Mælstrom is a dark ride

Dark ride

A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....

 and a traditional film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 attraction located in the Norway

Norway (Epcot)

The Norway Pavilion is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort.-Layout:The Norway pavilion is designed to look like a Norwegian village. The village includes a detailed Stave church, and the exterior of its main table-service restaurant, Restaurant Akershus,...

 pavilion of the World Showcase at the Epcot

Epcot

Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...

 theme park at Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...

 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake....

. Visitors ride boats that are patterned after Viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

 ships and pass through various scenes with audio-animatronic figures. The attraction features a brief 28 foot drop near the climax of the boat ride.

The ride

The ride first takes visitors back to a mythological version of Norway's Viking days. The boats first pass through scenes of seafarers and Vikings. The boats then enter an enchanted swamp, and are forced backwards down a waterfall by angry trolls. The boats float rapidly past scenes of polar bears and living trees, before coming to a stop on the edge of another waterfall, exposed to the Norway pavilion's main thoroughfare. After again rotating to a forward-facing position, the boats plunge forward into the stormy North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

. The boats pass dangerously close to an oil rig and the ride comes to an abrupt end in a calm harbor. After the ride, guests disembark and then have the option to watch a 6 minute film highlighting the history and folklore of Norway.

Concept and design

The Mælstrom attraction was always conceived to be a boat ride, with a section that went backwards. The ride's plotline was originally going to be entirely centered around trolls, but the Norwegian sponsors wanted a ride that included other aspects of Norway.

Hidden Mickeys

• In the ride's loading area, a large painted mural includes many people and elements from Norway's history. Hidden in this painting is a Viking whose helmet has Mickey Mouse ears, and another figure wearing a Mickey Mouse watch.

See also

• Epcot attraction and entertainment history
  Epcot attraction and entertainment history
  Epcot is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The term "attractions" is used by Disney as a catch-all term for rides, shows, and exhibits.-Current Future World attractions:...
  
  
• Norway pavilion at Epcot
  Norway (Epcot)
  The Norway Pavilion is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort.-Layout:The Norway pavilion is designed to look like a Norwegian village. The village includes a detailed Stave church, and the exterior of its main table-service restaurant, Restaurant Akershus,...
  
  

External links

• Walt Disney World Resort - Maelstrom