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

[Midwest Elitist]

First was to remove any thing that could be tied to song of the south. Second was that lots of groups wanted song of the south not only replaced but replaced by Tiana. That was a huge thing for years. And disney for the publicity did it. Oddly one of the first times they did what some fans wanted lol. What they should have done, especially with the crowds and universal was...

• create a brer rabbit disney plus show that had nothing to do with song of the south and separate those characters from song of the south (very unlikely this would ever happened)
• Retheme splash to something else.. though pocahontas would have fit well, it will have the same issue eventually if not already. But even a donald duck ride with a western theme and original story would have worked.. or tied it into the story of big thunder
• Then build tiana in a different area as a new ride

the parks need new rides not just retheming.. If splash was an issue thats fine you can retheme.. but dont retheme and not add. Tiana should have been a new custom build with a restaurant, maybe blue bayou style where the restaurant is part of the ride.

Yeah this. If the characters and music lived on somehow, I wouldn't have any problems with the retheme.

 

[Touchdown]

The replacement in mk should have been coco…

 

[tanc]

Splash Mountain may also get revamp at Tokyo Disneyland | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

An Oriental Land representative said the company was aware of the proposed change for the U.S. amusement parks, adding that at this point, only consideration was being given about what to do with the ride at the Tokyo park.

This was 2 years ago and kinda buried, but it seems like nothing ever came to fruition. I would expect it to be due to the design of Tokyo Splash more than anything, as I stated it's designed completely different than the others. It would by far likely be the hardest to retheme due to its intricate design.

 

[Midwest Elitist]

I’m sure they meant within the parks.

Yeah. Also, I don't have a problem with Tiana???? I like PatF.

I feel like people just have an incredibly hostile script for those against the retheme. We should be kind, this is a Disney forum.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don't believe that I've ever seen a mountain in a bayou

Note that the existing SotS-themed version is also described as taking place on a bayou:

Gently drift through a colorful Southern bayou along with happy-go-lucky Br’er Rabbit as he looks for his “laughing place.” But be warned: Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox are in hot pursuit of this wayward hare.​

​

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/splash-mountain/

It’s strange to me that people are looking for realism in a ride that has never had any.

 

[GimpYancIent]

First was to remove any thing that could be tied to song of the south. Second was that lots of groups wanted song of the south not only replaced but replaced by Tiana. That was a huge thing for years. And disney for the publicity did it. Oddly one of the first times they did what some fans wanted lol. What they should have done, especially with the crowds and universal was...

• create a brer rabbit disney plus show that had nothing to do with song of the south and separate those characters from song of the south (very unlikely this would ever happened)
• Retheme splash to something else.. though pocahontas would have fit well, it will have the same issue eventually if not already. But even a donald duck ride with a western theme and original story would have worked.. or tied it into the story of big thunder
• Then build tiana in a different area as a new ride

the parks need new rides not just retheming.. If splash was an issue thats fine you can retheme.. but dont retheme and not add. Tiana should have been a new custom build with a restaurant, maybe blue bayou style where the restaurant is part of the ride.

Restaurant! Yes! Boudoin, Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffee, red Beans and Rice mmmmmm, of course wash things down with a Hurricane. Hey, a little spice never hurt anyone.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Note that the existing SotS-themed version is also described as taking place on a bayou:

Gently drift through a colorful Southern bayou along with happy-go-lucky Br’er Rabbit as he looks for his “laughing place.” But be warned: Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox are in hot pursuit of this wayward hare.​

​

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/splash-mountain/

It’s strange to me that people are looking for realism in a ride that has never had any.

It seems many people will be apoplectic when they discover the impossible journey through rivers on entirely different continents that Disney expects guests to swallow on the Jungle Cruise next-door in Adventureland. Not to mention that the docks are located opposite Polynesian ceremonial buildings sitting next to a Middle Eastern marketplace.

 

[cranbiz]

And now that it will become a bayou, those pesky alligators that occasionally wonder onto the outside of SM, can now fit right in without batting an eye…maybe in the ride itself…

This is brilliant! Walt always wanted to work with live animals. Allow the live alligators into the ride, it's a win win. Cost savings all around.

Just don't relocate Ginger, she snaps.

 

[Kirby86]

Splash Mountain may also get revamp at Tokyo Disneyland | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

An Oriental Land representative said the company was aware of the proposed change for the U.S. amusement parks, adding that at this point, only consideration was being given about what to do with the ride at the Tokyo park.

This was 2 years ago and kinda buried, but it seems like nothing ever came to fruition. I would expect it to be due to the design of Tokyo Splash more than anything, as I stated it's designed completely different than the others. It would by far likely be the hardest to retheme due to its intricate design.

I think that was more likely than not OLC being polite to a buisness partner.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I like all the people suggesting Disney play hardball against the OLC.

WDI’s been copying OLC’s homework for the last decade. No way they spite that golden goose.

. . . WDI designs and creates every attraction in Tokyo Disneyland.

The difference is that the OLC pays for all the attractions in Tokyo, and Disney pays for the attractions everywhere else. OLC doesn't hold the purse strings as tightly as Disney does, and Disney has at times benefited from essentially being able to let WDI use Tokyo as a proving ground for tech that Disney isn't willing to experiment with on their own dime. Tokyo has caught on to this, and isn't thrilled about it.

How this relates to Splash Mountain and Tiana's Bayou Adventure, if it does at all, isn't completely clear. I think it may be as simple as the OLC having a number of big expensive projects in the works, and more projects forthcoming, so Splash Mountain registers to them as "if it ain't broke . . ." - consider that they're preparing to totally rebuild their Space Mountain and begin a massive overhaul of Tomorrowland. The idea of closing another massive E-Ticket in that park for a big, expensive overhaul that will take perhaps two years to finish probably isn't appealing when they have so many other major developments already on the horizon, especially after the past decade where they've already invested quite heavily in their parks.

 

[ppete1975]

Splash Mountain may also get revamp at Tokyo Disneyland | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

An Oriental Land representative said the company was aware of the proposed change for the U.S. amusement parks, adding that at this point, only consideration was being given about what to do with the ride at the Tokyo park.

This was 2 years ago and kinda buried, but it seems like nothing ever came to fruition. I would expect it to be due to the design of Tokyo Splash more than anything, as I stated it's designed completely different than the others. It would by far likely be the hardest to retheme due to its intricate design.

IF they come up with something amazing that people demand we might copy it, outside of that we are good with what we have.

 

[ppete1975]

It seems many people will be apoplectic when they discover the impossible journey through rivers on entirely different continents that Disney expects guests to swallow on the Jungle Cruise next-door in Adventureland. Not to mention that the docks are located opposite Polynesian ceremonial buildings sitting next to a Middle Eastern marketplace.

well adventureland was never supposed to be a place, it was the land of adventure.....

So all the stories about adventure from around the world come together in an amalgamation. When Disneyland was started anything that wasnt american was exotic. Its only with cable tv, air travel being more prevalent and the internet that the world has gotten smaller. National geographic magazine was peoples window to the world for decades. Heck even world showcase was exciting and educational as most people hadnt traveled and that was the early 80s.

 

[𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇]

What do you put in its place ?

Muppets.

 

[ppete1975]

I think the easiest would have just been change a few characters to mickey mouse and friends replacing the song of the south characters. Make some background story and change the dialogue and songs. Even make the first few scenes involve disney villains, and you are being chased then you escape over the falls.

or finally tie alot of your rides together including splash with SEA and come up with all new ip and characters for the ride.. AND MERCHANDISE

But this was never why this is happening.

 

[RSoxNo1]

It's all subjective, obviously, but I think the Magic Kingdom was better, EPCOT was 1000x better, and DHS probably a wash -- there are more attractions there now, but the overall theme was much stronger back then and a lot of interesting stuff has been lost.

I don't have any plans to go to any Disney park anytime soon.

Personal opinion, 3 parks are better / moving in the right direction. 1 Park is significantly worse.

 

[Dear Prudence]

The replacement in mk should have been coco…

Since they tried to copyright and Indigenous holiday and terminology, they can keep their hands off shoehorning Coco into places. Granted, I loved the movie, it's one of my faves. I just don't think they deserve to use it like that. It's bad enough that they ruined Brer Rabbit and won't accept responsibility for it. Cultura is not for sale.

 

[𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇]

The Bayou setting fits very well in DL, not so much in MK.

But, as has been mentioned many times in this thread in just the past few days and weeks, that the Liberty Square to Frontierland area is already a thematic mess in which geographic and chronological themes are ignored.

Splash in WDW had been somewhat visually Old-Westified, even though the stories and characters remain Deep South. So, Splash itself wasn't a good fit for it's placement.

In fact, Frontierland regularly confuses Old South with Wild West. The Old South's timeframe as presented in the MK had not been "the frontier" for over a hundred years. And a Country Bear Jamboree singing songs from the mid-20th century is neither Old South nor Frontier.

Also, not all Princesses have to be confined to Fantasyland as if it were an internment camp. Jasmine fits in just fine in Adventureland.

Isn't that more of an apology/dismissal than a solution? Saying it doesn't fit because these other things don't fit doesn't really address the concern about how Disney will better integrate Tiana into WDW's Frontierland. Even though cronologically it's a bit of a mess, visually they Old-Westified everything so it's kosher. They won't be able to do the same here, or will they?

 

[ppete1975]

Personal opinion, 3 parks are better / moving in the right direction. 1 Park is significantly worse.

if you count strollers, attitudes, costs, tik tokkers, vloggers, self entitled people, and crowds.... id say all 4 are worse. MK we lost the entrance to Tomorrowland the subs (ok the lagoon more than the subs) hollywood studios lost its identity (although i like star wars being added) epcot.. a shell... animal kingdom is was underdeveloped when it opened and is now just being completed (although still needs more)
Still cant wait to go back though

 

[Lilofan]

Restaurant! Yes! Boudoin, Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffee, red Beans and Rice mmmmmm, of course wash things down with a Hurricane. Hey, a little spice never hurt anyone.

Port Orleans French Quarter had all u can eat southern breakfast buffet pre 9/11 with grilled steak and sugary beingets. I missed that.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Isn't that more of an apology/dismissal than a solution? Saying it doesn't fit because these other things don't fit doesn't really address the concern about how Disney will better integrate Tiana into WDW's Frontierland. Even though cronologically it's a bit of a mess, visually they Old-Westified everything so it's kosher. They won't be able to do the same here, or will they?

It's honestly wild to me watching them try to act like this isn't 100000% their fault.