Frozen Ever After

Frozen Ever After is a musical reversing Shoot the Chute dark ride in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort and soon-to-be at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park. Part of the Norway Pavilion of the Epcot's World Showcase section and Fantasyland at Hong Kong Disneyland, the attraction features scenes inspired by Disney's animated films: Frozen and Frozen II as well as the 2015 animated short Frozen Fever. It opened on June 21, 2016 and replaced the former Maelstrom attraction, utilizing the same ride vehicles and a similar track layout. The attraction will open at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2021.

Frozen Ever After
Attraction entrance
Epcot
AreaWorld Showcase, Norway pavilion
Coordinates28°22′15″N 81°32′47″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateJune 21, 2016[1][2]
ReplacedMaelstrom
Hong Kong Disneyland
AreaArendelle: World of Frozen
StatusUnder construction
Opening date2022 (delayed)
Tokyo DisneySea
AreaArendelle: World of Frozen (Fantasy Springs)
StatusUnder construction
Walt Disney Studios Park
AreaKingdom of Arendelle
StatusUnder construction
General statistics
Attraction typeReversing Shoot the Chute dark ride
ManufacturerIntamin
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
ThemeFrozen
Frozen Fever
Drop28[3] ft (8.5 m)
Length964 ft (294 m)
Capacity1000 riders per hour
Vehicle typeViking Boat
Riders per vehicle16
Rows4
Riders per row4 + lapsitters
Duration5 minutes
Lift count1
Number of drops1
Fastpass+ available
Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair
Assistive listening available

History

On September 12, 2014, Walt Disney World officials announced that the Maelstrom attraction would be replaced by an attraction based on Frozen.[4][5][6] Maelstrom's final day of operation was October 5, 2014.[7]

In June 2015, then-Disney Chief Operating Officer Tom Staggs revealed that plans for a Frozen attraction were discussed prior to the film's release, but were accelerated after the film's worldwide success.[8] On responding to whether converting a portion of the Norway pavilion into an attraction based on a fictional place was appropriate for World Showcase, Staggs stated: "If the goal is to give people a taste of something like Scandinavia with the Norway pavilion, then Frozen would only increase the extent to which people would be drawn to it. To me it doesn’t seem out-of-character at all."[8]

Disney also released the first details on the new attraction and revealed its final name, "Frozen Ever After."[8] The attraction uses the same ride vehicles and course that was used for Maelstrom.[8] The Audio-Animatronics figures for the attraction feature improvements in facial animation that were first used on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which opened in 2014 at the Magic Kingdom.[8] The Audio-Animatronics are also the first ever all-electric Audio-Animatronics, with previous Audio-Animatronics using either pneumatics or hydraulics.[9] While there are no new songs in the attraction, some of the original songs from Frozen have revised lyrics written by the original composers.[8]

On May 20, 2016, Disney Parks revealed that the attraction would open June 21 that year.[1][2]

Ride experience
A scene from the ride

The Frozen Ever After ride commemorates the anniversary of the day Queen Elsa saved her sister, Princess Anna, with an unselfish act of true love, thus thawing a frozen heart and ending the eternal winter. To celebrate the event, Elsa bestowed an Official Summer Snow Day upon the Arendelle citizenry, inspiring the amusement ride.

Advertisements promoting the winter festival are visible to guests as they queue for the ride. Guests travel through Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, where they find Oaken in the sauna waving to them. Riders next board a boat and sail off into a winter wonderland, where they encounter Olaf and Sven greeting guests with a rendition of Do You Want to Build a Snowman? Guests then pass Grand Pabbie as he recounts the story of the film to a group of young trolls.

Riders next ascend a lift towards Elsa's ice palace. When they reach the top, they find Olaf ice skating and singing For the First Time in Forever, failing comically with the lyrics. Guests soon pass a singing Anna and Kristoff, while Sven sits on the side with his tongue stuck to a pole. Two gates open and guests see Elsa, who is singing Let It Go while conjuring ice. The boats and riders then accelerate backwards down a small dip, passing images of Elsa creating the ice palace.

Guests next encounter Marshmallow and the Snowgies from Frozen Fever. The boat moves forward as Marshmallow spits out mist, passing through the mist, and down a short drop, at which an on-ride photo is taken. Riders then pass Arendelle Castle with fireworks bursting over top. Lastly, guests reach Anna, Elsa, and Olaf, who are singing In Summer, as they return to the village and disembark.

See also

References
  1. Fickley-Baker, Jennifer. "Frozen Ever After Attraction Set to Open at Epcot in June". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  2. Fickley-Baker, Jennifer. "Frozen Ever After Attraction & Royal Sommerhus Set to Open at Epcot June 21". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. "Maelstrom". disneyworld.com. Coaster 101. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  4. Tom Staggs (September 12, 2014). "'Frozen' Attraction Coming to Epcot". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  5. McNary, Dave (September 12, 2014). "Disney Adding 'Frozen' Attraction at Epcot". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  6. Pallotta, Frank (15 September 2014). "Yet another 'Frozen' spinoff: An Epcot theme park attraction". CNN Money. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  7. "Maelstrom". disneyworld.com. Disney Parks. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  8. Fritz, Ben (June 9, 2015). "'Frozen Ever After:' An Exclusive Look at Disney's Upcoming Attraction". wsj.com. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  9. Porges, Seth (October 13, 2016). "9 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Disney's New 'Frozen' Ride". Forbes. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
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