The world’s first Frozen-themed land set to debut at Hong Kong Disneyland offers a glimpse of what the future could hold for the Disneyland resort over the next couple decades under a reimagined long-term vision for the Anaheim theme park resort district.
A Frozen land was pitched in 2021 as a possible project for a proposed theme park expansion in the DisneylandForward plan presented to the city of Anaheim.
Arendelle village will serve as the centerpiece of the World of Frozen themed land opening Monday, Nov. 20 at Hong Kong Disneyland.
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The backstory for the new World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland brings to life the Kingdom of Arendelle for a “summer snow day” celebration in a themed land featuring two rides, a show, a restaurant and two shops amid Nordic-inspired architecture.
The Frozen Ever After water ride at Hong Kong Disneyland updates a similar attraction that opened in 2016 at Epcot in Florida.
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Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs becomes the latest peak to join the man-made mountains made by Walt Disney Imagineering at theme parks around the world. The sleigh-themed kiddie coaster features a dark ride-style show section along a 1,000-foot-long steel track that wraps around and through the Arendelle mountain.
The “Playhouse in the Woods” interactive theater experience features video projections, audio-animatronics and Arendelle citizens celebrating “summer snow day” with Elsa and Anna.
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The new World of Frozen themed land at Hong Kong Disneyland also includes the Golden Crocus Inn restaurant serving Nordic-inspired meals, the Northern Delights sweets shop offering chocolates, ice cream and baked goods and the Tick Tock Toys and Collectibles gift shop at the exit of the water ride.
The DisneylandForward proposal seeks to update a 1990s Anaheim city plan to allow for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.
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The long-term planning proposal dangled six possible projects based on “Frozen,” “Tangled,” “Peter Pan,” “Zootopia,” “Toy Story” and “Tron” as the types of lands and attractions Anaheim is missing out on under current city planning and zoning guidelines.
In addition to Hong Kong’s Arendelle village, Frozen themed lands are nearing completion at Disney theme parks in Japan and France.
The Frozen Kingdom will be part of Fantasy Springs, the newest port set to debut at Tokyo DisneySea in June 2024. The Tokyo Disneyland expansion will feature the Frozen boat ride along with an Arendelle castle restaurant and village shops.
The new lands and attractions coming to Tokyo DisneySea “could be the perfect inspiration for the future of Disneyland Park,” according to the DisneylandForward website.
The Kingdom of Arendelle — a third Frozen land — is under construction in Walt Disney Studios Park at the Disneyland Paris resort in France.
Florida’s Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World resort is already home to the world’s first Frozen Ever After water ride and a meet-and-greet location where visitors can snap photos with Elsa and Anna in the Norway pavilion of World Showcase.
That will eventually leave only two Disney theme park resorts worldwide — in Anaheim and Shanghai, China — without a Frozen-themed land or area.
Shanghai Disneyland has a Frozen sing-along show — much like the film that once played in the Sunset Showcase Theater at Disney California Adventure that now screens “Mickey’s PhilharMagic.”
The Broadway-caliber “Frozen Live” show at the Hyperion Theater in Disney California Adventure closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t return with the reopening of the park.
Disney has announced that a “Frozen 3” sequel is in development.
