Walt Disney World Resort announces "Frozen" ride for EPCOT

[shark6495]

1. Well according to many articles on the interwebs and posted on here, Norway has not paid for anything since 2002. I think GYK even said that if they would have kept funding the area, they could probably have a say in it. Its like being upset that a car you used to own was repainted. Yes Disney did offer them the opportunity to re-up advertising in an area of the park that will be the most popular.

2. Disney has stated through its moves and press releases that they wanted to move the big crowds for Elsa and Anna out of MK by putting a meet and greet in another place. So I dont think this is a rush decision to put the ride in a part of Epcot that the movie was supposed to be based in.

3. Aladdin and Jasmine can be found in Morocco

A land where the caravan camels roam feels like home for Jasmine and Aladdin. Here, they may share a tale or two of their Arabian days and perhaps inspire you to explore the Kingdom of Morocco, a locale similar in some ways to their native Agrabah.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/epcot/character-meet-aladdin-jasmine/

4.

. I think it felt unique because it wasn't "up to Disney standards."

.

I feel you may be on your own with that one. Many people visit WDW and DL to see things that are up to Disney standards. I loved seeing Tom Morrow, walking through the Haunted Mansion, or even walking Main Street because of the Disney magic. Seeing below average Disney rides is not what many find entertaining.

Side Note here are a listing of Disney Cartoon CHaracters you can meet in Epcot Lands

Aladdin and Jasmine: Morocco

Belle: France

Donald DUCK : Mexico

Snow White: Germany

Whinnie the Pooh, Tiger, Mary Poppins, Alice (from Wonderland): United Kingdom

Mulan: China

The point is, WDW Epcot is about learning about the countries, but to pretend this is the first time Disney is putting a cartoon character in the land is absurd.

[HTCO]

Im still suprised "Cars" hasn't made its way to an Orlando park…

Business wise, this is very smart, and I say why not? No one is really going to miss Maelstrom, right? How much is it going to cost Disney to do? Not much. Kids will eat it up and the park will be able to PR the heck out of this.

Still want a canyon in Orlando though

[bkroz]

Im still suprised "Cars" hasn't made its way to an Orlando park…

Business wise, this is very smart, and I say why not? No one is really going to miss Maelstrom, right? How much is it going to cost Disney to do? Not much. Kids will eat it up and the park will be able to PR the heck out of this.

Still want a canyon in Orlando though

Re: Cars, I'm not surprised. Disney's Hollywood Studios is in desperate need of a full, California Adventure style re-build from the ground up. Cars Land was at one point rumored to be the anchor of that renovation. Supposedly, Walt Disney World management didn't like the price tag, so they pared it down to just Radiator Springs Racers (the headlining ride) then got nervous about that cost and decided to copy the dark ride portion but leave out the race / Cadillac Range / mountain peaks. In other words, they'd reduced Cars Land to a 5 minute dark ride in a big boxy show-building. Because Hollywood Studios doesn't have enough of those.

Back to Maelstrom, I think it's silly for either party to pretend it's black and white.

• Johnny has fantastic memories of Adventure Express.
• Adventure Express is the first ride he ever rode at a theme park that would become one of his favorites (so much so that he joined an online discussion board about the park)
• Adventure Express was the last ride he rode with his grandpa.
• Adventure Express is a fun ride that his whole family can ride together.
• Adventure Express reminds him of how Kings Island "used to be" back in its "glory days."
• Getting rid of Adventure Express would fundamentally change the feeling of Kings Island to Johnny.
• Sure it doesn't match up with the park's newest additions, but Adventure Express is special to Johnny.
• "My wife and I were planning a trip to [Kings Island] next month and when I found out [Adventure Express] was going to be closed, we changed our plans"
• "With it's removal, it was one less thing there that I liked to do."
• "It might not have been the BEST ride at [Kings Island], but it was rather unique in my opinion."

- versus -

• Jack couldn't care less about Adventure Express.
• Adventure Express is the ride that scared him as a kid.
• Adventure Express always has a long wait and he just can't understand why.
• If you ask Jack, Adventure Express is a leftover remnant of a bygone era.
• Jack has seen was Paramount Parks and Cedar Fair can do, and Adventure Express is way below par.
• Adventure Express gives Kings Island a bad name, in Jack's opinion.
• The land Adventure Express sits on could be used by something much better that would make the park more money.
• "[Adventure Express] is a sub par ride, with horrible capacity and no real story."
• "Be honest: has anyone ever visited [Kings Island] solely to ride [Adventure Express]?"
• "Those of you that are so upset of the removal of [Adventure Express], have you ever ridden [Adventure Express]?"

Who's right? Who's wrong? Replace "Adventure Express" and "Kings Island" with Maelstrom and Epcot and you'll find exact quotes from users here.

It's overly simplistic to say "I don't care for this ride for x, y, and z so anyone who cares about its removal is dumb." It's equally simplistic to say "I have cherished memories of this ride and always loved it for a, b, and c so it should stay open forever."

It's always upsetting to see a ride closed - even one I didn't personally enjoy - because I know there are Johnnys out there for each and every attraction from Son of Beast to "it's a small world," Geauga Lake to Conneaut. As for Maelstrom going Frozen, I maintain that I'm neither jumping with joy NOR inconsolably upset... yet.

There were those who lamented the loss of the parking lot to Disney California Adventure. Were they right or wrong? Hmm...

[shark6495]

YEa I really was hoping Test Track could become a Cars type ride. Gives me more reasons to make a trip to the Land at some point!

[bkroz]

Radiator Springs Racers is a fantastic ride, but a good, healthy portion of its wow-factor are its setting and details, and how it fits into Disney California Adventure physically. A retro-fit of Test Track wouldn't make a second exemplary version of the ride.

Can the same be said of Frozen?

WILL this be a simple re-theme along the existing 4-minute route of Maelstrom?

GYK, staying tuned!

[WHODEY2007]

Personally, I don't care what they do with rides at Epcot. Just don't mess with the International Food and Wine Festival and I will be fine! Haha!

[XGatorHead 8904]

On a final note - I'm an animation addict/junkie, a huge Disney fan, lover of musicals, and as most of you know - I'm obsessed with dark rides. So, will I ride this ride when it's open? Yes I will. Will I like it? Probably. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. What's done is done and once the Frozen ride is installed, I'll accept that change happens and move on with my life and enjoy the new additions. However, I'll still miss the uniqueness that was Maelstrom.

Voicetek, were you this fired up when The Living Seas was refurbished to become The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and they added Turtle Talk with Crush to the pavilion? I'm not picking on you, just asking honestly.

[Voicetek]

^LOL honestly? No. And I'm not really sure why. I guess I just felt like Nemo was a good fit for The Living Seas or perhaps it was because I didn't really ride it too much when it was just The Living Seas, so I didn't really care as much.

I've always liked Epcot. I feel that it's a totally different type of place when compared to the other parks at Walt Disney World. I love World Showcase and seeing other types of cultures and experiencing attractions that aren't necessarily based on a Disney movie or character. Now I know that in the Mexico Pavilion, they refurbed the Mexico boat ride and added the characters from the Three Caballeros. I didn't really mind that too much. Why? Because I still felt like it was honoring the Mexican culture. It was still, somewhat, educational. It felt like it belonged there. The make believe Kingdom of Arendelle from Frozen shoved into the Norway pavilion? Eh...not so much.

And I know it seemed like I'm all fired up, but honestly, I'm not really. Just a bit disappointed and confused. I just feel like they're removing something from the Norway pavilion and replacing it with something that's less unique and strays from the actual culture of Norway. It feels like they're cheapening the World Showcase in my opinion. And if this happens, then what next? What will the World Showcase turn into?

That's about all I have to say about that.

[Gabe]

Don't lose track of the fact that time has nothing to do with whether these princesses are just now getting rides. Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and the rest of the old and older princesses were largely forgtten until sev years ago when Disney came up with the brilliant idea or repackaging them into their hugely successful princess line of everything imaginable (and for those geeks out there--there is an interesting story as to why the princesses on the packaging never look at each other--look it up ). That's what propelled these characters back into the minds and hearts of kids (and wallets of parents) and spurred the park to immortalize them in a ride. As for those harping on about the purpose of World Showcase at Epcot--go back and watch those mid 60s, Wonderful World of Disney shows featuring Walt's discussion of what he dubbed the "Florida Project". His vision for EPCOT and what came to be were two wildy different things.

[TTD-120-420]

The problem with your Adventure Express comparison is that there is no one at EPCOT protesting the removal of the ride.

If Kings Island tries to get rid of Adventure Express I know of at least one person (maybe two) who would come ready to fight.

[upstop]

^{http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=889326&ocid=ansent11}

^{Wow. I wonder what kind of subliminal marketing went into that movie...LOL}

[Screaming_Chicken]

I enjoy Frozen but, uh, My favorite Disney Film wasn't even considered a Disney Movie when it was released...The Nightmare Before Christmas, I would LOVE to see a Nightmare Before Christmas ride or even Frankenweenie featured in some way at the parks but I know that's wishful thinking. My most beloved Disney animated films are The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame..and I enjoy Oliver and Company as well, and straight up love The Jungle Book. With that being said I'd still like to see this...

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2007/04/nightmare-before-christmas-attraction.html

[XGatorHead 8904]

^Then you need to get to Disneyland sometime between mid-September to early January for the Haunted Mansion/Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Mansion_Holiday

[BoddaH1994]

A "Nightmare Before Christmas" dark ride (permanent) would be a really good idea for one of the parks.

[beastfan11]

I think I read somewhere (probably Wikipedia so I'm not going to quote it) that a NBC ride was in the works at one point, but was abandoned. I, for one, would love to see it in one of the parks. It sounds like an E-Ticket expansion for Hollywood Studios, if you ask me. But I think we'll see some from a different galaxy (far, far, away) first.

[LordSkippy]

I'd love to see a Fantasia-themed ride actually come to fruition. I believe three or four different times one was in the works but cancelled for some reason.

[TTD-120-420]

I think I read somewhere (probably Wikipedia so I'm not going to quote it) that a NBC ride was in the works at one point, but was abandoned. I, for one, would love to see it in one of the parks. It sounds like an E-Ticket expansion for Hollywood Studios, if you ask me. But I think we'll see some from a different galaxy (far, far, away) first.

Uh, what? What would be on an NBC ride? Sunday Night Football: The Ride? Narrated by Al Michaels? And NBC would go in the Universal parks, not Disney.

[coasterfanatic83]

As long as it isn't narrated by Chris Collinsworth... that dude should never set foot near a microphone again.

[jcgoble3]

I think I read somewhere (probably Wikipedia so I'm not going to quote it) that a NBC ride was in the works at one point, but was abandoned. I, for one, would love to see it in one of the parks. It sounds like an E-Ticket expansion for Hollywood Studios, if you ask me. But I think we'll see some from a different galaxy (far, far, away) first.

Uh, what? What would be on an NBC ride? Sunday Night Football: The Ride? Narrated by Al Michaels? And NBC would go in the Universal parks, not Disney.

NBC = Nightmare Before Christmas.

[beastfan11]

^ Thank you.

Haha. NBC the ride: Terrible sitcoms and horrifying ratings... An immersive dark ride experience. Hahaha.

[TTD-120-420]

See, I should really know my Disney facts and abbreviations, seeing as I kinda live here, but I don't.

[beastfan11]

We can let it slide this time.

[ki95]

(In my opinion) Disney needs to let it go on Frozen, just because it's popular at the moment doesn't mean it should get special treatment. There's plenty of awesome Disney franchises that deserve a place at the Disney parks (such as the classics & other companies Disney has bought)

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[shark6495]

Well, conversely, its not just popular at the moment. Its one of the top movies of all time. Its been out for over a year. We are, at this point, in Jurassic Park type territory. No one complained when Jurassic Park got a ride.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

See, I should really know my Disney facts and abbreviations, seeing as I kinda live here, but I don't.

Don't worry I was confused as well.

[shark6495]

More proof how popular Frozen is?

At the Cincy comic Expo today, Livvy ( the voice of young Anna) had the third longest line for meet and greet. An hour to meet her and get a picture. Kids in line ranged from 1.5 (my son) to 13/14 years of age.

Only 2 lines were longer, Doctor Who and Fonzie...

[purdude86]

^Then you need to get to Disneyland sometime between mid-September to early January for the Haunted Mansion/Nightmare Before Christmas overlay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Mansion_Holiday

Unfortunately WDW was originally supposed to get it too. They even made all the characters and props for the overlay but the heads at the park decided they didn't want to have it in their park so it all got sent to Tokyo since their Haunted Mansion is a direct copy of the one at WDW so everything would work in it as well.

[Voicetek]

It's a shame that they didn't want the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at Walt Disney World. What in the world were they thinking? Do they not understand the fan base that movie has here? What the heck would Tokyo want with that overlay? Not sure, but I feel like that movie has more of a cult following here in the states. I might be wrong though. I've just heard amazing things about it and I've heard people (mostly online) just go on and on about it. Heck, they even put a ride through video on the Nightmare Before Christmas blu-ray. If they thought it was popular enough to share on their home video release of the movie, then why would it not be popular enough to have the overlay at both of their U.S. parks? This just seems like a really REALLY stupid move on their part.

My wife and I are going down there in less than a month, and I know we would've loved to have ridden that ride with the Nightmare overlay. Hopefully they'll eventually come to their senses and this will be something that they'll have at all the parks, not just a couple.

[Gabe]

I'd love to see a Fantasia-themed ride actually come to fruition. I believe three or four different times one was in the works but cancelled for some reason.

Disney is dipping its toe back into the Fantasia waters with an upcoming Fantasia-based Kinect game for X Box. If that's a hit, perhaps we'll see more.

[Voicetek]

Just my opinion on Disney saturating everything in Frozen...