Guests heading to EPCOT next week will have a familiar boat ride waiting for them, but with some notable changes beneath the surface. Disney has officially confirmed that Frozen Ever After is set to reopen on February 12, 2026, following a multi-week closure that began earlier this year.
Frozen Ever After first opened in 2016 inside EPCOT’s Norway Pavilion, taking over the former Maelstrom attraction. The ride transformed the pavilion’s tone by bringing guests into the animated world of Arendelle, inviting them aboard Viking boats for a cheerful “Summer Snow Day” alongside Olaf, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Sven. The experience leaned heavily into music, large-scale sets, and moments pulled directly from the 2013 Frozen film.
From the beginning, the attraction stood out for its ambitious use of Audio-Animatronics. Olaf, Marshmallow, the Snowgies, Sven, and Kristoff all appeared throughout the ride, giving Frozen Ever After a scale more commonly associated with classic dark rides than World Showcase attractions. That approach was further refined in 2023, when Hong Kong Disneyland debuted its World of Frozen land featuring an updated version of the ride that showcased Disney’s latest figure technology.
Those same advancements are now arriving in Florida. Disney closed Frozen Ever After indefinitely in January 2026 to allow Imagineers to carry out extensive updates. The company has since posted operating hours on its official website, confirming that the attraction will return to service on February 12.
In late 2025, Disney Experiences announced that Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff would receive updated Audio-Animatronics inspired by the figures developed for Hong Kong. The goal, according to Disney, was to bring the EPCOT versions closer to their on-screen counterparts.
“…in a full circle moment of innovation, the Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff Audio-Animatronics figures will soon receive new updates after ten years of delighting fans in Frozen Ever After,” Disney Parks Blog wrote. “Taking inspiration from the advancements seen in figures at World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland, the Frozen Ever After figures will face the future of Audio-Animatronics.”
Walt Disney Imagineering executive creative development team member Ken Ricci shared more details about the refurbishment in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, noting that the work extended beyond the most visible changes. “Anytime an attraction goes down, we take an opportunity to freshen up what we can,” Ricci explained. “So, we touched up a lot and some show lighting, so it should look refreshed.”
While Frozen Ever After’s story and ride layout remain intact, one creative decision has long drawn attention from guests: the use of projected faces on several main characters. When the ride opened, that approach allowed for expressive animation, but it also produced inconsistent results depending on lighting conditions and viewing angles.
As part of the refurbishment, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff now feature fully articulated animatronic heads with silicone skin, replacing their original projected faces. This brings EPCOT’s version of the attraction in line with newer Frozen rides around the world, allowing for more natural facial movement and improved consistency throughout each scene.
According to Ricci, implementing the change required careful planning and physical modifications to the existing figures. “Then we literally had to modify the figures’ necks to accept the change in the heads. And that took a few days, but we did a lot of pre-planning with technology and software to make sure that we were ready to port over these figures,” he said.
Beyond the animatronic upgrades, Imagineers also updated show control systems and refined lighting and scenic elements across multiple scenes. These behind-the-scenes adjustments are designed to enhance the ride’s overall presentation without altering its familiar journey through Arendelle.
With testing underway ahead of the mid-February reopening, guests can expect the same Frozen Ever After experience, now supported by updated visuals and modernized technology. For an attraction that has been operating for nearly a decade, the refurbishment represents a meaningful evolution rather than a reinvention.
The move away from projected faces reflects a broader shift in how Imagineering approaches character realism. While EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After showcased the technology available in 2016, the Hong Kong version demonstrates how quickly Disney’s figure design has advanced.
Frozen’s global footprint continues to expand. Tokyo DisneySea introduced Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey in 2024 as part of the Fantasy Springs expansion, offering a new take on the sisters’ story. Meanwhile, Disneyland Paris is preparing to open its own World of Frozen on March 29, 2026, as part of the newly rebranded Disney Adventure World. Each addition builds on the foundation laid at EPCOT, ensuring Arendelle remains a fixture across Disney parks worldwide.
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