This week, Imagineers and cast members got to check out one of The World of Frozen’s attractions, an updated version of Frozen Ever After. Will Hong Kong Disneyland one-up the EPCOT original?

Yes. From what we’ve seen in the past with the new Anna and Elsa animatronics, things are certainly looking better on the other side of the globe. Rather than using projected faces, the Hong Kong park is going the more traditional route with fully mechanized heads.

And … they look pretty good! While they don’t have all of the same subtle facial movements of a CGI-projected mug, the physical portraits lack that weird glow and lack of depth. These animatronics may be seen in detail via a video from Laughing Place.

The Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Michael E. Moriarty, posted a new reel on his Instagram today giving us a small glimpse at the much brighter show scenes within Hong Kong Disneyland’s Frozen Ever After.

The EPCOT version had to make do with the existing infrastructure offered by the former Maelstrom building, while the new ride had the freedom of being built from scratch. This means plenty of upgrades to the layout and show lighting.

Boy, does it show! The characters and scenery are far better lit, doing away with the old-school blacklight effect found in the EPCOT version. However, we don’t get to see the entire attraction, so there may be more surprises.

The World of Frozen is set to open to parkgoers this November.

 

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A post shared by Michael E Moriarty (@michael.e.moriarty)

Should EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After go with the full-on animatronic characters, or do you find the projected faces a better fit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Source: Michael E. Moriatry’s Instagram]

[Source: Laughing Place]