Dear Prudence
Well-Known Member
They said there would be new characters.
If Lottie and Eudora are absent, I am done.
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News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
If Lottie and Eudora are absent, I am done.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
By new characters, I suspect we’re talking about the existing Splash Mountain AAs in slightly different outfits. So possibly no Ray, no Facilier, not even the frog forms that the protagonists inhabit for most of the film. The sequel format is a bad idea, even worse then in Frozen Ever After.
There is certainly good reason to replace Splash with a Frog ride, but if they are going to do so Disney needs to level the entire structure and start from scratch. The fact that they aren’t going to do that is more proof, if any were needed, that current Disney design philosophy doesn’t understand theming - they see it as a bucket of paint that can be applied to any structure rather then something that needs to be wound into every step of the design process, from the placement of a ride to the nature of the physical ride experience to the shape of the structure. To see how little Disney understands this, we need only look at GotG - even among the many posters that enjoy the physical experience of the (very expensive) ride, the story and theme are secondary at best, badly implemented at worst - a thin veneer on a generic structure, so detached that they seem like they could be swapped out overnight. I love MMRR, but it’s placement and queue (up to the pre-show) is an uninspired mess slapped into an unsuitable space. Much of the spirit of Frog comes from the urban setting of New Orleans - where will that be in the ride? Is the Louisiana swamp known for its mountains?
The motives behind this change are good, but the half-hearted way Disney is approaching it reeks of insincerity. Go big. Rip it out and start again - with a massive budget.
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crazy4disney
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I totally agree on Frozen but im curious what you think is wrong with Mickey and Minnie? Granted i loved GMR and felt it should have been refurbed and MMRR placed somewhere else as an addition but i truly enjoyed the ride.
TheMaxRebo
Well-Known Member
Personally while I do think Splash needs to be updated I still think it is an amazing ride system so don't want to see it leveled
Definitely would welcome changing the theme to another one that fits the ride structure and location better and then give PatF a brand new attraction built purposely from the ground up father than forcing it into the Splash structure
Since I'm now in the bargaining stage: Can DL get Tiana'd while WDW gets another theme? Maybe Muppets?
So first it was closing in the next couple of months, and now we have until January 2023?
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
While Frozen Ever After takes place after the first movie, and has a scene where the girls are wearing their Frozen Fever dresses, it's basically just a book report of Frozen 1.
I would not be surprised if this ride ends up in a similar way, if only to give a spotlight to certain characters who should otherwise not be there.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Yes, this would be the best option for the park and its guests, but Disney would never do that because they always chose the option that's cheapest/fastest in the short term (see: Frozen Ever After and MMRR vs building these new rides elsewhere and updating what they replaced)
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I know there is a lot of hate for Frozen Ever After, but I personally think they did a reasonable job of giving people what they expect in terms of characters and songs while avoiding a strict retelling of the film along the lines of The Little Mermaid. It's basically just a ride through the world of Frozen, which I think is fine.
I am not a huge fan of the film so am not sure, but from what people are saying it seems like they're creating problems for themselves by trying to make this take place after the film when several characters technically shouldn't be around and one of the most well-liked songs could be out of place. They may just ignore that and/or find work-arounds, but you'd think they would have learnt from Galaxy's Edge that they shouldn't straitjacket themselves by imposing timelines that vastly restrict how they can use their IPs to the point of excluding key characters.
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Disney Glimpses
Well-Known Member
Where did I say it was closing in the next couple of months?
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
The idea of maybe not having Facillier in the ride sounds like a huge mistake, but would not be out of line with recent attractions based on Princess movies that deemphasize their villains;
Hans is not in Frozen Ever After
Gaston is not in Tokyo's Beauty and the Beast ride
Ursula has one scene in Little Mermaid, but her defeat is downplayed significantly
They changed Snow White in Disneyland to make it less scary
Disney Glimpses
Well-Known Member
But anyways, to clarify, as I said in my original post - TRON is fast-tracked to move Splash Mountain along. As for their plans re: timing for the closure of Splash Mountain, I have no idea (as I've admitted). My intuition here is telling me they will let TRON open and then close Splash when that hype dies down after the holiday season (where they can use the added capacity anyways).
UpAllNight
Well-Known Member
My preference would still be a full, proper update to the current ride, but I felt the age of the attraction this year & was more willing to embrace the change. I'm concerned about the quality of the final product though. I have a feeling they'll put a lot of money into a few animatronics that will look great, but will be lacking in sheer numbers that Splash enjoys
Disney Glimpses
Well-Known Member
The fact of the matter is that the SOTS characters should've been re-established in new IP long ago. And none of this would've ever been an issue.
Kirby86
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure how true this is but I've heard that was the original plan even when Walt was alive. Song of the South was going to be used to introduce the Brers and then they'd have their own shorts without the Uncle Remus character. However Song of the South wasn't received well critically and those plans were scratched.
I highly highly doubt this is true. Disney would be taking every moment possible to show off their new experience with Tiana (Ala Guardians or MMRR)
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Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
They are probably keeping it quiet because it’s the only new thing they have to announce at D23. Gotta have something to talk about.
Kirby86
Well-Known Member
A few things. 1) All the scenery is made out of concrete so it really does seem like it'll be the same sets but with more blues and greens to better match up with Princess and the Frog's color pallet. 2)I agree it's odd that if they are so far along with animatronics they didn't tease anything. WDI loves to toot their own horn. 3) I joked about them reusing the current logs and just buffing out Brer Rabbit and I find it hilarious thay could be the case. 4) if they have a presentation for D23 I wonder how loud the boos will be. People were mad at them changing the Wench auction in Pirates. Retheming a classic like Splash? Oh boy I do not envy that presenter.
It comports with official announcements and trusted insiders.