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

[Rich Brownn]

In a theme park design sense, sometimes being self-aware makes it what it is!

Well now we are changing the subject, but if you really care to know:

Yes, it could, attractions do this all of the time on various levels as a storytelling element to various degrees. On Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion for example, you are on a tour where things of adventure and humor fit their tones.

In Country Bear Jamboree, the script literally mentions from the get-go that you are there to see a revue show dedicated in its atmosphere to the past and we get a cast of characters performing songs. This works for the tone of Country Bear Jamboree because it is a cast of characters that clearly are not polished, and we have to "bear" with them. It has a self-aware that fits the tone.

Tiana's attraction could easily do the same thing if the idea was to take you back into the heritage of Louisiana and go on an adventure of the Frontiers of Louisiana that made it what it is today. That is not very endearing and not something Disney is likely to do whimsically or put the effort into these days. They would rather do book reports without a segue or much avenue to build into the experience for animated IP attractions and recent rethemes.

Splash Mountain does this in the sense of the queue with the equipment and facilities of a time and place where it is evident of farming. mining and logging. There is a bit of hints of critters that grows throughout the way being anthropomorphic until the flume falls slipnfalls take you into that whimsy in 360 formats. You have to remember that even if you want to reference Uncle Remus, who is not in the ride but rather we know Brer Frog is a similar character role of storyteller, and the story of Brer Fox and adventures he has are not just current, but have already happened, hence why they are stories and why it "happened on one of them zip a dee doo dah days." We are taken back to and through those events. A time when critters and people (the romanticized frontier that tells this fable) were a little closer together.


On your thoughts on the music:
Wells Fargo Wagon and other Music Man songs fill the air in Main Street USA, The Ballad of Davy Crockett was written in the 50s. X Anticio wrote Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me) in the 60s. These are suspensions of disbelief do not break the theme. Just like the Disney theme parks are not touted as museums, they are not historical preservation of their musical playing or choices. They are inspired by the mythology of Americana and ideals, from the old country fairytales Americans told their children to the romanticized view of reality and dreams of tomorrow. Like the faux buildings fabricated recently based on centuries old structures, music can be produced in a different time to evoke or fabricate to entertain in a theme park setting.

The Broadway showtimes music was added years after the park opened and it ALWAYS jars me every time. Probably because I am so familiar with the shows. But it has never worked for me, and it has always bothered me. (When I worked Main Street it was all still period music. But we also dressed like people from the 1890s and not the theater usher costumes used now lol)

 

[heapster411]

Just to put things in perspective, there were a couple of people from Louisiana, one from specifically NOLA, who also said that Splash didn't really fit Louisiana or NOLA. They were so repeatedly disrespected (about this topic among other things), they don't post here anymore. Many folks are about their whataboutisms, but these folks actually knew what they were talking about. But heaven forbid you get between some of these people on here and them feeling good about themselves over a park retheme.

As being in New Orleans, we are below sea level. The French Quarter is right above sea level. That being said, the only Mountain here is a hill in Audubon Park. The levees are higher than that hill, so in perspective, Where is this mountain that the log flume ride supposed to based on? So is this a view of the thread that gets you banded? Watching TPatF, it seems to be based in the Acadian region of the state.

 

[Dear Prudence]

As being in New Orleans, we are below sea level. The French Quarter is right above sea level. That being said, the only Mountain here is a hill in Audubon Park. The levees are higher than that hill, so in perspective, Where is this mountain that the log flume ride supposed to based on? So is this a view of the thread that gets you banded? Watching TPatF, it seems to be based in the Acadian region of the state.

He wasn't banned, he just got sick of the way people (who were not from there) kept talking down to him and telling him he didn't know what he was talking about.... when he was literally from there. I don't know enough about the layout of NOLA or Louisiana, so I was interested in what he had to say--as well as your comments. I know that I know am going to be looking a lot of this up! Thank you!

 

[disneyfireman]

Regardless...its still mind numb and ever so..lobotomised thinking to even consider this redo. Literally no one at Disney will speak up and say,,oh yeah, this is my idea..lol. Literally.. thee worst decision Disney ever made since and maybe even as much as removing toad from MK.. Carl Sagan would even be stumped by this decision or rationalization..lol

 

[BuddyThomas]

Regardless...its still mind numb and ever so..lobotomised thinking to even consider this redo. Literally no one at Disney will speak up and say,,oh yeah, this is my idea..lol. Literally.. thee worst decision Disney ever made since and maybe even as much as removing toad from MK. Carl Sagan would even be stumped by this decision or rationalization..

You’re dragging Carl Sagan into this now? Makes sense.

Anyway, a less than 60 second Google search reveals that Bob Weiss led the imagineering team that came up with the retheme.

So your assertion that “literally no one at Disney will speak up” is simply not factual in any way.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Re: the mountain debate

Even as Splash is currently, I never took the mountain part literally. You dive into the "mountain" but are really diving into another world.

Once you dive down, you are seemingly outside again, trees around you, vines hanging. There are scenes in the MK version specifically with the sky in the distance:

Entering the "mountain" is leaving the real world, and entering a made up fantasy / cartoon like world.

I really don't need, or ever needed justification for the mountains existence, and I don't need Imagineering justifying it now, regardless of the IP inside.

Entering the mountain is like going down the rabbit hole in Alice, taking me to a new world.

 

[crazy4disney]

You’re dragging Carl Sagan into this now? Makes sense.

Anyway, a less than 60 second Google search reveals that Bob Weiss led the imagineering team that came up with the retheme.

So your assertion that “literally no one at Disney will speak up” is simply not factual in any way.

Tony Baxter had his name attached as well. Wonder what he is doing for this lol

 

[LittleBuford]

Re: the mountain debate

Even as Splash is currently, I never took the mountain part literally. You dive into the "mountain" but are really diving into another world.

Once you dive down, you are seemingly outside again, trees around you, vines hanging. There are scenes in the MK version specifically with the sky in the distance:

View attachment 662528

Entering the "mountain" is leaving the real world, and entering a made up fantasy / cartoon like world.

I really don't need, or ever needed justification for the mountains existence, and I don't need Imagineering justifying it now, regardless of the IP inside.

Entering the mountain is like going down the rabbit hole in Alice, taking me to a new world.

I took the mountain somewhat more literally than you did, since I knew the film well and read it as a representation of Chickapin Hill (which it is). Nonetheless, I agree with you that fantasy matters much more than reality with such rides, and the fact that mountains are not to be found in the actual Louisiana is (to me at least) pretty inconsequential given what we’ll be dealing with once the retheme has been completed: a Magic Kingdom attraction based on an animated film that is full of all kinds of wonderful and impossible things.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Re: the mountain debate

Even as Splash is currently, I never took the mountain part literally. You dive into the "mountain" but are really diving into another world.

Once you dive down, you are seemingly outside again, trees around you, vines hanging. There are scenes in the MK version specifically with the sky in the distance:

View attachment 662528

Entering the "mountain" is leaving the real world, and entering a made up fantasy / cartoon like world.

I really don't need, or ever needed justification for the mountains existence, and I don't need Imagineering justifying it now, regardless of the IP inside.

Entering the mountain is like going down the rabbit hole in Alice, taking me to a new world.

The point I brought up was that people who were actually from NOLA expressed concern/ brought up valid points, and the one poster who no longer posts here was talked down to and over so much, he no longer feels comfortable here.

 

[Ghost93]

I don't know why we are even discussing whether Louisiana has mountains since "Splash Mountain" is no longer the ride's title. It's now Tiana's Bayou Adventure, and by all accounts, Tiana, a bayou, and an adventure will be featured in the new ride. The drop won't be part of a "mountain" necessarily.

 

[Rodj]

It is way closer to what it should be than many other attractions on property...

Have you been on Imagination recently? Dinosaur? Everest? Little Mermaid?

For Splash being as old as it is, and on top of that, being surrounded by water all the time, it is in much better shape than these other AA-heavy attractions. Out of the 10 or so rides broken down on my last trip, Splash wasn't one of them. You know what WAS?

Slinky Dog Dash, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Finding Nemo the Musical, Little Mermaid, PeopleMover, Mission: Space, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ratatouille, Expedition Everest, and freaking It's a Small World of all rides. And this was just one day at each park.

...Sounds like Splash Mountain, when it ISN'T operating, isn't a result of it being old. Disney just has crap source for maintenance. So that is still no excuse to close it. Otherwise, Disney would have to close 20 other attractions on property in their current state, too. New and old.

Don't forget about the horrible state of the Tower of Terror recently. Its show maintenance has plummeted the most(pun not intended) compared to other attractions since Chapek took over. At least in the last few years with Iger, Tower was at least kept in somewhat decent shape. New loud speakers were added to the drop shafts in 2018(which unfortunately started to have issues in 2019) and many other minor show effects were addressed late 2019-early 2020. There would of been a budget allocated to address the major show issues had the virus not happen.
There has not been a single positive change to the Tower after Chapek took over. The audio is in a very messed up state currently, the new window projector in the hallway scenes is displaying in grayscale and to top it off, there is no plans for new drop shaft motors, meaning that it will remain on the less intense drop sequences.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don't know why we are even discussing whether Louisiana has mountains since "Splash Mountain" is no longer the ride's title. It's now Tiana's Bayou Adventure, and by all accounts, Tiana, a bayou, and an adventure will be featured in the new ride. The drop won't be part of a "mountain" necessarily.

That’s a good point. The concept art turns the mountain into a fanciful evocation of Mama Odie’s Tree.

 

[Dear Prudence]

So what was all their NOLA research for,, does it matter or not? I mean I don't actually care if it does or not (and I am not saying it should or should not be in Frontierland, like I don't care), but I cannot keep up with the mental gymnastics here.

 

[Tha Realest]

So what was all their NOLA research for,, does it matter or not? I mean I don't actually care if it does or not (and I am not saying it should or should not be in Frontierland, like I don't care), but I cannot keep up with the mental gymnastics here.

It seems their research into “high elevation in/near Louisana” led them to Avery Island. Given that location’s sad and regretful history with slavery and indentured servants, I hope they found inspiration elsewhere and the “salt mines” don’t make their way into the ride.

 

[Dear Prudence]

It seems their research into “high elevation in/near Louisana” led them to Avery Island. Given that location’s sad and regretful history with slavery and indentured servants, I hope they found inspiration elsewhere and the “salt mines” don’t make their way into the ride.

I mean "the Disneyland version" has become a disparaging comparison, so I was hoping that they would actually do a good job. I do have a lot of confidence in their team. NOLA deserves it. Louisiana deserves it.

I do wish they would have named their academic sources, though

 

[LittleBuford]

So what was all their NOLA research for,, does it matter or not? I mean I don't actually care if it does or not (and I am not saying it should or should not be in Frontierland, like I don't care), but I cannot keep up with the mental gymnastics here.

Mental gymnastics on whose part? I for one have made it very clear that I don’t find the emphasis they’re placing on research either necessary or compelling. The salt mine stuff in particular was just weird.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Just wake me up when it's over.

 

[Disney Analyst]

So what was all their NOLA research for,, does it matter or not? I mean I don't actually care if it does or not (and I am not saying it should or should not be in Frontierland, like I don't care), but I cannot keep up with the mental gymnastics here.

I think like a fair amount of Disney projects, the research trips will be found in the design / art direction. They’ll just try and make it look and feel authentic. And that will be about it.

 

[celluloid]

So what was all their NOLA research for,, does it matter or not? I mean I don't actually care if it does or not (and I am not saying it should or should not be in Frontierland, like I don't care), but I cannot keep up with the mental gymnastics here.

To prove themselves in a lie when they said the announcement when accused of having to do with climate that they insinuated that this has been planned for years and in reality, the R and D was clearly pretty early on for a ride already established that is going to be rethemed.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

I think like a fair amount of Disney projects, the research trips will be found in the design / art direction. They’ll just try and make it look and feel authentic. And that will be about it.

I honestly hope you’re right and the same amount of research that Joe Rhode & his team did going to Tibet and surrounding areas for EE is going into Tiana…if that happens, I will truly be impressed.