News Tiana's Bayou Adventure - latest details and construction progress

[Brer Oswald]

Yes, along with Pecos Bill. New Orleans would work reasonably well next to Pirates of the Caribbean (heck, PotC is in New Orleans in DL).

We will see if they do it. Facade changes would need to begin pretty soon.

Spending lots of money to add no capacity? Yeah…that sounds about right.

 

[James Alucobond]

Oh yes, and I agree. But that’s my point, all of the good fantasy style rides have adversity.

On the contrary, it's rarely central or even that important at all. Peter Pan's Flight is all about the thrill and adventure of hovering thanks to pixie dust, and Hook only shows up briefly at the end; he could just as easily not be there at all since the ride hardly glances the surface of any sort of narrative. Pooh has you roll by some heffalump and woozle cutouts that one would struggle to define as menacing in any capacity. Ariel's Undersea Adventure has an impressive Ursula animatronic in her lair, but the actual climactic battle is a barely there projection on the wall. Snow White's Scary Adventures is one of the few Fantasyland rides ever in WDW that I can think of where the conflict between the hero and villain was centered at all.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

On the contrary, it's rarely central or even that important at all. Peter Pan's Flight is all about the thrill and adventure of hovering thanks to pixie dust, and Hook only shows up briefly at the end; he could just as easily not be there at all since the ride hardly glances the surface of any sort of narrative. Pooh has you roll by some heffalump and woozle cutouts that one would struggle to define as menacing in any capacity. Ariel's Undersea Adventure has an impressive Ursula animatronic in her lair, but the actual climactic battle is a barely there projection on the wall. Snow White's Scary Adventures is one of the few Fantasyland rides ever in WDW that I can think of where the conflict between the hero and villain was centered at all.

But the villain is always present. It’s part of the story. That’s the point. To leave out the villain is just crazy! It’s like building a 1 billion dollar Star Wars land without Darth Vader…. Oh wait.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

On the contrary, it's rarely central or even that important at all. Peter Pan's Flight is all about the thrill and adventure of hovering thanks to pixie dust, and Hook only shows up briefly at the end; he could just as easily not be there at all since the ride hardly glances the surface of any sort of narrative. Pooh has you roll by some heffalump and woozle cutouts that one would struggle to define as menacing in any capacity. Ariel's Undersea Adventure has an impressive Ursula animatronic in her lair, but the actual climactic battle is a barely there projection on the wall. Snow White's Scary Adventures is one of the few Fantasyland rides ever in WDW that I can think of where the conflict between the hero and villain was centered at all.

Trains specified GOOD fantasy dark rides. Little Mermaid isn't good, and the crappy cutout of Ursula shoved into a corner is one of the more serious issues (though far from the only one). Hook shows up about halfway and still functions fine as a threat. The Heffalumps and Woozles are still something of a more twisted scene within a story that was always very lighthearted and lacking in conflict to begin with. While i'm not a fan of the rides, even the Ratatouille and Mickey rides have some "intense" sections.

I don't necessarily hard require a fantasy dark ride to have adversity. But this Tiana ride needed it. Both because of the extremely iconic villain (who I feel confident in stating is widely regarded as the best part of the movie) as well as the type of ride it's being retrofitted into. The final lift and big drop were designed around them being intense and scary. And before it was revealed what would be put there, almost everyone here were desperately hoping it would have Friends on the Other Side.

 

[James Alucobond]

But the villain is always present. It’s part of the story. That’s the point. To leave out the villain is just crazy! It’s like building a 1 billion dollar Star Wars land without Darth Vader…. Oh wait.

The story of this ride apparently runs parallel to the upcoming television series, which I suppose they're hoping will be somewhat successful. It's a sequel ride, not a book report ride. People can be annoyed that this didn't go the route of being a book report if they feel that would have fit better, but I don't think the assertion that the ride must include some arbitrary amount of "adversity" or recycle the original villain in order to be successful has much merit given precedent.

EDIT: Sorry, response above got added while I was typing. Didn't meant to ignore it, but sameish thought. It's cool if you think Friends on the Other Side would have fit well; I was just responding to the notion that fantasy rides have some sort of adversity quota. Also, what people define as "good" is pretty arbitrary, so I tried to mention popularity rather than quality whenever possible since that's probably more measurable.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

m

but most importantly, does this now mean that Tiana's Palace will also be serving a good Chicken Adobo as well as Dim Sum and GUmbo?

We left DL and walked through Downtown Disney solely to get Gumbo and Jambalaya the other day… only to discover Jazz Kitchen express is Beignets Express now and they only serves Beignets.

Major disappointment.

I really hope Tianas offers a quality Gumbo.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

17 new characters is consistent with what I was told in October last year. Specifically, I was told "over 15 new characters". Some of which are supposed to appear in the D+ series.

And to elaborate, no this doesn't mean there are only 17 animatronics (nor 22). I'm not even sure if 17 is the true extent of new ones when counting all of the animal characters. It's probably including the "focal point" critters who are playing instruments, but my guess is that there are also going to be additional "incidental" animals that will appear (like regular frogs, birds and turtles who have been seen in the art without instruments). The returning PATF characters will add a decent chunk to the roster as well. Tiana, Naveen, Eudora, Charlotte, Big Daddy La Bouff (I think), Mama Odie, Louis, Ralphie and the King and Queen I believe have all been said to be appearing.

And keep in mind that quite a few of the characters will get multiple figures. Brer Bear had 5 figures in WDW's Splash, Brer Fox had 6, and Brer Rabbit had 7. JUST Tiana, Naveen and Louis will probably have at minimum 4+ figures each. Tiana and Louis have already been seen twice in two different pieces of art showing two different scenes, and it's safe to say they'll be in the finale scene as well and likely others. Some of the other characters will no doubt have multiple figures too. I've also seen that new Otter character in two different pieces of art located in different show scenes.

The information shared with me last year thus far has turned out to be true. The one claim i'm still waiting to see pan out is whether they're going to reuse/reskin any of the older America Sings figures.

The America Sing AA's are out at Disneyland and has more in different places within the mountain whereas the one's in MK were newer versions of them..The MK versions are more fluid in movement compared to DL's..Here's a video that shows the location of the majority of the original AA's from the show.


Although, I do hope they keep the FSU weasel...

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Although, I do hope they keep the FSU weasel...

As an FSU alum I hope so too!!

 

[Bleed0range]

I have never been the biggest fan of Splash Mountain, I like the ride a lot, but I don’t have this strong connection to it like Pirates or Haunted Mansion or something… so I’m not that sad about the change. But I do feel the “weight” of the fandom being upset about the change. I feel bad for imagineers working every day out in the open with thousands of eyes watching them who are sad at what they’re doing. I’d feel terrible working on this project knowing I’m disappointing so many guests.

I’m not against the retheme, I think it may end up being really cool. But I feel like there’s probably no way the ride will ever be able to get out of the shadow of the original just like the original couldn’t get out of the shadow of its source material.

Which makes me feel bad for all those imagineers working on it whom I am sure are trying their best to deliver something as good or better.

 

[TDLFan]

I think also another aspect of Disney fans getting riled up, is that virtually anytime Disney replaces something nowadays, what comes after is a vastly inferior product and I really don't think that's an opinion that can be argued at length. I don't want another attraction where I'm sitting on it, only to be thinking of my fond memories of what was before. I'm looking at you Mission Space, Imagination, Test Track 2.0, Runaway Railway, Stitch's Great Escape, Frozen Ever After, Beauty and the Beast Sing a long, Galaxies Edge. Sigh. I'd add that it's more than just nostalgia anchoring those feelings. The care, quality, and artistry were all right there in plain sight and the difference in modern Disney is staggering, but we now live in an age where it's easier to just label someone you don't know and disagree with a racist because it's a no win, one way argument, rather than hold accountable what was ONCE the pinnacle of themed entertainment.

 

[Midwest Elitist]

I think also another aspect of Disney fans getting riled up, is that virtually anytime Disney replaces something nowadays, what comes after is a vastly inferior product and I really don't think that's an opinion that can be argued at length. I don't want another attraction where I'm sitting on it, only to be thinking of my fond memories of what was before. I'm looking at you Mission Space, Imagination, Test Track 2.0, Runaway Railway, Stitch's Great Escape, Frozen Ever After, Beauty and the Beast Sing a long, Galaxies Edge. Sigh. I'd add that it's more than just nostalgia anchoring those feelings. The care, quality, and artistry were all right there in plain sight and the difference in modern Disney is staggering, but we now live in an age where it's easier to just label someone you don't know and disagree with a racist because it's a no win, one way argument, rather than hold accountable what was ONCE the pinnacle of themed entertainment.

I remember how fun the stunt show was, and the cast members were really enjoying themselves (Circa 2013)! Now it feels like everything is just marketing attractions, and the staff are miserable.

 

[Bleed0range]

I think also another aspect of Disney fans getting riled up, is that virtually anytime Disney replaces something nowadays, what comes after is a vastly inferior product and I really don't think that's an opinion that can be argued at length. I don't want another attraction where I'm sitting on it, only to be thinking of my fond memories of what was before. I'm looking at you Mission Space, Imagination, Test Track 2.0, Runaway Railway, Stitch's Great Escape, Frozen Ever After, Beauty and the Beast Sing a long, Galaxies Edge. Sigh. I'd add that it's more than just nostalgia anchoring those feelings. The care, quality, and artistry were all right there in plain sight and the difference in modern Disney is staggering, but we now live in an age where it's easier to just label someone you don't know and disagree with a racist because it's a no win, one way argument, rather than hold accountable what was ONCE the pinnacle of themed entertainment.

I think sometimes this is muddled with nostalgia. I do think some things have been replaced by better things. It could be my personal opinion not being colored by nostalgia.

I am not nostalgic for splash because I didn’t ride it much when I was a kid. I have nostalgia for Haunted Mansion for sure but it’s also an OG ride.

I know that I never really participated in any of the attractions Galaxy’s Edge replaced and I love Star Wars so I’m going to say I prefer it. I think GE is a pretty stellar place despite its shortcomings. My favorite parts of MGM/Hollywood didn’t get replaced.

 

[TDLFan]

There was nothing like the Hollywood Backlot at Christmas. It just oozed warmth, charm, spectacle. It was an amazing experience.

 

[Midwest Elitist]

I think sometimes this is muddled with nostalgia. I do think some things have been replaced by better things. It could be my personal opinion not being colored by nostalgia.

I am not nostalgic for splash because I didn’t ride it much when I was a kid. I have nostalgia for Haunted Mansion for sure but it’s also an OG ride.

I know that I never really participated in any of the attractions Galaxy’s Edge replaced and I love Star Wars so I’m going to say I prefer it. I think GE is a pretty stellar place despite its shortcomings. My favorite parts of MGM/Hollywood didn’t get replaced.

I don't remember riding Splash until I was 14. It was mind-blowing seeing the indoor area for the first time, I thought it was just a drop. And the way the bluegrass music starts up when you get off the second lift hill into the ride proper. It's almost like a transition into the world of Br'er Rabbit. The birdhouse singing HDYD. The geese greeting you. The animals playing NATURAL instruments. The scream on the dip. The vultures taunting you. Dropping into the Briar Patch, which is genius, followed by the calm violins and harmonicas of Zipadeedoodah. Then the finale.

While things were broken when I went in 2021, those feelings remained.

It's all perfect. Now it's gone.

 

[Incomudro]

I asked this before, but can't remember, what was the reason they decided to not retell the story of the film? It just seems like this is way more complicated than it needed to be, especially when they're bleeding money.

Inclusivity.
These new people, bereft of creativity, and most importantly - a sense of FUN - believe they know better.
And they're going to teach us.

 

[Brer Panther]

Apparently we want to celebrate diverse cultures unless that culture practices voodoo, then we pretend they don’t practice voodoo.

And yet Mama Odie is allowed in. Go figure.

 

[Incomudro]

The story of this ride apparently runs parallel to the upcoming television series, which I suppose they're hoping will be somewhat successful. It's a sequel ride, not a book report ride. People can be annoyed that this didn't go the route of being a book report if they feel that would have fit better, but I don't think the assertion that the ride must include some arbitrary amount of "adversity" or recycle the original villain in order to be successful has much merit given precedent.

EDIT: Sorry, response above got added while I was typing. Didn't meant to ignore it, but sameish thought. It's cool if you think Friends on the Other Side would have fit well; I was just responding to the notion that fantasy rides have some sort of adversity quota. Also, what people define as "good" is pretty arbitrary, so I tried to mention popularity rather than quality whenever possible since that's probably more measurable.

This is the same logic Disney uses with Star Wars.
We see how well that turns out.
These people are handed gold, and they make lead out of it.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Inclusivity.
These new people, bereft of creativity, and most importantly - a sense of FUN - believe they know better.
And they're going to teach us.

The movie was trying to be inclusive, but apparently ended up being so bad that 70% of it or so can't be acknowledged.

The ride is trying to be inclusive, and this time, absolutely, it will be looked upon as a shining gem of inclusivity for all time. Really.

 

[Incomudro]

And yet Mama Odie is allowed in. Go figure.

The one saving grace.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Black man practices voodoo. Apparently we want to celebrate diverse cultures unless that culture practices voodoo, then we pretend they don’t practice voodoo.

And yet Mama Odie is allowed in. Go figure.

How many times do we need to debunk this totally made-up story that Disney is cancelling Facilier out of concern for Voodoo/Hoodoo?

Facilier shows up quite regularly in the parks. Every time there's a cohort of villains, he's there. He's there in Fantasmic! (the recently refurbed Fantasmic! which would have been an opportunity to remove him). He's there in the Halloween parade and the Hocus Pocus Spelltacular castle show.

Stop making up stuff.