A new view of Norway

As far as World Showcase is concerned, Norway is the youngest sibling of the eleven pavilions along the promenade. Yet, of the various pavilions, Norway is the only pavilion with two attractions: a film and a flume ride. Though the more popular Maelstrom has since its inception filtered guests from their boats to the film (in recent years guests have been allowed to bypass the film before it began), the travelogue has always had its own small, yet devoted, following.

In the early part of the new century, plans and discussions between Disney and Norway began to reviewing the possibility of infusing some new life into the Norway pavilion by replacing the film that had been present since the opening of the Maelstrom. A new film could have been ready to go before Norway’s centennial in 2005, but, as is apt to occur in business, the best laid plans fell through.

Kristoffer Rønneberg wrote a terrific article in 2004 that was equal parts history and optimism, with a dash of business thrown in for good measure:

Disney executive Ben May is noticeably relieved when he hears the words. Across the table, in a conference room above one of the most popular attractions at the Epcot Center in Orlando, the Norwegian Minister of Culture is smiling at him. “I think,” she has just told him, “that it’s a good idea to make a new movie.” That little piece of goodwill may put a show on the road for Disney that has previously been kept on ice.

Rønneberg’s A new view of Norway, available on Norway’s official United States site, gives a fantastic glimpse into what might have been. I highly recommend this article to all World Showcase enthusiasts who dare to dream of what might have been.