Walt Disney World has introduced enhancements for Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, which can near obtain a journey reimagining in 2026! This shares full dates & particulars of the upgrades, commentary about why that is occurring and has us so excited, and extra.
As fundamental background, Walt Disney World first introduced that Frozen Ever After was coming to the Norway pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase in September 2014, reflecting a quick turnaround time for greenlighting an attraction following the primary movie’s smash success on the field workplace. (It took Encanto longer to get a meet & greet in Magic Kingdom.)
The reimagined Frozen Ever After journey opened lower than 2 years later, in June 2016, because the world’s first standalone Frozen attraction, changing the cult favourite Maelstrom. The boat journey went from one in every of EPCOT’s shortest traces, an nearly perpetual walk-on, to one in every of its longest. And that actually opened up the gates…
Since Frozen Ever After, the corporate has gone even larger on Frozen in its theme parks. The World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland will quickly have fun its 2nd Anniversary, and one other very related Arendelle space is slated to open in Disney Journey World at Disneyland Paris in Spring 2026. On prime of that, the largest new theme park land ever, Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, incorporates its personal model of the brand new land.
This was one of many quickest journey reimaginings that Imagineering has ever undertaken, because it sought to retrofit the bizarre (non-derogatory) Maelstrom boat journey into Frozen Ever After. Regardless of the problem of the project, EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After has now immediately impressed two marquee boat rides, and shares very clear bloodlines with a 3rd. This improbably well-done attraction will have fun its tenth Anniversary in Summer season 2026, and with that, Frozen Ever After is getting some new magic at EPCOT.
Listed below are full particulars from Walt Disney World:
Frozen Ever After at EPCOT is filled with Audio-Animatronics figures – from Sven and Kristoff, an ice-skating Olaf, Marshmallow and a complete herd of Snowgies, and naturally, Anna and Elsa.
Many of those figures had been groundbreaking on the earth of Audio-Animatronics. Not simply as a part of the world’s first Frozen attraction, but in addition as the primary attraction to have all electrical Audio-Animatronics figures, and the primary to mix electrical motors and 3D printing.
To construct the attraction and make it really feel just like the Frozen story, all of it got here down to at least one wrist. Elsa is thought for her magical, ice-forming hand gestures; for her Audio-Animatronics determine to deal with the fluid actions identical to Elsa does on display, Imagineers wanted sufficient house to run cables and motors down her arms and fingers. They discovered how large Elsa’s wrist wanted to be and scaled all the pieces else within the attraction to match.
Since then, Walt Disney Imagineering has constructed upon that expertise of all-electric motors, 3D printing, and scaling for each determine they produce, from Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, to Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey at Tokyo DisneySea, and Frozen Ever After at Hong Kong Disneyland.
In a full circle second of innovation, the Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff Audio-Animatronics figures in Frozen Ever After at EPCOT will quickly obtain new updates! Taking inspiration from the developments seen in figures at World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland, the Frozen Ever After figures will quickly be modernized to the newest era of Audio Animatronics.
In early 2026, this funding will convey a extra true-to-film search for these beloved characters in Frozen Ever After at EPCOT. Walt Disney World has not but introduced closing and reopening dates for Frozen Ever After, however we might count on this to begin after January 5, 2026 and take (very roughly) round a couple of weeks to a few months.
Since solely the human Audio Animatronics (not Olaf or Sven) should be upgraded, and it’s a 1:1 swap out, it stands to purpose that the venture shouldn’t be too prolonged. Nevertheless it’s totally attainable, if not possible, that Frozen Ever After wants extra TLC and present scene upgrades. It’s solely acquired temporary refurbishments over the last decade.
Our Commentary
The massive query for the Frozen Ever After enhancements is why?! Not from a fan perspective, as that is one thing Walt Disney World diehards have been clamoring for because the first reveal of the modernized Magnificence and the Beast Audio Animatronics teased for Tokyo Disneyland again in 2018.
The requests turned louder a couple of years later, as soon as Disney pulled again the curtain on the worldwide variations of Frozen Ever After, showcasing Imagineering’s latest A-1000 Audio Animatronics era with extremely fluid actions and lifelike (so far as animated characters go) facial options.
(Be aware: images on this put up are photos I shot on Frozen Ever After at Hong Kong Disneyland. That journey is the primary ‘clone’ of the EPCOT attraction, albeit as an unique construct from the ground-up versus a journey reimagining. Regardless of this, it’s considerably much like the model within the Norway pavilion, and it’s what’ll encourage the EPCOT updates.)
These new AAs are beautiful, completely melding outdated and new expertise to create one thing with wow-factor that may stand the take a look at of time. Identical to the Audio Animatronics from traditional darkish rides nonetheless look nice in the present day. In so doing, they make the final era’s projected faces on EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After or Magic Kingdom’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare look antiquated by comparability. That expertise was envelope-pushing for its time, however hasn’t held up.
In any case, Frozen Ever After stays extremely in style, and it thus appeared unbelievable that Walt Disney World would spend the cash to enhance the attraction. Don’t repair what isn’t damaged or make investments “unnecessarily” is the WDW mantra in relation to enhancements of in style sights, as does an aversion to journey refurbishments of headliners.
So even with as apparent as plussing Frozen Ever After appeared to followers, these of us having historical past with Walt Disney World didn’t truly count on it to occur. So, what provides?
One main latest improvement is that Take a look at Monitor simply reopened from a prolonged journey reimagining of its personal, which was funded not by Disney, however by Chevy Bucks. The EPCOT sponsorship mannequin took that in style attraction offline for a 12 months, and nearly definitely wouldn’t have occurred had been Walt Disney World left to its personal gadgets.
Take a look at Monitor 3.0 has been a smash success. Actually, the #1 attraction in all of Walt Disney World final month ended up being Take a look at Monitor 3.0, with a formidable 75 minutes. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was 64 minutes, with Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Journey at 49 and 48 minutes, respectively.
We’ve mentioned this elsewhere, hoping that the highly effective efficiency of Take a look at Monitor 3.0 has Disney executives taking observe, displaying that competent journey reimaginings can drive numbers. In a special put up, I shared my hope that Take a look at Monitor continues to overperform; it bodes nicely for the budgets of the inevitable Spaceship Earth and Journey into Creativeness reimaginings.
By no means did I even think about that Frozen Ever After is likely to be on deck first, however it makes full sense for different causes. The obvious of those is that the movie franchise is a cornerstone for the corporate, so they need in-park synergy to be as sturdy as attainable.
Each Frozen movies crossed $1 billion on the international field workplace after they had been launched in 2013 and 2019, respectively. They had been the #1 and #2 all-time prime grossing animated films till this 12 months, when the Tremendous Mario Bros. Film claimed the #2 spot from the unique Frozen.
The one different Disney or Pixar movie franchises that come near Frozen‘s numbers is Toy Story, which already has 4 films and is engaged on a fifth. Zootopia might enter that dialog as soon as its sequel is launched, and there are a couple of different older Pixar movies that most likely qualify as soon as adjusted for inflation, together with merchandise gross sales, or Disney+ minutes streamed.
Given these numbers, it must be no shock that Disney has formally confirmed that Frozen 3 is actively in improvement. Director Jennifer Lee shared a primary have a look at final 12 months’s D23 Expo, and introduced that the discharge date for Frozen 3 is November 24, 2027.
Lee went on to debate the numerous lingering questions from the second film that also should be answered, teasing Frozen 4 by saying it’ll “take two movies” to resolve the unfastened ends. This doubles down on feedback from others affiliated with the Frozen franchise, who’ve advised that the third and fourth movies are being developed in tandem and deliberate as back-to-back sequels.
Disney CEO Bob Iger was the primary to tease this again in the course of the World of Frozen gala occasion at Hong Kong Disneyland, saying that there “would possibly” be a Frozen 4 within the works. Iger continued, “Jennifer Lee, who created the unique Frozen and Frozen 2 is difficult at work together with her workforce at Disney Animation on not one, however two tales.”
Iger is clearly bullish on Frozen. When talking at Hong Kong Disneyland, he referred to as Frozen “our Most worthy franchise” and added that Arendelle is ripe for extra theme park lands, because the setting is “simply implausible.” World of Frozen “allows individuals to get immersed within the story of ‘Frozen’ and work together with all the nice characters for movies,” Iger stated of the brand new land at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Talking of which, World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland might function the template for extra ways in which Walt Disney World might combine the movie franchise into EPCOT (or past) along with the brand new Audio Animatronics in Frozen Ever After.
We had pretty excessive expectations for World of Frozen. It exceeded them. A part of this was most likely due to doing Norway at EPCOT and Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea first. Based mostly on these visits, we knew this land contained a clone of the Walt Disney World journey and never the mega E-Ticket or panorama in Japan.
Calling the model of Frozen Ever After at HKDL a clone of the EPCOT attraction doesn’t do it justice. That’s what 95% of the attraction is, to make certain, however in actuality, it makes use of that reimagined journey as the inspiration, whereas giving it new bones and a facelift. Fairly actually within the latter case–the Audio Animatronics are subsequent era as a substitute of getting projected faces.
Whereas nonetheless falling in need of Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey in Fantasy Springs, Frozen Ever After is manner higher than it has any proper to be. All the pieces concerning the attraction has been enhanced and it makes the whole attraction much better within the course of.
A few of these modifications couldn’t be applied at EPCOT. It’s merely the character of the beast on condition that the boat journey continues to be utilizing the retrofit bones of the circa 1988 Maelstrom, versus being a newly-built journey that’s solely 2 years outdated.
However past the Audio Animatronics, there are little methods the units and staging of Frozen Ever After at EPCOT may very well be improved. These wouldn’t end in practically as main leaps ahead as the brand new Audio Animatronics, however it’s price remembering that the turnaround time for Frozen Ever After a decade in the past was beneath 2 years, and the journey was a race towards the clock to finish.
I’m positive the Imagineers who’re nonetheless round from the unique venture would love a couple of extra months to get in there and implement some concepts that had been ‘lower for time’ or budgets in the course of the unique go-round. Possibly they’ll get that chance in the course of the 2026 upgrades!
Then there are the ways in which Imagineers might take inspiration from World of Frozen past simply its marquee boat journey. On the danger of stating the apparent, Walt Disney World is handcuffed by Frozen Ever After at EPCOT being within the Norway pavilion. This isn’t only a thematic limitation, but in addition a spatial one.
It isn’t attainable to construct Arendelle Citadel or a brand new restaurant or Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, all of which is ok. We don’t count on any of that, and truthfully, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs is underwhelming. Followers anticipated a Frozen model of Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. As an alternative, we received Barnstormer with beautiful rockwork. It appears beautiful from the surface, however Walt Disney World followers can be massively dissatisfied. It’s heavy on model, tremendous mild on substance.
The place World of Frozen excels most is through actually all the pieces else. The outlets and storefronts are lovely. The panorama is beautiful. Watching our daughter expertise Playhouse within the Woods actually introduced tears to our eyes. Greater than the rest, there’s a lived-in high quality to World of Frozen that’s palpable, and makes you immediately notice what’s lacking from all of Disney’s different recently-opened lands.
The ‘secret sauce’ to World of Frozen is that it’s overflowing with dwell leisure. Arendelle is residence to a number of completely different acts, from dwell bands to lovable rock troll puppets.
The most well-liked of those, unsurprisingly, is the free roaming characters. Every time Anna and Elsa seem, the heaviest crowds we’ve ever encountered at HKDL all of the sudden materialized. I can perceive why, as seeing these princesses wander round Arendelle–and Elsa conjure up snowfall–is magical. It was additionally actually neat to see these characters within the attraction queue for Frozen Ever After.
I doubt there’s the house for this in Florida’s queue, however it’d however be good to see a better atmospheric leisure presence in Norway at EPCOT. It’s price noting that this might not be a brand new factor, both! Again when Frozen Ever After first debuted, there have been free roaming vikings added the blended genuine tradition with the heat and appeal of Frozen. Comparable characters now seem in Isle of Berk over at Epic Universe.
Merely bringing again these vikings can be an enormous win for Walt Disney World’s atmospheric leisure. Higher but, restore the vikings, whereas additionally including dwell music and the rock troll puppets. At minimal, the rock troll puppets must be a no brainer. They’d greater than pay for themselves in viral social media movies.
Lastly, there are the larger image implications for the Frozen Ever After enhancements on EPCOT as a complete. One of many issues we’ve mentioned at size is how the 2025-2026 Walt Disney World Experience Refurbishment & Closure Calendar is like items of a puzzle.
By this, we imply that Disney is barely more likely to take one main attraction down for refurbishment at a time. When beforehand mentioned the continued Spaceship Earth Experience Refurbishment, we speculated that this may very well be laying the groundwork for a prolonged reimagining, whereas additionally carrying out duct tape repairs earlier than different tasks are knocked out in 2026. After which, it may very well be Spaceship Earth’s flip for a 12-24 month closure.
The Frozen Ever After enhancements don’t make that hypothesis correct, however this occurring subsequent does reinforce the animating thought behind that ‘items of a puzzle’ method, which was much like what was accomplished at Magic Kingdom final summer time and fall earlier than the final year-plus Massive Thunder Mountain Railroad closure.
Other than GEO-82, there was nothing for EPCOT in Walt Disney World’s 5-year Plan that was revealed ultimately 12 months’s D23 Expo. Clearly, that should change. EPCOT can not coast with nothing new till 2030. And because it doesn’t seem like getting any brand-new rides or pavilions throughout that point, journey reimaginings should fill the hole.
We now know that Frozen Ever After will likely be a kind of. However what else is subsequent? Might Remy’s Ratatouille Journey additionally get a fast refresh in 2026, adopting the modifications coming to the model in (actual) France? Would possibly the brand new China movie lastly come to fruition? There are a couple of little fast hits that may very well be knocked out subsequent 12 months.
The reimagining of Spaceship Earth might then be a part of a second part of the EPCOT overhaul, becoming a member of Journey into Creativeness and [insert whatever else is on your personal wishlist here]. With nothing introduced at Vacation spot D23, it doesn’t seem to be both of those tasks are on the horizon within the close to time period, however we’ll maintain you posted as extra turns into recognized!
Oh, and for the Californians each resort around the globe get an elevated Frozen presence besides Disneyland, you won’t have to attend an excessive amount of longer. Broadly imagine to be Disney’s CEO-in-waiting, Parks Chair Josh D’Amaro beforehand stated throughout a Wall Avenue summit that Disney has “a wealth of untapped tales to convey to life throughout our enterprise. Frozen, one of the crucial profitable and in style animated franchises of all time, might have a presence on the Disneyland Resort.” The 2026 D23 Expo must be a enjoyable one.
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Your Ideas
Excited that Frozen Ever After at EPCOT is getting superior Audio Animatronics in 2026? Hoping that extra is enhanced on the attraction than simply the AAs? Do you agree or disagree with our ideas right here? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
