Epcot's 'Norway' May be Safe.. for now.

 Epcot's "Norway" May be Safe.. for now.



 For several months now we've been reporting rumors that Walt Disney World has been considering changing Epcot Centers "Norway" area to something with a 'Frozen' theme based off the hit movie as well as the countries reluctance to pay $9 million for updates to the land and ride found within.

In-case you missed these
The rumor of Frozen/Norway can be found here.
The Norway/Disney $9 Million Demand can be found here.

 For the last few days, Disney has been hinting at a 'Big Announcement' coming at the end of their "The Making of Frozen" special which aired last night ABC Family. This had whipped the speculation wagon into a full gallop with many believing we'd finally learn the fate of Disney's Norway and Maelstorm.

 Well, we can take a relaxed breath, for now. The only annoucement found at the end of "The Making of Fozen" involved the movie getting a new 'movie shot' and not a peep about the World Showcase country. While this may be good news, I hesitate still to accept it as gospel. It could be that Norway is just getting the massive refurbishment the ride Maelstorm and the country overall has needed for years.. or it could mean something else.

 Frankly, I don't know. Speculation exists on both sides of the argument with fans of the movie crying for a Frozen-Norway make-over while fans of Epcot and World Showcase scream that it doesn't belong. Personally, I stand firmly with the Epcot/World Showcase folks.

 We'll simply have to wait and see what the next hints from Disney and rumors mill involve.

Disney Demands Norway Pay $9 Million.. or Arendelle is Coming.

Image and Story from Daily Finance

 Disney Goes Crazy, Demands Norway Pay $9 Million Upgrade to World Showcase Pavilion..

 Now, I freely admit I'm rather alone in my unpopular opinions about Epcot Center and World Showcase in general. You won't find any "Everything Disney Does is Sooooo Wonderful" business in the post below, so don't be too surprised at my rather unflattering and realistic opinions. Here we stand among the few in numbers who still believe Epcot could be about education and entertainment, holding to the principle's which Walt Disney himself wanted.

 Somehow I suspected something like this would happen, Disney Management and Igor Iger has finally gone completely stupid, demanding $9 Million to upgrade the World Showcase pavilion.. or they will turn it into Arendelle from the current hit move, Frozen.

 Yes Folks, Disney has finally lost their collective minds in demanding money in order to get what they want. Supposedly Disney has demanded $9 Million from the country of Norway in order to upgrade and maintain the pavilion or they will turn it into Arendelle, the mythical country in which Queen Elsa and Princess Anna reside.  Now, to be fair, the Norway Pavilion has been needing some attention and updating for several years now. The ride 'Maelstorm' needs a face lift and heavy refurbishment as well as the ending film needing an update. The area could use an overall loving hand to update but all that aside.. never before has Disney entered the world of politics with a demand for money and attention, with a threat tacked onto it.

 Rumors are flying left and right. Since Norway is one of only two countries in World Showcase which have a physical 'ride' involved, it makes it a rather rare place. Many state 'Maelstorm' will be turned into a 'Frozen' themed ride and have been since the movies release. Currently folks are saying this could happen as soon as October if Norway fails to shell out some heavy-duty cash flow.

 Since 'Frozen' has gotten so big, many of us have had uneasy feelings. Disney has a nasty habit of getting exactly what they want, one way or another. With Frozen being so big, they wasted no time in stuffing their newest 'Princess Hit' into a country and theme park where it didn't belong. The movie just keeps gaining in popularity as time keeps going, which has given Disney leverage it's never had in the past, the ability to use thinly hidden threats to gain the upper hand.

 The Norway Pavilion has already suffered from Frozen. The retail store has lost space to host a mass of 'Frozen' merchandise and the Stave Church has been completely converted from Viking and Norwegian History, to that of the mythical country Arendelle. Now, Disney is pushing for the $9 Million they want to 'update' a pavilion which is barely keeping to the culture which inspired it.

 So far, Norway has been very reluctant to fork over that level of cash. More so when you consider their already paying to promote a fictional country rather than their own.

 The downside it that Disney will eventually win on some level. They'll either get the cash to update from Norway or they'll get Arendelle, which has zero business being in World Showcase to begin with.

((Edit: Yes, the source is real.. it's linked up under the photo but I'll re-post it down here for ease of the readers: Daily Finance))

Frozen- Disney's "Next Big Thing "in the Theme Parks and Beyond.

Frozen IS Disney's "Next Big Thing" in the Theme Parks and Beyond.

 Disney's newest movie, Frozen, has been making a killing in theaters. Along with a great cast and wonderful music, the movie is officially becoming the "next big thing" for Disney.

 Already plans have been make to expand upon the property. Disney has announced it will be made into a Broadway Musical, following in the steps of other great movies like Lion King and Little Mermaid.  Disney is already talking Sequels for the movie as well as Video Games and one thing all Disney World Fans are dreading- Integration into the theme parks.

 Bob Iger, the current talking head in charge of The Walt Disney Company, has stated as much on Wednesday according to Variety Magazine.

 We've talked about this before, when rumors first began that "Frozen" could likely take over the attraction "Maelstrom" in Epcot Centers, World Showcase Norway Pavilion (Please See- Rumor Alert: Could Maelstrom become a "Frozen Themed Ride at Epcot?"). However, how Frozen could be developed into the theme parks is still unknown. We're still classing "Frozen Taking Over Maelstrom" as a rumor until some harder news comes to light to change that fact.

Rumor Alert- Could Maelstorm become 'Frozen' themed ride at Epcot?!

Rumor Alert- Could Maelstorm become Frozen Themed at Epcot's World Showcase?!

 Alright, this rumor came out of left field today and really is rather a bit of a surprise. Although I'm surprised it took this long for a "Frozen coming to the theme parks" rumor to surface!

 According to a rumor posted on Screamscape today, WDI is pondering if they can turn the iconic ride "Maelstorm" located at the Norway Pavilion into a "Frozen" theme.

 Now I've got some issues with this as most of the pavilions at World Showcase are partly funded and operated by the country they represent, so Disney would likely require permission from Norway to change over the fan-favorite attraction.

Image from Disney

 While it's also very true that the current versions of Maelstorm is in dire of need of a face-lift due to attraction aging and lack of up-keep, I'd hate to see it disappear. Although no one is currently sure if much needed attention will be paid to the ride anytime soon or if they're simply going to wait for it to fall apart, replacing it only at the end with something new.  Rumor has it the ride is scheduled for a massive refurbishment in 2017 but this is also unconfirmed.

 However, this is still an unconfirmed rumor. As of right now, I rate this as PURE SPECULATION.  If true, all it shows is that Disney has given WDI the go-ahead to dream up various ideas of how an attraction would look and operate, on various budgets. This is often called "Blue Sky Dreaming" by Fans and Insiders.

 As of right now, it's just a concept and a rumor.

Even though Wiki is trying to report this as confirmed, it is NOT!