Disney opens World of Frozen at renamed Paris park

A 118-foot mountain of ice towered over the suburban Paris countryside this weekend as Disney unveiled its Arendelle kingdom to the world, marking a significant expansion of Disneyland Paris. The “Frozen”-themed area features Elsa’s palace glowing at the summit and a Nordic fishing village nestled below.

World of Frozen opened Sunday as the centerpiece of a 2 billion euro ($2.18 billion) transformation at Disneyland Paris. The project includes renaming one of the resort’s two parks from Walt Disney Studios Park to Disney Adventure World. The star-studded inauguration attracted celebrities including Penélope Cruz, Naomi Campbell, and Teyana Taylor.

This expansion represents the largest in the 34-year history of Disneyland Paris and forms part of Disney’s approximately $60 billion global investment in its parks, resorts, and cruise lines. The opening also provided the first major international platform for Josh D’Amaro, who assumed the role of Disney’s chief executive on March 18, just days before the French opening.

D’Amaro’s appointment follows nearly three decades in Disney’s theme parks division, which reportedly generated 57% of the company’s $17.5 billion in segment operating income last year. Industry analysts suggest this impressive performance was instrumental in elevating him from parks chief to CEO.

“The Walt Disney Company was built on one man’s dream, and for more than 100 years we’ve shared that dream with the world,” D’Amaro told attendees at the inauguration ceremony. “Storytelling is fundamental to everything that we do, whether that’s on screen or stage, in our theme parks, on our cruise ships, or even at home.”

D’Amaro described the opening as “a transformational moment” and acknowledged the creative team behind the land, including “Frozen” writer-director Jennifer Lee, who is currently working on “Frozen 3.”

An Associated Press journalist accompanied D’Amaro on the “Frozen” ride Saturday night, reporting that the carriage splashed through water to the delight of riders, with some exiting slightly wet. The evening reached an emotional climax when an 11-year-old child named Lou, whose wish was granted through Make-A-Wish France, performed a few notes of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” accompanied by a next-generation robotic Olaf. This marked the 25,000th wish fulfilled for a sick child at Disneyland Paris since its opening in 1992.

French President Emmanuel Macron attended the resort on Friday alongside D’Amaro, highlighting the park’s economic significance to France. Macron described Disneyland Paris as “the leading tourist destination in Europe” and “a genuine ecosystem of success,” noting that the expansion would create 1,000 additional direct jobs.

“Since the beginning, that’s 13 billion euros invested on this territory,” Macron stated. According to Disneyland Paris, the resort has recorded more than 445 million visits since 1992, accounting for 6.1% of France’s national tourism revenue.

Macron’s endorsement represents a remarkable reversal in French attitudes toward Disney. When the park opened as Euro Disney in 1992, French intellectuals dismissed it as a “cultural Chernobyl.” Now, three decades later, a French president publicly celebrates it as an engine of national prosperity.

The new attractions draw heavily on European storytelling traditions. “Frozen, of course, has its roots in European storytelling,” explained Michel den Dulk of Walt Disney Imagineering. “It’s very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen. So to have a northern European, charming wooden little village here in Disneyland Paris — it just made sense.”

The land recreates Arendelle around a lagoon, featuring timber buildings painted in muted Scandinavian pastels and adorned with rosemaling, a traditional Norwegian decorative art. At its center stands Frozen Ever After, a boat ride showcasing state-of-the-art animatronics and immersive projection effects.

Visitors can meet Anna and Elsa inside Arendelle Castle, interact with a responsive baby troll named Mossy, and witness a lagoon celebration called the Snow Flower Festival that features an original song. Despite some initial delays and minor technical issues, guests praised the scale of the mountain and the village’s attention to detail.

“Despite the wait, it was well worth it. The attention to detail is incredible, and the perspective of the ice mountain is breathtaking,” said Daniel Weber, a 41-year-old architect from Munich, after experiencing the ride on Sunday.

Beyond World of Frozen, the rebranded park introduces Adventure Bay, a vast new lake; a Tangled family ride; 15 new dining locations including the upscale Regal View Restaurant; and a nighttime spectacular called Disney Cascade of Lights featuring more than 380 drones. A Lion King-themed area, already under construction, will follow.

Disney reports that over 90% of the second park’s offerings will have been redesigned since its 2002 opening, with the footprint approximately doubling once the full transformation is complete. While Disney’s streaming services have recently achieved profitability after initial losses, the parks remain the company’s most reliable source of earnings—and now D’Amaro, who previously managed them, leads the entire company.

As pyrotechnics illuminated Arendelle Village and the ice palace on the mountain glowed blue, a brand-new kingdom opened in the fields east of Paris—a far cry from the punchline Euro Disney became 34 years ago.