Malestrom Becomes "Frozen Ever After"

[BuckeyeBama]

I'm Norwegian. I'm well aware of what the Norway pavilion is. The Viking ship is gone, the stave church is frozen over, the ride and movie are now gone and replaced with frozen, the traditional Norwegian food that used to be offered at akershus is significantly watered down since adding the princesses.

The Kringla bakery is still amazing. The gjestost cheesecake...mm, just yum. The rest has been significantly watered down.

Good post - My kids used to love the Viking ship. And a lot of what used to be a part of the pavilion is gone, and that is a shame. Also love Kringla! But Maelstrom was a wreck.

Most of all, I will miss The Spirit of Norway. That film, more than any other at Epcot, made me want to visit the country represented. But it seems that Frozen makes even more people want to visit Norway. Strange world we live in where fantasy trumps reality, even when reality is pretty darned awesome.

 

[PCFriar80]

Opening June 20, 2016!

Actually, that's the first day of summer in 2016.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Norway stopped being affiliated with the pavilion in World Showcase long before Frozen was even a gleam in Disney's eye.

Perhaps, but they were given an opportunity to keep Maelstrom and The Spirit of Norway. They chose not to do so.

 

[DonaldDuck77]

Actually, that's the first day of summer in 2016.

We should be so lucky that it is only 1 day late

 

[CampbellzSoup]

This is gonna be a hit....

 

[MKMomma]

NNNOOOO! We leave 6/6/16

The article says the planned opening date is May 1st, 2016.

 

[usrtyz]

May 1, 2016 is the rumored opening date.

 

[JasonMouse]

Hate it already. What happened to EPCOT? They used to have original stories.

 

[MarknTara]

I personally felt like the Frozen hype had died down a lot from when we went in September of last year to when we went two weeks ago. The Frozen Sing-A-Long shows were not the same experience as it was in September (Could of just been the crowds but still, the overall feel/response was different) but I still feel as though Frozen will remain popular for a long while, especially with the sequel being announced.

I was bummed about Maelstrom being replaced. I was actually in Disneyworld when they announced the change and made sure my Wife and I rode it several times. I am not against this Frozen ride and am expecting everything to be done well. The queue line decorated like Wandering Oaken's Trading Post will be a great addition. The queue line for Maelstrom was nothing to look at and this Frozen queue line will absolutely need to be entertaining.

I like the Nemo addition but do agree that the Little Mermaid ride came about 10-15 years too late. That being said, I still like the Little Mermaid Ride. I am looking forward to seeing the new Frozen ride. I'm not a huge Frozen obsessed fan but I did enjoy the movie.
I agree that Frozen should probably be in either MK or HS instead of Epcot though.

 

[dwheaton]

Disney didn't create the hype and hysteria surrounding Frozen- people did. They're simply satisfying the demand.

I agree with you that Disney should do a Frozen ride. What bugs me is two things: 1. Putting the ride in EPCOT instead of the Hollywood Studios, which desperately needs attractions and more ride capacity. 2. The description of this attraction, which just feels lazy.

I know that it will be a huge hit, and I'll probably go on it with my daughters (who love Frozen), but I still feel like Disney could do a lot better in terms of where they put it and what they do. Frozen deserves more than a 4-minute ride in the middle of World Showcase.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'd blame them if they didn't cash in on the popularity- that would be crazy.

To be clear, I actually agree with this statement. I have no problem whatsoever with them cashing in on Frozen. I still like the movie (have only watched it twice)...we just introduced DD to it recently.

I don't even have an issue with it being in Epcot. I just disagree with how they chose to incorporate it in Norway.

 

[MarknTara]

Putting the ride in HS with the already made Oaken's Trading Post would of honestly made more sense. They definitely have the room for Frozen in HS.

I wonder what video they will create for the new Frozen ride. Will they show Frozen over and over again?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I plan to ride it once (with a fastpass because the lines will be totally ridiculous) and then stay far away from the new Norway. (At least as far away as the tequila bar next door)

with the already made Oaken's Trading Post

That was a temporary store...it's gone now. It may come back with the Frozen Summer event but it won't be permanent.

 

[bellyrunnersix]

I doubt that this ride is going to a have 1-3 year life span. Lets not forget the upcoming sequel plus I imagine they will be doing more specials as well. Look at how popular SDMT still is a year out without the hype of a recent blockbuster movie. This ride will be nuts for many years to come.

7DMT is popular because it is

• A rollercoaster in a park with a "kiddie" perception
• A brand new ride in a brand new area
• Riding the hype-train as Disney, more or less, advertised it as the crown jewel of New Fantasyland

Frozen Ever After is

• A slow moving dark ride in a boat
• A re-working of a preexisting ride
• Will probably get a lot of airtime but it's going to be "Frozen at Epcot come buy a park ticket for one ride!"

FEA is more comparable to VotLM and Winnie the Pooh than 7DMT. I expect more of a PotC with the addition of the movie properties turnout given time than a 7DMT turnout. Comparing it to 7DMT is like saying Splash Mountain is still popular and FEA has a drop so that proves FEA is going to be a long-lived ride.

FEA's popularity will come down to two conditions. The popularity of the movie which will dilute over time even with a sequel and the lack of other rides at Epcot. If lines are still beyond 45 minutes three years from opening it'll be because the company hasn't invested in anything else at Epcot (not an entirely unimaginable situation).

 

[RachaelA]

DD and I are taking a quick (4-5 day trip) the last full weekend in April. If it does end up with a May 1st opening, maybe they will have soft openings while we are there.

 

[tlmadden73]

Lilo and Stitch took place in a REAL place (Hawaii...which is Polynesian).

True .. but fictional characters ...which means it is a fictional version of a real place.

Hmm .. you know .. a SanFransokyo would go perfect in the World Showcase since Japan and US are right next to each other. Just put a Big Hero 6 attraction right between them!

Let's just face it .. Epcot as the "World's Fair" is over. People go to Disney ... for DISNEY stuff. For every person on these boards that go to Disney several times a year and is sick of Frozen Fever . there is dozens of families with young daughters planning their first trip and will enjoy a Frozen a thousand times more than the Maelstrom. Does it fit "perfectly"? No . .but it fits sorta AND addresses some issues at Epcot...

 

[ammag]

It sounds passable but not very interesting. I liked frozen a lot but I think tis a shame that it wasn't installed as it's own thing in another park.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Ratatouille takes place IN France. Mulan takes place IN China. Even Mary Poppins takes place IN Great Britain. Frozen takes place in a fictional land, loosely maybe based on some random Scandinavian country/area...Not Norway and definitely not the same as the examples above.

However, you are correct. Epcot needs more attractions. I just wish they were ADDING attractions. This isn't an add. It's a refurb to an existing attraction. The net positive, for me, is that it will siphon the wee-ankle biters and Frozen fans in DROVES over there, instead of clogging lines at attractions I do give a hoot about.

So that's good. See...I'm all about the positive!

I would consider it an add.
Until Maelstrom was closing, it was in no way pulling crowds. It was underutilized. When it was closing, then the place was swamped.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Also worth mentioning, The Three Caballeros were added to existing elements. The original ride wasn't completely gutted.

That said, I'm pretty much in agreement, as The Three Caballeros additions are a lazy trainwreck.

True.
But there were no actual trolls in Norway, either.

 

[boBQuincy]

As long as they don't change the music! I love that music...

A lot of the music is from the *eighteen* seventies so it should be safe.