Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[mickEblu]

Probably a bit of both. This is easier to tweak and retheme to the woodsy bayou...

Than this is...

Sure but I wouldn’t call it easy. Is Pooh going to be a part of this NOS Bayou extension?

 

[TP2000]

Sure but I wouldn’t call it easy. Is Pooh going to be a part of this NOS Bayou extension?

It wasn't part of the conversation, but I would assume so. At least for now.

I think it's also important to remember that this Tiana ride isn't opening anytime soon. WDI still has lots of work to do to create this ride, let alone install it in the existing facility. The time frame discussed was "years".

 

[mickEblu]

Sigh. I like that pic you posted. Critter Country Country was a Pooh retheme away from being perfect. Now we open up a unnecessary can of worms and get a weird land on the map like New Orleans Bayou all to sell some more food they re already selling.

 

[SuddenStorm]

It wasn't part of the conversation, but I would assume so. At least for now.

I think it's also important to remember that this Tiana ride isn't opening anytime soon. WDI still has lots of work to do to create this ride, let alone design it and install it in the existing facility. The time frame discussed was "years".

It's too bad they announced it so soon.

There's a very real possibility that while working on it Imagineering realizes that they just aren't capable of making an attraction the same caliber as Splash Mountain in the budget provided. Had they not announced this as a major attempt at inclusivity in the parks, they could have shelved it quietly and Tiana fans would have never known.

But now? Now we get whatever WDI is able to dish up in the time and budget provided.

 

[Brer Panther]

It's too bad they announced it so soon.

There's a very real possibility that while working on it Imagineering realizes that they just aren't capable of making an attraction the same caliber as Splash Mountain in the budget provided. Had they not announced this as a major attempt at inclusivity in the parks, they could have shelved it quietly and Tiana fans would have never known.

But now? Now we get whatever WDI is able to dish up in the time and budget provided.

They could always just decide to leave Splash Mountain alone and build a Tiana ride elsewhere in the parks. That'll make the Tiana fans happy.

 

[SuddenStorm]

They could always just decide to leave Splash Mountain alone and build a Tiana ride elsewhere in the parks. That'll make the Tiana fans happy.

Wait... you mean actually building a purpose built attraction is better than replacing a beloved classic?

I'm shocked I tell ya! Shocked!

 

[TP2000]

TP, any idea on a firm timeline from your source? I know you mentioned years, sounds like given the lack of concept art/budget/plan it’s at least a way off (but may be accelerated)?

I will say what I found odd was the work done along ROA and the transition to GE including Hungry Bear was fairly recent. Sounds like the will have to redo that area yet again, which is a bit surprising.

No, sorry, nothing firm. Just the word "years" was used a few times. I also remember that even if this had been given the green light internally, they normally wouldn't have admitted it was happening with substantive artwork and concepts released publicly for another "18 months" of development and work. There's a great deal of work to do still.

But something needed to be said, or done, or Tweeted, or something. So the execs just jumped and committed to it publicly very, very early in the creative and design process.

Not sure that's the best strategy to use operationally or logistically, but there it is. Twitter Mob was tamed!

 

[Brer Panther]

So this WAS them bowing to the Twitter mob after all!

 

[MisterPenguin]

It still confuses me that Disney would build an attraction for The Princess and the Frog when until now they considered it a flop.

A movie can do quite well in the post-theatrical window with DVD sales, merch, and streaming. Especially when bundled with the Disney Princess (tm) brand.

And Disney has been heavily promoting Tiana. A WDW, she has her own M&G spot (for a while Naveen was with her). There was the Tiana luncheon party on the riverboat. Tiana leads off the IPs in the fireworks show. Tiana and company are featured in the castle stage show. Tiana's in the daily parade.

Dr. Facilier is one of the go-to villains for whenever a group of villains are called for. He was the host of Club Villain.

Tiana's restaurant appears on the cruise ships, and the now suspended new DVC, Reflections, was going to have a Tiana M&G restaurant.

Tiana and Facilier are big things in the parks.

 

[MisterPenguin]

That part of the conversation also discussed Star Wars Land, which was designed in 2013-14 for Disneyland first and then apparently had at least two different locations on the periphery of DHS it could have gone. The focus was on making it work at Disneyland and realigning the Rivers of America and Disneyland Railroad, and then they just assumed they'd cut and paste it into whatever spot the Florida management decided to use at DHS.

This comports with the oral tradition that our insiders have handed down.

 

[TP2000]

This comports with the oral tradition that our insiders have handed down.

It sounded familiar to me too.

Apparently WDI usually pitches and designs a multi-park project based on how it can fit into Disneyland Resort, knowing that it will be easy logistically and politically to clone it and plop it down on some bit of swampy land in Orlando with minimal fuss.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Dr. Facilier is one of the go-to villains for whenever a group of villains are called for. He was the host of Club Villain.

Probably because he's the only good modern Disney villains other than maybe the mother from Tangled.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

No, sorry, nothing firm. Just the word "years" was used a few times. I also remember that even if this had been given the green light internally, they normally wouldn't have admitted it was happening with substantive artwork and concepts released publicly for another "18 months" of development and work. There's a great deal of work to do still.

But something needed to be said, or done, or Tweeted, or something. So the execs just jumped and committed to it publicly very, very early in the process.

Not sure that's the best strategy to use operationally or logistically, but there it is. Twitter Mob was tamed!

Thanks again! Sounds like a mess. If this announcing wasn’t to be made for about 18 months I’d surmise Splash will be left for at least up to a couple years in its current state before refurb work even begins.

With any luck hopefully this project isn’t rushed with the same haphazard political expediency as the DPB announcement, and execs give WDI time to map this out and gain the access the necessary funds to make this project a worthy successor to the original.

 

[TP2000]

Thanks again! Sounds like a mess. If this announcing wasn’t to be made for about 18 months I’d surmise Splash will be left for at least up to a couple years in its current state before refurb work even begins.

With any luck hopefully this project isn’t rushed with the same haphazard political expediency as the DPB announcement, and execs give WDI time to map this out and gain the access the necessary funds to make this project a worthy successor to the original.

True.

Although with all the projects that have just been cancelled, or even stopped in mid-construction, there is not going to be a shortage of WDI talent to assign to the Splash Mountain remake.

 

[SuddenStorm]

there is not going to be a shortage of WDI talent to assign to the Splash Mountain remake.

I'd argue that shortage of WDI talent is already present, regardless of COVID, project cancellations or the political climate present at WDI right now.

 

[Brer Panther]

Probably because he's the only good modern Disney villains other than maybe the mother from Tangled.

I personally thought King Candy was an interesting villain.

 

[socalifornian]

It still confuses me that Disney would build an attraction for The Princess and the Frog when until now they considered it a flop.

Yeah this movie was partially responsible for shutting down hand-drawn animation at Disney. I’m not sure how long the instagrammable moments will last once the new ride smell wears off

 

[MisterPenguin]

It still confuses me that Disney would build an attraction for The Princess and the Frog when until now they considered it a flop.

PatF, using general rule of thumb Box Office accounting, lost $24M.

Compare that to...

Home on the Range: -$113M
Chicken Little: -$68M
Meet the Robinsons: -$71M
Bolt: -$70M
Tangled: : -$94M
Winnie the Pooh: -$20M
Wreck it Ralph: -$12M

The big difference between these theatrical money-losers is their after-market appeal. PatF, Ralph, Winnie, Tangled all got good reviews and were successful in the post-theatrical markets. Range, Chicken, and Robinsons didn't get good reviews and are mostly forgotten. The outlier is Bolt, which got good reviews, but never caught on post-theatrically.

After the theater run, there is pay-per-view, premium cable, DVD, broadcast and streaming. Not to mention the merch and park synergy.

So, yes, by Box Office standards alone, PatF flopped. But by critical and audience reviews and continued appeal... not a flop, and it probably made up already the money it lost theatrically in the post-theatrical market.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Disney should build a Titanic ride. It made more than all their crappy cartoons.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Disney should build a Titanic ride. It made more than all their crappy cartoons.

*There's* the water ride that DHS needs!!