Disney Teases ‘Frozen Ever After’ Ride, Ignores Its Abandoned ‘Discovery Island’ Attraction

It’s been rumored that a Frozen attraction would arrive at Disney World Epcot. The successful animated musical is already set to get its own sequel and a Broadway show. Now, it looks like Frozen will have its own amusement park ride. It’s expected to open by May 1, 2016 at Walt Disney World’s Epcot.

Frozen Ever After will replace the 27-year-old Maelstrom ride, much to the chagrin of teens and young adults who enjoy the historic ride. During the ride that takes place at the Norway pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase, visitors will ride on snow-filled logs through a festival in the fictional land of Arendelle, according to TIME magazine. Riders will also watch the animatronics characters celebrate winter in the summertime thanks to Elsa’s magical powers. Of course the ride wouldn’t be without the classic “Let It Go” theme song.

Here’s more details about the new Frozen ride from Disney Parks blog.

“Guests will be transported to the Winter in Summer Celebration where Queen Elsa embraces her magical powers and creates a winter-in-summer day for the entire kingdom. They will also visit Elsa’s Ice Palace and the ice-blue world of the North Mountain, along with other locations before returning to the Bay of Arendelle. Of course, favorite ‘Frozen’ characters, including the Snowgies from the animated short ‘Frozen Fever,’ will be part of this new attraction, along with the spectacular sights inspired by the film.”

“The Norway Pavilion’s exterior will be expanded with many unique Norwegian architectural features and the interior design of the ‘Royal Sommerhus’ will reflect the cultural arts and crafts of Norway, providing a charming setting for guests to meet Elsa and Anna.”

This new Frozen could quickly become one of the most annoying rides in Walt Disney World, next to “It’s A Small World” at the Magic Kingdom. A character meet-and-greet will also take place at Epcot’s Norway Pavilion, featuring who else but Anna and Elsa. Fans have argued that the movie Frozen doesn’t take place in Norway. Although the movie takes place in a fictional land, it’s still based on a Norwegian tale, as noted by blogger Jon Negroni.

Disney continues to ignore its abandoned theme park, “Discovery Island.” When the island opened in 1974, it was known as “Treasure Island.” The island then had a name change in the late ’90s. It featured wildlife such as flamingos, lemurs, swans, and tortoises. The island quickly closed in 1999, without any reason or explanation.

Many Disney fans believe that “Discovery Island” was closed because of its mistreatment of animals. Meanwhile, others think it was closed simply because it wasn’t popular. Most of the animals were relocated to various other parks, including Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

Rumors swirled in 2009 that “Discovery Island” would revamp into a Lost theme. Some reports also claimed that it would be based off the “Mystic” video game. Unfortunately, for Disney fans, the ideas never came to life and the island remains closed.

Photographer and blogger Shane Perez was the last person to visit the island back in 2007. He even shared some eerie photos on his blog. Even he admitted that his visit to “Discovery Island” was rather creepy.

“Disney seems to like keeping all the lights on even in their abandoned properties in order to give the impression that they are still functional, it’s a bit eerie.”

It’s any wonder if Disney will do anything with the abandoned island in the near future. It would be the perfect place for a “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme park or Avatar Land, like the addition they’re building at the Animal Kingdom theme park.

What are your thoughts on Disney’s “Frozen Ever After” ride? Do you think it’ll it fit in with Epcot’s adult theme park? Do you think “Discovery Island” should be revamped into something else? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

[Image: Mark Ashman/Disney Parks via Getty Images]