Disney World Surprise Opens New Ride on February 11

Frozen Ever After began soft opening at EPCOT on Wednesday afternoon, one day ahead of its scheduled Thursday reopening following a major technology overhaul.

Walt Disney World Resort released preview images of the upgraded Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff audio-animatronics on Wednesday, then quietly opened the Norway World Showcase Pavilion attraction to guests shortly after 3:00 p.m.

Updated Frozen Ever After Animatronics Debut Early

Theme park journalist Scott Gustin shared the official preview images on X (formerly known as 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

Within minutes of the photo release, the attraction began operating for EPCOT guests. @laughingplace posted photos of the ride in action:

Frozen Ever After has soft opened at EPCOT and is beautiful! #WaltDisneyWorld

Frozen Ever After has soft opened at EPCOT and is beautiful! #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/s6rKpSMnpe

— LaughingPlace.com (@laughingplace) February 11, 2026

The soft opening allows Walt Disney World Resort to test the new systems with real guests before the official February 12 reopening.

Technology Overhaul Complete

The boat ride closed January 26 for refurbishment focused on replacing projection-mapped facial animatronics with sculpted heads. The original projection technology frequently malfunctioned during the attraction’s nine-year run, causing the characters’ faces to freeze or go black.

The updated figures feature sculpted faces and improved body mechanisms, allowing more fluid, lifelike movements. The technology matches versions at Hong Kong Disneyland’s World of Frozen and Tokyo DisneySea’s Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey.

Soft Opening Caveats

Since this is a soft opening, the attraction may close without notice for technical adjustments or testing. Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t confirmed how long Frozen Ever After will operate on February 11, and it could shut down before EPCOT’s regular closing time.

Disney Park guests wanting to experience the upgraded attraction on Wednesday should head to the Norway World Showcase Pavilion immediately or wait until the official Thursday reopening when standard operating hours resume.

Frozen Ever After opened at EPCOT in 2016, replacing the Viking-themed Maelstrom boat ride. Despite persistent technical issues with the original animatronics, the attraction has remained popular with guests throughout its first nine years of operation, often ranking among the park’s highest wait times.

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