Since opening in the early 80’s, the World Showcase at Epcot (part of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida) has offered guests a sampling of the food, music, culture, and aesthetic of 11 countries around the globe.
The Norway section of the park was previously home to Maelstrom, one of few ride attractions in the World Showcase, making the Norway pavilion popular among Epcot guests. Maelstrom was a scenic log-flume style ride that took its riders on a journey through Norwegian seas amongst trolls and Vikings. On October 5, 2014, Maelstrom closed its doors to riders for the very last time.
Earlier in the year, WDW announced its plans to replace the original Maelstrom ride with a Frozen themed attraction, following in the success of the hugely popular 2013 Disney movie. The announcement was met with the varied reactions of Disney fans everywhere, many of which fought in vain to save Maelstrom, going so far as circulating petitions around the internet.