As the King of the Trolls, it would be untoward for me to not make mention of something that I see as greatly unfortunate, if not just plain wrong. I am speaking, of course, about the changes being made at EPCOTs Norway Pavilion. For those of you not in the know, the pavilion was the location of The Maelstrom - a ride in which one is put aboard a Viking Longboat, and taken through a water bound journey through Norwegian history and folklore. Note that I said it WAS the location. October 5th, 2014, the Longboats sailed their last. The powers that be have decided to dismantle Maelstrom, and replace it with a ride that is all about the movie Frozen. Harmless? Well, that is a matter of opinion, but lets look at some facts. • When Walt Disney first envisioned EPCOT, he wanted it to be autonomous from the Magic Kingdom. He did not want there to be any direct connection between the two parks, other than the monorail. This vision has been, shall we say, conveniently forgotten, and today Disney characters can be seen a number of places. • The country that Frozen takes place in IS NOT Norway, but a country that is entirely fictional. While the country in the film is definately BASED on Norway, it is still not a real place. All of the pavilions in the World Showcase at EPCOT are real places, are peopled by individuals who are actually from those locations, and are designed to give you a FEEL like youve been magically transported to these wonderful places from around our real world. I have to wonder how the folks working their who are actually from Norway feel about all of this. I have to wonder if next well be seeing Mulan hanging out in the China Pavilion, and Belle & Prince Adam dancing up a storm in France. So why was this change made? Well, the only reason I can see is money. Frozen was such a big deal, they are doing all they can to cash in on it. And you know what? Thats their right. They are a business. They can and are allowed to do what ever they want to with their toys. This is not the first time that good parts of Disney have disappeared by one means or another. The 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ride (which as a child was a MUST for any visit to the Magical Kingdom), Mister Toads Wild Ride, The original Journey Into Imagination ride along with Dreamfinder, and so on. Progression happens, and change is a violent thing. Things have changed and they will always change. That is how time works. But now, with this change, the ride which once was narrated by the voice of Odin, will instead be voiced by a talking snowman. In reality, Im just an actor. I am just one man who dresses like a Troll occasionally. And while my aspirations are in some ways as grand as Walt Disney once held, I know that my voice is small and unimportant in the shadow of a corporation as gigantic as Disney continually grows to be. And dont get me wrong, I love Disney. But even when the ones I love make mistakes, I try to say something about it. Yes, my voice is small. But that does not mean that I have nothing to say. - Bryan Thompson (IK, King of the Trolls)
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 02:18:34 +0000
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