Walt Disney World Resort revealed the redesigned audio-animatronics for Frozen Ever After on Wednesday, one day before the attraction reopens at EPCOT with significant technology upgrades.
The Norway World Showcase Pavilion boat ride closed January 26 for a refurbishment focused on replacing controversial projection-mapped facial animatronics that frequently malfunctioned, leaving characters with frozen or blackened faces in front of EPCOT guests.
New Audio-Animatronics Feature Sculpted Faces
The updated figures use sculpted faces and heads instead of projection mapping, with more fluid body movements that better match the characters' on-screen appearances. The technology mirrors the versions at Hong Kong Disneyland's World of Frozen, which opened in 2023, and Tokyo DisneySea's Anna and Elsa's Frozen Journey, located in the new Fantasy Springs area.
Theme park journalist Scott Gustin shared first-look images of the reimagined Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff animatronics on X (formerly Twitter):
NEW: Disney released a first look at the upgraded Anna, Elsa and Kristoff Audio-Animatronics installed at Frozen Ever After at EPCOT. The refreshed figures officially debut tomorrow.
NEW: Disney released a first look at the upgraded Anna, Elsa and Kristoff Audio-Animatronics installed at Frozen Ever After at EPCOT. The refreshed figures officially debut tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/fIRd3c6CCm
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) February 11, 2026
Frozen Ever After reopens Thursday, February 12, at EPCOT, nearly ten years after the attraction originally debuted in the Norway World Showcase Pavilion. The ride replaced Maelstrom, a Viking-themed boat attraction, in 2016.
Technology Issues Plagued the Original Version
The original Frozen Ever After used projection mapping to create character facial expressions and lip-syncing on blank animatronic faces. The technology frequently failed, causing characters' faces to freeze mid-expression, go completely black, or display distorted projections. Videos of malfunctioning animatronics circulated widely on social media over the years, becoming a recurring source of criticism for the attraction.
The sculpted face approach eliminates dependency on projection mapping while enabling more sophisticated movement and expression through traditional animatronic mechanisms combined with modern engineering advances.
New Frozen Ever After Coming in March
Disneyland Paris Resort will debut its own Frozen Ever After on March 29, 2026, as part of the World of Frozen land at the renamed Disney Adventure World. The European Disney Resort will also introduce a walk-around Olaf audio-animatronic capable of participating in shows and limited guest interactions—a technological advancement not yet seen at other Disney parks.
Are the new Frozen Ever After animatronics better than the originals? Share your thoughts with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
