Splash Mountain with animation off

[Figments Friend]

Agree.

Jess was just 'warming up' when he did his recordings for Br'er Rabbit and 'Br'er Fox' for the DL Original back in the late 80s.
You can hear the young, playful naive tone to his voice here, which fits the character persona of Br'er Rabbit perfectly.
I'm sure this had a lot to do with him getting cast in the part.
It was his first voice acting job too, I beleive .....I remember reading this somewhere a while back.

By the time Jess was hired to re-do the voicework for those same two characters a few years later for WDW's version of the Attraction, he was much more experienced and had already done quite a bit of voice work elsewhere.

There is a difference there between the two audio versions.
Jess was such a 'kid' when he did the Original!

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[ShoalFox]

Is'nt it fantastic..?
I so prefer it to the 'Fromtierland' appropriate music done for WDW's version of the Attraction.

The 'Disneyland Original' of 'Splash Mountain' is one of my favorite ride soundtracks.
Very bouncy and happy, with a jazzy undertone.
Just marvelous to listen to.

Very glad to hear of your recent 'discovery' of it!


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I feel like if Splash Mountain had WDW's layout and DLR's soundtrack, it would be perfect

 

[Bairstow]

I feel like if Splash Mountain had WDW's layout and DLR's soundtrack, it would be perfect

Not to mention the slower pace of the Florida ride.
Riding the Californian one, it feels like you're being rushed through everything. I believe I read somewhere that the logs in the Disneyland version are moving about 33% faster.

Personally, though, I don't like the queue/area music of the Disneyland version at all- way too much synthesizer xylophone and horns for my taste.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I feel like if Splash Mountain had WDW's layout and DLR's soundtrack, it would be perfect

Yeah it would. Surprisingly, the harmonica sounds really good with the big band style of DL's Splash as seen in a couple minutes into a video title 60-85 Splash Mountain audio tribute. For some reason I can't share the link but go ahead and give it a listen!

 

[Figments Friend]

Disneyland's music for the Attraction, especially the area directly around it, was themed to better fit in with the intent of it's placement.
At Disneyland, the designers intended 'Splash Mountain' to be a extension of New Orleans Square, in this case the 'bayou' and wilds of the Southern wilderness.
The theory was that you left the civilization of the Square to visit the strange mansion on the fringes of town, and continuing on you reached the 'wilderness'...aka 'Critter Country'.
So the score was purposely composed to add those 'jazzy' influences from the area thematically.

You can hear it most clearly during the beginning of your adventure...when you leave the loading area, go up the first lift, and continue along through the mill house.
That entire section has the 'jazzy' elements, including the trumpet segments and overall 'bounciness'.
I personally love that piece of music.


WDW's version of the Attraction needed a dramatic change in tone musically since it was to be located within Frontierland.
So at this Park, we hear the more bluegrass, country pickin' stylings in the score to thematically match the area it is placed in here.
It is also a great score, but of the two i find myself preferring the Disneyland Original.

And yes - DL's ride experience is most certainly much faster!
You speed by the Show scenes very quickly ( too quickly in some cases ) but the smaller scale of the scenes 'works' for that particular rides' pace.
WDW's has far more elaborate scenes that are more fully fleshed out, so a 'slower' speed makes far more sense.

DL's 'big drop' is also far more thrilling.
It seems faster because of the shape of the logs...here, you sit single file and the logs are more 'aerodynamic'.
It really feels like you are speeding down that drop like a bullet, while at WDW the larger, wider logs and different seating arrangement spoil that illusion of speed.

Both Attractions have their plusses and minuses.

For DL, i would say the positives are that the music/score is better, the 'look' of the Mountain itself, the log design, and the speed of the thrilling drop.

WDW's version has the far better Show elements and figures, but the drop is far less thrilling to me.

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[Magenta Panther]

I frankly think that Splash's AAs need a major upgrade. They look dated, and Brer Rabbit (to me) doesn't look much like the character in the film. But the ride's narrative is still superb. The last time I rode Splash, which was a couple of years ago, people in my group were awed by the showboat finale. That was so good to see, and it's all because of good storytelling.

 

[ShoalFox]

Brer Rabbit (to me) doesn't look much like the character in the film

If you're talking about the WDW version, Brer Rabbit was intentionally changed from brown to grey for both Florida and Tokyo

 

[Brer Oswald]

If you're talking about the WDW version, Brer Rabbit was intentionally changed from brown to grey for both Florida and Tokyo

Imo, the animatronics at DL are pretty bad. The animatronics at WDW are a lot better but not perfect. Still, they're acceptable and beats most animatronics on and off of Disney property.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Disneyland's music for the Attraction, especially the area directly around it, was themed to better fit in with the intent of it's placement.
At Disneyland, the designers intended 'Splash Mountain' to be a extension of New Orleans Square, in this case the 'bayou' and wilds of the Southern wilderness.
The theory was that you left the civilization of the Square to visit the strange mansion on the fringes of town, and continuing on you reached the 'wilderness'...aka 'Critter Country'.
So the score was purposely composed to add those 'jazzy' influences from the area thematically.

You can hear it most clearly during the beginning of your adventure...when you leave the loading area, go up the first lift, and continue along through the mill house.
That entire section has the 'jazzy' elements, including the trumpet segments and overall 'bounciness'.
I personally love that piece of music.


WDW's version of the Attraction needed a dramatic change in tone musically since it was to be located within Frontierland.
So at this Park, we hear the more bluegrass, country pickin' stylings in the score to thematically match the area it is placed in here.
It is also a great score, but of the two i find myself preferring the Disneyland Original.

And yes - DL's ride experience is most certainly much faster!
You speed by the Show scenes very quickly ( too quickly in some cases ) but the smaller scale of the scenes 'works' for that particular rides' pace.
WDW's has far more elaborate scenes that are more fully fleshed out, so a 'slower' speed makes far more sense.

DL's 'big drop' is also far more thrilling.
It seems faster because of the shape of the logs...here, you sit single file and the logs are more 'aerodynamic'.
It really feels like you are speeding down that drop like a bullet, while at WDW the larger, wider logs and different seating arrangement spoil that illusion of speed.

Both Attractions have their plusses and minuses.

For DL, i would say the positives are that the music/score is better, the 'look' of the Mountain itself, the log design, and the speed of the thrilling drop.

WDW's version has the far better Show elements and figures, but the drop is far less thrilling to me.

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The trade off is that WDW gets way better logs. Honestly my major complaint about DL was the logs. Although I do agree the drop was more thrilling

 

[Figments Friend]

Imo, the animatronics at DL are pretty bad. The animatronics at WDW are a lot better but not perfect. Still, they're acceptable and beats most animatronics on and off of Disney property.

The differences in the figures between the two are startling.
I find that WDW's versions of the main characters look more 'on model', as in, look more like the actual characters from the film.
DL's always kind of looked a little 'off model' to my eyes, particularly Brer Fox.
He looks terrific at WDW, as does Brer Rabbit.

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[Yert3]

The differences in the figures between the two are startling.
I find that WDW's versions of the main characters look more 'on model', as in, look more like the actual characters from the film.
DL's always kind of looked a little 'off model' to my eyes, particularly Brer Fox.
He looks terrific at WDW, as does Brer Rabbit.

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I've always thought this myself. They only opened three years apart , but WDW's version looks like it opened up ten years later. It's just so much more appealing to the eye. DL's version, while fun, seems to go by way too fast. You only get to hear laughing place (not including the bee segment) for like ten seconds before it's over. Personally, I think Tokyo's version is by far the best. I just wish I could understand Japanese!

 

[Figments Friend]

The Attraction's creator, Tony Baxter, would agree with you in respects to Tokyo's version of 'Splash Mountain'.
It is his favorite of the three versions that exsist.



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[Brer Oswald]

I've always thought this myself. They only opened three years apart , but WDW's version looks like it opened up ten years later. It's just so much more appealing to the eye. DL's version, while fun, seems to go by way too fast. You only get to hear laughing place (not including the bee segment) for like ten seconds before it's over. Personally, I think Tokyo's version is by far the best. I just wish I could understand Japanese!

The reason DL is probably weaker in that regard is because it was the first and they had to reuse animatronics. Also, Tokyo has the best animatronics and props, but I think WDW has the best layout of them all in terms of story.

 

[Ol' Br'er Fox]

I don't know why everyone around here is so willing to diss the DL animatronics. They have so much charm to them and they're the last real remnant of America Sings, so if they replaced the animatronics I would be very upset. From what I've seen of people saying how they want updated animatronics, it seems no one really gives a toss about the history behind them.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I don't know why everyone around here is so willing to diss the DL animatronics. They have so much charm to them and they're the last real remnant of America Sings, so if they replaced the animatronics I would be very upset. From what I've seen of people saying how they want updated animatronics, it seems no one really gives a toss about the history behind them.

People are bashing the Song of the South character animatronics created specifically for the attraction, not the America Sings ones. I agree we need to keep some reminants of history, but the Brer Rabbit animatronics are just plain bad at DL.

 

[Ol' Br'er Fox]

People are bashing the Song of the South character animatronics created specifically for the attraction, not the America Sings ones. I agree we need to keep some reminants of history, but the Brer Rabbit animatronics are just plain bad at DL.

Well, in a post above mine you mentioned that the ride was somehow weaker because they reused the animatronics from America Sings, thus why I brought it up.

 

[Bairstow]

I don't know why everyone around here is so willing to diss the DL animatronics. They have so much charm to them and they're the last real remnant of America Sings, so if they replaced the animatronics I would be very upset. From what I've seen of people saying how they want updated animatronics, it seems no one really gives a toss about the history behind them.

The fact that Disney saved a bunch of money by reusing the figures is a fun factoid, but certainly not a good reason not to go to more lifelike or expressive hardware.

...though in fairness, I can't imagine Disney ever spending the money to do so.

 

[Figments Friend]

There was a real awareness of the history being lost in regards to the 'America Sings' Attraction closing at Disneyland goes, specifically the fate of the large collection of AA characters.
The designers involved in creating 'Splash Mountain' did not want to lose all of those beautifully designed Marc Davis figures, so from the very early development stages they were always planned to be re-used for the new log flume ride.
Early concept art done by John Stone shows many of those same figures in proposed ( and many eventually built ) Show scenes.

Tony Baxter has said in various interviews that it was suggested to re-use the figures in a attempt to save them from being destroyed.
It was a concious effort to salvage them for 'Splash' so that they would be saved and continue to be enjoyed by Guests in the future.

Typically, when a Attraction is closed that contains AAs, the figures are removed and gutted for parts.
The remains are stashed under stages and in backstage storage areas so that various parts can be reused to keep other active AAs operational.
I have seen many a sad photo of 'gutted' AA figures from Horizons, World of Motion, and other past attractions.
It would have been a real shame to lose those fabulous Marc figures from 'America Sings'.
Blaine Gibson ( then lead figure sculptor at WED / WDI ) did a phenomenal job creating those personalities Marc had drawn and turn them into three dimensional performing figures!


So there was more behind the re-use of the 'American Sings' figures then just 'saving money'.
Recycling....it's good for the environment..!


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[Brer Oswald]

Well, in a post above mine you mentioned that the ride was somehow weaker because they reused the animatronics from America Sings, thus why I brought it up.

Sorry I was just trying to say that it was the weaker was because it was the first and less money was spent on it compared to the others. I should have said the SotS animatronics made it weaker, not the America Sings ones because they don't