Disney opened World of Frozen at Disneyland Paris on Sunday, unveiling an Arendelle-inspired land anchored by a 118-foot mountain of ice rising over the resort’s suburban Paris setting. The immersive attraction features Elsa’s palace at the top and a Nordic-style “Frozen” fishing village below, bringing the storyworld from the franchise to life across rides, buildings and performances.
The new land opened as a centerpiece of a broader 2 billion euro ($2.18 billion) transformation at Disneyland Paris. As part of the same makeover, Disney renamed one of the resort’s two parks from Walt Disney Studios Park to Disney Adventure World, an inauguration that drew celebrities including Penélope Cruz, Naomi Campbell and Teyana Taylor.
The Paris opening also arrived soon after Josh D’Amaro took over as Disney’s chief executive. Disney’s parks veteran became CEO on March 18, about 11 days before the French gates opened, and he stood on Sunday’s stage in front of the crowd. D’Amaro told the inauguration audience that “Storytelling is fundamental to everything that we do,” linking that message across Disney’s screen and stage work, as well as its cruise ships and home entertainment.
Disney positioned World of Frozen as its largest expansion in the 34-year history of Disneyland Paris. The company described it as a major node in a broader global buildout that includes Disney’s parks, resorts and cruise lines, and it put the Paris changes in the context of Disney’s continuing investment in themed experiences.
Earlier in the week, D’Amaro traveled to the resort alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, who used the visit to frame Disneyland Paris as a national economic asset. Macron called the park “the leading tourist destination in Europe” and described it as “a genuine ecosystem of success,” adding that the latest expansion would create 1,000 additional direct jobs. Macron also said that “13 billion euros” had been invested on the territory since the beginning, as Disneyland Paris reported more than 445 million visits since opening in 1992 and said that figure corresponds to 6.1% of France’s national tourism revenue.
Within World of Frozen, Walt Disney Imagineering executive Michel den Dulk said the land reflects European storytelling, describing it as “very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen.” He said it was a fit to create a northern European wooden village in the park, and he pointed to another European-folk connection across the resort’s planned additions, including a Tangled family ride that draws on the Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel.
The land recreates Arendelle around a lagoon, with timber buildings in muted Scandinavian pastels and facades decorated with rosemaling. The centerpiece attraction, Frozen Ever After, pairs state-of-the-art animatronics with immersive projection effects, and guests can meet Anna and Elsa inside Arendelle Castle, including an interaction with a responsive baby troll named Mossy who “talks back,” according to the description of the experience. The lagoon also hosts a “Snow Flower Festival” celebration featuring an original song.
D’Amaro’s appearance came with on-the-ground entertainment and charitable recognition tied to the attraction’s rollout. During an Associated Press observation of the “Frozen” ride on Saturday night, a Make-A-Wish France participant, Lou, an 11-year-old whose wish was granted, joined the program to sing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” while a next-generation robotic Olaf walked out to join her; the report said it was the 25,000th wish fulfilled for a sick child at Disneyland Paris since 1992.
Beyond World of Frozen, Disney Adventure World adds a new lake called Adventure Bay, a Tangled family ride, 15 dining locations including Regal View Restaurant, and a nighttime spectacular, Disney Cascade of Lights, featuring more than 380 drones. A Lion King land is also set to follow as construction continues.
Other updates to the second park include a “roughly double” footprint claim, with Disney saying that more than 90% of Disney Adventure World’s offerings in the second park have been redesigned since it opened in 2002. As the opening underscored D’Amaro’s shift from parks to the corner office, Disney also framed the investment as part of how it continues to bring stories to life “in brand new ways,” while longtime guests and visitors praised the scale and detail of the new ice mountain and village, even when waits and minor glitches delayed the experience.