Construction continues in Norway Pavilion at Epcot to prepare for Frozen area - Inside the Magic

Comments for Construction continues in Norway Pavilion at Epcot to prepare for Frozen area

14 Comments

  1. kaitlyn doherty

    I sure hope they get it all put together quickly! I am hoping to take my kids to WDW this March but we won’t be booking until we know a date of opening for this ride. My 6 year olds DREAM!

    1. Ramf29

      I heard May 1st! We’re going a month before! Bummed!!

  2. Melissa

    I think this move from Maelstrom to Frozen Ever After is a tasteless, rare call on Disney’s part. Other than character greets, no fictitious Disney character has permeated the World Showcase AS IT SHOULD BE to keep with the spirit of giving guests the taste of a land and culture from afar. Furthermore, Frozen is set in a fictional kingdom, not Norway, which even further smacks of Disney, Inc. trying to capitalize on every dollar it can wring from Frozen. It’s shameless. Epcot’s World Showcase is the one place adults can enjoy a little character-free, mature entertainment, it’s a nice contrast to the teetotaler-every-storybook-character-land Magic Kingdom and now greed will ruin it. I have a 2 Yr old and 5 yr old…there should be a kid-centric park and an adult one, too.

    1. BB

      I agree. Although I see why Disney wants to have a FROZEN attraction (as it should), it would be better served at the Magic Kingdom which caters more to the little ones. Epcot world showcase is a great break from the craziness of the kiddy ride scene, and has a more chill vibe for us adults, and adding Frozen here will just bring the Magic Kingdom madness we are trying to escape from to Epcot. Also, being part Norwegian, I am a bit offended that the Norway pavilion is being turned into a fictional Disney area. Not cool Disney, not cool.

    2. Mike

      Nobody complains about Donald and the other Caballeros in Mexico because they’ve been there for a while. They tie in to the pavilion appropriately, as will the Frozen theme in Norway; the film is rife with Norwegian myth and story-telling. It’s okay to like things kids like too. It’s pretty simple – don’t like Frozen? Don’t ride the ride!

      1. Joe

        Donald and his feathered friends take a ride through “real” Mexico though so that is in no way equivalent to Anna and Elsa going through a fake Norway.

        Unless they do the same style and it’s Anna, Else, Sven and Christof leaving fake Arrendal for a trip through real Norway?

        Keep in mind Malestrom was a ride through a mythological Norway anyway, so that is probably their justification.

        In all honesty it’s an attempt to save a dying park “on the cheap”. What they needed to do was upgrade future world. If doing anything in Showcase it would be add another country, they are still 6 countries short.

    3. Dave

      I’m going to agree as well. I don’t have kids and my girl friend and I look foward to all the parks. That said the more adult idea behind Epcot is lost when you commercialize it in a way that wouldn’t happen if Walt was around? My main issue is the magical disney folks that helped us set up our trip. It would have been useful to know what wasn’t operational when we were asking questions. Magical isn’t so much when you aren’t clear about what you’ll be missing after traveling over 1,000 miles to see Mickey!

  3. EricJ

    Like Monsters Inc and Stitch’s Great Escape, this one was written by the Armchair Imagineer fans (you built it, fans, you’d better danged well ENJOY it…), but the upside is that the rest of Norway gets a huge exterior upgrade as well, as you can see from the concept art.
    Hopefully, it’ll be enough of a camouflage to get by, even if, like the two other examples, getting the attraction will prove not to be as good as wanting it.

  4. Lee Miller

    Maelstrom – Under New Management.

    Perhaps it will meet a similar fate…..whereas Iago angered the tiki goddess Uh-Oa, Elsa and her cohorts will be hacking off some very unfriendly triple-headed trolls who decide to send her down, down over the falls.

  5. John N

    The World Showcase also hosts Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros in Mexico. So Elsa is only the newest and not the first fictitious character.

  6. K Johnson

    Wow! People get behind their computer and complain about anything they can. Don’t know why I bothered to scroll down, other than I was looking for more info. Anyhow, what a bunch of hyper-critical Grinches on here! It’s Disney people!!! Disney opened these parks, Disney owns these parks and I happen to like all things Disney as what Walt Disney created is amazing and when you all come up with your own NEW imaginative ideas, write and produce your own movies, and open your own theme parks, you can run YOURS any way you want. Have you heard the saying “Everyone wants to be the boss until they are”?

  7. Larry

    I was also hoping to information on the opening date. I will there April 16 to the 23rd and hoping to hear that a possible soft opening might be possible during my visit. This is interesting to read. Everyone has their own perspective, even in my family. Maybe because EPCOT is “Adult” themed and I am a kid at heart, I believe each country should have some sort of a Ride. EPCOT ranks as the favorite park for my wife and her family BUT is competing for my least favorite with AK. (Only because AK is so spread out and lacking attractions BUT getting better) I like rides and am Cheap. They don’t like rides and enjoy going from country to country buying food, drink and shopping. Take away the food and drink, most of the world showcase is just a long walk around the block. I don’t hate or even dislike EPCOT, just enjoy the other parks more. I don’t consider watching a movie/commercial about your country as an attraction. I enjoyed the ride in Mexico and the Maelstrom in Norway. It doesn’t have to be a thrill ride but each country should have something.

  8. Stacie

    Does anyone know a date for opening? I so wanna bring my grand girls.

    1. Duane

      All official posts now say “this summer”. Clearly they are behind schedule.

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