Maelstrom

Maelstrom is an attraction located within the Norway pavilion in Epcot.

Maelstrom
The entrance to Maelstrom.
Epcot
Attraction type	Interior Boat Ride
Theme	History of Norway
Opening date	July 5, 1988
Vehicle names	Boat
Vehicle capacity	15
Ride duration	4:47 minutes
Fastpass Available	Yes

Attraction History

When an attraction for Norway was originally being developed, Imagineers wanted to give the pavilion EPCOT Center’s first thrill ride. Under the name “SeaVenture”, Norway’s attraction would take guests through a 946 ft. flume ride. Along the way, guests would encounter mythical creatures such as trolls and gnomes as they searched for the Rainbow Bridge to Valhalla. The attraction’s thrill was to come from a new ride system, which allowed Imagineers to reverse the direction of the boat during the ride. During the development of SeaVenture, the Sherman Brothers were also called in to create a song for the attraction.

Although fairly well developed, the sponsors from Norway wanted their attraction to be more of a travelogue showing all that Norway had to offer, as opposed to a mythological adventure. They also gave the Imagineers a list of things that they wanted included in the attraction including: Vikings, a fishing village, a polar bear, a fjord, and an oil rig. In order to meet the demands of sponsors, Imagineers eventually decided that the ride would take guests on a boat tour through Norway's history, beginning in Norwegian Folklore and ending in modern day Norway. Adding to the attractions appeal would be various drops and visual effects, as well as the aforementioned direction change. The new designs also called for a full scale replication of a North Sea storm. The storm was to include wind, waves, rain, thunder and real lightning.

During its development, the name of Norway’s attraction changed from SeaVenture to Maelstrom. Construction began on the Norway pavilion on May 27, 1986 and the ride was installed shortly after. Finally, on July 5, 1988 Maelstrom (as well as the rest of the Norway pavilion) opened to the public. Since Maelstrom opened in 1988, there have been a few minor changes to the attraction. The smoke effects in both the Troll scene and the reverse scene have been toned down. Furthermore, the wave and rain effects in the North Sea Storm scene have also been diminished, and the Tesla coil that originally created the lightning effect has been replaced with strobe lights.

Imagineers

Imagineers that worked on Maelstrom included:

Randy Carter- Producer

Bob Kurzweil- Ride Designer

Dave Van Wyk- Head Engineer

Joe Rohde- Concept Art

Paul Torrigino- Production Designer

Jim Mulder- Special Effects

Attraction Plot

Maelstrom begins with guests boarding a Viking boat and sailing off into the distant past of Norwegian folklore. After being set in motion, the boat ascends up a lift, which is surrounded by hieroglyphics. On top of the hill, a large mask of Odin is seen. As guests approach the mask, light radiate from Odin's only eye, as wind howls in the background. Odin then speaks to guests saying

You are not the first to pass this way, nor shall you be the last. Those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure. But more often find beauty and charm. We have always lived with the sea, so look first to the spirit of the seafarer.

Heeding Odin's advice, guests enter a scene which depicts a coastal Viking settlement, where various Vikings are shown preparing their boats. After seeing the settlement, the scope of the scene is expanded and guests witness various Viking ships sailing off into the distance as a nearby man blows a horn to seemingly announce their departure.

After traveling through the Viking village, guests enter the next scene which depicts a Norwegian forest. As guests travel ahead, a large three headed troll emerges. The troll has been angered by guests intrusion in the forest (which he calls Troll Country) and casts a spell on the boat, telling guests to go "Back! Over the falls!". At this point in the attraction, the boat begins to move backwards and guests go down a small decent.

After the drop, guests find themselves in Norway's polar region. Here, guests float past a polar bear menacingly standing on its hind legs. Continuing backwards, guests head towards the pavilion's exterior waterfall, giving them a view of world showcase. Just as it seems that the boat will go plunging down the waterfall however, a large tree-stump troll rises up and changes the direction of the boat once again. At this point guests fall (forward) down a 28 foot drop, before finding themselves in the middle of a North Sea storm. As wind and rain howl around the boat, guests come dangerously close an oil rig. Eventually however the boats pass through the storm and arrive safely at a harbor in a small fishing village. Before unloading, guests hear one last narration which concludes that "Norway's spirit has always been; will always be adventure!”

When Maelstrom initially opened, after disembarking from the ride, guests would stay in an intricately themed nighttime plaza while waiting to enter the Spirit of Norway theater which is located in the attraction's exit. In recent years however, the doors to theater have remained open, allowing guests to enter and exit the theater at will (giving guests the option of skipping the film altogether).

Fun Facts and Trivia

• The boats used as ride vehicles in Maelstrom were designed look like those from the time of Eric the Red.

• As quests go down the attraction's "large" drop, they can see a cruise ship sailing nearby. This was done due to the fact that Norwegian Caribbean Lines was once one of the pavilion's sponsors.

• In the village that serves as the attraction's unloading area, guests can notice that the buildings have company signs on them. These companies were the original sponsors of the pavilion before their contract expired.

• The turntable effect used in Maelstrom to reverse the direction of the boats was engineered by Dave Van Wyk.

• The large polar bear found in the attraction was sculpted by Peter Kermode and covered in fur by Helena Hutchinson.

• The trolls in Maelstrom were sculpted by Peter Kermode.

• When Maelstrom opened, it featured Disney’s largest smoke machine system used to date.

References

http://www.mouseplanet.com/7131/Walt_Disney_Worlds_Maelstrom_Part_1

http://www.mouseplanet.com/7132/Walt_Disney_Worlds_Maelstrom_Part_2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z05WeWfs7tw

http://progresscityusa.com/2010/07/13/you-are-not-the-first-to-pass-this-way/