For the first time in forever, we are getting a HUGE change to this popular EPCOT attraction!
Frozen Ever After
It has been a morning of breaking news for Disney World, from the announcement of when the Muppets Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster would open to the increasing prices of Disney World tickets in 2026. On top of that, Disney dropped some very exciting news about Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, and we seriously can’t let it go — we’re too pumped!
Some big changes are coming to the beloved attraction located in the Norway pavilion at EPCOT’s World Showcase. Frozen Ever After debuted in EPCOT in 2016, taking guests on a journey into Queen Elsa’s ice palace. The movie, being one of Disney’s biggest hits of all time, has led to this ride being a very popular one at the park. And, the Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff animatronics will all be getting new updates!
Frozen Ever After often has long lines!
The ride is full of Audio-Animatronics figures, including Sven, Kristoff, Olaf, Marshmallow, and of course, Anna and Elsa! At the time of the ride’s release, the animatronic figures were absolutely groundbreaking in the world of Audio-Animatronics. It wasn’t just big because this was the first-ever attraction themed to Frozen, but it was also the first attraction to have all-electric animatronic figures — combining electric motors and 3D printing. So, lots of firsts for the ride!
Sven
The detail and movement in Elsa, as you finally make it to the top of the ice palace, is truly amazing. You can see her ice-forming hand gestures, which for her animatronic figure to handle the fluid movements just like Elsa does on screen, Imagineers needed enough space to run cables and motors down her arms and hands. How crazy is that?! They had to figure out how big they needed to make Elsa’s wrist, and then scale everything else to fit that! Yes, Imaineers are just that good at what they do!
Frozen Ever After
The animatronics on this attraction were not only a huge milestone, but also the stepping stone to the animatronics we’ve seen since then! You can see it in the technology of all-electric motors, 3D printing, and scaling for every figure they have brought out over recent years. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World and Disneyland is a great example of this. Or, how about the gorgeous and extremely impressive animations on Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival at Tokyo DisneySea and World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland?
Tiana
Alright, so we mentioned a big change was coming to the EPCOT attraction. It’s no secret that, as impressive as the animatronics are to the journey of animatronic development, everyone is always talking about those projected faces on the characters. So, in a full circle moment of innovation, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff will all be getting new updates! After ten years, the faces of the animatronics on Frozen Ever After at EPCOT will change from their projected look.
Frozen Ever After animatronics
The attraction will draw inspiration from the advancements seen in figures at World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland. This is so exciting, take a look at how they look over there, and what we can expect!
©Disney
Coming early next year, in 2026, this investment will bring a more true-to-film look for these beloved characters. The more we look at these photos from the international attraction, the more excited we get about what the future holds for the EPCOT attraction!
Hong Kong Disneyland Animatronics
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We are so looking forward to the future of this attraction! For more Disney news and updates, make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog.
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The movies and music were great. The ride is boring. I don’t see why the excitement…. Sorry….
While this is definitely an amazing upgrade, it also means that in 2026 another ride will be down.
I wish they would make more of these boat style rides wheelchair accessible. The transfer seats they have are not safe and severely out of date. One of the WDW genius developers should come up with something original and not degrading to individuals that cannot transfer.
This will be a nice upgrade. I cannot wait to see the new changes.
Learned the hard way at rope drop after being placed in the front seat on a cold morning that this boat ride can drown you. I had to find a bathroom with a hand blow dryer which helped some but not enough. I’ve seen this ride enough now that after getting drowned it isn’t worth taking another chance to ride it again.