Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of: <a href="http://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2014/08/01/does-lack-of-maelstrom-fastpass-after-september-27-point-to-attraction-closure/" target="_blank"><b>8/1/14: Does Lack of Maelstrom FastPass+ After September 27 Point To Attraction Closure?</b></a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I really hope that this doesn't mean that a Frozen overlay is coming to the ride. I think it would be a great disservice to the people of Norway and World Showcase as a whole if that ride got downgraded to yet another character romp. It's bad enough that it already happened in Mexico, but at least those characters have a direct connection to that country I'm a little suspect of this rumor, since I first read it a couple days ago, when the proposed closure date was also the 60 mark for reserving FP+. The ride could really use some heavy TLC, so if it's closing I hope that it's just for a standard refurbishment
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "I think it would be a great disservice to the people of Norway and World Showcase as a whole if that ride got downgraded to yet another character romp. It's bad enough that it already happened in Mexico, but at least those characters have a direct connection to that country" I don't really want to see a Frozen overlay. But replacing it with a good Frozen attraction would be OK with me. I understand the resistance to more characters, but really, it can't be too hard to create a Frozen attraction that would be a big improvement.
Originally Posted By Disneylover1411 I don't want Disney to change Maelstrom. It is fine the way it is and they would have to get rid of the polar bears in the ride. It would also mess up kingdom keepers.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Hey, in that theatre where the Norway film is shown, they could put the 'Frozen' DVD on a continuous loop. Parents could leave their kids there, drink around the World Showcase, and pick them up 5 hours later. Score!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I don't think they'd even need to show the whole movie on repeat. It seems like they could just run an endless loop of Let It Go and most kids would be thrilled
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Well, I've NEVER been a fan of Maelstrom, even back in the time when it was somewhat decently maintained. I only bother with it about once every 10 visits to Epcot. You don't like toons... but then what exactly are giant three-headed trolls? Sure, they may be a part of Norwegian folklore... but other than that they are as big a fiction as anything in Frozen. World Showcase could really use an attraction popular with kids. How may times can a kid get their passport stamped or play Kim Possible before getting totally bored with it?
Originally Posted By magic0214 Now you are going to make me cry...RIP Kim. Your attraction will forever be etched in my heart (and a better property than Phineas and Ferb) I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you do a complete overhaul of Maelstrom and still make it represent the culture of Norway, I would prefer that over Frozen. While I would LOVE to see a Frozen attraction, I would rather see that at the Studios, maybe in an Arendelle land, which would bring people in droves to DHS.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Is it really necessary for a "ride" to accurately represent the culture of a county if that culture is represented in other sections of the pavilion? Many fans still wish the once-rumored Mt. Fuji coaster had been built in Japan. You tell me... how does a coaster running through a fiberglass fake Fuji possibly reveal anything about Japanese culture? Yes, I agree... the Frozen fascination is getting a little overdone. But it could be a pretty decent attraction for the World Showcase. Base a representation of Arendelle on traditional Norwegian architecture(which the film did to a certain extent), sitting on the shore of a typical Norwegian Fjord. Sure, populate it with enough Frozen characters to keep the kids happy. But then when (if) Frozen runs its course, pull the characters out and do something else. The basic attraction could still remain using existing buildings and landscaping.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Sure, populate it with enough Frozen characters to keep the kids happy.<< Like when they populated the Mexico ride with enough characters to keep the kids happy? Putting the characters in will really dumb it down at best, or completely ruin it at worst. Not that it's a really high-brow experience at the moment, but at least it's authentic to Norway's culture, history, and geography Plopping fictional Arendale into the very real World Showcase not only cheapens Norway, but the entire experience. Epcot used to aim for a higher standard. It seems like it's been a long time since they've had the gumption to really go for a compelling and interesting experience >> But then when (if) Frozen runs its course, pull the characters out and do something else.<< Given that they seem to have a hard enough time maintaining the ride enough to keep it operational, do we really trust them to semi-redo the ride enough to remove some characters? It seems like The Lion King has run its course, yet The Circle of Life movie in The Land pavilion still stars Timon and Pumbaa (and lots of live action footage from the early 80's). Given TDO's modus operandi for keeping things well past their expiration dates, I just don't see that sort of thing happening any time soon
Originally Posted By hopemax Also, the way people "think" about Disney; their own preconceptions, when you go too character driven you can't do anything else. This is already happened, with non-Disney fans turning their noses up at anything that doesn't have a movie tie-in in the MK/DL park. Epcot had a broader vision so people were more accepting of not having it tied to something they could watch on their DVD player at home. They already added Nemo, and Donald...how many more characters can they add before even at Epcot people won't expect anything else?
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORWEN: By now I'm pretty sure most of you know how much I love seeing the Disney characters at the Disney parks. I don't have any objections to seeing characters doing meet and greets in World Showcase. But having attractions in World Showcase that are about Disney movies is going too far, if you ask me. I think it's more appropriate to have attractions about the countries. ORDDU: I agree. And we are disappointed that so many of the attractions in the various countries of World Showcase haven't been updated over the years. Even when Canada received a somewhat updated movie, much of what you see, now, was left over from years before. ORWEN: And, I'm sorry, but that Martin Short guy really gets on a witch's nerves really fast!! ORGOCH: Well, now ya knows how folks feels 'bout yerself, sister!!!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>Even when Canada received a somewhat updated movie, much of what you see, now, was left over from years before.<< Yep, a lot of the 2006 redo was recycled footage from the 1982 version of the film, much of which originated in the 1967 Montreal Expo. That footage will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in a couple years! And to make matters worse, most of the 2006 footage wasn't filmed in CircleVision, so it's just using a single screen or 9 unrelated images to form the circle. Although I don't mind Martin Short in certain circumstances, I agree that this redo was a big miss (though we was good in Cinemagique and The Making of Me)
