Maelstrom

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

Maelstrom FastpassIcon.jpg
Maelstrom.jpg
The entrance to Maelstrom.
Epcot
Attraction type Interior Boat Ride
Theme History of Norway
Opening date July 5, 1988
Closing date October 5, 2014
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 [1]. Along the way, guests would encounter mythical creatures such as trolls and gnomes as they searched for the Rainbow Bridge to Valhalla [1]. 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 [1]. This never before seen ride element was created by Imagineer Dave Van Wyk [2]. During the development of SeaVenture, the Sherman Brothers were also called in to create a song for the attraction, although this was never used.

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 [2]. 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 [2]. 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 [1]. 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 [1]. The storm was to include wind, waves, rain, thunder and real lightning [1].

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 [1]. Finally, on July 5, 1988, Maelstrom opened to the public with the rest of the Norway pavilion [3]. 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. Maelstrom permanently closed on October 5, 2014 in order to make way for a new attraction titled Frozen Ever After [4].

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 began with guests boarding a Viking boat and sailing off into the distant past of Norwegian folklore. After being set in motion, the boat ascended up a lift, which was surrounded by hieroglyphics. On top of the hill, a large mask of Odin was seen. As guests approached the mask, light radiated from Odin's only eye and wind howled in the background. Odin then spoke 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 would then enter a scene which depicted a coastal Viking settlement, where various Vikings were shown preparing their boats. After seeing the settlement, the scope of the scene was expanded and guests witnessed various Viking ships sailing off into the distance, as a nearby man blew a horn to seemingly announce their departure.

After traveling through the Viking village, guests entered the next scene which depicted a Norwegian forest. As guests traveled ahead, a large three headed troll emerged. The troll had been angered by guests intrusion in the forest (which he called Troll Country) and he then cast a spell on the boat, telling guests to go "Back! Over the falls!". At this point in the attraction, the boat began to move backwards and guests go down a small decent.

After the drop, guests found themselves in Norway's polar region. Here, guests floated past a polar bear menacingly standing on its hind legs. Continuing backwards, guests headed towards the pavilion's exterior waterfall, giving them a view of World Showcase. Just as it seemed that the boat will go plunging down the waterfall however, a large tree-stump troll rose up and changed the direction of the boat once again. At this point, guests fell (forward) down a 28 foot drop, before finding themselves in the middle of a North Sea storm. As wind and rain howled around the boat, guests came dangerously close an oil rig. Eventually however the boats passed through the storm and arrived safely at a harbor in a small fishing village. Before unloading, guests heard one last narration which concluded 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 was located in the attraction's exit. In the years before the attraction closed however, the doors to theater had remained open, allowing guests to enter and exit the theater at will. This also gave 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 guests went down the attraction's largest drop, they could 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 served as the attraction's unloading area, guests could see that the buildings have company signs on them. These companies were the original sponsors of the pavilion before their contract expired.
  • The large polar bear found in the attraction was sculpted by Peter Kermode and covered in fur by Helena Hutchinson Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag;

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  • The trolls in Maelstrom were sculpted by Peter Kermode.
  • When Maelstrom opened, it featured Disney’s largest smoke machine system used to date [1].
  • 5.7 million people rode Maelstrom in its first year of operation Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag;

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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/
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 http://www.martinsvids.net/?tag=norway-pavilion
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The EPCOT explorer's encyclopedia: R. Pedersen - Epcyclopedia Press - 2011
  3. http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/05/this-day-in-disney-history-norway-pavilion-debuts/
  4. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-farewell-to-norway-maelstrom-ride-at-epcot-20141005-story.html