Given that Anna & Elsa moved from their super-popular Epcot meet-n-greet over to the Magic Kingdom‘s Princess Fairytale Hall back on Easter Sunday 2014 … I thought that, just ahead of Easter 2015, it might now be time to give JHM readers the “Frozen” forecast. Give you an update on all of the rides, shows and attractions that are tied to this Academy Award-winning Walt Disney Animation Studios production that are now in the works for the Walt Disney World Resort.
Work continues on the “Frozen” -themed ride which will replace “Maelstrom” as the Norway pavilion’s centerpiece attraction. Featuring a combination of state-of-the-art Audio Animatronic figures and original animated footage, this boat-driven attraction (which the Imagineers had once hoped to have opened in time for the 2015 edition of Epcot’s annual “Holidays Around the World”) is now scheduled to officially welcome its first Guests during the later winter / early spring of 2016.
Meanwhile, over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, given how popular last summer’s “Frozen Summer Fun” promotion was, WDW officials is bringing back this summer-long promotion from June 17 – September 7, 2015. Most of the more popular features from last year’s event (i.e., the twice-daily “Frozen Royal Welcome” parade, the nightly “Frozen” -themed fireworks display over the Chinese Theater) will be returning. The key difference this time around being that the “For the First Time in Forever: A ‘Frozen’ Sing-Along Celebration” will be moving from this theme park’s Premiere Theater (which is located deep in DHS out behind the MuppetVision Theater) over to the more centrally located Hyperion Theater (which was formerly the home of this theme park’s “American Idol Experience”).
Over at the Magic Kingdom … Given that Anna & Elsa are slated to decamp from Princess Fairytale Hall in the Spring of 2016 so that they can then start greeting their royal subjects in that super-deluxe “Frozen” meet-n-greet which will be built right next door to World Showcase’s Norway pavilion, Magic Kingdom managers have been looking for additional ways to give visitors to this theme park even more time with the “Frozen” characters.
Given the huge crowds that pushed their way into the then-still-under-construction Hub from November 5th through January 12th so that they could then view “A Frozen Holiday Wish” (i.e., that nightly presentation where Elsa used her icy magic to transform Cinderella Castle into a shimmering ice palace for the holiday season), WDW officials know that Magic Kingdom visitors have a seemingly unending appetite & enthusiasm for “Frozen”. Which is why the Imagineers have now made a pretty intriguing choice in an effort to satisfy people’s cravings for more time with these characters.
As was first revealed this morning over on the Touring Plans Blog, WDI is now supposedly looking to replace “Stitch’s Great Escape!” with a brand-new “Frozen” -theme show, “Olaf’s Frozen Escape!” This redo will reportedly make use of much of the physical plant that’s been in place since “The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter” first set up shop in this Tomorrowland facility back in December of 1994.
As for the proposed storyline of this new “Frozen” -themed attraction for the Magic Kingdom, according to the Touring Plans Blog ..
Olaf’s melting snow shorts out the lasers beams holding him prisoner, allowing Olaf to frolic with guests. Using the smell of carrots, the touch of cold water drops, and cutting-edge audio effects, Disney’s Imagineers have planned an interactive attraction that feels as if Olaf is sitting right on the guests shoulders.
As to when “Olaf”s Icy Escape!” will officially begin operating at the Magic Kingdom, there’s honestly not a whole lot of info out there right now. “Stitch’s Great Escape!” will allegedly shut down this summer after an 11-year run so that the Imagineers can then begin the retheming process. I have reached out to WDI spokesperson Avril Suppegjøk to get a more precise timeline for this project. But she has yet to respond to any of my inquiries.
So with “Frozen” themed rides, shows and attractions supposedly popping up in three of WDW’s theme parks, one wonders when Disney’s Animal Kingdom is going to get in on this action and then open a reindeer petting zoo?
Your thoughts?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Just in case you folks were wondering, “Avril” is the French word for “April” and “Suppegjøk” is the Norwegian word for “Fool.” That said, all of the other info in this article was / is legit, right up until “Olaf’s Icy Escape!” enters the narrative.