Ahead of the grand opening of World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland, a new POV of the Frozen Ever After attraction has been posted online by Disney Magical Kingdom Blog after getting an early look at the new land.
Frozen Ever After POV from Hong Kong Disneyland
Frozen Ever After is the anchor attraction for the new land, copied over from the Norway Pavilion at EPCOT.
While the attraction is virtually identical to its Walt Disney World Resort counterpart, it includes one major change: the replacement of screen face-based Audio-Animatronics with physical, animated faces.
Check out the full ride POV from Disney Magical Kingdom Blog below:
World of Frozen opens to guests on November 20, 2023.
Differences from the EPCOT Version
There are more differences in the Hong Kong Disneyland version of Frozen Ever After from its EPCOT sister attraction than you might expect in addition to the major change with the Audio-Animatronics, starting with the very beginning of the attraction.
In the opening scene, guests still come across Olaf and Sven in the forest, though where guests first spot them has changed.
On Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of Frozen Ever After, guests will encounter the pair to the left of the boats on the ride path, in a more warmly-lit section of forest.
Riding the version at EPCOT, guests will encounter Olaf to the right of the boats.
Both Olafs still walk toward guests and sing, and Sven is also present here. EPCOT’s version is also lit in blue and white light.
Elsa’s Ice Palace at the top of the lift hill looks more faceted on Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of the attraction, though that could be possibly due to updated projection mapping and going with blue and green tones instead of blue and pink.
Here’s a look at the Ice Palace at the top of the lift hill on EPCOT’s version. This Ice Palace also looks somewhat smaller.
The following two scenes show off the biggest changes in the form of physical, animated Audio-Animatronic faces for the main cast. Above is a photo of Anna and Kristoff from the attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland. Unlike some of the other characters on this version, including Sven on the left, Anna and Kristoff have physical, blinking eyes rather than screen-based eyes.
At EPCOT, the scene is exactly the same, only Anna and Kristoff have screen-based, backlit faces. This sequence also appears to utilize blacklight, while Hong Kong Disneyland opts for warmer scene lighting.
Next up is Elsa’s “Let It Go” scene, which plays exactly the same in both versions, with the only difference being Elsa’s physical, animated face in Hong Kong Disneyland versus her screen-based face in EPCOT.
The lighting is also somewhat different, with more purple and pink tones used in Florida’s version.
An unexpected change comes next, in the form of the ride path switching up the direction you move backward leading up to the drop.
On Hong Kong Disneyland’s Frozen Ever After, you come up on Marshmallow’s right and switch tracks over to his left for the drop.
On the ride at EPCOT, riders come up on Marshmallow’s left.
The drop follows on the right side.
The final scene on both rides is virtually the same, with the only difference being Anna and Elsa’s physical faces on the Hong Kong Disneyland attraction.
In Florida, as with all of the other Audio-Animatronics for the main cast, their faces are screen-based. The lighting here is also much cooler, likely to make the screens look a little less harsh.
World of Frozen
On Friday, Disney also shared a first look inside the World of Frozen restaurants and a list of food that will be available. The Golden Crocus Inn is a “cozy, nautical-themed quick service restaurant” while Northern Delights is an “upscale neighborhood sweets shop” featuring a variety of desserts, confections, and cooking goods.
The land’s attractions include Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, the first-ever “Frozen” roller-coaster. Guests will “jump into a sleigh decorated with patterns resembling Kristoff’s sleigh.” Olaf and Sven help pull guests to the summit and “on an exciting journey through the forest with stunning views of the land.”
Guests can shop at Tick Tock Toys, a “cherished, centuries-old toy shop in Arendelle Village,” and send mail from the Royal Post of Arendelle outside the shop.
There will also be opportunities to meet “Frozen” characters.
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