EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After Just Got a Major Tech Upgrade—And the New Animatronics Look Shockingly Lifelike

If you’ve ridden Frozen Ever After at EPCOT in the past decade, you know the experience is magical—but you’ve also probably noticed that Anna and Elsa’s faces look a little… flat. That’s because the attraction has been using projected faces on the animatronic figures since it opened back in 2016. Well, Disney just fixed that problem, and the upgraded attraction reopens February 12, 2026 with technology that’s going to make those characters look disturbingly real.

Frozen Ever After has been closed since January 26 for what Disney described as routine refurbishment work. But this wasn’t just a fresh coat of paint and some mechanical tune-ups. Disney Imagineering used the downtime to completely overhaul the Audio-Animatronic figures of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff—replacing their projected faces with articulated, physical faces that bring them into the modern era of theme park animatronics.

The Hong Kong Disneyland Connection

Here’s what makes this upgrade so significant. When World of Frozen opened at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2023, it featured a version of the Frozen Ever After ride with significant technical improvements, including these advanced animatronics with physical faces. The difference was night and day. Where EPCOT’s figures looked like they were watching a movie playing on their own heads, Hong Kong’s figures had depth, expression, and genuine emotion in their movements.

Now, EPCOT is finally getting the same treatment. The new figures use the same cutting-edge technology that made Hong Kong’s version so impressive—articulated facial features that can create nuanced expressions, realistic eye movements, and a level of detail that projection mapping simply can’t match.

More Than Just New Faces

The team didn’t stop at just swapping out the animatronic heads. The extended closure allowed them to make additional improvements throughout the attraction—upgrades to lighting, set pieces, and various other components that guests will notice when they ride.

Disney has been tight-lipped about the specific details of these additional enhancements, but the fact that they’re taking the time to do this work suggests they’re serious about bringing the EPCOT version up to par with its Hong Kong counterpart.

Why This Matters for Your Next EPCOT Visit

Frozen Ever After has consistently been one of EPCOT’s most popular attractions since it replaced the beloved Maelstrom in the Norway Pavilion. It regularly commands wait times of 60 to 90 minutes, and FastPass (now Lightning Lane) reservations disappear within minutes of becoming available. This technology upgrade isn’t going to reduce those wait times—if anything, expect even longer lines when it reopens next week as curious guests flood in to see the improvements.

But here’s the thing: this upgrade represents a broader shift in how Disney is approaching its animatronics. We’ve seen it with the new figures in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and we’re seeing it now with Frozen. Disney is moving away from projection technology in favor of physical faces that create more believable, emotionally resonant characters. It’s a return to the kind of craftsmanship that made Disney animatronics legendary in the first place, but with 21st-century precision and capability.

When to Ride

Mark your calendar: Frozen Ever After reopens Thursday, February 12, 2026. If you’re planning an EPCOT visit in the coming weeks, we’d recommend either hitting this attraction first thing in the morning when the park opens, or waiting until the evening when crowds thin out. The initial rush to see the upgraded animatronics is going to be intense.

And if you rode the Hong Kong version and thought those figures were impressive, you’re about to get the same experience without leaving the country. Disney finally brought the good stuff to Florida, and guests who’ve been riding the old version for nearly a decade are in for a genuinely surprising upgrade.

The technology gap between EPCOT and Hong Kong Disneyland’s Frozen attractions is about to close. And honestly, it’s about time.