News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure

[Brer Panther]

Can you describe anything specific about the concept art that you feel would thematically disrupt Frontierland? Looking at it, I see nothing that screams Mardi Gras or New Orleans.

Didn't the announcement straight-up say that the ride would have Tiana and Louis preparing for a Mardi Gras celebration?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Can you describe anything specific about the concept art that you feel would thematically disrupt Frontierland? Looking at it, I see nothing that screams Mardi Gras or New Orleans.

The description that we have of the new attraction explicitly says Mardi Gras

We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.

 

[LittleBuford]

Didn't the announcement straight-up say that the ride would have Tiana and Louis preparing for a Mardi Gras celebration?

The description that we have of the new attraction explicitly says Mardi Gras

We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.

I asked specifically about the concept art, and specifically with regard to the ride’s exterior.

If we’re going to focus on descriptions, it should be noted that even WDW’s Splash Mountain is officially described as “a colorful Southern bayou” (emphasis added).

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Can you describe anything specific about the concept art that you feel would thematically disrupt Frontierland? Looking at it, I see nothing that screams Mardi Gras or New Orleans.

The one piece of concept art we got so far was a quick overlay of the Disneyland ride with minimal detail. We don't really know what they're planning for Florida yet, and I suspect WDI doesn't know either.

And after the castle repainting in Florida, I wouldn't assume any concept art from them is an accurate depiction of the final product.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I asked specifically about the concept art, and specifically with regard to the ride’s exterior.

If we’re going to focus on descriptions, it should be noted that even WDW’s Splash Mountain is officially described as “a colorful Southern bayou” (emphasis added).

What's written on a website years after opening may not reflect the ride's intent. Disney's online descriptions are not always accurate.

 

[LittleBuford]

The one piece of concept art we got so far was a quick overlay of the Disneyland ride with minimal detail. We don't really know what they're planning for Florida yet, and I suspect WDI doesn't know either.

And after the castle repainting in Florida, I wouldn't assume any concept art from them is an accurate depiction of the final product.

We’re both making assumptions in that case. I’m assuming that the concept art is more or less indicative that the exterior will resemble a bayou, whereas you’re assuming they’re going to go a different route and create something thematically disruptive. I guess time will tell which of us is right.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

We’re both making assumptions in that case. I’m assuming that the concept art is more or less indicative that the exterior will resemble a bayou, whereas you’re assuming they’re going to go a different route and create something thematically disruptive. I guess time will tell which of us is right.

I would view a bayou exterior as disruptive given the South West look of that corner of the park, which Splash Mountain tried to resemble.

 

[EagleScout610]

I just found this while poking around the internet. It's amamzing how large the Splash AAs are, and I doubt we'll get AAs that size for PATF

 

[MisterPenguin]

I would view a bayou exterior as disruptive given the South West look of that corner of the park, which Splash Mountain tried to resemble.

Well... there's a Mississippi river boat also abutting the Southwestern corner of the park.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Splash never really made sense between Pecos Bill’s and Big Thunder. We accepted it because the ride is fantastic. I suspect any new iteration will also be accepted if it’s fantastic. Let’s hope it is. It would be quite embarrassing retheming a classic for the stated reason only to have it suck. WDI had better deliver.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Song of the South, the movie, takes place in Georgia.

Splash Mountain, the WDW ride, does not. That's why they changed the landscape, the music, etc. Bears, foxes and rabbits live West of the Mississippi too. Even riverboats operated out west. They translated the story to a western setting because without any references to plantation life, it doesn't have to be set in the South East.

The proposed Tiana ride is about preparing for Mardi Gras. They're not even trying this time because the California designers wen't thinking much about WDW when they made the decision, only what would fit in "their" park.

Expanding on this;

It's not unheard of for Disney to build a ride and change the setting depending upon the park it's built for. The Haunted Mansion/Phantom Manor is the most obvious example, but others include Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea (set in NYC), Toy Story Midway Mania (a different land in each park its built in) and Magic Carpets of Aladdin (a Hollywood set in Paris).

I view Splash Mountain the same way. Set in the South East in DLR, South West in WDW (a flip of their real life geographic locations).

 

[LittleBuford]

Anyone reading this thread without having seen the attraction would assume that WDW’s version looks completely different from the Disneyland original. Here’s an actual comparison:

I personally don’t view these as pointing to explicitly differentiated or easily identifiable geographical settings. Asked which one looks more “frontier”, I might well answer the first—the boulders evoke the West for me. I realise this is subjective, but I think it’s important to ground ourselves in the visual evidence rather than exaggerate the extent to which WDW’s Splash Mountain has been shorn of its Southern associations. As others have pointed out, Frontierland has always been a mishmash of West and South.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I asked specifically about the concept art, and specifically with regard to the ride’s exterior.

If we’re going to focus on descriptions, it should be noted that even WDW’s Splash Mountain is officially described as “a colorful Southern bayou” (emphasis added).

Don't get me wrong, Splash Mountain doesn't really fit into the "Frontierland" concept but they worked on the aesthetic to have it be more acceptable. I think you are correct in that aesthetically it probably won't be very different. I don't think Mardi Gras is any less thematically appropriate than the deep south.

There was an initial design concept that had Liberty Square and Frontierland more seamlessly blended, but Splash Mountain largely disrupted that. It's not so ridiculous to see them "redefine" the Frontier as the expansion west that begins with the Louisiana purchase and travel along the Mississippi. They're already kind of doing that.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Don't get me wrong, Splash Mountain doesn't really fit into the "Frontierland" concept but they worked on the aesthetic to have it be more acceptable. I think you are correct in that aesthetically it probably won't be very different. I don't think Mardi Gras is any less thematically appropriate than the deep south.

There was an initial design concept that had Liberty Square and Frontierland more seamlessly blended, but Splash Mountain largely disrupted that. It's not so ridiculous to see them "redefine" the Frontier as the expansion west that begins with the Louisiana purchase and travel along the Mississippi. They're already kind of doing that.

Yeah, there is a very clear progression as you move from HM to BTMRR that you physically move west across the country and forward in time, as the address numbers represent. It was fun while it made sense the first 20 years of MK, but honestly if they want to abandon that and retheme Pecos Bill, why not at this point? We can pretend that little bridge between Liberty Square and Frontierland is no longer the Mississippi?

Will the Country Bears end up mounted on Gaston’s wall next to Staggs Ale?

 

[RSoxNo1]

Yeah, there is a very clear progression as you move from HM to BTMRR that you physically move west across the country and forward in time, as the address numbers represent. It was fun while it made sense the first 20 years of MK, but honestly if they want to abandon that and retheme Pecos Bill, why not at this point? We can pretend that little bridge between Liberty Square and Frontierland is no longer the Mississippi?

Will the Country Bears end up mounted on Gaston’s wall next to Staggs Ale?

I could see "the new normal" dictating closure of the Pecos Bill salad bar and reducing its popularity. Also, I want monte christos.

 

[tanc]

this is the Tokyo one

 

[_caleb]

Anyone reading this thread without having seen the attraction would assume that WDW’s version looks completely different from the Disneyland original. Here’s an actual comparison:

I personally don’t view these as pointing to explicitly differentiated or easily identifiable geographical settings. Asked which one looks more “frontier”, I might well answer the first—the boulders evoke the West for me. I realise this is subjective, but I think it’s important to ground ourselves in the visual evidence rather than exaggerate the extent to which WDW’s Splash Mountain has been shorn of its Southern associations. As others have pointed out, Frontierland has always been a mishmash of West and South.

I know I'm going to upset the "Splash Mountain at MK is the perfect ride" gang with this, but something about the square-ish shape of the one at MK seems more building-like than the more pyramid shape of the DL version.

 

[LittleBuford]

this is the Tokyo one

Which is in their Critter Country yet looks like the WDW version rather than the Disneyland one.

 

[Movielover]

Which is in their Critter County yet looks like the WDW version rather than the Disneyland one.

And is a mirrored layout of the WDW version.

 

[Brer Panther]

Will the Country Bears end up mounted on Gaston’s wall next to Staggs Ale?

Nah, Iger will mount them in his office next to Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear.