Back on October 5, 2014, Maelstrom took its last set of adventurers on the somewhat disjointed tour of Norway for the last time: they glided past a polar bear, trolls, and an oil rig, and then were treated to an outdated, 1980s style film.
That prime Norwegian real estate is about to change dramatically.
Disney Imagineers have been hard at work getting ready for the new “Frozen” themed attraction that will replace Maelstrom. In fact, reports tell us that those lucky Imagineers have already experienced virtual mock-ups of the ride that include Sven, Olaf, Grandpappy Troll, and of course Elsa singing “Let It Go.”
The Story Told By the Attraction
Here is what I’ve heard about the attraction:
In the queue you will walk by Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post. There you may hear an occasional “you-hoo!”
Once in the boats, or ride vehicles, you will see Olaf and Sven the reindeer setting up for the Winter Festival, a winter-in-summer day for Arendelle.
Next you will get to see a scene where Grandpappy Troll tells of how Anna and Kristof met.
Now the big moment comes: You get to see Elsa’s Ice Palace before going back to the Bay of Arendelle.
Along the way you will also see some other famous “Frozen” characters, including the too-cute and made-to-become-merchandise Snowgies from the “Frozen Fever” movie short.
Behind The Scenes
The new attraction won’t have any new songs, but will have new lyrics set to existing songs from the movie. These lyrics will be written by the same power-team that wrote the music for the original “Frozen” movie, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez.
The layout of the ride vehicle path will be the same as it was for Maelstrom, but all the scenes along the way will be completely different.
The attraction will include advanced audio-animatronic characters with projectors behind their faces – probably a technology similar to what we now see in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the Magic Kingdom.
Disney plans to change the exterior of the building in the Norway Pavilion by adding some new, unique architectural details.
Do you like the idea of a new “Frozen” attraction coming to Epcot?