Clearly, guest demand justifies a permanent new home for the entire Frozen franchise, not just a character meet-and-greet and a sing-along show. So the question isn't whether to build a Frozen attraction, the question is... where? We've offered some suggestions on where Disney might have the best opportunity to add Frozen to its theme parks. But speculation continues to focus on Epcot's Norway pavilion, the original theme park home for Anna and Elsa.
The placement makes sense, at first glance. Frozen's fictional kingdom of Arendelle sure looks like Norway. And the pavilion's current attraction, the Maelstrom boat ride, hasn't drawn people to the park in decades, and only started regularly drawing a significant queue due to crowd-shifting under Disney's new MyMagic+ system.
But bringing Frozen to Epcot's World Showcase would mark a significant departure from Epcot's original purpose as a non-fiction theme park. And yet, Disney seems eager to move away from non-fiction themed entertainment, as it builds a new Avatar-themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom, moves the Lion King show into that park's Africa section, contemplates Frozen in World Showcase, and spitballs more plans for adding Pixar and Disney animation characters throughout Epcot.
Let's not forget, however, that Disney isn't the only party with an interest in what happens at Epcot. Those national pavilions are there because nations and corporations paid a lot of money to build and sponsor them. People in Norway have heard the rumors about a Frozen makeover for their nation's pavilion, and some of them are questioning whether Norway, one of the world's richest countries per capita (richer than even the United States), should put up some some extra money to keep the pavilion Frozen-free. Watch this recent report from Norwegian television:
The report implicitly raises an interesting question, however: Is it better for Norway to have an Epcot pavilion filled with outdated information and cultural stereotypes, or to allow Disney to reimagine it as unapologetic fiction? It is easier to justify abandoning a non-fiction theme when the non-fiction isn't that accurate anymore, after all.
But why must those be the only two choices? What about Norway, or, more likely, a Norwegian company, putting up the cash to renovate the Norway pavilion into something more exciting, more entertaining, and more accurately reflective of Norway today? Yeah, that's not as conceptually easy as just making the whole thing into Arendelle, Florida, but theme park design pros usually rise to a challenge when given the opportunity and means to do it. And Norway is rolling in money, thanks to North Sea oil.
So let's make this our Vote of the Week.
Let's play theme park designer and share your ideas for Epcot's World Showcase, in the comments. And if you'd like to stretch your theme park design muscles a bit more, remember that we are now taking sign-ups for our Theme Park Apprentice game over on the Discussion Forum.
Previously:
When I viewed the video, it is clear that the Norway government doesn't want to contribute $9 million to the project. The Norway tourism office isn't convinced it is the right expenditure of funds. Norway government officials don't care to be involved. The Norway-Disney employee said the Norway-sponsored rehab funds are returned (not being spent), thus ensuring Disney is already making plans to do the conversion to Frozen. The details are still not entirely clear to me.
The popularity of Frozen means Disney won't let the opportunity to go to waste. There is no time to solicit bids from Norway's government or business sector to fill the void. The only question is how fast can Disney react. Will the rehab be a mere Frozen overlay or will there be a bigger makeover with a new track ride system for Maelstorm.
Then what happens to the other World Showcase pavilions? Will China get a Mulan makeover? Will Germany get Snow White? (Unlikely with the new dwarf's coaster.) Maybe France should get Ratatouille.
Epcot has long suffered from an identity crisis. Maybe Frozen is a way for them to finally come up with a new solution to design and marketing the park.
So where's the option to vote for doing both?
If the new Ratatouille ride proves anything it's you can have a fictional character set in a real world setting still done tastefully. Why not here?
Personal Note: It'll be sad to see the merchandise get axed though. Norway has some of, if not the best clothing at the Pavilions. It's not all gimmicky or tacky T-Shirts, its clothing you can wear without looking or feeling like a total tourist.
Ultimately, I think the next question will be: Does Disney still call the refurbished pavilion "Norway," or does it abandon that title altogether and call the pavilion "Arendelle"?
Akershus will still exist as a character meal with Anna and Elsa as the featured characters with some other popular characters like Kristoff and Olaf. Maybe they will have a "Let It Go" sing-a-long in mid-meal. They currently have a princess processional, which is quite fun.
My only concern is Walt did not want EPCOT to be a Theme Park, but a vision of the future. But...times do chance.
The main popularity if the films is the characters (and the music,oh my god the music..... shudder). Setting the adventure in Norway can maintain much of the visual atmosphere of the movie and having the known characters of Frozen guiding us through the land, learning about Norway and its culture will drag the crowds in whilst still maintaining the core nature of Epcot being about real life.
Norway could only be happy about the increased exposure and would probably be happy to help fund it.
I love world showcase. Please don't neglect it any longer. But don't dumb it down, either.
I think just retooling the ride a bit with some Frozen theming will do enough. However...
YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST TO PASS DIS WAY!
and I hope the trolls don't
DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR
I think just retooling the ride a bit with some Frozen theming will do enough. However...
YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST TO PASS DIS WAY!
and I hope the trolls don't
DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR DISAPPEAR
That being said, I dont think Disney should take out Maelstrom. World Showcase doesn't have a very high ride capacity, and replacing one ride with another ride won't help that problem.
Ideally, Disney could build a major Frozen ride behind Maelstrom. But that's probably not gonna happen.
Disney is and always will be milking the last ounce of profit from a property until it jumps the shark.
Let's stop with all of the silly, self-imposed rules of "What Would Walt Do?" and "Epcot should be a nonfiction theme park" because they aren't working. People go to Disney World for Disney-style entertainment, and Epcot is seriously lacking in the "Disney Style." It's time to throw out the old rules and bring more Disney into Epcot because once DAK adds Pandora and DHS adds Star Wars Land and maybe one day Cars land, Epcot will slip down to #4 in attendance at the Disney parks in Florida.
To keep Epcot relevant and to make it into a reason to go to Disney World and not an afterthought, turn it into a park about exploration and add more Disney style and Disney characters to the park. Add a "Frozen" attraction to Norway. Add a Ratatouille ride to the France Pavillion. Bring Journey to the Center of the Earth and Stormrider over from TDS and add them to Future World, and get rid of that awful appellation (Future World) and call it something more appropriate like Exploration World.
Epcot is a half step (and $500 miilion) away from awesome, but with a little love shown to it like all of the other Disney parks are getting or are going to get, it could be truly amazing.
As far as akerhshus royal banquet hall is concerned the food is just barely Norwegian. It might be missed if someone didn't tell you it was supposed to be Norwegian
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