On November 20th the World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland will finally open. Almost seven years after the initial announcement on November 22th 2016 the last part of the then announced expansion plan will be finished, featuring two new rides, a restaurant and a whole new themed area.
In 2016 the Walt Disney Company announced their mayor KH$10,9 billion expansion plan for Hong Kong Disneyland. The plan consisted of the Stark Expo, the Castle of Dreams, several small rides and the World of Frozen. Covid-19 had a severe effect on the construction on the plan, but with the upcoming opening of the World of Frozen the plan will be complete. As part of the previous expansion the Hong Kong based park already received their Buzz Lighyear Astro Blasters make over named Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle.
In the World of Frozen guests are welcomed in Arendelle, time-wise entering the kingdom just after the first Frozen-film. “In this time of happily-ever-after, peace and prosperity have returned to the kingdom of Arendelle, guests are invited from near and far to take part in this joyous celebration on Summer Snow Day,” said Michel Den Dulk, Executive Creative Director for Walt Disney Imagineering.
The main focus of the World of Frozen will be the town or Arendelle. In this town guest will find both the Frozen Ever After dark ride, the Playhouse in the Woods interactive experience and several shopping and dining options. The Frozen Ever After dark ride is based on the 2016 Epcot makeover of their old Maelstrom ride, but with more rooms reserved for immersive scenes and advanced storytelling. The ride will make use of boats, offering rooms for up to 16 passengers at the same time.
The other and exclusive mayor ride in the new land will be Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, a small rollercoaster by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma. This rollercoaster is located to the side of the themed land and may feature one of more themed scenes, reminiscent of the Seven Dwars Mine Train.
Hong Kong Disneyland isn’t the only Disney park to receive the World of Frozen expansion. Both Tokyo Disneysea, which announced it as part of their Fantasy Springs expansion and Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris are set to receive their World of frozen in 2024 and 2025. While the lands are mostly the same, both Tokyo and Paris lack the Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleigh ride.
