Frozen Ever After

[Tobias]

Frozen Ever After Audio-Animatronics to Ditch Rear Projected Faces at EPCOT, Update Coming Soon

Walt Disney World has announced that it will be updating the Frozen Ever After Audio-Animatronics to remove the rear projected faces at EPCOT

blogmickey.com

I'm shocked.

I wonder if Tokyo funding the R&D for the sculpted heads might have aided in them doing this, either way the fact they're replacing the rear projected heads is a pretty good sign they're moving on from that. (Especially with the Clawhauser AA in the upcoming Zootopia show being a fully sculpted figure and not having the projected eyes that the AA's in the Shanghai ride have.)

And honestly? Good. The rear projected faces never really worked for me for both 7DMT and FEA*, they don't look good in photos or videos, and in person they weren't that impressive to me either. Nothing that would justify having over a regular fully sculpted face. The only time they're noteworthy is when they glitch, and that's not the best sign if something has to be busted in order to look neat.

* = There are some applications where I'm fine with them, notably MMRR.

 

[Freak]

Pleasantly surprised they’re doing this. Good on them.

Doesn’t change the fact that this ride is still mid and by far the most overrated at Epcot.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I got lucky one night with a 35 min wait time that was really only 20-25, and I loved the ride. It’s not perfect, the faces are weird but they’re now gonna be changed, idk if I love it in Epcot, but with a short wait it’s a really fun ride honestly and the score is obviously a highlight.

That said the line is just never that short so, yeah. I’m still glad they’re plussing one of their most popular attractions less than a decade into its existence though. Shockingly loving a lot of the WDW stuff going on right now.

 

[Mad Dog]

I got lucky one night with a 35 min wait time that was really only 20-25, and I loved the ride. It’s not perfect, the faces are weird but they’re now gonna be changed, idk if I love it in Epcot, but with a short wait it’s a really fun ride honestly and the score is obviously a highlight.

That said the line is just never that short so, yeah. I’m still glad they’re plussing one of their most popular attractions less than a decade into its existence though. Shockingly loving a lot of the WDW stuff going on right now.

If you catch it during the opening half hour for onsite hotel guests, it's mostly a walk on except for Holiday weeks....But, yes, during the day,
it's almost always at apx. 35 to 45 minutes non Holidays. If we want to ride it, we go there first early morning 1/2 hour and can usually get back to back rides if we want. With Guardians, Rat and now the new Test Track, it's no longer the Prime opening half hour attraction. The early crowd splits
into four ways now.

 

[tielo]

I got lucky one night with a 35 min wait time that was really only 20-25, and I loved the ride. It’s not perfect, the faces are weird but they’re now gonna be changed, idk if I love it in Epcot, but with a short wait it’s a really fun ride honestly and the score is obviously a highlight.

That said the line is just never that short so, yeah. I’m still glad they’re plussing one of their most popular attractions less than a decade into its existence though. Shockingly loving a lot of the WDW stuff going on right now.

I also got lucky one night but I leave it at that.

I think Disney saw a change to do a 2 for 1 with the Paris version and decided to replace the problematic projections faces and that is a good thing.

 

[belloq87]

More Than a Facelift: Inside Look at Changes Coming to Frozen Ever After at EPCOT

Walt Disney World has shared some additional details about changes coming to Frozen Ever After at EPCOT when it reopens

blogmickey.com

 

[Clive]

More Than a Facelift: Inside Look at Changes Coming to Frozen Ever After at EPCOT

Walt Disney World has shared some additional details about changes coming to Frozen Ever After at EPCOT when it reopens

blogmickey.com

Very welcome improvements. I remain surprised they were not only willing to finance this upgrade but also all but admit the rear-projected faces were inferior.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I love when "older" rides get updates like this

 

[ragerunner]

Here is a look at the old vs new animatronics on Frozen at Epcot.

 

[Freak]

Here is a look at the old vs new animatronics on Frozen at Epcot.

Looks good. Still think the biggest improvement would be to bring back Malesteom lol

 

[Mad Dog]

Looks good. Still think the biggest improvement would be to bring back Malesteom lol

My opinion. No. Maelstrom was inferior to Frozen. Frozen could be better as it is in the new versions. But Frozen is still a very entertaining attraction at Epcot. Maelstrom just wasn't very good, especially the final scenes.

 

[Jake S]

Maelstrom just wasn't very good, especially the final scenes.

A dire combination of not good and not liked. Of course pairing this very popular franchise with this very low capacity boat ride … well, it’s not the best.

 

[DOOMBOT]

I think the weird glowy heads weren't made to look any better by stiff and low-quality face animations. They kinda looked like old Adobe Flash cartoons.

 

[mccgavin]

Looks good. Still think the biggest improvement would be to bring back Malesteom lol

Yeah, Maelstrom definitely feels like one of the biggest losses for Epcot as a park, at least for as long as I've been going there. It wasn't perfect, but I would've rather seen them try to improve it than scrapping the whole thing.

 

[Freak]

My opinion. No. Maelstrom was inferior to Frozen. Frozen could be better as it is in the new versions. But Frozen is still a very entertaining attraction at Epcot. Maelstrom just wasn't very good, especially the final scenes.

Eh to each their own. Maelstrom was dated, I’ll for sure give you that, but it was awesome. What other ride can you visit has trolls and Vikings? IMO Frozen Ever After feels like a chore to go on.

A refresh would’ve been preferable but we all knew Disney wasn’t going to do that.

 

[Jerroddragon]

When my family and I went the line was insane for Maelstrom, so we got Fast Pass

The Movie was not working...and so we went on it and we all laughed when we got off....we felt like for the wait it was kind of a joke of a ride....like parts of it were cool but....yeah it needed some love. If it was as detauiled as Pirates but for Viking, I'd understand why that was better then Frozen but....

Frozen has made this ride and area much busier and now with this upgrade its a pretty cool ride. I have not been on it yet in person but excited to one day, since I know its over hyped but Frozen is a really great film. I get it, now its everywhere but when it came out the ice castle scene was very impressive and the songs are great.

 

[DOOMBOT]

Yeaaaaah, sorry yall. Maelstrom wasn't that great imo. What a literal hodge-podge laundry list of ideas crammed into a mediocre boat ride. I've got an appreciation for it, but Frozen is the definite superior ride.

I will miss the exterior boat reveal though. "Back, back, over the pond!!". My dad and I would quote those trolls every trip we went together ad nauseum haha.

I'll say, I certainly understand missing Maelstrom better than I do the rose-tinted weirdos who think Universe of Energy was better than Guardians.

 

[UNIrd]

These look so great! It's nice to have a taste of the Japan parks closer to home. I was just there so too bad I was so close to catching it but look forward to checking it out on my next visit. AND I'm impressed how they got it done so quickly.

 

[Mad Dog]

Yeaaaaah, sorry yall. Maelstrom wasn't that great imo. What a literal hodge-podge laundry list of ideas crammed into a mediocre boat ride. I've got an appreciation for it, but Frozen is the definite superior ride.

I will miss the exterior boat reveal though. "Back, back, over the pond!!". My dad and I would quote those trolls every trip we went together ad nauseum haha.

I'll say, I certainly understand missing Maelstrom better than I do the rose-tinted weirdos who think Universe of Energy was better than Guardians.

Universe of Energy was better in one way, though. It was a great place to take a 30 minute nap in air conditioned comfort. Boring accentuates sleep too. Nothing important, or entertaining, happened to wake you up.

 

[Clive]

Yeaaaaah, sorry yall. Maelstrom wasn't that great imo. What a literal hodge-podge laundry list of ideas crammed into a mediocre boat ride. I've got an appreciation for it, but Frozen is the definite superior ride.

I will miss the exterior boat reveal though. "Back, back, over the pond!!". My dad and I would quote those trolls every trip we went together ad nauseum haha.

I'll say, I certainly understand missing Maelstrom better than I do the rose-tinted weirdos who think Universe of Energy was better than Guardians.

Yeah, the trolls were legitimately eerie, well designed, and memorable. The rest of the ride... not so much, and it was over just as it got started. Frozen shouldn't have replaced it, but it's an objectively better ride, even if it's well below the scope of what an IP of this caliber should receive and has little to do with Epcot's Norway.