|
|||
|
The Frozen Ever After ride, the Royal Sommerhus character experience, and the Wandering Reindeer retail store all moved into Epcot’s expanded Norway pavilion last year. What about the rest of the Norway pavilion? To what extent has it been Frozen-ized? I picked a dozen photos of the Norway pavilion from around ten years ago—before Disney’s megahit Frozen (2013) moved in. I went back to the same spots recently.
|
|||
 |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2004 Before: Maelstrom façade (2004) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Frozen Ever After façade (2016) |
|||
|
Frozen Ever After reused the ride system and show building from Maelstrom, but a new exterior façade supports the new story. The left side is Kristoff’s cold storage, “Bryggestredet Kjølelager.” The ride entrance is suitably royal for Anna and Elsa, resembling King Håkon’s Hall in Bergen, Norway. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2002 Before: Maelstrom entrance (2002) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Frozen Ever After entrance (2016) |
|||
|
Maelstrom was a disjointed ride with blacklight Vikings, river trolls, polar bears, and a scale model of an oil platform, followed by a movie about Norway. Frozen Ever After is a state-of-the art ride featuring the beloved characters and music from Frozen. Due to its technical complexity, it has a tendency to break down—which is why the doors are closed in the photo above. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Before: Waterfall from the Maelstrom opening (2006) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Waterfall from the rock surface (2016) |
|||
|
The lighting in Maelstrom was very low, but the ride’s troll cave had an opening to the bright Florida sunshine. That meant guests in the Norway pavilion saw a preview of the boats, while riders had a glimpse of the outside world. A waterfall appeared to flow from inside the cave. For Frozen Ever After, the cave opening was sealed. Inside, the dazzling special effects of the “Let It Go” scene take place in a completely controlled environment. Outside, the waterfall now appears to emerge from solid rock. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 Before: World Showcase Promenade and Stave Church (2010) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: World Showcase Promenade and Stave Church (2016) |
|||
|
From the World Showcase Promenade, the original Norway pavilion is still about the same. The trees are different due to growth and trimming. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 Before: Viking standing proudly on a rock (2007) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Viking engulfed in bushes (2016) |
|||
|
There was a time when guests had their children stand on the rock with the Viking for photos. Now the Viking is protected by a sea of bushes. Perhaps this avoids damage, but he looked better with the old landscaping. The red banner on the Stave Church in the upper photo is for the long-time exhibit, “Vikings, Conquerors of the Sea.” In late 2013, Frozen moved in. The newer exhibit, “Norsk Kultur, Inspiration for Disney Frozen,” had a blue banner. Although the Frozen exhibit was still there in late 2016, the banner was not. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Before: Deep green turf roof (2006) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: More authentic looking turf roof (2016) |
|||
|
For centuries, turf roofs were the most common type of roof in rural parts of Norway. They’re still around today, although they’re now the exception, not the rule. The roofs tend to have flowering plants mixed in with the grass |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2009 Before: Round tower on Akershus (2009) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Round tower on Akershus (2016) |
|||
|
Small tree in the upper photo. Big tree in the lower photo. There’s not much more to say. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 Before: Simple menu at Kringla Bakeri og Kafé (2007) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Expanded menu at Kringla Bakeri og Kafé (2016) |
|||
|
Norway’s Kringla Bakeri og Kafé has expanded its menu to go beyond baked items. The popular School Bread and other baked goods are still available in the bakery case, even if they’re not on the menu board. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Before: Akershus (2006) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Akershus (2016) |
|||
|
The major difference in the 2016 photo is that the tree in front of Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is gone. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Before: Salmon-colored shop with benches in front |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Gray shop without benches |
|||
|
Both color schemes look good, although similar buildings in the historical section of Stavanger, Norway are simply white with red tile roofs. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Before: The Fjording (2006) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: The Fjording (2016) |
|||
|
The Fjording store looks about the same from the outside, although the trees have changed. Inside, it’s a different story. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 Before: Inside the Fjording (2006) |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 After: Inside the Fjording (2016) |
|||
|
In the upper photo, the Fjording is stocked with stylish (and expensive) Norwegian athletic wear and outerwear. In the lower photo, it’s become a Frozen store. That’s not surprising, given that the exit from Frozen Ever After leads into the store. |
|||
Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 No Before—Just After: Royal Sommerhus |
|||
|
This article ends with the biggest exterior change to the Norway pavilion—the addition of Anna and Elsa’s Royal Sommerhus, the Wandering Reindeer shop, a small stage, expanded restrooms, a courtyard that ties them all together, and even a rugged mountain backdrop. Sorry. There’s no “before” photo of the undeveloped site between Norway and Mexico before Frozen moved in. From the Promenade, it was mostly a patch of trees, although there was a Viking boat near the restrooms of Norway from 1998 to 2008. Who knew that Norway would become a double-wide pavilion? |
|||
|
|
Click here to post comments at MiceChat about this article.
© 2017 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated February 24, 2017. |
||
, Curator of Yesterland, February 24, 2017.
