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FROZEN EVER AFTER EPCOT, Florida
pavilion of Walt Disney World's EPCOT, Frozen Ever After is the world's first ride to be officially dedicated to Disney's hit animated film Frozen. Disney guests can celebrate a “Summer Snow Day” as they float through the kingdom of Arendelle. On a sweltering Florida summer day, it's a welcome and delightful interlude. “The Norway pavilion provided a location that fits
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perfectly with the film’s aesthetic," explains the appropriately-named Wyatt Winter, producer and project manager for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Frozen was directly inspired by Norway, from the clothing to the buildings and even some of the music.” A stone archway greets guests to Arendelle. On their
way to the harbour from where they begin their voyage, passengers get a peek inside Kristoff’s icehouse, as the “Official Ice Master and Deliverer” and walk through Oaken’s Tokens at the port. Visitors should watch the sauna door, where Oaken likes doodling in the steam! After boarding their boats in the harbour, Sven and Olaf kick off their journey in the Willow Forrest before sailing through Troll Valley, and up the North Mountain. Anna and Kristoff welcome guests to the palace, while Olaf the snowman twirls on the ice. When the glittering doors open leading to the Ice Palace Great Room, guests are encouraged to sing along to Elsa’s familiar anthem Let It Go as the Queen’s ice magic surrounds them. As the boat glides back down the mountainside, Snowgies surround Marshmallow. He roars his mighty greeting with a blast of his cold breath on guests’ return to the Bay of Arendelle. "The appeal of Frozen Ever After," offers Winter, "is
that you experience all the great songs and scenes from the film, but in a new way. Being inside the Ice Palace and having Elsa’s ice magic surround you is a magical experience and EPCOT is the only place to do it. This attraction also harkens back to early Disney attractions, but with modern technology and ways that weren’t possible before.”
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LEFT: Walt Disney Imagineer Wyatt Winter was surely destined to work on Frozen Ever After
ucky Norway. It has just opened this season's hottest dark ride, and it's frozen. Transforming the under-utilised Maelstrom ride within the Norway
To create an authentic attraction worthy of Frozen
fans' admiration, composers Bobby and Kristen Lopez created new lyrics to the cherished Frozen film songs. All of the original voice talent from the film returned and recorded dialogue and songs for the attraction. Frozen Ever After also features the most advanced Disney Audio-Animatronic figures to date and the first to be all-electric, which provides fluid movements and the ability to animate in new ways. Fans of Maelstrom might recognise some of the
original ride layout, adds Winter: "We were able to have fun and include some nods to Maelstrom throughout the attraction and the pavilion. Guests might spot a warning for inclement weather (a maelstrom in fact) in the boat house or see the three headed troll make an appearance at the Royal Sommerhus, amongst other things. My favourite part of the ride is when you turn the first corner and see Olaf walk up to your boat and talk to you. Seeing kids (and their parents!) react to that is special. The first time we saw it happen, it gave us all goose bumps." At the end of their voyage, guests are invited to meet Anna & Elsa in the Royal Sommerhus, modelled after a traditional Norwegian cabin in Trondheim. Decorations and family heirlooms adorning the foyer walls reflect the Royal Family of Arendelle. The regal sisters’ receiving room includes details reflecting their personalities: snowflakes on the white wooden shutters and rug for Queen Elsa, and a sunflower pattern throughout Anna’s area. The addition of Frozen has re-energised EPCOT’s
Norway Pavilion and “really helped us expand the story of the pavilion and showcase other areas of the country," Winter says. "The pavilion design travels from the city of Oslo with the Akershus Castle, to Bergen and old Bryggen, then over to the countryside of Trondheim were we have recreated the Detli House. As more guests come to visit the area this allows the cast members from Norway to talk about their experiences and lives back home and share their stories." Although the reaction to Frozen Ever After has been
overwhelmingly positive (with queues of up to four hours over the initial opening period), Winter says “we never take that for granted and hope that we are creating something that will be enjoyed by all and loved for years to come.” When asked the cost of the project, he gave an answer worthy of Walt Disney himself. "We always make the right amount of investment for the right amount of fun.”
AUGUST 2016
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