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The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will debut their new land, World of Frozen, on November 20th. Prior to the opening, the resort has released a ton of new information about the Frozen-themed area. POV’s for the land’s two attractions have also been released, allowing those who might not be able to visit anytime soon a chance to see what they have to offer. Parts of the new land look very impressive, and others not so much. Let’s dive into these highs and lows with a Pro/Con style article.
High: This Awesome Map
Instead of just releasing a standard park map for the area, Hong Kong Disneyland created this detailed map that feels right out of the Frozen movies. All sorts of different landmarks and locations are depicted, making it easy to admire the land’s layout in a non-traditional fashion.
Hong Kong Disneyland announced that World of Frozen would have two distinct areas, one being the Arendelle Forest and the other the Arendelle Village. The park stated that the Village is where most of Arendelle’s citizens will live, which hopefully points to lots of walk-around characters. being spotted here. It will also be home to a number of shops as well as Frozen Ever After, the boat ride that can also be found in Epcot’s Norway Pavillion, though Hong Kong’s version will be slightly longer and more fleshed out.
Low: Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs Looks Disappointing
Meanwhile, the Arendelle Forest will mainly be home to Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs. This new family roller coaster has been teased for quite a while, leaving us wondering if it would be something akin to Seven Dwarves Mine Train at Magic Kingdom or Shanghai Disneyland, which blends a fun (albeit short) family coaster with beautiful dark-ride elements.
However, once a POV was released for the attraction, it became clear that it isn’t that at all.
Props to Attractions Magazine for getting over four minutes of content out of this video, because the roller coaster is less than a minute long. Family coasters don’t have to be incredibly long, thrilling experiences, but there is almost nothing going on in this attraction. The scenery is definitely beautiful, and the queue at least has some fun details to look at, such as a neat totem pole or the screen featuring Oaken in a sauna. When it comes to the actually roller coaster though, there’s almost nothing of substance.
In case you aren’t able to watch the POV, here’s a quick description. The train pulls out of the station, passes animatronics of Olaf and Sven the Reindeer, and then heads up a short lift hill. Upon reaching the top, the ride turns to the right before making two short tips and turning to the left in a big helix. The sleighs then turn to the right before dipping down once more, then they turn right. After one more right turn, the coaster hits the break run and then pulls into the station.
Does that sound boring, short and monotonous? That’s because it is.
Again, family coasters don’t have to be these long masterpieces that become the best thrill in the park. However, they should have some sort of hook that keeps riders coming back. Again, while Seven Dwarves Mine Train isn’t the longest or most impressive coaster, it does have a nice dark ride section to break up the pace of the ride and give it more of it’s own identity. Without that, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs is just a boring coaster with some nice rock-work around it.
High: A Slightly More Fleshed Out Frozen Ever After
Frozen Ever After at Epcot has it’s fans (me being one of them), but there are some flaws with the attraction. Since it took over the old Maelstrom boat ride, it was confined to the same track and buildings to tell it’s story. It does a good job, but the length and occasionally barren set-pieces leave something to be desired.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Disneyland’s version is built from the ground up and therefore doesn’t have to adhere to any previous layout or design. The ride is still incredibly similar to it’s predecessor, but is a bit longer and seems to have more going on, especially in the beginning. The animatronics also look slightly better, since they’re not using the screen-projection faces for Anna and Elsa. There are still a few places that need more substance, mainly in the “Let It Go” hallway that has nothing but wall projections, but overall it’s an improvement on the original.
High: A Unique Stage Show
In the midst of two new rides to try, Hong Kong Disneyland guests may forget that a third attraction exists in the form of an interactive stage show. “Playhouse in the Woods” will be a theatrical experience that sees Anna showing off her secret hideaway in the woods. Apparently she used to play there as a kid, and she’s letting Elsa and Olaf explore it for the first time. Sure, this kind of entertainment might not be for everyone, but a Frozen themed stage show is sure to appeal to kids. While the show will feature singing, projection mapping and other special effects, it also appears to be indoors, offering a chance to get out of the Hong Kong humidity.
Low: Character Interactions Might Be Lacking
This is just speculative, but the guide to World of Frozen that Hong Kong Disneyland published doesn’t mention many interactions with characters. Sure, Anna and Elsa will most likely be available for a meet ‘n’ greet after “Playhouse in the Woods,” but besides that only Kristoff and Oaken appear to have character interactions. Both of these characters make sense to have, as one is a main character and the latter has his own ride in the form of Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, but there seem to be some characters missing.
For instance, will Olaf be available to meet? He’s arguably one of the most recognizable characters in the movies, and has had his own meet and greet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the past. What about the villains from the first movie, or the rock trolls? The list goes on.
Take all this with a grain of salt though, as Disney could either have not revealed them as part of the land yet, or could add them later on if demand is high enough.
Low: Lackluster Shops
It’s no secret that merchandise is a big part of Disney’s brand. Regardless of whether or not that’s a good thing, it’s nice to see them put so much effort into designing iconic buildings to sell this merchandise. The many stores in Galaxy’s Edge come to mind as great thematic ways to entice visitors into buying something, and even something simple and modern such as the Creations Shop at Epcot has it’s fans.
For the merchandising powerhouse that is Frozen, you’d think that Imagineers would design the most interesting and appealing shops to sell gifts in. Even the remodeled shop in Norway does a good job at this with the space they were given. However, the same might not be able to be said about the shops in World of Frozen.
Tick Tock Toys and Collectibles is a rather modest store, inside and out. It fits the theming and aesthetic of the rest of the land, but that should be expected by Disney. The blue accents on the doors and windowsills are absolutely gorgeous, but the rest of the building is rather plain. The inside doesn’t fair much better, as while the emphasis on wood is nice to look at, there’s not to much else going on in the picture below. The merchandise on offer, such as Olaf plushes and various clothing, seems pretty par from the course, albeit with the exception of some Nordic sweaters. Supposedly there’s a “Royal Post of Arendelle” that’s right outside the shop though, which allows guests to send post cards to friends and family. That’s a nice acknowledgement of a very underutilized form of communication.
The only other shop is Traveling Traders, which is a simple pop-up shop in the Arendelle Forest. It will carry things such as keychains, plush and headbands. That’s it though. Other than that, there’s no other known shopping locations in World of Frozen, a land based on a franchise that sold $5 billion in merchandise one year after the movie released.
High: Food, Glorious Food
Where World of Frozen stumbles in gift shops, it makes up for with an array of food options. The main dining location is Golden Crocus Inn, which is a quick-service in the Arendelle Village that focuses on serving “homey Norwegian food” such as seafood and pasta. The selection of food they showed off looks mouth-watering, and the colorful exterior fairs much better than the shopping locations at being alluring.
There’s also Northern Delights, a neighborhood sweets shop that offers desserts and packaged gift confectionary. Disney has a lot of these sweet shops throughout it’s parks, but Northern Delights might be the most orderly and visually appealing of them all.
Finally, Forest Fare is a small stand in the Arendelle Forest, similar to Travelling Traders. These alliteratively-named stands might both have an unassuming look, but at least Forest Fare offers churros, cookies and shaved ice, the latter of which will be served in a thematically-appropriate stein. Disney actually posted a full “foodie guide” to the World of Frozen on their blog, so check that out if you want your mouth to water even more.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen might leave something to be desired when it comes to a few of it’s offerings. It’s shopping selection feels weirdly incomplete, and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs might be the lamest roller coaster Disney has ever produced. However, the positives do a great job at clouding the negatives. The food on display looks absolutely delicious, and the places to order them are great in their own right. Frozen Ever After looks to be a sound update to the attraction at Epcot, and the “Playhouse in the Woods” stage show looks to be an exciting option for entertainment.
We’ll definitely keep our eyes on World of Frozen when it opens to the public on November 20th, so stay tuned for more information about Hong Kong Disneyland’s newest expansion!
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