The wait is finally over, Frozen Ever After has opened in the Norway pavilion of World Showcase at Epcot. The ride utilizes what was the space occupied by the Maelstrom attraction, reusing boats and some sections of track, but that is where the similarities end. In what may be their finest feat in modern dark rides, the attraction is a marvelous combination of audio animatronics, projection technology, and beautiful backdrops.
The queue was completely rebuilt, you won’t find anything resembling Maelstrom here.
The queue is gorgeous, taking place in a small courtyard and through Oaken’s Sauna.
First off, the attraction is hard to photograph, as are most Disney dark rides. Your best bet for a good look at the ride will be our video later in this post.
The attraction begins with a walking, talking Olaf that has to be seen to be believed.
The trolls then make an appearance before the lift hill.
Upstairs, guests will find Anna, Kristoff, and Sven singing.
Guests then enter Elsa’s ice palace and watch as she transforms the room around them.
Guests then travel backwards and encounter Marshmallow and the Snowgies before taking the classic plunge.
Guests splashdown in fron of the kingdom, as icy magic happens around it.
Also, there are puffins from Maelstrom!
Anna, Elsa, and Olaf appear in the final scene to say goodbye to guests (it wasn’t working when we went through, but supposedly has been fixed already).
And now, here’s a full video of the queue and on-ride experience of Frozen Ever After:
Frozen Ever After is a masterpiece of modern Disney Imagineering. They took a very confined space and built one of their very best dark rides ever. The animatronics are stunning, the scenes are perfectly crafted, and it is sure to please guests of all ages. While the capacity may be a little low with the usage of the old Maelstrom boats and the attraction may not be the best fit for Epcot, the attraction otherwise excels in all areas. Frozen Ever After is certainly a must see at Epcot and will be for a long, long time to come.
Special thank to our sponsor Theme Park Connection for their help in covering this story today! Be sure to shop with them for Disney items featuring Frozen, Finding Dory, and more!
Awesome, can’t wait till we visit in July. 1st class job by Disney.
Is it just me or do the animatronics in that last scene seem off/broken?
If you read the article he states they were temporarily not working but have been fixed…
That note wasn’t there when I posted.
I have goosebumps :)
I couldn’t give to effs about this crummy ride.
It’s not crummy, you blind dunderhead with no taste. It’s a cool ride!
It’s a horrible fit for Epcot. No matter how good it is, it simply doesn’t belong there. I mourn Epcot. Haven’t been back in four years after visiting twice a year since the mid-1990s. I’m sad for what it’s become. Looks like a spectacular dark ride that I would have welcomed at Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But Epcot is truly a Frankensteined disaster.
Call a waaaaambulance
Yep. And since Edward to a mental institution as punishment for his stupidity and crybaby know-nothing uninformed spoiled manchild attitude.
I call this “reinvention” and this ride will be a hit for Epcot… Disney need to improve, innovate their own Theme park.. It can not get stuck in decades ago.
This is no way helps people learn about Norway. Just another thing that Frozen has annoyingly ruined.
Disney should be creative enough to create rides based on countries, without throwing a licensed character on it.
This does look like an amazing ride, however, it should be in the Magic Kingdom, as stated by Edward.
Edward is a moron and completely wrong. ?
Frozen has ignited interest in Norway more than Epcot ever could have.I think it serves the overall purpose, through the lens of a Disney story.
“May Be Disney’s Best Dark Ride” – come on, that is ridiculous. But I must say, it is much better than i expected.
Ok, I have checked out a couple of additional videos – it is *way* better than I expected… :-)
Too bad it was closed for most of the day yesterday. I was told by a cast member that there was no standby line because the ride had to be evacuated at one point in the morning. Later that day after fast pass riders stood in line for hours, the ride closed permanently for the remainder of the day.