Yesterworld: The History & Tragic Fate of Maelstrom - The Original Version of Frozen Ever After

Explore the origins & history of Epcot's Extinct Maelstrom, along with its transformation into Frozen Ever After in the Norway Pavilion at the World Showcase.

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[YesterworldEntertainment]

Continuing the "Mealstrom" curse of my past (see the 5 WDW Remnants video), it seems I accidentally said "Anna" instead of Elsa when talking about a particular effect...forgive the blunder. If it makes you feel any better I have it correct in the script, and am more than aware which sister is which :)

[chadschmaltz]

My disappointment is multi-level:

First, I really don't like the current trend of all Disney attractions requiring a movie tie-in. If you look at rides like the Haunted Mansion, its story was fabricated by the Imagineers. It didn't rely on a movie for setting or characters.

Second, I've always felt that EPCOT, especially the World Showcase, was about celebrating the countries and cultures around the world. Anything movie related or Disney character related were reserved for Magic Kingdom or MGM.

[albertodelrio]

Did you know the original idea for Maelstrom was supposed to be a dark ride about The Lottery starring Bette Midler

[brycevo]

I liked EPCOT being about learning and culture. That's why this makes me sad

[dirtyrat]

Just another casualty of how EPCOT has changed from being about OUR future and about bringing cultures together, to just another Disney ride where they have to have movie tie-ins for everything.

[WraptorRangler]

As a Dane, I'm mad they got rid of it, as well as the Denmark Pavilion, but still like the Mexico Pavilion (at least the restaurant). Since Norway was the one representing Scandinavia, they should've kept the history surrounding the region. I don't care what Arendelle is modeled after, Scandinavia is *_real_* . Frozen should've been put into DHS or Magic Kingdom, not somewhere that is meant to represent the places around the globe

[nairbpenguinlizard]

I really hope they replace the awful "projector faced" animatronics with the really amazing technology they're using in Beauty and the Beast in Tokyo Disneyland. The projection faces are just so... off

[poego]

Worked at disney for about a year, and went on this ride NUMEROUS times, at least 30-40 times, and I NEVER knew that one troll was just chilling there are you go backwards from the 3 headed troll

[michaeleisner]

Hey everyone it’s Leif Erikson Day! Hinga dinga durgen! Ah yes, Maelstrom. What a great attraction that was. Shame Bob got rid of it.

[alexinitalics]

I wasn't surprised by Disney making a frozen ride but I am surprised that they would replace a ride.
1) The original ride seemed really cool and obviously had a lot of fans. It was also rooted deeply in the culture of Norway
2) Frozen was such a hit, I find it quite shocking that Disney would decide that it was not worthy of a whole new, original concept. And to replace a ride that actually looked quite popular and thrilling.

[SwedishChef]

I really appreciate the attitude you have of this ride. I miss Maelstrom like crazy, and I agree that the whole "turn World Showcase into IP Land" thing is awful, but I think it's a fine ride for what it is. It's nice to hear someone not just berate it because it's Frozen :)

[CocoHutzpah]

Every time you make a video about something from Epcot, I feel a little sad. The park is rather neglected and it's mission statement seemed to die with the 20th century. Give it a couple years and it probably won't be named Epcot anymore.

[colbycook]

Last time I was this early, stitches great Escape was still open.

[poletooke]

"But you will certainly be the last" killed me emotionally

[chaoflaka]

“You may not be the first to pass this way, but you’ll certainly be the last.”

[bigredjanie]

I rode this ride for the first and only time back in 2013 thanks to Some Jerk With A Camera praising it so much in his videos. He did it to basically give it some love before it was replaced by a Frozen ride (and keep in mind he said that LONG before the film even came out), and I’m glad he did, it had a lot of charm to it.

[ottav]

Sad to see Maelstrom go, it always held a special place in my heart as the first ride I rode at Disney World. Our plane landed in the evening and Magic Kindom was closing soon and it would've been a waste but Epcot was open late so we went there. They didn't have Test Track yet, so we went to what seemed to be the only thrill ride in Epcot. Maelstrom was hardly a thriller but at least that meant my grandparents could ride with us. They tended to sit out a lot of rides obviously but Maelstrom and the boat ride at the Mexico pavilion (the second ride we got on) we had the whole family riding. I always loved when the troll sent you "back over the falls" even if it wasn't really that scary.

[layne]

Really weird to see Joe Rohde without is signature ear thingie.

Anywho, I've said this before to many friends - Maelstrom will always be a more popular ride in death than it was in life, mainly because of what it was replaced by. People mad about a Disney IP taking it's place really should have been paying attention prior to it. That ship sailed when Aladdin and Jasmine started showing up in Morocco, or Snow White in Germany, or Belle in France, etc. Or maybe the Living Seas with Nemo and Friends? Corporation and government sponsorships moved out of Epcot - Disney filled the void.

That said, I'll always miss Giant Cruise Ship Director Mural Lady. RIP in peace.

[metropod]

Ahh... the grand tradition of “The Running of the Tourists who don’t want to sit through the Norway film...”

[AroundIndiana]

I had a love/hate feeling about this ride. I thought it was really short and mediocre overall but always had to ride it. I definitely miss it now that it's gone though. The oil rig scene was fantastic. It really felt like you were on the ocean on a cold Norwegian night. I'm not a fan of Frozen.