If you’ve ever dreamed about standing on top of a frozen mountain, belting out “Let It Go” inside an ice castle, well, start making your travel plans. Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are building versions of a “Frozen” land inspired by the animated Disney movies. If the land ends up looking anything like the early visuals the Walt Disney Company has released, it’s going to be extremely cool, with a first-of-its-kind ride.
Hong Kong Disneyland is expected to open Arendelle: The World of Frozen toward the end of 2023. Upon opening, the land will debut two new attractions: Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs and Frozen Ever After.
For the sleigh ride, “Guests will embark on a scenic ride through Arendelle on a ride designed and built by Wandering Oaken and powered by his buddies Olaf and Sven,” writes the Disney Tourist Blog. “Each experience on Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs begins when you visit Oaken’s infamous store. Then, Olaf and Sven help pull your sled to the top of the lift before sending you on your way.”
Frozen Ever After will be familiar to many, especially those who have been to Walt Disney World. It’s a copy of the Epcot ride there, itself a re-theme of the former Maelstrom Viking-inspired boat ride in the park’s Norway Pavilion.
Disney Parks just released drone footage of the land under construction, and it looks next-level immersive, with the snow-covered mountain rising above the storybook architecture of the village below.
In November 2022, Hong Kong Disneyland cast members signed their names on “ice magic” snowflakes, which were then installed on Arendelle Castle.
The Kingdom of Arendelle is going into Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris, where a 131-foot version of Elsa’s Ice Castle is under construction. The glistening, snow-covered palace overlooking a lake won’t stand quite as tall as Walt Disney World’s 189-foot Cinderella Castle, but it will be almost twice the size of Disneyland’s 77-foot Sleeping Beauty Castle. “When you arrive at the heart of the park, you’ll be immersed in the same wintery atmosphere experienced during the movies,” writes the Disney Parks Blog.
