Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is a ship journey in Fantasy Springs, the brand new $2 billion port-of-call impressed by Arendelle, Peter Pan’s By no means Land, and Rapunzel’s Forest from Tangled. The world is the most costly growth in Disney historical past and a worthy addition to Tokyo DisneySea, one of the best theme park on this planet.
Now that Disney and Oriental Land Firm have pulled again the curtain and launched images and video clips from the brand new rides, the one garnering probably the most consideration and ‘wow’ reactions (no less than from what I’ve seen) has been Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey. Throughout the media preview of Fantasy Springs, I had the possibility to journey every of the brand new points of interest a number of occasions. I’m nonetheless not 100% assured about my very own Fantasy Springs favourite, however it’s in all probability this.
I’m far more assured that Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey goes to be the #1 attraction of the Fantasy Springs growth with most friends. It takes a contemporary fan-favorite film and adapts it right into a meaty 6.5 minute boat journey with a incredible queue, memorable music, spectacular Audio Animatronics, and “how did they do this?” particular results to make for a extremely repeatable journey. Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is principally the recipe for a journey that’ll resonate with diehard Disney followers (e.g. readers of web sites like this one).
Earlier than we get began, I do need to observe that that is NOT a spoiler-free journey evaluation. There will probably be images of the queue, pre-show, and a number of scenes of Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey. We’ll even be discussing a number of the design choices, making this a bit inside baseball. If you wish to be blown away by your first ride-through, this undoubtedly shouldn’t be the put up for you.
For those who’re searching for spoiler-free planning recommendation or ideas & methods for experiencing Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey or Fantasy Springs as an entire, these will probably be coming individually as soon as the brand new port-of-call is definitely open and we now have the possibility to expertise it as regular, paying friends braving the chaos and crowds. Search for that within the second week of June. For now, every thing goes to be spoiler-heavy.
For those who’re merely questioning whether or not Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is price your time, the reply is within the title. In case it’s unclear, this journey is a masterpiece. Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is a high 5 attraction in Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disney Resort as an entire. The higher questions are whether or not it’s #1 within the Japan parks and high 5 or 10 on this planet. That’s what this evaluation seeks to reply.
At its core, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is actually a traditional Fantasyland ‘e-book report’ boat journey. It places you in the course of a condensed retelling of the film, centered on the journey of the 2 sisters (therefore the title!). It’s not like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or different points of interest with unique tales that shock.
For those who’re searching for a comparability for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, I’d truly go along with Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast over at Tokyo Disneyland versus the prevailing Frozen Ever After rides (it shares apparent bloodlines with these…they’re all the identical film and it’s to be anticipated that there’s overlap–however that’s “too simple” of a comparability). For those who’ve skilled that attraction, I think you’ll have a really related response to the brand new Frozen boat journey.
It seems like Imagineering used the identical template for Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast and Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, and I don’t imply that in a foul manner in any respect. They began with the tried and true ‘e-book report’ fashion, however as an alternative of merely enjoying it secure (a la the Little Mermaid darkish rides), they discovered methods to push the envelope and make two actually wowing points of interest. There are a number of different commonalities past that, which we’ll talk about in flip.
Like Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast, the queue for Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey takes friends by way of varied rooms within the citadel. On this Frozen attraction, the Library, Household Room, Playroom, and Greenhouse are all represented. The environments are unsurprisingly lavish and detailed, with loads to see for what’s positive to be a prolonged wait.
Every room additionally options dynamic results which might be activated from time-to-time. For instance, Olaf waddles alongside the roof of the Greenhouse (my favourite room) because the Northern Lights are seen within the distance. Within the Playroom, there’s a music field that includes shifting dolls that seem together with songs from the movie.
Not like Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast, there’s no pre-show in Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey. The opening act, as an entire, is healthier in Enchanted Story. Whereas each have high tier queues, that one is a little more spectacular, as is the arrival and coming into Beast’s Citadel. With Frozen Journey, the doorway is a bit understated, because the facade of Arendelle Citadel serves because the restaurant subsequent door.
Listed below are images from the queue of Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey:
I had the possibility to attend a inventive roundtable and converse with Imagineer Daniel Jue, the lead inventive for Tokyo Disney Resort, about Fantasy Springs. He first defined the choice to make Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey a retelling of the film, which was carried out as a result of TDR friends reply to points of interest that forge an emotional connection; on this case, that’s greatest carried out through acquainted music from the movie. And people songs are greatest introduced within the context of their unique story.
That is arguably one of many strengths of the film retelling attraction style–many friends convey with them extra context from these movies, permitting for key moments within the attraction to perform as callbacks to the movie, making for simpler emotional connections.
For my part, maybe the largest parallel between Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast and Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is the selection of journey system. That may sound odd provided that the previous is a trackless darkish journey and the latter is a ship journey, however hear me out. Within the case of Enchanted Story, friends sit in teacups that spin and dance in unison with the music, including an additional dimension to the attraction.
In Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, friends board boats that transfer forwards and backwards–repeatedly–to match the emotion within the music and film scenes. Jue in contrast the boat to a digicam in a film, calling the attraction very “cinematic” in presentation. He additionally mentioned it was calibrated like a Swiss watch, with each story beat exactly timed with the boats.
There are a number of examples of this, from isolating Elsa to careening by way of “Love is an Open Door.” My favourite, although, is how the boat gently glides by way of the Anna portion of “For the First Time in Perpetually,” solely to pause and linger on Elsa throughout her portion whereas Anna continues to be seen within the earlier room. It provides extra weight to Elsa’s discomfort and unease, contrasting that to the buoyancy of Anna within the prior scene.
It is a pointed presentation of the 2 characters and their relationship, and I can’t consider one other time {that a} Disney attraction achieved a juxtaposition like this. It’s just a little factor, however it packs a strong punch and might be my favourite scene within the journey in consequence. It’s a cinematic presentation, certainly.
This is only one instance. Slightly than being a collection of disconnected vignettes, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey has transitions between scenes and makes use of nearly every thing from the Imagineering playbook to convey the story of the sisters.
Whereas it might look like 6.5 minutes is loads of time for that, the journey truly feels longer as a result of a lot is crammed into the expertise. Some scenes are over in a blink, others are given time to marinate so the emotional intestine punch hits tougher. It’s masterful, and principally because of that journey system.
Going into Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, I knew that the boat would transfer ahead and backward. I preferred the thought not from any actual storytelling perspective, however truthfully, for the novelty of it. Disney does this on a couple of different points of interest and it’s typically a gimmick that provides to the enjoyable. C’mon, who doesn’t like a shock backwards boat journey?!
I left pondering the motion of the boat is completely important to the attraction’s success and the defining characteristic of the attraction. And that is an attraction with a number of wow moments–none of that are as integral because the journey system. It’s what makes you a participant within the story (as chief cinematographer, I suppose?) and actively engaged as an alternative of passively watching.
When discussing journey methods, Jue mentioned that these chosen for Fantasy Springs had been picked to reinforce the storytelling, and energy was made to not make the most of expertise that might draw consideration to itself and away from the attraction. This struck me, as there have been loads of cases of Imagineering embracing the other method–the expertise tail wagging the canine, so to talk. Disney having a formidable piece of expertise to make use of, after which working backwards from that to wrap a narrative round it.
Though Jue didn’t point out it, I think the identical method had been taken with the Audio Animatronics and different results in Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey. The excitement across the journey is the unimaginable results and lifelike AAs, which blur the road between film and actuality. And there are a number of such scenes!
Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey makes use of Imagineering’s latest A-1000 Audio Animatronics era. These debuted with Hondo Ohnaka in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and have been utilized in different current rides. (There will probably be a number of of those wonderful Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.)
They’re a notable improve from the projected faces a la Frozen Ever After at EPCOT and Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice. There was a time when these had been leading edge expertise, however they only haven’t aged effectively.
These A-1000 AAs actually assist convey Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey to life. It’s not simply the Audio Animatronics or the abundance of them, although. It’s how they’re built-in into the environments and each inch of each scene has been fastidiously staged and meticulously designed. I seen new particulars with every ride-through…and much more particulars I hadn’t perceived in individual whereas modifying these images.
There’s only a large quantity to chew on through the attraction that it actually seems like floating by way of an animated film come to life in totally dimensional kind. I bought the same feeling strolling by way of Vehicles Land for the primary time, however Radiator Springs Racers didn’t fairly handle that with bringing the characters to life–simply the land and the setting.
Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is the primary journey that brings all of it collectively, making you are feeling such as you’re a part of the film unfolding in real-time.
Equally as spectacular to me is the Audio Animatronics within the attraction which might be extra primary and solely have restricted vary (some are in all probability extra precisely categorised as figures somewhat than AAs). This isn’t meant to be backhanded reward. On the contrary, I feel that is good. It’s not criticism that’s making the rounds in fan circles as a result of it’s nearly imperceivable. Since there’s a lot in every scene that grabs your consideration, you don’t understand some figures are usually not superior–your mind blurs them along with the superior ones (it’s science, I suppose).
An excellent instance of this in movement–effectively, not likely–is Disco Yeti at Animal Kingdom. There are such a lot of friends that also swear up and down that yeti took a swipe at them, however he didn’t–it’s an phantasm. And talking of which, the yeti can also be a superb instance of this within the first place, as a result of that Audio Animatronics was a colossal waste of cash for one thing that may solely be seen for a fraction of a second. In a park that has loads of issues and desires extra, the yeti ought to by no means be fastened. Budgets are finite and that’s a poor use of each (down)money and time. Sorry not sorry.
To proceed with the comparability we’ve been making right here, I don’t suppose Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast does fairly nearly as good of a job with matching Audio Animatronics high quality to the scene. To make sure, that journey has a number of wow moments and wonderful AAs. However it additionally has a few Belle figures which might be under-animated in prolonged scenes that would use extra visible curiosity.
Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey by no means has that downside. Each Audio Animatronics determine is of the precise caliber it must be and the pacing is ideal.
Right here’s my ride-through video so you may look ahead to your self…however once more, I’d actually not suggest that should you plan to go to Fantasy Springs:
Listed below are extra of my images from the attraction:
Finally, Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is an unimaginable attraction. Actually nothing is wasted, mismatched, or gratuitous. Each single scene, each Audio Animatronic, each impact–every thing–is strictly what’s known as for in that second. It’s cleverly staged, and never a second of that 6 minutes and 30 seconds runtime is superfluous. Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is sort of a symphony, with each factor of the attraction coming collectively in excellent concord.
The journey goes above and past, delivering not simply emotional resonance or technical wizardry, however each. The wow moments are sudden and go away you questioning how the Imagineers did that, many times. And despite the fact that there’s the built-in emotional basis from the movie, that’s by no means used as a crutch–which isn’t one thing that may be mentioned for lots of e-book report rides.
Nearly each attraction has room for enchancment, and I handle to nitpick just about every thing. I’m positive should you requested the Imagineers who labored on Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey what they want they might’ve carried out in another way, they’d have a solution–an impact or scene that bought reduce for time or funds. As a fan wanting in, I’m personally at a loss for what that could possibly be. It is a “no notes” journey for me.
That is the place the similarities to Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast finish. Though I praised that and think about it a ten/10 attraction, I additionally mentioned it wasn’t with out faults and that the sum of the components is greater than the entire with that. One way or the other and in opposition to all odds, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is the other. Regardless of having a number of formidable components, the entire coalesces into one thing better than the person wow moments. Though it’s not my #1 attraction in Asia and even Tokyo DisneySea, it’s fairly shut. From my perspective, Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is flawless–a contemporary masterpiece of Imagineering.
Planning a visit to Tokyo Disney Resort? For complete recommendation, one of the best place to begin is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Journey Planning Information! For extra specifics, our TDR Resort Rankings & Critiques web page covers lodging. Our Restaurant Critiques element the place to dine & snack. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash put up. Our What to Pack for Disney put up takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Seek the advice of our Final Information to Kyoto, Japan and Metropolis Information to Tokyo, Japan.
Your Ideas
What do you consider Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey? Have you ever skilled this attraction or Enchanted Story of Magnificence and the Beast at Tokyo Disneyland? What are your ideas on both this or that–good and unhealthy? The place does this journey rank relative to different next-gen Fantasyland points of interest? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions—even whenever you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
