Arendelle: World of Frozen
Arendelle: World of Frozen, usually known simply as World of Frozen, is a themed land at Hong Kong Disneyland based on Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019). It opened on November 20, 2023, as the world's first — and at opening its largest — land devoted entirely to Frozen, recreating the kingdom of Arendelle as a living village and forest that guests can walk through. It stands behind Fantasyland, between It's a Small World and Toy Story Land, and was the culmination of the park's multi-year expansion that ran from 2018 to 2023.[1]
History
A Frozen land for Hong Kong was announced as part of the park's 2018–2023 expansion, which also brought Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!, a new castle and other additions. The project took the boat ride that had opened at EPCOT in 2016, Frozen Ever After, and for the first time gave it a full kingdom to live in rather than a pavilion corner. Construction continued through the pandemic years, and in September 2023 Disney confirmed the opening date of November 20, 2023, timed to the tenth anniversary of the original film and to the Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration.[2]
The grand opening ceremony was attended by Disney chief executive Bob Iger, parks chairman Josh D'Amaro and Jennifer Lee, writer and director of the Frozen films. Hong Kong's was the first of three Frozen areas planned worldwide, ahead of Tokyo DisneySea and Paris.
Story and design
The land is set after the events of the first film and before the second. Peace has returned to Arendelle, and Queen Elsa has decreed a holiday, Summer Snow Day, to commemorate the day her sister Anna saved her — and the kingdom — with an act of true love, thawing a frozen heart. Guests are not reliving the film; they have been invited to the celebration that follows it, and the whole land is dressed for the party, with banners, bunting and townsfolk wishing visitors a happy Summer Snow Day.[3]
Imagineering drew on Norwegian vernacular building — steep roofs, carved wood, stave-church forms — and on rosemaling, the traditional decorative floral painting, to give Arendelle a consistent visual language. The land divides in two across the Bay of Arendelle. Arendelle Village, on the entrance side, holds the clock tower and Friendship Fountain, Arendelle Castle, the shops and restaurants and the entrance to Frozen Ever After. King Agnarr Bridge, named for Anna and Elsa's father, crosses the bay to Arendelle Forest, a quieter, greener side with the land's coaster and playhouse. Beyond everything rises the North Mountain, crowned by Elsa's Ice Palace, the land's visual anchor from almost anywhere in this corner of the park.
Attractions
Frozen Ever After is the headline ride, a boat journey from Arendelle up to the North Mountain and Elsa's Ice Palace, staged as part of the Summer Snow Day celebration. Hong Kong's version uses a new generation of fully electric Audio-Animatronics figures for Anna, Elsa and Kristoff, whose faces — previously projected at EPCOT — are sculpted and animated physically, a change widely noted in opening coverage as a step forward for the attraction.
Wandering Oaken's Sliding Sleighs is a family roller coaster in Arendelle Forest, built in-story by the trader Oaken behind his trading post. It was billed at opening as the first Frozen-themed roller coaster anywhere.
Playhouse in the Woods is an interactive theatrical experience in the forest, presented as Anna and Elsa's childhood hideaway, opened to guests for the holiday. Anna, Elsa and Olaf appear in a short show built around singing, projection, special effects and sensory moments, rather than a conventional stage performance or a standard meet-and-greet.
Dining and shopping
Golden Crocus Inn, named for Arendelle's national flower, is the village's quick-service restaurant, serving Norwegian-inspired dishes including seafood, lamb and pasta. Northern Delights is the village sweet shop, specialising in chocolate and Frozen-themed desserts. Across the bridge, Forest Fare sells snacks, while Tick Tock Toys & Collectibles and Traveling Traders carry the land's merchandise. Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Oaken also appear throughout the land during the day.