Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is the park often associated with fairy tales, and inherently, Disney’s catalog of princess films. Still, in the past year, Frozen‘s Anna and Elsa were spotted at the resort’s Epcot park, in the Norway area – given the film’s setting, their location there made sense logically. Now, Disney Parks has announced that Anna and Elsa will not only be heading to neighboring Hollywood Studios, but there will also be a bevy of Frozen-themed entertainment, including fireworks, at the park this summer. Find a full breakdown of what we can expect after the break! (UPDATE: Photos of the ice skating rink and some merchandise has been added at the end.)
The popularity of Frozen knows no bounds. The film recently became the highest-grossing animated film in the world ever, merchandise based around the film continues to sell out throughout the world, and there are still long lines at Disney Parks to meet Anna and Elsa. In Disneyland, to give guests another opportunity to interact with the princess sisters, a Frozen float was added as a sort of prologue to the afternoon parade. At Walt Disney World, the Parks team is taking full advantage of the space of Hollywood Studios to celebrate the film and satisfy the incredible demand.
Highlights in the list include a “royal welcome” for Anna and Elsa, who will ride down Hollywood Boulevard in a horse-drawn sleigh every day at 11 am, a Frozen “funland” in one of the soundstages which will feature an ice skating rink and a winter-themed environment, and nightly fireworks set to music from the film! It is quite a number of
Frozen-themed activities for visitors, which at the same time will inevitably bring greater crowds to Hollywood Studios. Fireworks, which until recently was a rarity in recent years at the park, will consistently be presented as well, providing an exciting cap for guests engrossed in all-things
Frozen. Check out the complete list of entertainment options below, courtesy of Disney:
- Olaf on Summer Vacation – Olaf the snowman is having the time of his life on his very first summer vacation! He chimes in throughout the day to keep everyone updated on all his adventures. Plus, you can pick up your very own Take-Along Olaf from locations in the park, so he can join you on your summer vacation. And when you share your photos with Olaf on social media, be sure to tag them with #OlafSummerVacation. They may just get selected to appear in that day’s grand finale!
- Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome – At 11:00 a.m. each day, Elsa and Anna arrive in Hollywood as part of their goodwill tour of neighboring kingdoms, making their way down Hollywood Boulevard in a horse-drawn sleigh. Kristoff is along for the fun, too, joined by a flurry of skaters, skiiers, ice cutters and more! The entire procession culminates in a special moment at the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage to officially welcome the visiting royalty to this kingdom of Hollywoodland.
- For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing-Along Celebration – Cool down inside the Premiere Theater, where Anna and Elsa join the Royal Historians of Arendelle for a fun and comedic retelling of the unique history of their Kingdom, filled with delightful, sing-along moments from “Frozen.”
- Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post & Frozen Funland – Inside Soundstage One, Oaken and his cousins have created a Frozen Funland filled with cold weather activities, unique photo opportunities, and more! There’s a frozen pond with ice skating demonstrations, wintertime fun for kids in the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” play area, a “big summer blowout” with plenty of “Frozen” merchandise, and special “Frozen”-inspired food and beverage offerings.
- Part of the Oaken’s Frozen Funland will be an ice skating rink with demonstrations by some of Oaken’s talented cousins on the Arendelle ice.
- In addition, icy artisans will put their talents on display, creating carvings of favorite “Frozen” characters from giant frozen blocks. Kids can enjoy frozen wintertime activities in the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” area. For all of his Frozen Funland friends, Oaken has plenty of merchandise at his Trading Post, along with hot cocoa and sweet treats available for purchase.
- Guests can take pictures with the film’s animated characters in a virtual setting, and then email them or share on their social media channels.
- When guests want to escape the icy atmosphere of Oaken’s outpost, all they have to do is look for the door marked “Sauna,” where they once again will exit to the warm Florida sun.
- “Coolest Summer Ever” Dance Party – Starting at 5:30 p.m. each day, a dance party takes over the area around the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage, with a DJ, live band, and more! The band plays a variety of classic and contemporary summer rock & roll hits, as well as a cool, rocking medley of “Frozen” favorites. It’s going to be hot!
- Take-Along Olaf – As a special feature before the fireworks, guests will have a chance to be a part of a pre-show celebration by hashtagging photos of themselves in the park with a “Take-Along Olaf.” Throughout the day, Take-Along Olafs will be distributed at various locations in the park. Guests are then invited to take Olaf along with them on their Disney’s Hollywood Studios adventures. By sharing their photos with the unique hashtag #OlafSummerVacation, their photos may appear on the big screen in this special pre-show feature.
- “Frozen” Fireworks Spectacular – Everything wraps up at 9:45 p.m. when Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf come together at the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage for a grand finale to the day’s festivities, kicking off an awe-inspiring fireworks display set to the glorious music of “Frozen!”
The Frozen summer activities are scheduled to begin at Hollywood Studios on Saturday, July 5th and will run every day through Friday, September 1st!
UPDATE (7/3): The Disney Parks Blog has released images of the ice skating rink that will be found at Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Frozen Funland in Soundstage One. Additionally, there will be limited merchandise, including Frozen-themed MagicBands that will only be found at the Studios during the event. Take a look at the images below:
There will also be a wide selection of Frozen merchandise available for sale at the Soundstage. Manufacturers are finally catching up to the demand by fans for more merch!
Samad is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Disney Times and The Pixar Times. His favorite films include The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Vertigo, Back to the Future, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, and of course, Disney's Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Fantasia.
