Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

You definitely have a point about Gina.

I recall hearing people say that Splash is still open because of operational reasons. At least during the peak of the pandemic, Disney wanted as many high-capacity attractions open as possible to keep people from lingering around each other outside.

I don't know for sure if that's true or not or where I heard it but it always made sense to me.

I think that the steps Disney have taken to distance themselves from the current version of the ride (ex. removing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah from the park audio loop) serves as evidence of the discomfort I mentioned.

So to your first point , why is it ok to ride the ride now for guests but not at a later date? If the ride is "problematic" for the future why is it open in the present? Makes no sense. They can get out of here with that "high capacity" bull jive talk. If the ride has always been problematic why build it in the first place and let guests continue to ride it? ANSWER: It's not problematic and Disney is full of .

To your second point the fact the ride is open shows that Disney is not uncomfortable in the Slightest. If you are not comfortable with something you take it away or remove yourself from that situation. You don't keep it open. outta here with that logic.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Disneyland has never really had descriptions of ANY their rides on their maps. Or at least, not recently. Even my oldest DL map from 1996 doesn't have them.

Whereas WDW, presumably because tourists, has always had incredibly phoned-in descriptors.

Prime example:

"Slinky Dog Dash: Family-friendly coaster with twists and turns"

 

[Rich T]

 

[josh2000]

why build it in the first place

I ask myself that question often. I think it was an incredibly poor decision to theme the ride after such a movie. I understand that the film's characters fit with the America Sings animatronics and Bear Country theme, but they easily could have come up with an original IP for the ride.

Song of the South was controversial when it was released. The movie's problems weren't going to fade away with time like they might have thought, those problems only became amplified and stuck out even more in a modern world. It was a bad choice all around.

 

[mickEblu]

Disneyland has never really had descriptions of ANY their rides on their maps. Or at least, not recently. Even my oldest DL map from 1996 doesn't have them.

Whereas WDW, presumably because tourists, has always had incredibly phoned-in descriptors.

I believe they used to have descriptions on the DL maps when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. Anyway I was referring to the app and I stand corrected. They both have the same non SOTS description as of today. Not that it changes my opinion of them being genuine on this matter of course.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I ask myself that question often. I think it was an incredibly poor decision to theme the ride after such a movie. I understand that the film's characters fit with the America Sings animatronics and Bear Country theme, but they easily could have come up with an original IP for the ride.

Song of the South was controversial when it was released. The movie's problems weren't going to fade away with time like they might have thought, those problems only became amplified and stuck out even more in a modern world. It was a bad choice all around.

History shows you are wrong about it being a "incredibly poor decision". The ride is one of the greatest and most beloved rides of all time.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

We know the story of Tony Baxter’s inspiration of recycling the animatronics for a flume. I’ve read Disney books brag about how clever it was to do synergy.

I hate to use the word stupid, and I respect Tony Baxter, but it was a stupid decision to theme the ride to Song of the South. There was no precedent for theming an E Ticket to a cartoon. In fact, the only movie based E Ticket was 20K. Every other one was an original idea. So why did Baxter feel compelled to theme the ride to Disney’s least marketable film? Was Splash Mountain the first subject of the IP mandate? Was it some twisted back room deal with Eisner to keep mermaids out of the ride?

I think the real villain in this story is Baxter strapping a ticking time bomb to an otherwise great attraction. Hindsight is 20/20. But what was he thinking?

I bet Marc Davis would have been able to churn out a true successor to America Sings, with its own new musical score. I can see where his alleged grudge is coming from. Baxter’s project killed Davis’s IP-free flume (with its own, brief, problematic depictions). Then Baxter gets his own flume based on some forgotten film with its own problematic depictions. Poor guy.

They didnt theme it to Song of the South, they created a ride using characters from it to make a unique and creative ride. Again the ride is not "Song of the South: The Ride". That is not what Splash Mountain is nor ever was.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

What is this, Gaslight Lounge?

Its true. they didn't even theme it to the animated segment. its themed to the story of Br'er rabbit that takes place in a mountain. there is no mountain in the movie. the briar patch is not below a waterfall. there is no former slave narrating the ride to a young white boy. I am sorry but your argument is very weak and silly.

 

[PiratesMansion]

We know the story of Tony Baxter’s inspiration of recycling the animatronics for a flume. I’ve read Disney books brag about how clever it was to do synergy.

I hate to use the word stupid, and I respect Tony Baxter, but it was a stupid decision to theme the ride to Song of the South. There was no precedent for theming an E Ticket to a cartoon. In fact, the only movie based E Ticket was 20K. Every other one was an original idea. So why did Baxter feel compelled to theme the ride to Disney’s least marketable film? Was Splash Mountain the first subject of the IP mandate? Was it some twisted back room deal with Eisner to keep mermaids out of the ride?

I think the real villain in this story is Baxter strapping a ticking time bomb to an otherwise great attraction. Hindsight is 20/20. But what was he thinking?

I bet Marc Davis would have been able to churn out a true successor to America Sings, with its own new musical score. I can see where his alleged grudge is coming from. Baxter’s project killed Davis’s IP-free flume (with its own, brief, problematic depictions). Then Baxter gets his own flume based on some forgotten film with its own problematic depictions. Poor guy.

TL;DR: Baxter (and the entire 80’s team) dug the ride’s grave before it even opened.

Splash Mountain was conceived pre-Eisner.

In some fairness to Baxter, SOTS wasn't banned yet at the time he made the decision to base the ride on it. He could not have predicted wide internet usage or the boneheaded moves Disney would make with the film in the years to come (and the impacts of those decisions), both of which were years away, when the ride was conceived. However, the film was problematic from initial release and really, he/Disney should have known better.

An additional factor that allegedly contributed to Song of the South being the chosen film was that the America Sings characters fit in fairly well with the general aesthetics of the SOTS animated characters, thus allowing them to a) pay tribute to Marc Davis, and/or b) save money, depending on which narrative you believe.

 

[josh2000]

History shows you are wrong about it being a "incredibly poor decision". The ride is one of the greatest and most beloved rides of all time.

I said the theme was an incredibly poor decision, not the ride itself. Splash Mountain (with it's new theme) will continue to be very popular and beloved for generations to come - free of the baggage of it's past.

 

[josh2000]

They didnt theme it to Song of the South

You are performing some incredible mental gymnastics to try and distance the ride from Song of the South. Did you somehow miss this post from earlier? It's right there in black and white from Disney themselves:

View attachment 566601

Don't worry though. Soon the ride won't be themed to Song of the South anymore!

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I said the theme was an incredibly poor decision, not the ride itself. Splash Mountain (with it's new theme) will continue to be very popular and beloved for generations to come - free of the baggage of it's past.

Incorrect on both counts

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

You are performing some incredible mental gymnastics to try and distance the ride from Song of the South. Did you somehow miss this post from earlier? It's right there in black and white from Disney themselves:


Don't worry though. Soon the ride won't be themed to Song of the South anymore!

It's not gymnastics its logic. Show me how my logic is wrong with the examples I have given?

 

[josh2000]

Incorrect on both counts

I guess all we can do is wait and see, right? When the new version opens, we will see if people care so much about the Song of the South characters that they stop riding.

It's not gymnastics its logic. Show me how my logic is wrong with the examples I have given?

There's no changing your mind on this topic so I'm not going to waste my time trying any further. You have been presented with official media from Disney clearly stating the ride is themed to Song of the South and you have ignored it. There's nothing else that can be done when you won't believe the words straight from Disney.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

I guess all we can do is wait and see, right? When the new version opens, we will see if people care so much about the Song of the South characters that they stop riding.


There's no changing your mind on this topic so I'm not going to waste my time trying any further. You have been presented with official media from Disney clearly stating the ride is themed to Song of the South and you have ignored it. There's nothing else that can be done when you won't believe the words straight from Disney.

People will go on it. people go on pooh for crying out loud. but it wont be popular. it wont stand the test of time. and it wont ever be considered a classic but instead just another lazy re-theme in Disney's sad history of rethemes. and it was not themed to song of the south. again it took characters from that film to tell the story of br'er rabbit in a different setting than the movie takes place in with different auxiliary side characters not in the movie singing songs from the movie so the versions of the songs in the ride were recorded for the ride they didn't take the soundtrack of the movie and just play it in the ride. the ride is a different experience than watching the animated segment. sorry you are wrong. you need to let go of this idea this is "Song of the South: The Ride". Its totally incorrect. It has elements from the animated segment from the movie but its not a direct re-creation of the movie and does not encompass all the movie or reflect all aspects of the movie.

 

[Brer Panther]

I still don't think it matters that the movie the ride takes inspiration from has racist and problematic elements so long as the ride itself doesn't. I mean, The Princess and the Frog has some racist and problematic elements too.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I still don't think it matters that the movie the ride takes inspiration from has racist and problematic elements so long as the ride itself doesn't. I mean, The Princess and the Frog has some racist and problematic elements too.

Again, PatF is not considered a racist film. It’s readily available to the public and overall is not considered to be problematic. SotS is the opposite. And unfortunately, it does matter that the ride is still based on SotS, despite the racist elements being gone. If it didn’t matter, Disney wouldn’t be currently planning its execution.

 

[DavidDL]

Why would they leave “Song of the South” in the description for the ride at WDW and not DL? They re just so damn genuine. Pandering to the far left in California but keeping the old description in Florida.

So doing what limited research I have available to me, it appears Disneyland maps dropped ride descriptions entirely from their park maps sometime between 1995 and 1996.

1995 map with some ride descriptions in the upper left corner:

1996 map:

Unfortunately, I still can’t find a full image of the 1995 map. Which means as of right now, I can’t confirm or deny if Disneyland ever actually specifically listed Song of the South in Splash Mountain’s description like they’ve done in WDW for so long.

I’m actually a little surprised how hard it’s been to find a full map image from 1995. With how nuts people are for Disney, I figured there’d be at least a handful of super fans posting old maps throughout the years for archival purposes. If anyone has any further information, please share it because I’d be interested to know!

 

[EagleScout610]

So doing what limited research I have available to me, it appears Disneyland maps dropped ride descriptions entirely from their park maps sometime between 1995 and 1996.

1995 map with some ride descriptions in the upper left corner:

View attachment 566769

1996 map:

View attachment 566770

Unfortunately, I still can’t find a full image of the 1995 map. Which means as of right now, I can’t confirm or deny if Disneyland ever actually specifically listed Song of the South in Splash Mountain’s description like they’ve done in WDW for so long.

I’m actually a little surprised how hard it’s been to find a full map image from 1995. With how nuts people are for Disney, I figured there’d be at least a handful of super fans posting old maps throughout the years for archival purposes. If anyone has any further information, please share it because I’d be interested to know!

1997

2005
Looks like your assumption of 95 being the cutoff was right. There was one from 2007 too small to read but it mentioned the Brers and not SotS directly, something along the lines of "Join Brer Rabbit on his journey but watch out for the waterfall"

EDIT: Even in 1990, one year into the rides lifespan it was listed under Brer Rabbit and Co instead of Song Of the South

 

[Disney Analyst]

Again, PatF is not considered a racist film. It’s readily available to the public and overall is not considered to be problematic. SotS is the opposite. And unfortunately, it does matter that the ride is still based on SotS, despite the racist elements being gone. If it didn’t matter, Disney wouldn’t be currently planning its execution.

I can’t speak for anyone, I am a white guy - but my understanding is like you say. PatF is not considered a racist film. It has been criticized for having the first Black princess being a frog for most the film, but I don’t think many see the film as racist.

I could be wrong of course, but I think the Black community having absolutely legitimate criticisms of the film does not mean it’s now a racist piece of media, unlike SotS.