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

[MerlinTheGoat]

Exactly. They used to crank out attractions with 10+ AAs, and while they certainly weren't as impressive as modern-day animatronics, at least they were freaking there

Agreed, though often more like 50+. That's the amount in Splash Mtn, World of Motion, Pirates of the Caribbean etc. The most i've ever seen is Sinbad at Tokyo Disneysea. It literally has around 140, just the first scene alone has about 45. And i'm only counting actual animatronics, not the simple moving props used in classic Fantasyland dark rides.

Disneyland's Splash Mtn has about 70 animatronics and WDW's has about 60. These are my own personal counts as Disney's claim is inflated to include basic moving props that really shouldn't qualify IMO (such as otherwise static prairie dogs triggered to pop out of holes, or the bees that spin around hives). Regardless, 60-70 legit animatronic figures is a huge number.

They still sprinkle a small handful into some of their new attractions. But it's nowhere close to the large dense populations they used to do. Look at their recent work. Frozen Ever After has about 15 (all the face-projected type). The new Beauty and the Beast ride in Tokyo has about 18. Rise of the Resistance has 5. The entire Avatar Land only has 2 (one of which is in stasis and barely even moves). Mickey's Runaway Railway has a handful of simple moving figures, but arguably only 1 "real" animatronic. Daisy being the only one I can be sure has any movement below the neck, the rest seem to be face projected "bobbleheads" of sorts. Great Movie Ride by comparison had over 40.

I'm sure PATF will still have a handful of animatronics. Probably a few sets of the main Tiana, Naveen and Louis trio. Probably also Mama Odie and a few new miscellaneous animal figures (though there's a good chance they'll use a lot of static or simple motion props for a lot of these). But I expect one or two popular characters won't appear physically since it's post-movie. There's every reason to believe there will be a massive culling of animatronic numbers during this conversion. I'd be surprised if their numbers break the teens when it reopens. I expect a heavy overreliance on lasers (you can tell they're going to do this for the fireflies) and video projection.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I don't think that's meant to be any sort of art for the ride

Yes, I think this is the only new concept art

 

[DCLcruiser]

Could be me reading more into the pictures they released. Here's the old one I was thinking of:

View attachment 581875

and here's the other one from the latest announcement:
View attachment 581876
The second is more "inspiration", than concept. But, it represents New Orleans much more than the first picture, wouldn't you agree?

Correct, they commissioned a local NO artist to create artwork that would inspire the Imagineers. This piece is not reflective of Disney's artwork.

"Tying to Leah Chase’s love of art, one of the early sources of inspiration has come from Sharika Mahdi — a visual artist, art educator, and alumna of the renowned YAYA (Young Aspirations Young Artists) Arts Center located in New Orleans — who was commissioned to create a series of four original paintings to inspire Imagineers, one of which was revealed today."

Gather Around The Table For a Conversation and Peek at the Latest Developments of the Upcoming Attraction Inspired By “The Princess and the Frog”

Last year, we announced that Imagineers are developing an all-new attraction coming to both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort inspired by the fan-favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “The Princess and the Frog.” With the kick

disneyparks.disney.go.com

 

[Tha Realest]

I honestly thought that first "concept" art they released last year was from The Thomas Kinkade Collection which could be purchased at Art of Disney stores in the parks and Disney Springs.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Yes, I think this is the only new concept art

It's concept art for concept art.

 

[RSoxNo1]

You know...... Most of us used to be excited when a new attraction was announced. Not so much anymore. Is that a reflection of us or TWDC?

It's a reflection of management that is not fostering the most creative environment to build new things. It's a function of current Imagineering and management that is either unwilling or unable to create attractions that satisfy sufficent crowds. It's a function of an overall lack of understanding by current leadership on how theme parks work. Pick one or all.

 

[DisneyDodo]

Not sure about the triggering. But, coming out with new concept art that is quite a bit different from what was shown over a year ago when this was announced seems a bit disingenuous, frankly. I do like the artwork though. It so much more alive than the stuff the animators produced. I hope the sights and sounds of New Orleans will be brought into the new ride. And, I'll be looking for a Cafe du Monde beignet stand in the courtyard area!

I wouldn't put any stock whatsoever into last year's concept art. It seems like the ride was still very much in development at the time and the artist was probably instructed to just draw Splash Mountain with some PatF elements thrown in.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I liken the concept art examples shown thus far to crappy cinematography and the tactics post production editors employ to hint at detail when there is none and to hide bad CGI by putting characters in the shadows or making the scene take place at night. Disney seems to be doing the same here. No new content just a retread of the previous concept art right down to the same fireflies and same moody nighttime aesthetic showing us nothing new and frankly nothing at all.

This is telling. Makes me think we'll be treated to screenz instead of sets, using "darkness" as the justification. Definitely getting Na'vi River Journey vibes. Here's hoping we get more AAs than that one.

 

[UNCgolf]

I liken the concept art examples shown thus far to crappy cinematography and the tactics post production editors employ to hint at detail when there is none and to hide bad CGI by putting characters in the shadows or making the scene take place at night. Disney seems to be doing the same here. No new content just a retread of the previous concept art right down to the same fireflies and same moody nighttime aesthetic showing us nothing new and frankly nothing at all.

This is telling. Makes me think we'll be treated to screenz instead of sets, using "darkness" as the justification. Definitely getting Na'vi River Journey vibes. Here's hoping we get more AAs than that one.

I'd be very pleasantly surprised if the sets in this ride were even close to being on the level of Na'vi River Journey.

Definitely needs more AAs than NRJ, though.

 

[Kirby86]

It's concept art for concept art.

According to that concept art we will still be sitting in logs. I guess they're going to ask the cast members for overtime to buff out B'rer Rabbits face from the logs.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Beyond the awkward storyline and the potential issues with execution, the WDW version really does feel like an afterthought.

The discussion places a heavy emphasis on New Orleans and what it means to people and Disney history. But that's largely irrelevant at WDW where the only truly New Orleans thing is a hotel several miles from Magic Kingdom.

As I said from when this was first announced, this feels like a pitch for Disneyland that they felt obligated (for various reasons) to do in Florida as well, regardless of whether that makes the most sense for WDW specifically. Others have pointed out the need for additional capacity, the superior quality of Splash here, the lack of New Orleans Square and the space for expansion. WDI doesn't seem to care.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

We are living in the worst timeline… chances this gets canceled at WDW now?

 

[LittleBuford]

We are living in the worst timeline… chances this gets canceled at WDW now?

I very much doubt it'll get cancelled now that they've released further details.

 

[DCLcruiser]

We are living in the worst timeline… chances this gets canceled at WDW now?

Why would they do that? But let's focus on the money. The new IP allows for expanded merchandise, a sequel movie, Disney+ shows, toys, toys and more toys that just wouldn't be done with the Br'er characters.

Plus, now you can put in a New Orleans style restaurant near Splash. Either the queue/gift shop/photo area can become a French Quarter or they could reimagine Pacos Bills into NO (and I go to PBs every trip to MK).

And yes it works at WDW because Frontierland is west of the Mississippi and New Orleans splits the difference between the West and Adventureland (Pirates of the Caribbean).

 

[tanc]

I really think it's going to look incredibly out of place in WDW, at least Disneyland can try to say it's part of New Orleans Square... but they can't for WDW. Splash mountain the first thing you see when you enter Frontierland normally so it probably will be pretty jarring. I think OLC took one look and thought about how awful it would be to put it in critter country since they have no real new Orleans square. The closest inspiration to New Orleans design is pirates and that's pretty far from critter country. I think the entire land would have to be completely redesigned which just isn't very feasible.

And that's another thing, what's the whole point of critter country if they basically will transform Splash into a new Orleans square attraction?

 

[DCLcruiser]

I really think it's going to look incredibly out of place in WDW, at least Disneyland can try to say it's part of New Orleans Square... but they can't for WDW. Splash mountain the first thing you see when you enter Frontierland normally so it probably will be pretty jarring. I think OLC took one look and thought about how awful it would be to put it in critter country since they have no real new Orleans square. The closest inspiration to New Orleans design is pirates and that's pretty far from critter country. I think the entire land would have to be completely redesigned which just isn't very feasible.

And that's another thing, what's the whole point of critter country if they basically will transform Splash into a new Orleans square attraction?

The mountain probably won't look any different. Maybe add some Spanish Moss and put a small boat on top. Most of the NO stuff can be behind the walls, or like I said, use Pacos Bill and then it's just the corner of the park that's NO.

We don't have Critter Country in WDW.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Especially if they end up charging extra for it with Lighting Lane and/or having it be virtual queue only, therefore making it more difficult for the people who want to ride it to do so.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Especially if they end up charging extra for it with Lighting Lane and/or having it be virtual queue only, therefore making it more difficult for the people who want to ride it to do so.

AND Tokyo is allowed to keep theirs.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

And just in time, I was thinking poor Disney wasn't going to make enough money by cutting entertainment, implementing Genie+, Magic Keys, and no Magical Express!

 

[Sir_Cliff]

The mountain probably won't look any different. Maybe add some Spanish Moss and put a small boat on top. Most of the NO stuff can be behind the walls, or like I said, use Pacos Bill and then it's just the corner of the park that's NO.

We don't have Critter Country in WDW.

I think of all the concerns, the idea that the mountain exterior will suddenly clash with the rest of Frontierland is the one I understand the least. If anything, the mountain exterior is a bit of an odd fit for an attraction set in a bayou. As you say, I'm sure it will fit about as much after the redo as it does now as the changes aren't that extreme.

I also honestly hope that any re-theming to New Orleans/Louisiana happens beyond the railway track. I don't see any need to re-theme any of the existing Frontierland shops or restaurants, which I think would look a little odd if they were to leave the rest of them more or less the same.