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

[J4546]

im all for the retheme in DL becasue the movie is great and it fits the new orleans land theme very well, however id rather they went with a frontier land themed setting for the splash in florida as its in frontier land and theres no new orleans area there.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It is BVCC, who are typically used for small items. My guess would be this is regular maintenance and not anything major at this point.

The other big clue is that the owner is listed as Walt Disney World Resort and not Walt Disney Imagineering. For a big redo project ownership is usually transferred to Walt Disney Imagineering. An example is the Play Pavilion permits that list Walt Disney Imagineering as the owner even though it is an existing asset.

 

[matt9112]

Has anyone thrown a budget around?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Has anyone thrown a budget around?

The person who initially broke the news of this project weeks before it was announced (WDW Pro) said the budget is about $50 million. There was an even lower number floating around ($30-$35 million) but it was shared privately and I can't provide the source. So feel free to take with a grain of salt. Even if it's $50 mil, prepare for the worst. MansionButler84 mentioned last year that it would need $200 mil to do any sort of justice to the quality of Splash Mtn.

For example, I believe Frozen at EPCOT cost around $50 million (not including the new bathrooms and meet and greet but just the ride, everything together was around $75 mil). All of the sets were gutted, and the new Frozen sets had considerably less detail for the most part. Maelstrom already had a few stretches where the scenery was somewhat sparse, but still managed to lose a lot of detail. Splash Mtn is a far larger, more complex and richly detailed ride than Maelstrom was. There's far more to lose, especially if it has an anemic budget.

 

[ToTBellHop]

The person who initially broke the news of this project weeks before it was announced (WDW Pro) said the budget is about $50 million. There was an even lower number floating around ($30-$35 million) but it was shared privately and I can't provide the source. So feel free to take with a grain of salt. Even if it's $50 mil, prepare for the worst. MansionButler84 mentioned last year that it would need $200 mil to do any sort of justice to the quality of Splash Mtn.

For example, I believe Frozen at EPCOT cost around $50 million (not including the new bathrooms and meet and greet but just the ride, everything together was around $75 mil). All of the sets were gutted, and the new Frozen sets had considerably less detail for the most part. Maelstrom already had a few stretches where the scenery was somewhat sparse, but still managed to lose a lot of detail. Splash Mtn is a far larger, more complex and richly detailed ride than Maelstrom was. There's far more to lose, especially if it has an anemic budget.

Absolutely. $50m won’t cut it. And what an awful statement if they say, “we are going to build a ride for our Black princess!” but it’s terrible.

Why couldn’t they have built a new E-ticket water ride based upon PatF at DHS, where we’d all be universally celebrating the decision (and which desperately needs a water ride to cool us off after getting sun poisoning in Toy Story Land)?It would fit in perfectly in lieu of Launch Bay and a couple updates to the two shows in the area could give them a brand new Animation Courtyard for maybe $300 million (a bargain price for Disney).

 

[EagleScout610]

Absolutely. $50m won’t cut it. And what an awful statement if they say, “we are going to build a ride for our Black princess!” but it’s terrible

Thats the thing that bugs me. I'm all for Tiana getting a ride, but don't say "Its her own brand new attraction" Uh...no. A. Its a reskin of a beloved attraction. B. Its about Louie looking for a Trumpet (idk if that's actually the plot) and C. Those are the exact sets from Splash Mountain.

 

[Brer Panther]

Reminder that Frederick Chambers was the guy who initially came up with the idea of retheming Splash Mountain to The Princess and the Frog, causing that idea to gain traction and starting this big, crazy mess in the first place (unless Disney orchestrated everything to avoid backlash).

 

[trainplane3]

Absolutely. $50m won’t cut it. And what an awful statement if they say, “we are going to build a ride for our Black princess!” but it’s terrible.

Why couldn’t they have built a new E-ticket water ride based upon PatF at DHS, where we’d all be universally celebrating the decision (and which desperately needs a water ride to cool us off after getting sun poisoning in Toy Story Land)?It would fit in perfectly in lieu of Launch Bay and a couple updates to the two shows in the area could give them a brand new Animation Courtyard for maybe $300 million (a bargain price for Disney).

I have a feeling this what'll happen:

 

[matt9112]

Absolutely. $50m won’t cut it. And what an awful statement if they say, “we are going to build a ride for our Black princess!” but it’s terrible.

Why couldn’t they have built a new E-ticket water ride based upon PatF at DHS, where we’d all be universally celebrating the decision (and which desperately needs a water ride to cool us off after getting sun poisoning in Toy Story Land)?It would fit in perfectly in lieu of Launch Bay and a couple updates to the two shows in the area could give them a brand new Animation Courtyard for maybe $300 million (a bargain price for Disney).

Never really thought about it too much but your right Hollywood studios does need a water ride. Disneyfi a classix chutes the chutes? Disney version of jurrasic. Mix of indoor outdoor show scenes than a single drop of some kind and its over.

 

[412]

The person who initially broke the news of this project weeks before it was announced (WDW Pro) said the budget is about $50 million. There was an even lower number floating around ($30-$35 million) but it was shared privately and I can't provide the source. So feel free to take with a grain of salt. Even if it's $50 mil, prepare for the worst. MansionButler84 mentioned last year that it would need $200 mil to do any sort of justice to the quality of Splash Mtn.

For example, I believe Frozen at EPCOT cost around $50 million (not including the new bathrooms and meet and greet but just the ride, everything together was around $75 mil). All of the sets were gutted, and the new Frozen sets had considerably less detail for the most part. Maelstrom already had a few stretches where the scenery was somewhat sparse, but still managed to lose a lot of detail. Splash Mtn is a far larger, more complex and richly detailed ride than Maelstrom was. There's far more to lose, especially if it has an anemic budget.

My hope is that they leave most of the backgrounds intact. If they're just replacing the main characters and cleverly recontextualizing existing sets, I think $50 million might be acceptable.

In other words, if they're replacing all of the animatronics on the finale ferry, $50 million = disaster.

If they're just teaching those animatronics a new song, $50 million might be OK.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I hope they leave everything intact and go spend the money elsewhere.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

In other words, if they're replacing all of the animatronics on the finale ferry, $50 million = disaster.

Agreed. The thing about the animatronics over at Splash, is the fact that they’re all run off of a pneumatic system, or rather pressurized air. Which of course means, there has to be an air compressor, a rather large one onsite for them to run. Disney’s latest animatronic figures are all electrically operated figures using industrial electric motors, the kinds I’m sure they’ll use for the figures in PatF. What this means, is that they’ll have to do some heavy modification work backstage to allow for the new generation figures to run, alongside the original America Sings AAs. Either this, or they’ll find a way to convert the old generation figures to an electric system. We’ll see what they come up with.

 

[Brer Panther]

My hope is that they leave most of the backgrounds intact. If they're just replacing the main characters and cleverly recontextualizing existing sets, I think $50 million might be acceptable.

Leaving the backgrounds intact for the Magic Kingdom version likely won't work. The Magic Kingdom versions' backgrounds are more of a country farm-ish forest, not a swampy bayou.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Agreed. The thing about the animatronics over at Splash, is the fact that they’re all run off of a pneumatic system, or rather pressurized air. Which of course means, there has to be an air compressor, a rather large one onsite for them to run. Disney’s latest animatronic figures are all electrically operated figures using industrial electric motors, the kinds I’m sure they’ll use for the figures in PatF. What this means, is that they’ll have to do some heavy modification work backstage to allow for the new generation figures to run, alongside the original America Sings AAs. Either this, or they’ll find a way to convert the old generation figures to an electric system. We’ll see what they come up with.

Helpful background.

Dumb question: are the original DL AS AAs only on a pneumatic system or are the purpose-built WDW and TDL AAs running on this system as well?

I ask because I wonder if this (in addition to other structural issues) may run into cost overruns unique to CA or all the versions?
While it would appear DL would be the thematically better suited attraction to convert, I’m wondering if the antiquated version could also lead to higher costs there than FL.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Agreed. The thing about the animatronics over at Splash, is the fact that they’re all run off of a pneumatic system, or rather pressurized air. Which of course means, there has to be an air compressor, a rather large one onsite for them to run. Disney’s latest animatronic figures are all electrically operated figures using industrial electric motors, the kinds I’m sure they’ll use for the figures in PatF. What this means, is that they’ll have to do some heavy modification work backstage to allow for the new generation figures to run, alongside the original America Sings AAs. Either this, or they’ll find a way to convert the old generation figures to an electric system. We’ll see what they come up with.

Unless very very very little is done, the facility will have to be brought up to contemporary codes. Moving pneumatic lines and adding power isn’t exactly a huge hurdle.

 

[UNCgolf]

Unless very very very little is done, the facility will have to be brought up to contemporary codes. Moving pneumatic lines and adding power isn’t exactly a huge hurdle.

They could blow through a significant part of their budget just on that.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

Dumb question: are the original DL AS AAs only on a pneumatic system or are the purpose-built WDW and TDL AAs running on this system as well?

Yes, they’re all pneumatic over at WDW and TDL as well, though I could be wrong. I know hydraulic systems have also been used in the past for more demanding applications, so there is a chance everything in all three SM attractions is actually run off a hydraulic system rather than a pneumatic system. Either way, they will have to work around older technology when this
re-theme is eventually underway.

 

[JoeCamel]

Yes, they’re all pneumatic over at WDW and TDL as well, though I could be wrong. I know hydraulic systems have also been used in the past for more demanding applications, so there is a chance everything in all three SM attractions is actually run off a hydraulic system rather than a pneumatic system. Either way, they will have to work around older technology when this
re-theme is eventually underway.

Ahem - Buzzy...

 

[lazyboy97o]

They could blow through a significant part of their budget just on that.

The risk associated with approving a renovation without first performing a condition assessment is one I have previously mentioned, but it is also something that would get its own line item. Budgets aren’t just pulled out thin air and I would give no credence to the $50 million due to its provenance and when it was claimed.

 

[UNCgolf]

The risk associated with approving a renovation without first performing a condition assessment is one I have previously mentioned, but it is also something that would get its own line item. Budgets aren’t just pulled out thin air and I would give no credence to the $50 million due to its provenance and when it was claimed.

I wasn't referring to the rumored $50 million number -- just that it could be a significant investment to bring the building up to code (especially since everything seems to cost far more for Disney) which could cascade down to the money spent on the actual redesign.

Of course, since the DL and WDW versions are different anyways, they really can't do a one size fits all design. They will have to make changes to whatever is done at DL to make it fit the WDW version. I'm not sure how they will factor that in to the overall budget.