Frozen Attraction Coming to Epcot - Replaces Maelstrom

Tekneek;2433516 wrote: If the parks were going to be built based off of what I liked most about Disney films at that young of an age, it would have been one massive tribute to Kim Richards with Doc Terminus and Hoagy peddling their snake oil in Passamaquoddy-land.

So true. Did you have the Pete's Dragon record, too?

This is not a bad idea at all! You think we could talk them into an overlay featuring Elliot at American Adventure? ;)

I kid, I kid...

I'm one that wasn't a big fan of Maelstrom. It was fine, but not a must do.
It was kind of a joke between my friend and I, he hated it. thought it was lame, and thought it could have been much better.
Hopefully, this new ride will be a lot better.

cer;2433566 wrote: So true. Did you have the Pete's Dragon record, too?

This is not a bad idea at all! You think we could talk them into an overlay featuring Elliot at American Adventure? ;)

I kid, I kid...

Oh yes, I did!

Some talk about the evolution of the park's concept, but it seems more like a devolution. Evolution involves becoming a more complex form, while Epcot has gone in the opposite direction. It is not more complex than when it opened. It is really just Park #2 at Walt Disney World at this point. Everyone's chance to go to a theme park full of food and alcohol.

This experimental community called Epcot is one community that just keeps going downhill. Instead of adding rides, they take them away. When the Frozen hype is done and there are zero waits for this ride, then what will they change it too? At least Maelstrom brought waits.

Can't say I'm surprised by this. We like Maelstrom, but I was kind of excited by talks of updating it. I will admit to feeling a little pang at the official news. We enjoyed Frozen, thought it was a fun movie. I told my DDs to see what their reaction would be. DD10: That is SO COOL! DD14: What?! That better be a really good ride if they're taking Maelstrom out!

Like many Disney issues, we could go on and on about what we think any park was meant to/should be. But the reality is that Disney is going to make changes that they think will keep the parks packed.

About 5 years ago, or so, the official Walt Disney World website actually referred to Spaceship Earth as a golf ball. They got hammered for it, though, and now use geosphere. Eventually there won't be anybody left who cares.

They have long struggled with the dumbing down of EPCOT Center. At this point, I'd say there is no going back. Any nods to the original intent is just crass merchandising these days. Eventually even those won't sell and the past will be put to rest for good.

EricJ;2433573 wrote: (Er, nooo, Epcot was originally devoid of any Disney characters and advertised as such, since it was supposed to be its own self-contained World's Fair--
CA had the Hollywood Backlot, where you could meet characters in their dressing-room trailers, including, briefly, the Emperor's New Groove characters and the 102 Dalmatians Glenn Close version of Cruella.
Hope that clears up the confusion, 'cause it sure doesn't clear up mine. :confused: )

Well, that's one of the main issues that divides the Frozies and the Haterz:
There's almost no emotional pathos created in the movie WHATSOEVER...And oh, would that have been a sticky-point for Walt. (Who still blamed Alice in Wonderland's box office on "Not enough pathos".)
The one exception being "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"--which is why it ends up as the other favorite song fangirl'ed to death--as it's one of the few times we're allowed to understand why Anna or Elsa would have the emotional motives they do, if you didn't happen to be pasting your own personal issues onto her already. It's a little harder when the story has to do that itself, and this one doesn't do that very much of it.
Any story motivation Anna might have for her sister is quickly buried and forgotten under mounds and mounds of "comic" scenes of Anna acting like a motormouthed scatterbrain around both Mr. Wrongs...While Elsa is almost literallyhidden away for most of the movie, and allowed exactly two wildly overproduced moments to explain herself--one melodramatic and one Broadway-diva--while the audience subjectively paste their own personal issues onto her instead of the script ever getting a chance to. (Hence the "Only chicks and gays" stereotype of Frozen fans.)

If the line tends to be a gender gap, well, guys do tend to look at the story, and females tend to believe the movie is "speaking" to or about them.
Uh, it really isn't, you know, and as for story, there's not as much as could be ideally wished for, either. To be honest, I had more of a genuine heart-tug when Vanellope had her race-car smashed, than I had in 90 entire minutes of Broadway fangirl-dom for Wicked and Mormon fans.

I find your post to be very condescending towards women and girls. We get it - you don't like Frozen. Lets move on.

One of the aspects that my children like about Frozen is that Elsa has a "super hero" power. Rapunzel kind of did to - but I'm not sure the "stay forever young" concept stayed with my kiddos.

kbean;2433585 wrote: This experimental community called Epcot is one community that just keeps going downhill. Instead of adding rides, they take them away. When the Frozen hype is done and there are zero waits for this ride, then what will they change it too? At least Maelstrom brought waits.

Disney is the pimp and they sure can turn tricks with this Frozen to you customers.

I have never seen a wait for Maelstrom. To be fair - we travel in the off season so that might be why.

Tekneek;2433574 wrote:

Some talk about the evolution of the park's concept, but it seems more like a devolution. Evolution involves becoming a more complex form, while Epcot has gone in the opposite direction. It is not more complex than when it opened. It is really just Park #2 at Walt Disney World at this point. Everyone's chance to go to a theme park full of food and alcohol.

I agree with you on this point. I loved the park when the attractions were "Disney Character free". We had the other two parks to "Disney it Up". IMO they are transforming all of these non character rides to character based rides just to sell more stuff in their gift shops.... And while on the topic of what Walt would have wanted....I have a feeling that he would not be too pleased with the drunken party...I mean the Food & Wine Festival...that goes on each October...Really, You can't call that event family friendly anymore....it has gotten so out of control and no one will do anything about it because it brings on the big bucks.

SBETigg;2433467 wrote:

I always remain optimistic about these things until we can see what they do.

Ditto!

Ok, here is my sermon for the day. Read if you wish.

In the beginning there was Hope. Hope in the future, hope in technology, hope in the world becoming a better place. It was hope the set Walt Disney apart from other men, and, by extension, his parks apart from other parks. Hope was found in a Tomorrowland that celebrated an exciting future, and an Experimental Community Of Tomorrow that would literally solve society's ills as the world watched.

We now live in a world where "hope" has become passe. Its not cool to hope any more. Hope just leads to disillusionment. Reality just lets people down. Its best to avoid it.

What do we hang our collective hats on then? Dreams. Not realistic dreams fueled by.....well, you know, "the H word," but by gentle fantasy that carries us away from the future....for we know that future only brings pain.

Now it helps that over half of The Disney Company's output has always focused on these Dreams (although it could be argued that during Walt's time they were more anchored in reality on some levels). What to do? We shift. Gone are those pesky progressive dreams driven by hope. Therefore, we get a Tomorrowland that looks back, not forward, and an Epcot that celebrates characters, not the world.

If Disney has lost vision, it is because we all have. We don't want to be challenged, we want to be reassured. The world isn't a wonderful place, its a place filled with pain, fear, and pathos.

Hope is now a cheap political ploy. In this world, we just want warm hugs.

Stu29573;2433600 wrote: Hope was found in a Tomorrowland that celebrated an exciting future, and an Experimental Community Of Tomorrow that would literally solve society's ills as the world watched.

We never got that City, but we did get something that was at least trying to hold onto aspects of those ideas.

I don't think I agree that the cause is the same one you do, but Disney has definitely struggled a lot with Tomorrowland and Future World over the years. There's no denying that they could really use the help of a good futurist (but more than that, a commitment from the highest levels to a purpose and mission that transcends simply serving whatever the masses will eat up).

If Walt had been consumed with short-term planning and giving the masses what they thought they wanted, he would not have done half the things he did. When Ford started making cars, people didn't think they wanted them. Disney seems to be totally out of that game now. They are the old stuffy company that sits back and counts the money while serving up the predictable products and services that everyone expects.

Sad....just plain sad. Going to try and ride it as much as possible, starting today. :(

Septbride2002;2433594 wrote: I have never seen a wait for Maelstrom. To be fair - we travel in the off season so that might be why.

We only travel in the value seasons, too, but I've seen wait times at 20 minutes or more. They were an hour the one time I went during March.

I love it! Excited to see the change. Hate that it will be over a year though.
At the end of the day for me personally, it's an attraction. There are bigger things for me to lament over in the horrors of life sometimes than the changing of ride. Change is inevitable.