Has Frozen lost some appeal with certain age groups?

[Donald Duck888]

I also wonder as others have said here about the long term staying power of the ride beyond a few years. I almost wonder if they would have been better off updating the ride to a new Norway based ride for a broader appeal.

 

[shelemm]

Frozen was so wildly popular that there is bound to be oversaturation and drop off. That's normal. There is still reason to believe that it can remain a huge franchise.

 

[mamamelody2]

My son is 10 and HATES Frozen. He has for at least a year. My 13 year old son also dislikes it. He was horrified when they did Frozen songs in choir. LOL.

They will be mad if we make them go on the Frozen ride, so I don't think I'll be wasting a FP on it. I would like to go, but no big deal if we miss it.

 

[tnd]

My daughter is 5 and is pretty much over Frozen (she even had me put away her many Elsa outfits because she "is not into Elsa anymore"), even though she was obsessed for almost 2 years. Now it is all Star Wars all the time, probably influenced by her 10 year old brother. That said, we all want to ride the new ride if only to see it once. She is not interested in meeting Anna and Elsa this year though, and I am fine with that as there is no FastPass+ now and I don't want to wait in line.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

I've been teaching 6th graders for the last four years, and have seen a definite decrease in Elsahysteria. Thank God.

 

[Jfsag123]

My kids (8 year old girl, almost 6 year old boy) both still love Frozen, but are nowhere near as obsessed as they were when it first came out. They still want to meet Anna and Elsa and really want to see the new ride, but Zootopia is the craze of the day.

 

[kmb584]

My daughter was 5 when Frozen was released and she was obsessed. We saw the movie 5 times in the theater and I was *that* mom standing in ridiculously long lines hours before a store opened to get my hands on anything and everything related to the movie. She just turned 7 and just like magic, now snubs her nose at that anything and everything I stood in line to get. "Frozen is for babies, Mom!" is the line I get whenever I bring up the "F" word. Now she's all about YouTube series: Mommy and Gracie, Bratayley, TheDiamondMinecart, and every toy channel that was ever created. I think I'm going to scream if she asks for one more Advent calendar or Play-Doh contraption!

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

DD8 likes princesses, and Frozen is fine, but she's never been obsessed. We saw it once in the theatre and once at home - fine with me, since it's probably my least favorite Disney movie ever, and def least favorite Disney princess movie. I think it's painful to sit through.

 

[PabloMax]

Well, considering that Disney started work on the Frozen ride TWO years ago, they were right in the middle of the frenzy at the time. Now, not so much.

Incredible that it took so long to put that ride together, seeing as though it was just an overlay on a previous ride.

 

[Funfire240]

My DD8 still likes it. She was the one who at 5 was dressed like Elsa for Halloween before the movie even came out and knew who she was! We had a total obsessed house -but then she's always been about the princesses. It's funny because in 1st grade she came home and told me only kindergarteners wear "Character" clothes - but then Frozen and Minnie Mouse were okay. Then even this past year she still wears her Frozen shirts and all and dressed as Cinderella for her school Halloween party (but that was considered okay in her mind because she wore the dress from the live action movie!). She's not as obsessed as she once was but it's definitely still there. I can see a change as she gets older but when it comes to actually being at WDW all bets are off and she's just as crazy as she ever was about all of it.
Although now she's already talking Moana since we saw the preview at the movies before Finding Dory....

 

[Blue32]

I will speak only to the ride. I think Disney is miscalculating the public's demand for 1970's style ride through attractions, no matter how good the animatronics are. I think that they missed huge opportunities with Little Mermaid and Frozen and have built attractions that will not wear well with age and will turn off a lot of people. Especially kids as they age. Some of Disney's classic rides have stood the test of time because they were cutting edge when they were introduced, and became "classics" before they could be shunned. Small World is an example. It is unquestionably a classic ride and remains a "must do" for many, many people. But if that ride did not exist, and was introduced today in its current form, the reaction would be: "Huh? You must be joking." But because it was once a state of the art ride, it grew on people and remains a classic today. But when a 10 year old kid today goes from Forbidden Journey to Escape from Gringotts to Spider Man to Transformers to Star Tours to Everest, to Soarin' and even to 7DMT, a ride on Little Mermaid and FEA is going to fall flat. Of all of these rides, Little Mermaid and FEA are the two that kids are going to age out of the most. Just as they do with Pooh. Compared to the other state of the art rides that kids get to do, I can't see that there is anything about these two new rides that will keep kids coming back as they age. So yes, I definitely think that they built a ride that will result in kids aging out of it. But they will be back when they have kids of their own!

I know this discussion is centered on Frozen but I have to say I don't agree much with you have said. Disney has always done dark rides well. And I am glad they continue to build them. FEA, the Little Mermaid, and even SDMT are not meant to be the headlining attractions you are comparing them to. They are meant to be slow moving dark rides that immerse you in the stories from those movies. I hope while Disney adds high tech Eticket rides, that they also continue to build and update their dark rides. I much prefer animatronics to screens anyway.

 

[JimmyV]

Disney has always done dark rides well.

Always? Dark rides are very 1960's-1970's. Disney hasn't built a good one since the mid-70's. They are certainly not the future. Kids are far too sophisticated and tech savvy today to be won over by moving mannequins.

FEA, the Little Mermaid, and even SDMT are not meant to be the headlining attractions you are comparing them to.

But that's really the whole point. "Song of the South", "Twilight Zone" and Aerosmith get headliner treatment but "Little Mermaid" and "Frozen", two of Disney's most treasured properties, get quaint little ride-throughs? That makes no sense and amounts to two missed opportunities that 5 year olds will love but will age out of in a way that they don't/won't age out of rides lIke Pirates, HM or Splash. Just as you don't agree with me, I don't agree with you.

 

[SeeDisney]

My daughter, now 18, when she was in the 2nd grade, High school musical was HUGE!!! All her friends were in to the movie, the dance, products, they copied their dance moves, saw the HSM 2 movie together, etc. It was soooo big for about a year with her and her friends. Now it's just a memory with warm nostaglia. The frozen ride will do well for years to come, and prolly be a disney classic. I notice on the youtube videos that many many older folks were riding on the FEA.

 

[mom2rtk]

My daughter, now 18, when she was in the 2nd grade, High school musical was HUGE!!! All her friends were in to the movie, the dance, products, they copied their dance moves, saw the HSM 2 movie together, etc. It was soooo big for about a year with her and her friends. Now it's just a memory with warm nostaglia. The frozen ride will do well for years to come, and prolly be a disney classic. I notice on the youtube videos that many many older folks were riding on the FEA.

My daughter is 15 and went through a big HSM phase back then as well. I was amused recently to find her watching the movies again. It's come full circle and it's hip and nostalgic for and her friends to watch again!

 

[theone74733]

Yeah, you remember Toy Story 2 where the young girl (Emily?) throws out Jessie and starts playing with makeup and doing what teenagers do instead? I think all kids have a certain point to where certain interests we liked as a kid will lose appeal (due to growing up/other interests). Frozen will probably be like that for many young girls, but there will always be a nostalgia for Frozen in the future, similar to the appeal of The Lion King for me. I remember watching the Disneyland Forever fireworks in Anaheim and the biggest crowd pop was when the Circle of Life played!

Speaking as an adult now, I still treasure my old Disney classics and get the nostalgia feeling in the park seeing rides based off of Disney movies. As far as any ride/attraction, all ages will enjoy any ride based off a Disney movie you previously have fond memories for, except for Stitch's Great Escape. =)

 

[tlmadden73]

How long does any phase last with kids? I think the ride and the merchandising (like Little Mermaid) is geared to young girls . .like 7 and under . .any older than that and other things will grab their interest.

As for the ride just being a "boring dark ride" .. to kids under 8 . .that IS pretty amazing. It's a great family ride and while doesn't have the technology of "new" rides like they have Universal, that doesn't matter because of the audience they are shooting for. If Peter Pan, Small World, and Winnie the Pooh last the test of time, why wouldn't these. Animatronics are neat because they turn something that is 2-D and only seen on a television screen into something physical which is pretty amazing for kids.

My son enjoyed all the dark rides at Disney and loved the Frozen show . .but he was 2 and 3.

 

[bumbershoot]

I am just curious if this is something common at this age (no previous experience with 9 yr old girls lol) or if it is unique to this part of the country or just to my daughter and her classmates.

Very very common.

Also common to say when at home with friends all around, but to change minds when you're at the parks.

But if that ride did not exist, and was introduced today in its current form, the reaction would be: "Huh? You must be joking."

Then you're discounting every single younger person and child who goes on those rides and likes them. Or those who didn't ride them as kids when they were new, but still likes them.

Those rides are not just filled with people over 50. They are filled with people of ALL ages, and many of them are enjoying the rides.

It seems that other kids at school or wherever will sometimes declare that "X is for kids". And then, they aren't allowed to like X any more without getting ostracized.

I agree.

That's why I'm glad my son spends his time at the YMCA with kids from all sorts of schools, and he's on dance company with kids from 8-13ish, then there's senior company with kids from 14 until they graduate. Every school has its own dynamic, so he gets to see that this 11 year old from x school thinks that Frozen is cool while that 11 year old from y school doesn't. And then they all get to make up their own minds. And some of them would NEVER wear a particular shirt at school but WILL wear it for dance class, company practice, or rock climbing class. Of course, most of the kids he dances with are also very strong-minded kids, and they don't care one bit what others at school think.

Frozen, like so many other wonderful things (Disney and otherwise), will lose hardcore fanatics at about the same rate as it gains them. I.e. kids will grow out of it and kids will be born and grow into it.

True.

Now it is all Star Wars all the time, probably influenced by her 10 year old brother.

If she's seen the new movie, Rey is a pretty cool character. If she's seen the original ones, Leia is fairly strong and awfully pretty. Might not be all her brother's influence.

She just turned 7 and just like magic, now snubs her nose at that anything and everything I stood in line to get. "Frozen is for babies, Mom!" is the line I get whenever I bring up the "F" word. Now she's all about YouTube series: Mommy and Gracie, Bratayley, TheDiamondMinecart, and every toy channel that was ever created. I think I'm going to scream if she asks for one more Advent calendar or Play-Doh contraption!

Oh I am sooo mean. If I had gone through all of that to get her those things and now I get "it's for babies", that is exactly what she would be getting at gift-giving occasions. Mean mean mean Molly. Also lucky Molly b/c my son is 12 and still plays with Playmobil and just about everything else he has ever received as a gift or just a "hey I'll buy you this".

Kids are far too sophisticated and tech savvy today to be won over by moving mannequins.

I disagree. I know many kids, and no matter how fancy their iphones are, they still love simple Disney rides.

5 year olds will love but will age out of in a way that they don't/won't age out of rides lIke Pirates, HM or Splash.

Those are plain moving mannequin rides, though. If anything, a ride like Little Mermaid is MORE technically up to date than Pirates is.

My daughter, now 18, when she was in the 2nd grade, High school musical was HUGE!!! All her friends were in to the movie, the dance, products, they copied their dance moves, saw the HSM 2 movie together, etc. It was soooo big for about a year with her and her friends. Now it's just a memory with warm nostaglia.

My son was little then. During our first big disneyland trip, when he was 3, they were pushing HSM2. We still have a magnet from that on our fridge. So he watched them when he was a little bit older than when they came out, and apart from the hair (which I would never have allowed b/c I wouldn't be able to look at him LOL) he has idolized the main character from it for a decent amount of time. And now he dances. Now if he would deign to take a voice class we could see how close he could be to the characters.

 

[Accident]

I've found that someone that really loved frozen may not be all that frozen anymore but the second you get them in the park near something frozen they snap right back to when they loved it more than anything.. and like a light switch, it flips right off when you walk away.

 

[JimmyV]

Those rides are not just filled with people over 50. They are filled with people of ALL ages, and many of them are enjoying the rides.

What percentage of 12 year olds are riding Small World because it is their choice versus the percentage who are riding Splash Mountain because it their choice? This isn't complicated. Take a poll of 5 year olds, 12 year olds, 17 year olds and 25 year olds asking them to rank their favorite rides. Certain rides like Pirates, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion and BTMRR will show up over and over again as people age forward. They might not appear on the 5 year olds' list, but they will at every other age group. No way in God's green earth will Little Mermaid and FEA make the "Top 10" lists of most 12, 17 and 25 year olds. Quite simply, these are rides that people are more likely to age out of as compared to major headliners. And that was the jumping off point of the OP. Will people age out of Frozen? As far as the ride is concerned, when one compares it to Test Track, Soarin', Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Splash, Space Mountain, TSMM, RnR, Tower of Terror, and on and on, the question answers itself.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

Funny story. I actually worked at a movie theater when Frozen came out, and it was a nightmare. I once got in trouble at work because two mother's got into a fight over sold out Frozen tickets and line cutting (don't ask me what I had to do with it-- I'll never know to this day) It was absolutely nuts. People tried to bribe us for tickets. A mass craze. Things die down, and kids get older. Totally normal. There's always a flavor of the month. Lion King was all the rage when my sister and I were growing up, and now it's hardly represented in the park.

A&E, being part of the princess line, will always maintain popularity to some degree. It'll fluctuate, but Disney's Princess line is highly marketable. There are parents who weren't even born when TLM came out, that have little girls who are obsessed with Ariel.

I hope you and your family enjoy your trip!