Why EPCOT's Norway Pavilion Is Suddenly CROWDED in Disney World

A long-awaited change has finally arrived at EPCOT, and it’s bringing BIG crowds to the Norway Pavilion.

Elsa

After a few weeks of refurbishment, Frozen Ever After reopened — a day early — in the park, complete with its brand new and upgraded animtronics, packing crowds into the World Showcase pavilion.

When Frozen Ever After first — controversially — opened back in 2016, the ride featured highly advanced (for the time) animatronics. Among other advancements, these animatronics used projection instead of traditional sculpting for the figures’ faces.

While some liked this look, seeing it as true to the original animation, others felt the approach was very uncanny valley, giving them a “creepy” bulb-headed look. The latter criticisms only grew louder over the years with the debut of new Disney animatronics like Tiana on her titular Bayou Adventure and even Hong Kong Disneyland’s clone of Frozen Ever After, which featured traditional sculpted versions of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff.

The original Anna and Kristoff in Frozen Ever After at EPCOT

In 2025, Disney announced that improved versions of the animatronics similar to those in Hong Kong would be added to the EPCOT attraction. The attraction closed on January 26th and was originally scheduled to reopen on February 12th. However, Disney surprise-opened the attraction on the 11th, giving us our first look at the new animatronics.

The NEW Anna and Kristoff

Crowds flocked to the ride, quickly jumping the wait time during the soft open. The following morning, February 12th, Frozen Ever After opened for its first full day of operation following the changes.

Elsa in the updated Frozen Ever After

Its wait times throughout the day were as follows:

9:00 AM: 65 minutes
10:00 AM: 55 minutes
11:00 AM: 50 minutes
12:00 PM: 50 minutes
1:00 PM: 50 minutes
2:00 PM: 60 minutes
3:00 PM: 45 minutes
4:00 PM: 65 minutes
5:00 PM: 45 minutes
6:00 PM: 55 minutes
7:00 PM: 50 minutes
8:00 PM: 50 minutes

Frozen Ever After

Whelp, judging by those wait times, it’s clear that there’s an intense demand to see the new Frozen animatronics, which will lead to longer wait times, larger crowds, and even faster disappearing Lightning Lanes in Norway for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney World updates.