Disney doesn't create rides like Splash Mtn anymore. This style of E ticket ride are from a bygone era that kicked off in 1967 with Pirates of the Caribbean and finally ended in 2001 with Tokyo's Sinbad. That isn't to say there haven't been other really good Disney rides since. Radiator Springs Racers, Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Mystic Manor are technically impressive ride systems with some nice scenes. And the single mine scene from 7DMT feels like it would be at home within a larger Splash Mtn caliber ride. But there's still nothing that truly matches the E tickets such as POTC, Horizons, SSE, World of Motion, Great Movie Ride, Splash Mtn etc etc. These rides were all notable for their numerous sets of rich densely detailed physical scenery and artistry as well as huge armies of well articulated animatronics. Video elements being kept to a minimum and supplemental role while the physical parts were front and center. They were also lengthy, 10 minutes at least, some 15 or even 20 minutes. At least PATF is likely to retain Splash's length.
My gravest concern is that the ride will be gutted and left as a literal hollow shell of its former self. I fear the imagineers (both lacking the necessary budget/resources AND possibly the creative/artistic talent) will be unable to replicate anything close to the same level of dense physical detail seen in Splash Mtn. I fear that significant amounts of physical scenery will be removed, leaving largely bare walls used for video projection. I also fear most if not all of the current animatronics will be removed and possibly scrapped. Reason being that their proportions are simultaneously too anthropomorphic for most of the movie's animal designs, but also not the right proportions for human characters either. It's also extremely unlikely they will fabricate new AA figures at a similar quantity to the ones being removed. Besides Louis, most animal figures will probably be small non-AA's and only use limited simple motion (or stationary) ala Little Mermaid's figures. There will probably be a couple of new decent human AA's, though likely very sparse in quantity and possibly utilizing the trendy (and more often than not, clumsy and poorly executed) facial projections seen in Frozenstrom. Though the B&TB ride in Tokyo uses physical articulated faces at least, so we'll see. Don't have high hopes for the story or its logic either.
