January 2015 – May 2015
LOCATION
Hollywood Land – When entering Hollywood Land from Buena Vista Street, guests could find the Frozen Fun festivities on the left, behind the stages. If guests visited from A Bug’s Land, Frozen Fun could be found straight ahead, just beyond the Hyperion Theater.
BACKGROUND
Even though Frozen hit theaters in November 2013, Disneyland didn’t incorporate the franchise (beyond the parade and meet & greets) for almost a year. But by December 2014, Disney announced plans to increase Frozen activity in many of the Disney parks, especially Disneyland. Though some of the additions are permanent, like the scenes in the Storybook Land Canal Boats, most of the activities were temporary seasonal overlays. Frozen Fun, the largest Frozen attraction at the Disneyland Resort, ran from January to May of 2015.
EXPERIENCE
Frozen Fun was an ongoing series of activities, rather than one single attraction. Guests could explore the different areas at any pace, or in any order, offering unique experiences depending on what activities you participated in. The following were the various areas within Frozen Fun:
- For The First Time In Forever Sing-A-Long – This musical show celebrated the music of Frozen inside Arendelle’s royal theater. Arendelle historians retold the story of the film, and Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff each made cameo appearances.
- Olaf’s Snow Fest – The largest component of Frozen Fun was Olaf’s Snow Fest. Guests entering the large stage building were immediately swept away into Arendelle’s castle courtyard, where Olaf hosted a snow day party. Olaf’s guests could play in real snow, whether they wanted to build a snowman or sled down a miniature hill, grab beverages and snacks and sit in the courtyard, or shop in an outpost of Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post.
- Meet Olaf – Guests exploring Frozen Fun could also meet one of the film’s most beloved characters: Olaf the snowman! Olaf signed autographs, posed for pictures, and gave warm hugs to his new friends.
- Freeze The Night – And finally, guests sticking around after dark could attend a family-friendly dance party, complete with live entertainment. In addition to a dance floor, Freeze the Night entertained guests with live ice carving, exclusive drinks and snacks, and periodic dance performances. Throughout the party, a giant thermometer showed the dropping temperatures, until the biggest celebration moment of the night: the freezing point!
CLOSURE
The Frozen Fun section in Hollywood Land was always going to be a temporary installation, and it closed just in time for the resort’s next big arrival: the Diamond Jubilee. While most of the sections of Frozen Fun left California Adventure for good, the Sing-A-Long show became its own independent attraction after Frozen Fever closed in May 2015.
TRIVIA
My original rating: As a whole, Frozen Fun lives up to its name, but it doesn’t really fit in with the Hollywood Land scenery. Because it’s tucked into the corner of Hollywood Land, Frozen Fun almost creates a temporary, miniature “Frozen Land”, removed from its neighboring festivities. My favorite component of this attraction is Olaf’s Snow Fest; it’s very unique, and really captures the spirit of the film. Freeze the Night is also fun; you can dance, watch ice carving, or sip on exclusive Frozen beverages. The Sing-A-Long is my least favorite part of Frozen Fun, with the focus of the show being on the narrators rather than the characters from the movie. With that in mind, I give Olaf’s Snow Fest five stars, Freeze The Night three stars, and the Sing-A-Long one star, for an average of three. (★★★☆☆)
Frozen Fun was a temporary overlay of the stage area that houses the Mad T Party. The main entrance with arches, originally meant to symbolize guests falling down the rabbit hole, is became a snowflake tunnel that transports guests into the kingdom of Arendelle.
Elsa’s frozen fountain could be found inside Olaf’s Snow Fest, next to the sledding run.
The gift stand in Frozen Fun became “Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post” in December 2014. As part of Walt Disney World’s Frozen celebration, the Florida park debuted a cabin-style trading post, complete with Oaken’s family waving from the sauna.
