Walt Disney Imagineering keeps finding new ways to integrate the 2013 megahit Frozen into Disney theme parks, and Mickey Visit got to visit their newest creation. They also brought to life a fun attraction from another favorite Disney princess.
A new Frozen land is opening this week at a newly renamed Disney park, marking a significant shift for the park’s future. In this article, we’ll tour the entire new Frozen land and give you a sneak peek of what’s still to come for this reimagined Disney theme park. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including all the new rides opening at Walt Disney World and cast member changes to restore the guest experience.
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New Frozen Land Opening at Renamed Disney Theme Park
March 29, 2026, is an important day for Disneyland Paris. For starters, it’s the day the resort’s Walt Disney Studios Park will be officially renamed Disney Adventure World.
This renaming signifies a shift away from an overarching theme of taking guests “behind the scenes” of Hollywood, which the park arguably never really did to begin with, and changes the park’s identity. Disney Adventure World seeks to transport guests into immersive lands rather than share a peek behind the curtain.
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Mickey Visit attended a media preview and dedication of Disney Adventure World on March 28, the day before the official renaming. The park’s water tower and entrance sign covered up the newly installed signage for the park’s soon-to-be-unveiled name, pictured above.
During the dedication ceremony, the Disney Marching Band performed. The gates pictured behind them signaled the way to the newly expanded areas of the theme park.
Josh D’Amaro, who became CEO of The Walt Disney Company last week, was also on hand at the dedication. Joining D’Amaro were Disneyland Paris President Natacha Rafalski and Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum.
The executives spoke about how Disney Adventure World’s renaming and expansion are part of the ongoing work to grow Disney parks around the world. This includes new attractions coming to Disneyland in California and massive construction sites currently at Walt Disney World in Florida. They also reiterated the future Disney theme park coming to Abu Dhabi.
In the long term, Disney Adventure World will eventually open a land based on The Lion King and a new ride based on Up. We’ll share more about those experiences at the end of this story.
For now, as Walt Disney Studios Park becomes Disney Adventure World on March 29, the park will celebrate the grand opening of two new lands: World of Frozen and Adventure Way. We’re excited to tour you through both of them below.
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Disney Built the Kingdom of Arendelle from Frozen
World of Frozen isn’t just one individual attraction, but rather an entire land that recreates the kingdom of Arendelle from the films. The family castle is here, and in the “mountains” in the distance, Elsa’s ice palace is visible.
Cast members of all roles, from merchandise to food service, wear costumes indicating they’re citizens of this storybook Nordic seaside locale. Like in such now-familiar immersive lands as Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests go beyond simply observing the story to instead walk through it, touch it, taste it.
As for the marquee offerings, World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World consists of:
- Frozen Ever After, a boat ride
- A Celebration in Arendelle, a live show on the waterfront
- Royal Encounter, a meet & greet with Queen Anna and Elsa inside Arendelle Castle
- Nordic Crowns Tavern, a quick-service restaurant
- Arendelle Boutique and Fjord View Shop, both stores
Let’s dive into the details of some of these big draws, including where to see the highly anticipated free-roaming Olaf Audio-Animatronics figure.
Third Version of Familiar Frozen Ride
Frozen Ever After is the one ride within World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World. This indoor boat ride featuring Audio-Animatronics figures and several mild drops technically takes place after the events of Frozen, but includes most of the familiar songs from the first film regardless.
This will be the third version of Frozen Ever After to open in a Disney theme park. The ride debuted at EPCOT in 2016, where it replaced a former ride called Maelstrom and recycled that attraction’s existing track layout and infrastructure. A very similar version of Frozen Ever After then opened in 2023 at Hong Kong Disneyland.
It’s curious how Disney keeps duplicating Frozen Ever After at multiple parks, given the nature of its inception. The only reason the original Frozen Ever After is the way it is … is because Maelstrom was the way it was. When creating the first Frozen Ever After for EPCOT, Walt Disney Imagineering was working within an existing footprint and had to adhere to the same layout and pacing of Maelstrom.
Despite the limitations placed on the creative process for EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After, then, I wonder about the reasoning for building that same attraction over and over from scratch at other parks. In theory, the versions of Frozen Ever After in Paris and Hong Kong don’t have to be the same as Florida, so why are they?
Later in this story, we’ll have more to say about other Frozen-themed lands in Disney theme parks and how the new land in Disney Adventure World compares to them.
Olaf Free-Roaming Audio-Animatronics Figure
For several months now, Walt Disney Imagineering has been hyping up a free-roaming Audio Animatronics figure of Olaf, the snowman from Frozen. We recently wrote about Imagineering’s bigger aspirations for the future of park characters.
This highly advanced Audio-Animatronics figure can walk around by itself, not attached to anything. Some video footage even shows Olaf carrying on conversations with Disney executives.
How much of a presence the new Olaf Audio-Animatronics figure will have in World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World, and the true extent of his capabilities, remains to be seen. So far, we know he will at least appear in A Celebration in Arendelle, a live show taking place along the waterfront.
We expect Olaf to be a prominent part of any grand opening ceremony or media fanfare. We hope he will be accessible to guests for one-on-one encounters in some way, too, and that he sticks around for a while.
In addition to debuting in Paris, this new, free-roaming Olaf Audio-Animatronics figure will also be introduced at World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland. Disney has not announced details about how Olaf will be utilized specifically in that park.
It’s worth noting Disney also recently announced a new Audio-Animatronics Olaf figure coming to the new Olaf Draws! attraction at Walt Disney World, opening in late summer 2026. However, that Audio-Animatronics figure is part of a pre-programmed show. Disney has not mentioned if it will be free-roaming.
How Frozen Land in Paris Differs from Other Disney Parks
World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World in Disneyland Paris isn’t Disney’s first Frozen land.
A version of World of Frozen opened at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2023. While inherently similar to its Paris counterpart, the Hong Kong version has a few unique attractions of its own.
Like Paris, Hong Kong has the Frozen Ever After boat ride, but it adds Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, a family roller coaster. Instead of Paris’s waterfront show, Hong Kong has Playhouse in the Woods, an indoor character experience similar to Enchanted Tales with Belle at Magic Kingdom. Hong Kong’s quick-service restaurants and shops in World of Frozen are comparable to the ones found in Paris.
Meanwhile, at Tokyo DisneySea in Tokyo Disney Resort, Frozen Kingdom is a mini-land within a port called Fantasy Springs, which opened in 2024. This area, like the other Frozen lands, does have an indoor boat ride, but Tokyo’s version is a completely different attraction rather than a duplicate of Frozen Ever After.
At Tokyo DisneySea, the boat ride Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey is a complete retelling of the Frozen story rather than just sing-along moments. Additionally, Tokyo’s quick-service restaurant is located within the Arendelle Castle rather than in the village.
New Tangled Ride
In addition to World of Frozen, Disney Adventure World opens another new land on March 29, 2026: Adventure Way. This area has a garden aesthetic and serves as a connecting passageway from the existing Walt Disney Studios Park to the new expansion areas.
A new ride in Adventure Way is Raiponce Tangled Spin. This attraction reimagines the classic Mad Tea Party ride system within the story of Tangled. Instead of teacups, guests sit inside vehicles resembling the gondolas Rapunzel and Flynn Rider use to see the “floating lights” in the movie. Guests spin their gondolas just like in Mad Tea Party, this time under a canopy of lanterns.
New Restaurant in Disney Princesses’ “Summer Residence”
The Regal View Restaurant is a new table-service dining location opening on March 29, 2026, in the new Adventure Way section of Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris.
This restaurant is themed as the summer home of the Disney Princesses. Its furnishings and artwork feature tributes to all 13 characters in the official Disney Princess franchise: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Moana, and Raya.
Some of the Disney Princesses join guests for character dining, wearing new costumes exclusive to The Regal View Restaurant.
Attached to The Regal View Restaurant is The Regal View Lounge, a more casual space that will make history as the first bar inside a Disneyland Paris theme park. While Disneyland Paris has served alcohol for decades, neither park has had its own dedicated bar until now.
Nighttime Spectacular with Fireworks, Drones, and Fountains
Disney Cascade of Lights debuts on March 29, 2026, in the new Adventure Bay body of water at Disney Adventure World.
This nighttime spectacular combines fireworks, 350 drones, fountains, and water screens with music recorded by a 90-piece orchestra and moments from favorite Disney, Pixar, and Marvel movies.
During a media presentation we attended, Dana Harrel, VP of Disney Live Entertainment, said guests “have never been this close to a nighttime spectacular before.” She called Disney Cascade of Lights “truly the kiss goodnight that Adventure World deserves.”
Still to Come: Disney’s First Rides Based on The Lion King and Up
The attractions and experiences described in this story are just the beginning of Disney’s plans for Disney Adventure World. As the company continues to shape the new purpose of this theme park, a few rides for the future have already been announced.
Following the opening of World of Frozen, Disney Adventure World’s next new land will be based on The Lion King. The main attraction in the land will be an indoor/outdoor log flume ride with Audio-Animatronics characters retelling the story and songs of the original 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios version of The Lion King.
Disney is currently testing a preliminary version of the flume hill onsite at Disney Adventure World, seen above. Note the test hill is in a different location than the actual ride will be.
Meanwhile, in Adventure Way, guests will be able to experience a swings ride themed to the Pixar film Up. Seeing as Carl in the movie takes to the sky by attaching balloons to his house, the story is a fun fit for a swings attraction.
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