I do, however, support the idea that Anna and Elsa's M&G should stay in the Norway Pavilion .

 

[ArwenMarie]

I love Maelstrom as it is. But I know if they changed it to Frozen, it would be super popular.

 

[wiigirl]

It's only a rumor, and not a particularly strong one at that.

yeah....would be cool though.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Changing it to frozen, which is a great movie, would be an absolute tragedy. Disney should shell out a few more bucks and build on. More attractions are needed, not overlays.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Changing it to frozen, which is a great movie, would be an absolute tragedy. Disney should shell out a few more bucks and build on. More attractions are needed, not overlays.

This^^^

I haven't seen the movie (yet) so I'm not sure yet of what it is I'm missing or that I should even comment-but I think it would be a HUGE mistake to mess with Maelstrom. I love the having the princesses in their country-it ties WS to Disney and makes it more relateable to kids. At the same time I'd really hate to see it to start looking like toontown.

 

[frozengurl]

I have been saying they should redo Blizzard Beach with a Frozen theme instead of the blizzard story they have know! Frozen can have a whole water park... Why not?!?

 

[Autumnslight]

The Norway Pavilion is already a mess with the outdoor lines for Akershus and now the Frozen M&G. IMO, Disney would be insane to add something to increase crowds in that tiny space even MORE, before they do something to fix the bottleneck that's already there. I would imagine that we won't be seeing any changes to Maelstrom any time in the near future (if at all).

 

[W.E.D.]

It's only a rumor, and not a particularly strong one at that.

Hope it stays that way. I agree with OP. I'm getting tired of the overlays and tie-ins taking away from what was once an educational experience that was still fun and entertaining. Remember Seabase:Alpha? I know that the museum in Norway had the Vikings exhibit for too long, but replacing it with a movie tie-in? I also agree that there are other opportunities to promote the film--mini golf, Blizzard Beach just to name a couple.

 

[Sphinx610]

I have been saying they should redo Blizzard Beach with a Frozen theme instead of the blizzard story they have know! Frozen can have a whole water park... Why not?!?

That would be really neat!

I agree with the PP that said that Maelstrom and Frozen are so different from each other, I really like how Maelstrom talks about the history and the culture of Norway (which it should). And even though I loved Frozen, I don't think they should change Maelstrom to support it. I do, however, support the idea that Anna and Elsa's M&G should stay in the Norway Pavilion .

Agree about A&E m&g... should totally stay there! I like that Belle=France, Mulan=China and so forth... Just wish there was a way to cut down that line! Its so LOOONNNGGG a wait. I haven't really pushed it to my DD4 bc I am dreading that wait... Something HAS to be done. Someone else mentioned adding them to Akershus- I couldn't agree more!!! Frozen character breakfast would be the new must have ressie.

As for the ride, I think it could be tastefully done. I've always loved Malestrom too. Yes, it needs to stay informative and about Norway as a country. It is SO 80's as is; it could really use some new video. Maybe have Anna & Elsa be the guides and teach about Norway instead of that dude who narrates. The trolls could be the cute trolls and not those scary ones who are in it now. They barely even mention the troll folklore- they just kind of appear. There are ways to do it without making it obnoxious. I think adding a few Frozen elements would help peak kids' interests.

 

[Sphinx610]

Hope it stays that way. I agree with OP. I'm getting tired of the overlays and tie-ins taking away from what was once an educational experience that was still fun and entertaining.

I see what you are saying, but the too educational nature of it makes kids balk at the idea of going to Epcot. If they can use the movies as tie ins, it could boost popularity of the park as a whole. My kids whined and whined the entire time we were in Epcot!


We will be at Boardwalk this Fall so I am hoping to spend more time at Epcot this time. Hoping the kids won't whine! (I'd like to TRY some wine!)

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I have been saying they should redo Blizzard Beach with a Frozen theme instead of the blizzard story they have know! Frozen can have a whole water park... Why not?!?

We have a winner.

 

[Redcon1]

Side note - While Mexico's ride features the Three Caballeros, this does not detract from the pavilion (IMHO) because you become so immersed in the culture as soon as you ascend the pyramid steps and walk inside under the starry sky into the marketplace filled with the cultures' crafts, food and other notions and because the ride is almost hidden in the back corner that some probably never even know it is there.

I was taught to always give options if I did not agree with a suggestion. So let’s all put on our Imagineering caps for a moment and talk about other “Frozen” opportunities in or out of the parks.

For instance we could overly the Winter/Summerland miniature golf courses with a ‘Frozen” theme. The winter side could feature Elsa’s Ice castle while the summer side could be the sunny side of Arendale. No melting for Olaf in either section.

This would be a great idea! The miniature golf courses seem to be under-utilized anyway and the two different enviroments from the film could easily fit into the two different courses.

I really don't want to see any Frozen updates to Maelstrom, although if worse comes to worse, an Anna and Elsa guided tour (with educational features still intact) might be an acceptable update to the attraction.

That's why the Three Caballeros in Mexico don't really bother me. For one, I love Donald and two, the original film was mostly a travelogue with the characters, so having them in that attraction doesn't seem out of place. Although if Disney dropped the having-to-find-Donald theme and replaced with a guided tour by the three would probably be better overall.