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

[MisterPenguin]

I would love to see some kind of happy medium between the original design that was released and the version we have now. I think Mama Odie's tree would've been visually overwhelming but I do agree that as is the mountain looks a little barren without the tree stump on top. Been sketching out my take on how it could've been redesigned.
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Definitions of pareidolia - OneLook Dictionary Search

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[MrPromey]

Someone posted earlier that the tree plan was ditched because the current hill wouldn't support it along with the boat stuck in the tree.

Except it wouldn't be a tree with a boat stuck in it.

It would likely be a steel frame with a fiberglass coated foam (as in styrofoam) build which would all weigh considerably less than it looks.

I mean, weight could still be an issue, I guess but my point is, in a situation like this when they want to build something, the first step would be figuring out what and then the second would be the construction materials and methods for the circumstances they're building under - including weight load.

This also wouldn't likely be something just bolted onto the exterior of the ride but connected directly to the frame under the exterior.

Again, it could still be an issue (one that money could absolutely fix) but I'm guessing that initial concept art they rushed out when they said this had been in the works since Walt's birth was probably the only solid thing they had and that little to no real thought about the actual story or practical efforts of converting this attraction had even been seriously considered at that point.

In short, I think it was about like the presentation of Beyond Thunder Mountain which is why it's taken years from that announcement to get to a point where they are ready to close the ride and actually begin a two year project that involves an already built structure and ride system.

 

[matt9112]

One of the weirder parts of this whole thing for me that is they are trying to dress up the whole thing as more friendly (apparently the lift hill will also be cheery as well) but... well they are still dropping you. The tone of these things feels off.

Yeah it comes across as pandering to younger kids….yet it still has a height requirement…..and still has thrills… it will feel very odd from a flow stand point if the ride is all happy go lucky with no build up of the drop or even the smaller ones.

 

[Andrew C]

Keep thinking of this...but opposite.

 

[celluloid]

Subtle!

Am I missing something? I just picked a name. "Classic John, a Classic Frank" when someone does something is a common slang these days for when someone does something they would tend to do. I feel dense so I did not know what I did by picking Joe.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

Well, the briar patch is being removed outright and replaced by "soft" looking foliage (grass and bushes). Visually speaking, it certainly won't have the sort of intimidation factor that the thorns had.

Guest response to Disney's updated exterior of Splash

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I would love to see some kind of happy medium between the original design that was released and the version we have now. I think Mama Odie's tree would've been visually overwhelming but I do agree that as is the mountain looks a little barren without the tree stump on top. Been sketching out my take on how it could've been redesigned.

This looks good as well, better than the solution they settled on.

It has become apparent that regardless of the subjective opinions of the rest of the exterior, the decapitation of the peak is going to be a sore spot on the facade (well that alongside the tacking tiara water tower). It looks very awkward without something there.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

So just wondering, Have we started a betting pool yet for how many years this takes??

Whatever it is, I'm taking the over.

 

[MrPromey]

20k also remained filled with water and used as "decoration" for a decade before they demolished it to make a Winnie the Pooh playground (which itself was demolished for the Fantasyland expansion). I remember being annoyed when they announced that Nemo ride knowing it could have been done with 20k as well if they didn't demolish it.

I don't think they'd have ever seriously considered that. The subs in Disneyland and the Nautilus are/were not your typical ride vehicle.

Unlike the DL subs, the Nautilus vehciles (each built in an actual shipyard) would have needed to be seriously altered and that would likely have cost way more than they'd have been willing to spend.

From what I understand, there was talk about modifying the existing DL subs to improve load/unload and increase hourly capacity (probably at a price in the same ballpark as Nautilus reworking prices) that was passed on at the time - due to cost.

To put it in perspective, this is a shot of a Nautilus being transported from Tampa where it was made, to WDW:

Remember, that's just ONE of the ride vehicles.

They'd have only had to rip off the top parts and replace those but this ride vehicle is still an actual boat that sits mostly under the water with guests in that area so what sounds simple, really isn't.

 

[retr0gate]

This looks good as well, better than the solution they settled on.

It has become apparent that regardless of the subjective opinions of the rest of the exterior, the decapitation of the peak is going to be a sore spot on the facade (well that alongside the tacking tiara water tower). It looks very awkward without something there.

I didn't mind it too much based on what they've shown with the DL exterior, but the WDW version almost feels too flat. The cartoony nature of the DL structure lends itself better to the rounded peak but with WDW's the missing stump is a lot more noticeable. That said, it does help the structure to feel less like a mountain and more like a hill (considering that's likely what they're aiming for).

 

[rio]

By all means then, gut the interior so it's just a concrete flume riding through dark steel hallways. See if most people still consider that to be remotely as fun.

The drop is fun and looks cool. It's not what gives the ride staying power though. If that was all it had going for it, relatively few people would be remotely as upset about this overhaul. The interior scenes are what makes the ride stand out and places it far above any other log flume out there.

When I first road it as a kid, I didn't have any idea that it was going to be a fully fledged immersive dark ride inside. I just figured it would be a prettier take on the log flumes i'd ridden elsewhere. I didn't know there would be impressive interior scenes with amazingly detailed sets and tons of animatronics with a narrative progression, and those were what made it spectacular and one of my favorite rides of all time. It needs those scenes far more than it needs the big drop.

You're right. The Splash mountain log flume is quite long, longer than most long flumes. If the show scenes aren't spectacular, the ride will absolutely fall flat.

 

[EagleScout610]

Maybe it's a ghost that haunts the ride, like George over at Pirates...

Turns out you got it. The guy who was killed on Splash in 2000 was named William so Billy is the ghost on Splash, kind of like how Pirates has George

 

[Tha Realest]

Turns out you got it. The guy who was killed on Splash in 2000 was named William so Billy is the ghost on Splash, kind of like how Pirates has George

Pretty grim and morbid, and a little weird to presume to deformalize William to Billy

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Turns out you got it. The guy who was killed on Splash in 2000 was named William so Billy is the ghost on Splash, kind of like how Pirates has George

What the... I was joking and had no idea that was a thing, that's messed up and I feel bad...

 

[SteveAZee]

Have you ever passed a large pond or small lake?

In my lifetime? Probably... I do try to stay hydrated.

 

[SNS]

What the... I was joking and had no idea that was a thing, that's messed up and I feel bad...

That was certainly an odd thing to reference. Looking it up, here's the story.

Man left Disney ride, saying he felt sick

The bay area man tried to cross a canal when he was killed on Splash Mountain.

www.tampabay.com

William Pollock felt ill on the Magic Kingdom water ride, so he climbed out of the log-shaped boat and stood along the canal, among the animatronic Brer Rabbit figures.

To get off Splash Mountain, Pollock had to cross the canal.

"I'm going to try to cross here," Pollock told log flume riders Sunday.

As Pollock stepped on the boat directly in front of theirs, it lurched forward. He slipped into the water and was struck and crushed by the next boat, said Bernie Presha, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

They don't seem to be lacking a healthy budget compared to when it started. I would assume they don't intend to touch any of the structural supports unless they're already damaged and need repair. That includes the interior. If they do find something like that, they are in for some serious problems.

But I'm also not sure this is worth seriously worrying about unless they actually do find something. Unlike Tower of Terror or Universe of Energy, I don't believe Splash was built on or around any sort of compromised land. 30 years also isn't that old, and I would imagine the underlying structure itself was built with some degree of longevity in mind. As dilapidated as the exterior show layers have been allowed to become at times (which again is not even particularly "bad" at the moment compared to 2012, aside from needing paint), i've yet to hear about any issues with the structural integrity.

Structural integrity…EE was built in 2006…ask Joe Rhode about structural integrity and the Yeti…

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Most of the exterior wear was caused by exposure to Florida's weather (sun, humidity, temperature variation etc). It's the flume and nearby concrete getting backsplash that is affected by the treated water. Unless that's what you meant.

I don't know if the ride has some sort of reputation for leaking these days. It did have some leaking problems on the final lift for a couple of years prior to 2013. But the outer layers of thematic concrete likely provided SOME form of protection to a lot of the underlying structural steel and concrete. As far as i'm aware, a lot of the mountain is also hollow and accessible to work crews so they can view a large portion of the structural support from behind without needing to tear anything out. I doubt they're going that deep into the foundation either. So if there are any issues with that, they might not even find it.

I'm not trying to say your concerns are unfounded. But I also think they have already been able to do a lot of important preliminary structural inspections to know what they're getting into. Particularly during that major 2013 rehab.

2013?? That was 10 years ago…a LOT can happen in those 10 years…

 

[Incomudro]

Keep thinking of this...but opposite.
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Structural integrity…EE was built in 2006…ask Joe Rhode about structural integrity and the Yeti…

According to some people in the know on this forum, the problems with the Yeti have nothing to do with the structural integrity of the mountain, as is rumored.

 

[EagleScout610]

What the... I was joking and had no idea that was a thing, that's messed up and I feel bad...