Frozen Attraction to Replace Maelstrom (Confirmed)

[theBIGyowski]

Looks like it is finally official.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2 ... -to-epcot/

I don't believe there are any dates yet, but I would assume it would be after the Holiday season and that it will not simply be an overlay. I'm also not quite sure how a boat ride will suffice for the whole thing...but we'll see.

So enjoy Maelstrom and The Spirit of Norway while you can...before it becomes a page in the Disney history book.

[bcgm3]

According to Ricky Brigante at Inside the Magic, Maelstrom's last day of operation is October 5th, then the Frozen ride is scheduled to open early 2016, with the Norway plaza still being open during construction.

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2014/09/f ... -at-epcot/

What a bummer. Sounds like Maelstrom goes the way of El Rio del Tiempo.

[theBIGyowski]

As much as I hate slapping movie characters into attractions just to appease the kids...

I would rather them redo it as Frozen if it actually makes the attraction better. Maelstrom has been severely neglected over the years and if this is what it takes to get it fixed up and better for years to come...I am happy.

[cy1229]

We all knew it was going to happen. I'm not surprised. I do wish they had merely updated Maelstrom to include some Frozen stuff, but c'est la vie. 2016 seems like a long time after the movie's release and peak frenzy. They're probably throwing together a sequel if one hadn't already been in the works, but I bet it's going to stink like all the other princess sequels have lately.

Sorry. I'm in a grumpy mood. I'll try to not let it ooze all over the place.

[MmeLeota]

So glad we went on it in March...

Sad to see it go, but it definitely was looking rather rough when we went on it.

[elizabethswann]

I'm all for renovating a ride but I am SO sick of Frozen. Good thing this ride will still be down by the time I go next September because that's one ride I'll now be avoiding. I was happy to have gotten the chance to go on it in 2012 for my first visit.

[SimonTemplar]

Updating Maelstrom would have been fine with me, because it was a bit dated. However, I like it (or liked it) and our family always looked forward to riding it every year. Maybe it's because both of our kids are now teens and aren't as in to the hype this update will bring, or maybe I'm just old and set in my ways, but it feels like making it a "Frozen" themed ride breaks the feel of World Showcase for me. It just seems out of place given that most of the countries are centered on educating people on what they are like as a country, etc. I'm perfectly fine doing this in MK or HS, but Epcot? Along the same lines, Living Seas hasn't been as enjoyable to me since Nemo invaded it, and I'll admit that attraction did need updating. And I liked the movie.

Oh well, I'm willing to give it a chance, and I'm sure the Imagineers will work wonders with it. While they're at it though, how about getting something put in the WoL pavilion? I get a little irritated every time I walk past it and see it just sitting there abandoned as it has been since 2007.

[ImagineerWannabe]

I was hoping to get one more ride in, but it will be closed by my next trip. Hindsight always being 20-20 now I wish I'd floated through the trolls more than once on the last trip.

Should be interesting to see what happens with the space though.

[theBIGyowski]

I thought about this a little bit over the weekend.

Pros for changing:
1) Maelstrom was embarrassingly outdated...so replacing it is a good thing.
2) The whole pavilion was being neglected other than the princess additions.
3) The film...while nice for nostalgic reasons...was also outdated and I have to assume it didn't showcase Norway the way it should.

Cons for changing:
1) There is no way a Frozen themed attraction will positively showcase Norway as a nation...thus ruining the idea of a World Showcase pavilion. (at least the Mexico ride showcases places from Mexico)
2) A simple refurb wouldn't take too long...but an overhaul will bring 50% of the attractions from WS down for an extended period of time.
3) Frozen won't be relevant in 5-7 years...which means Disney has two options to keep this attraction "current". Either create a sequel or a series of shorts that will be on the various Disney channels...or replace the attraction in 5 years.

As much as we all love Maelstrom...we have to admit that it was a neglected attraction and while replacing it with Frozen isn't ideal by any stretch of the imagination...maybe it will do enough to make it a fun attraction that can be better maintained. And hey...if you don't like it...maybe it will free up some FP+ reservations for other attractions for you...making your trip a little more pleasant.

[cy1229]

You make a good point, BIGyowski, regarding fastpass reservations. Many of us likely weren't inclined to lose sleep if we didn't get to see Maelstrom because of the reasons you mention - outdated, in need of some TLC - and if we're not inclined to see it as a Frozen ride, it's nothing lost.

[Wyntuck]

I don't know about Frozen being outdated in a few years, (look at Snow White's Scary adventures) but agree that it will teach us nothing about Norway. Wonder if the country will still sponsor a travel site in the attraction. Disney will do what will make money, and right now princesses are moneymakers. I felt the same way when, years ago, the antique shop in Liberty Square was closed and replaced with more souveniers, plush and other character-related stuff. No more antiques, and they were really authentic, too.

[Wizzard419]

Snow White's scary adventures was outdated, considering it was a franchise that was out of common circulation and it used a ride format that is unacceptable by today's standards.

At the same time, few to none of the pavilion attractions teach anything relevant about the country or culture, they might have been an interesting snapshot 30 years ago, but it was so shallow you wouldn't be able to glean anything beyond "There sure are a lot of white people in Norway".

Someone was bitching about the antique shop at DLR being removed, one of the big problems with those kind of establishments is they are difficult to keep inventory flowing from it since it has limited appeal and the stuff can be costly. Bad enough to have stuff sit on the shelves for years, worse is selling out and having nothing to fill the shelves.

[Wyntuck]

no, you can't fault Disney for stocking what is selling. Same with Epcot, the general public wants to be spoon-fed easy to understand tidbits about a country they're only vaguely interested in. Frozen princesses or trolls, neither one really tells you much about Norway. (Still, I wouldn't know what a "Stave Church" was if I hadn't seen the model there).

Interesting sidenote, my wife spent last week in Paris, and while they were passing Disneyland the tour guide reminded the American guests that "Disney is a French family name, and he made his fortune telling our French tales". When someone mentioned his American business acumen, the tour guide responded: "Entrepreneur is also from the French, madame."

[Amy]

no, you can't fault Disney for stocking what is selling. Same with Epcot, the general public wants to be spoon-fed easy to understand tidbits about a country they're only vaguely interested in. Frozen princesses or trolls, neither one really tells you much about Norway. (Still, I wouldn't know what a "Stave Church" was if I hadn't seen the model there).

Interesting sidenote, my wife spent last week in Paris, and while they were passing Disneyland the tour guide reminded the American guests that "Disney is a French family name, and he made his fortune telling our French tales". When someone mentioned his American business acumen, the tour guide responded: "Entrepreneur is also from the French, madame."

[BuDz211]

I can only hope that Frozen is only part of the ride and there's more substance of the actual country of Norway.