Ever since its inception in 1982, the World Showcase in EPCOT has been dedicated to educating theme park guests about the culture of each country represented in its eleven distinct pavilions. Although the atmosphere in each pavilion often evokes a more historical or mythological representation, the basic premise is to faithfully present the culture, tradition, and cuisine of each nation to visitors from around the world. 

Recently, the Walt Disney Company announced that one of World Showcase’s most beloved attractions, the Maelstrom ride, would be permanently closing on 6th October 2014 for an extensive refurbishment and re-theming as a tie-in to the Walt Disney Animation film “Frozen”. While Maelstrom presented the history, mythology, and future of the Norwegian people, the film “Frozen" is an appropriation and inaccurate representation of Norway’s unique culture. The film is not even explicitly set in Norway, rather in ‘Scandiavia’, and merely takes inspiration for its costumes from the traditional wear of people in those nations while still presenting a ‘Disney-fied’, historically inaccurate look. Even the original story of ‘The Snow Queen’ is not Norwegian—it is Danish. 

The “Frozen” brand already has a heavy presence in two other parks at the resort: Hollywood Studios, where the philosophy and process of filmmaking is presented in a relatable and fun setting, and Magic Kingdom, a park specifically dedicated to ‘fantasy’ as opposed to the reality of EPCOT. It would be much more suitable for the Walt Disney Company to develop a new attraction in either of those parks, where the idea of a fantasy land based on a fairy tale is already well-suited to the premises. 

It is obvious that in simply overlaying an existing attraction with this new theming instead of creating a brand-new attraction in any of the ‘dead spaces’ in these other parks that Walt Disney World’s focus has shifted from providing top-quality family entertainment to shamelessly exploiting this misleading and inaccurate film for as little money, time, and effort as possible. To place such an attraction in a pavilion whose explicit purpose is to educate people about the culture of Norway is a shame, and it is obviously an attempt by Disney to squeeze more and more profit out of an already overpromoted franchise. 

Maelstrom is an innovative, exciting attraction that showcases Norway as it was, is, and could be. It accomplishes the goal of World Showcase without being boring or classroom-like. It is as much a treasure to Walt Disney World as any other 'classic' attraction. We URGE the Walt Disney Company to reconsider this decision. We, as Disney fans, would rather see a Maelstrom refurbished with new paint than new (and incorrect) characters. We want the RIGHT kind of trolls.

The spirit of Norway has always been and will always be Adventure!