{"id":453637,"date":"2026-02-07T02:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T02:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/453637\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T02:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T02:18:11","slug":"frozen-ever-after-refurbishment-includes-more-than-new-audio-animatronics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/453637\/","title":{"rendered":"Frozen Ever After Refurbishment Includes More than New Audio-Animatronics"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to an Orlando Sentinel interview<\/a> with Ken Ricci, Disney is almost ready to reopen Frozen Ever After\u00a0post refurbishment with more than just Audio-Animatronics updates.<\/p>\n

Frozen Ever After Updates\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

According to the Walt Disney World calendar, Frozen Ever After will resume operations on Thursday, February 12, 2026<\/a>. The ride has been\u00a0closed since January 26<\/a>\u00a0for the installation of new Audio-Animatronics of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff that have physical faces instead of projected ones.<\/p>\n

\"Elsa<\/a><\/p>\n

In the interview, Ken Ricci, a member of the executive creative development team for Walt Disney Imagineering states that the crew used the ride\u2019s down time to update more than just the new Audio-Animatronics. <\/p>\n

The refurbishment period allowed Disney update and refresh the following components: <\/p>\n

New animatronic heads with silicone skin<\/p>\n

Updated show control system<\/p>\n

Refreshed show lighting<\/p>\n

Set touch-ups throughout the ride<\/p>\n

Anytime an attraction goes down, we take an opportunity to freshen up what we can, Ricci said. So, we touched up a lot and some show lighting so it should look refreshed.<\/p>\n

\"Anna,<\/a><\/p>\n

Regarding the replacement of the former projection-based faces, Ricci explains that \u201cthis is a more lifelike articulated head that has a silicone skin.\u201d Disney needed to actually modify the neck of the existing figures to coordinate with the new heads: <\/p>\n

Then we literally had to modify the figures\u2019 necks to accept the change in the heads. And that took a few days, but we did a lot of pre-planning with technology and software to make sure that we were ready to port over these figures.<\/p>\n

Currently Walt Disney Imagineering is testing the new updates in preparation for the attraction to re-open next week. <\/p>\n

Frozen Ever After opened at EPCOT in 2016 featuring projected faces on the animatronic figures. In 2023, World of Frozen opened at Hong Kong Disneyland, featuring many technical updates for the\u00a0Frozen Ever After, including new Audio-Animatronics with articulated, physical faces. Now the EPCOT version is getting the same update.<\/p>\n

Check out our POV video of the Hong Kong Disneyland version below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Are you excited to ride the updated Frozen Ever After? Let us know on social media. <\/p>\n

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today<\/a> on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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