Maelstrom Question

[Stu29573]

From another site: "Maelstrom, the boat ride in Norway,Epcot, will be closing on September 28, 2014 and will not reopen. This ride is being retired and is expected to open as something new, perhaps a Frozen-themed attraction."
I thought this rumor had been killed a while back. Does this other site "know something" or are they just dishing out junk?

[yankeesfan123]

From another site: "Maelstrom, the boat ride in Norway,Epcot, will be closing on September 28, 2014 and will not reopen. This ride is being retired and is expected to open as something new, perhaps a Frozen-themed attraction."
I thought this rumor had been killed a while back. Does this other site "know something" or are they just dishing out junk?

This rumor never died and picked up steam recently when people couldn't book a FP for the attraction after 9/28.

Nothing official yet though still unless something new came out.

[MizMissy]

That, and they were about to release a T-SHIRT! Maybe that was a sign they were memorializing it, as a beloved fan ex-attraction!

.

You know, you could just respond to someone's question without the sarcasm. It is truly unnecessary to make this ugly statement with eye rolls for a second time to a comment I copied directly from Intercot on their Facebook post (that has since been removed).

[Stu29573]

Actually, that's what I thought, Eric. I was just making sure (as sure as we can be, I guess).
Oh, and no offense taken...

[John]

Believe nothing till you hear it from Iger, and you'd think he'd have told us by now. He's had plenty of chances.

Do you really believe that? You don't think it's possible that redesigns of an attraction are actually progressing along and just aren't to the stage where they are announced to the public yet?

This fits the classic Disney mold as of late. Figure out how to leverage something that already exists into a "new" ride while not spending a ton of money. Add to the fact that there is a shortage of decent FP+ attractions in Epcot (although plenty would argue Maelstrom is fine the way it is) and the fact that you have one of the hottest Disney films in recent memory - with the potential of turning what really is an C/D attraction into an E in the minds of many fans because of the name alone - and I'd say there is a whole lot of credibility.

On the scale of will it happen, I'd put it at better than 75% right now.

[Tekneek]

Maelstrom is a timeless attraction.

This was the danger of putting Finding Nemo into The Living Seas. It set a precedent that is bad for Epcot. Unfortunately, the company has practically abandoned Epcot as anything more than a place to drink alcohol and watch has-been/tribute bands.

[John]

Maelstrom is a timeless attraction.

This was the danger of putting Finding Nemo into The Living Seas. It set a precedent that is bad for Epcot. Unfortunately, the company has practically abandoned Epcot as anything more than a place to drink alcohol and watch has-been/tribute bands.

Well put. We talked about this a few podcasts back. Epcot really needs to be the park of focus for the next 5-7 years. It sorely needs new attractions and a rethinking of what it's mission is - especially future world.

On the band side of things, some including me would argue that is part of being the permanent worlds fair that it was meant to be. Lively festivals, music, etc (they are super-serving the core demographic with the targeted music) ... but the problem is that Disney has lost the focus on the theme park side of things. I'd argue 3-4 major attractions are needed along with major refurbishment are needed to get the park just back to where it should be at a minimum.

[kbean]

Why did i have to read this while at lunch? Now I feel sick.

[yankeesfan123]

Why did i have to read this while at lunch? Now I feel sick.

It's a rumor. It's the same rumor that has been going around since Frozen came out.

It might be true but I wouldn't get into a tizzy quite yet.

[John]

Trust me when I say there is credibility in this rumor. As anything though, plans are subject to change and even things that sometimes look certain often never come to be.

[John]

Have to remember:
A) Living Seas was practically empty by the time it was refurbed,
B) This was under Paul Pressler's early 00's administration, where the response to an empty attraction was "Close it, gift-shop it, or tie it into the new movie, that's the only thing guests want to see anyway!"
Tarzan's Treehouse at DLR and Tiki Room: Under New Management were less successful examples of that policy, and Wonders of Life even less so, but their own new management seems to have put those days of Pressler-malaise behind them.

There's an ABC special on Sept. 2 of "The Making of Frozen", where they plan to announce, quote, "the next chapter" of Frozen, and I'm thinking (hoping, anyway ) that it's referring to a Tangled Ever After mini-sequel that they've already speculated, and not...you know.
The climax of the special will just be an extended plug for Big Hero 6, so I don't think it would be anything that would eclipse that.

(And what did we say about confusing REAL news with subjective editorials?... )

Well, it is the news/rumors forum... so it all leads to good discussion even if nothing comes of all this.

[SBETigg]

What's going on with the gift shop in Norway lately? Has it become taken over with Frozen merchandise, or is there some Frozen merchandise here and there, or none at all? Just curious. I love that shop, but I can see it becoming a Frozen-centric store if the ride goes that way. Or maybe it's already on the way? I haven't been there recently. But it would be a shame to lose the Laila and Helly Hansen and I love the trolls just the way they are (vs the rounder softer Frozen versions).

[RunDMV]

I was here during the days of "It's Disney's sacred DUTY to the fans, to give us a Lilo & Stitch attraction!", fan-blueprinting of how to rehab Alien Encounter, and complaints about What's Happened to Tomorrowland, and I'd dispute that "good discussion" claim. Fans have a little trouble distinguishing that Reality/Discussion border, not to mention it's a pretty good example of "Be careful what you nag for".
(And if you want to say that Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor was the ultimate result of "It's Disney's sacred DUTY to the fans, to give us a Door Ride when Timekeeper stands empty!", then there's another example.)

We're the ones paying to get into the park. They don't "have" to do anything they don't want to if they don't find it workable, box office or no.

I have yet to understand a single thing you post.

[John]

Quick translation (glad you asked )

You think Frozen's got a mania? You shoulda been around here in '02, when there nothing less than a full-blown cult for Lilo & Stitch. Seriously. You Frozen folks are amateurs by comparison.

And see if any of this sounds...familiar:
The fans in the mania believed that it was such a popular film, it "deserved" its own attraction...After all, wasn't the box office proof of its lasting popularity?
It was science fiction, so Stitch should go in Tomorrowland! And good thing too, because there wasn't anything left in Tomorrowland, and the new people running the park had ruined the theme, and everybody complained it needed some new attractions! All the fans already had the perfect place for it, too--Maybe they could finally retire that Alien Encounter that nobody liked, and make it Stitch Encounter!...Wouldn't that be a neat idea? And it would tie into the movie, too, as a permanent representation! It could be a new E-ride for the area!
And oh, the fans were determined to get one. Every week would have fan sites publishing rumor "updates" on whether Alien Encounter would be retired and rehabbed for a new "unnamed Stitch attraction", and any evidence they could find (usually circumstantial) was published on the front page and in the Rumors boards...Yes, especially here.

Unfortunately, as we know, this story ends unhappily: We got one anyway.
And if what we did get seems like not the most overwhelming attraction ever built at the park...hey, YOU wanted one.
And those of us who thought the movie wasn't all that great and was a bit of a mess to begin with, could only sit back through the whole thing, look at the end result, and say, "...Happy now??"

Moral: Let the Imagineers do their job. They know when not to build a movie into the park; that's why they're paid for it and you're not.

You typed a lot - but I'm not sure there is a real point in there. And lets be clear, it's not the imagineers who are running things. They do their jobs but ultimately don't green light things or decide budget or scale.

Bottom line. We don't have a thing to do with whether it comes to play or not (except the fact as consumers that people are swallowing up Frozen merchandise).

See my posts above. The "rumor" is valid.

[Cheshire_Girl]

Why do they keep taking away my favorite things...
Back back back down the falls I say!

[Melanie]

Why do they keep taking away my favorite things...
Back back back down the falls I say!

You are not the first to pass this way,
Nor shall you be the last.

[BriarRose0708]

Is nothing sacred anymore, lol?

It seems like nothing is safe these days and feels (to me) that on every trip I have to ride or experience something because I never know if it's the last time. Carousel of progress is one but I didn't expect Maelstrom, even after Frozen came out at the box office.

[cer]

It seems like nothing is safe these days and feels (to me) that on every trip I have to ride or experience something because I never know if it's the last time.

So true.

[DizHawk]

It seems like nothing is safe these days and feels (to me) that on every trip I have to ride or experience something because I never know if it's the last time.

But isn't that one of the original ideas behind EPCOT? As John mentioned earlier, isn't the idea of a world's fair that there will be constant change in the park, especially on the World Showcase side? Change should be accepted and even embraced at Epcot of all parks.

I'll temper that a bit by saying I don't like The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and I'm not thrilled about a Frozen takeover of Maelstrom. I think it cheapens the experience a bit, as does the current narration and touchscreen experience on Spaceship Earth. I'd go back to the Jeremy Irons narration and the previous descent, but that's simply my preference.

I do like what they've done with Test Track in the last refurb because it actually enhances the vehicle testing theme a bit more than the first iteration did. You're testing the vehicle you designed. I think it's a neat idea and my kids love it every time.

Yes, Epcot needs work. Energy is getting a little long in the tooth, Imagination is a wreck, and Mission:Space isn't as much of a draw as it probably was at one time. The Wonders of Life is wasted space except for the Flower and Garden Festival.

Epcot is still my favorite of the four parks. It's showing its age a bit, but I still love the combination of the different countries and the future(ish) attractions. It's the one place I tell my DW nearly every night I wish I was at.

One positive to replacing Maelstrom with a Frozen ride? They might actually update the movie at the end.

[SBETigg]

But isn't that one of the original ideas behind EPCOT? As John mentioned earlier, isn't the idea of a world's fair that there will be constant change in the park, especially on the World Showcase side? Change should be accepted and even embraced at Epcot of all parks.

I do like what they've done with Test Track in the last refurb because it actually enhances the vehicle testing theme a bit more than the first iteration did. You're testing the vehicle you designed. I think it's a neat idea and my kids love it every time.

One positive to replacing Maelstrom with a Frozen ride? They might actually update the movie at the end.

I hate what they've done with Test Track. It's like they went in without a clear of idea of what to do and just said, "Tron, neon! Okay!" And went with it haphazardly. Other than the "design your car" feature (which to me is a time-waster and skippable), it has almost nothing in keeping with the original concept. I feel they've cheapened the experience and lost a lot of it along the way. But hey, glad someone likes it. And I can see that Future World needs constant updating, so at least they tried.

As far as World Showcase, Disney apparently had complications over the initial design for Maelstrom due to Norway's objections. Disney wanted it all about the trolls. Norway wanted more about Norway. Having heard this, I really wouldn't expect Norway to be entirely on board with a Frozen takeover, but I have no idea how much approval they have over the pavilion anymore, and maybe new people are overseeing that who love Frozen. Or the popularity of Frozen is too big to deny. Who knows.

But I think the idea of World Showcase and what the countries offer is really enough as far as change goes. I disagree that this part of the park should be in constant flux unless it's showcasing new things a country has to offer. That's the spirit of a world's fair, not adding characters to push merchandise (though not like Disney to pass up an opportunity, and they are a business). I get nervous when they start to retool with characters in a place that should be focused on the countries. Not to say that Maelstrom isn't a bit stale. Updating is necessary, and the changes might turn out great.