#MAELSTROM DISNEY PIN FULL#

Maelstrom had run its course, and the Norwegian government had ceased sponsoring the pavilion over a decade earlier. The Norway pavilion was considered to be reasonably related to the film, in terms of setting and culture. Looking for a way to incorporate the film and its characters into the theme parks, Disney’s spotlight focused on EPCOT. “Frozen Fever” brought mega film gross, and spurred an appetite for merchandise and experiences from fans all over. The story of the ice princess, based in a fantasy version of Scandinavian culture and geography, was a tide that wouldn’t subside.

But the winds of change began to blow in 2013, when Disney’s animated film Frozen took the world by storm.

Maelstrom enjoyed a run of 26 wet and wild years.

#MAELSTROM DISNEY PIN FULL#

The boat ride was barely four-and-a-half minutes long, and the full experience reached close to ten minutes if you stayed for the post-ride film. If Maelstrom’s attraction story sounds a bit thin, it’s because it was. Now there was only one way out of the fishing village – through a theater that showed a five-minute film showcasing more of Norway’s history and folklore (and of course, tourist destinations). Once the brush with the oil rigs was under control, the boatful of (slightly wet) guests calmly cruised into a nearby Norwegian harbor, disembarking in a fishing village. In collaboration with NorShow, they developed a story featuring Vikings, a fishing village, a polar bear, a fjord, and an oil rig (yes, an oil rig), but unfortunately no Sherman Brothers. So Disney Imagineers went back to the drawing board. But NorShow – the pavilion’s eleven-member sponsor group – immediately nixed the idea, preferring a storyline with a broader scope which would help promote modern tourism. The attraction, which was to be called “SeaVenture”, would even feature a theme song written by the legendary Sherman Brothers. Originally envisioned to focus entirely on Norse mythology, the attraction began as a journey through mystical lands and trolls to find the rainbow bridge to Valhalla. It turns out those “unspecified problems” included test riders getting soaking wet during the North Sea storm, and sometimes even thrown out of the boat (which is exactly what happened to a Norwegian television reporter who fell out of the boat when he test rode the attraction during the pavilion’s opening day). At the time the pavilion first opened, one local newspaper headline jeered “Norway Pavilion Opens - Without Viking Ride.” The report went on to note that Disney cited “unspecified problems” for the delay. However, the pavilion’s highly anticipated main attraction – a boat ride through simulated Norwegian fjords, a Viking village, and a storm on the North Sea – did not open until July 5, 1988, a month after the official opening.

Maelstrom disney pin