News Disneyland to give Tarzan’s Treehouse a new theme

chadwpalm

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Tarzan is generally considered a failure. I am honestly surprised that Swiss Family Robinson was ever rethemed for it. They also didn't maintain it. The last time I was there when it was open, it was literally falling apart. It was legitimately pitiful.

1. Tarzan had a budget of $130M and made $448M worldwide in it's theatrical run. Millions more in home release. It was far from a failure.

2. Paul Pressler was president of Walt Disney Attractions at that time. He had made the decision to tear down the treehouse due to lack of interest and turn it into a store. Tony Baxter pleaded with him to retheme the attraction in order to save it. Tarzan was chosen because it was the upcoming summer animated movie and conveniently contained the proper theme.

SFR treehouse was going bye-bye one way or another. It was either getting re-themed or turned into a store.
 

Too Many Hats

Well-Known Member
Not sure how I feel about this yet. Haven’t seen Encanto; does it make sense in Disneyland’s Adventureland?

Honestly I’m just so relieved they’re not demolishing the whole thing. Phew.
 

No Name

Well-Known Member
I wasn't aware Tarzan was generally considered a failure. According to IMDB, it had pretty good box office (almost 1/2 a billion worldwide and $171M US and Canada). And the general ratings seem positive (7.3 out of 10).
It was not a failure, it was one of their bigger successes and the character is one of their most well-known. I’m not sure what alternate reality some of these people are living in.

Not sure how I feel about this yet. Haven’t seen Encanto; does it make sense in Disneyland’s Adventureland?
No but the specific minor part of the movie they will probably pull from fits well enough.
 

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
Tarzan is generally considered a failure. I am honestly surprised that Swiss Family Robinson was ever rethemed for it. They also didn't maintain it. The last time I was there when it was open, it was literally falling apart. It was legitimately pitiful.

That being said, I honestly think Antonio was the most interesting and engaging character in the whole movie (and even the initial previews made it seem like the movie had more of him in it), and I am fine with this!

I am just not looking forward to people whom this doesn't even effect representation wise to grandstand and circumnavigate this conversation back onto them. I wish that people would just let other folks have their moment, but they literally cannot shut up.
Really? I always got the impression that the main parts of the film that resonated with people were the relationships of the outcasts (Mirabel and Bruno) with the rest of the family. I’m sure each of the Madrigals resonate with someone (I really liked Camilo personally), but they all felt more one dimensional than the main characters of the story. But perhaps they will flesh them out in the future.

Either way, I’m not bothered by this change. Tarzan’a Treehouse isn’t irreplaceable. I don’t see this as Disney trying to “put down” Tarzan and all of its interpretations for some sort of marketing push, like they are doing with something else. I actually thought that Adventureland would be an ideal location for Encanto, but I expected a walk through of Casa Madrigal. Maybe in Florida where they have more space.
 

Too Many Hats

Well-Known Member
Yeah. Looks like the film takes place in Colombia, which doesn’t really work. I don’t expect management or even really anyone in Imagineering at this point to understand the nuances of Adventureland (“It’s a jungle, so Encanto fits!!”), so I guess my expectations are just so unbelievably low that I’m excited the tree is staying at all. Let’s hope this is at least better-funded than the Tarzan iteration.
 

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Really? I always got the impression that the main parts of the film that resonated with people were the relationships of the outcasts (Mirabel and Bruno) with the rest of the family. I’m sure each of the Madrigals resonate with someone (I really liked Camilo personally), but they all felt more one dimensional than the main characters of the story. But perhaps they will flesh them out in the future.

Either way, I’m not bothered by this change. Tarzan’a Treehouse isn’t irreplaceable. I don’t see this as Disney trying to “put down” Tarzan and all of its interpretations for some sort of marketing push, like they are doing with something else. I actually thought that Adventureland would be an ideal location for Encanto, but I expected a walk through of Casa Madrigal. Maybe in Florida where they have more space.
Too bad there isn't enough room for a proper Mystic Manor version of Casa Madrigal in Adventureland.
 

brb1006

Well-Known Member
There goes the only place at any Disney Park that Tarzan gets any representation (outside of rare meet and greets of Tarzan and Jane). At least Turk is still common at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World alongside Thumper, Miss Bunny, and Meeko.
 
Last edited:

Dear Prudence

Well-Known Member
Really? I always got the impression that the main parts of the film that resonated with people were the relationships of the outcasts (Mirabel and Bruno) with the rest of the family. I’m sure each of the Madrigals resonate with someone (I really liked Camilo personally), but they all felt more one dimensional than the main characters of the story. But perhaps they will flesh them out in the future.

Either way, I’m not bothered by this change. Tarzan’a Treehouse isn’t irreplaceable. I don’t see this as Disney trying to “put down” Tarzan and all of its interpretations for some sort of marketing push, like they are doing with something else. I actually thought that Adventureland would be an ideal location for Encanto, but I expected a walk through of Casa Madrigal. Maybe in Florida where they have more space.
I think one of Encanto's flaws is that it had too many characters who did too many interesting things and they spent too much time on certain ones and not others. I also really liked Camilo and thought he underutilized. The main parts of the film didn't resonate with me because it was too "abuser apologist, commodifying our own traumas and selling it back to us" for my tastes. The way that the movie was marketed, I thought the movie was going to be about Antonio!
 

Dear Prudence

Well-Known Member
Yeah. Looks like the film takes place in Colombia, which doesn’t really work. I don’t expect management or even really anyone in Imagineering at this point to understand the nuances of Adventureland (“It’s a jungle, so Encanto fits!!”), so I guess my expectations are just so unbelievably low that I’m excited the tree is staying at all. Let’s hope this is at least better-funded than the Tarzan iteration.
The Jungle Cruise has an Amazon section, so maybe not as far off. Didn't the film also take place in South America? I didn't see it because I have a finite lifespan
 

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
I think one of Encanto's flaws is that it had too many characters who did too many interesting things and they spent too much time on certain ones and not others. I also really liked Camilo and thought he underutilized. The main parts of the film didn't resonate with me because it was too "abuser apologist, commodifying our own traumas and selling it back to us" for my tastes. The way that the movie was marketed, I thought the movie was going to be about Antonio!
I think they marketed him and the animals so heavily because, well, you know how much they like to sell animal plush toys. They definitely could make something with him as the focus, and maybe they will.
 

waltography

Well-Known Member
I think they marketed him and the animals so heavily because, well, you know how much they like to sell animal plush toys. They definitely could make something with him as the focus, and maybe they will.
Rooting for an Encanto D+ series like what they did with Tangled. Encanto is an ensemble movie trying too hard to focus on a few people, much like what happened with Eternals; a series would do both way more favors.
 

Dear Prudence

Well-Known Member
Rooting for an Encanto D+ series like what they did with Tangled. Encanto is an ensemble movie trying too hard to focus on a few people, much like what happened with Eternals; a series would do both way more favors.
ME, TOO!!!!! I think this would be the PERFECT way to get to expand all the character arcs, that incredible world they'd created. I really love the Tangled Series, and would honestly break my No Disney + rule to watch an Encanto series.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
So it seems that cryptic message about "treehouse timber" that a lot of people felt meant the attraction was going away completely was either wrong or wasn't about the attraction being completely removed.

Also while I'm all for removal of the entrance in the middle of the walkway, they just rebuilt the suspension bridge I believe at some point during this refurb. So if it is removed that is just a waste of resources that could better be used elsewhere.

And lastly I guess that poster who loves "trashcans" who got information from his social media "friend" about any future reburb being to update to Tarzan 2 was also wrong lol.
 

josh2000

Well-Known Member
Tarzan definitely was not a failure, but it was a disappointment to some degree. All the post-Lion King movies were 'disappointments'. Lion King was the peak and Disney spent the rest of the decade trying to reach or surpass it with no success. Tarzan did well at the box office but it was the most expensive Renaissance film (by far). So those box office returns were bittersweet because of the extremely bloated budget.

Lion King cost $85M less than Tarzan, and made $520M more at the Box Office!
Aladdin cost a staggering $102M less than Tarzan, and made $55M+ more at the Box Office!

Not to mention all the money Lion King and Aladdin made from merch that Tarzan didn't.
When you look at it from that perspective, it was a disappointment.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom