Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
Even then, there weren't any geese in The Princess and the Frog.
Then again, there weren't any geese in Song of the South either.
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News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure
- Thread starter wdwmagic
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Then again, there weren't any geese in Song of the South either.
Remember, the current Splash Mountain was part "how do we save money and re-use these animal AAs?"
Maybe a PatF ride will have a few Phoenicians and Ellen.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
Do they have to be geese? Couldn't they be, I don't know- anything else from this scene?
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
To be fair, they at least shared a character designer.
Remember, the current Splash Mountain was part "how do we save money and re-use these animal AAs?"
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
They won’t.
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
I suppose they could just slap a bigger beak on one of them and claim it's a spoonbill...
I'm still expecting most of the animatronics to be scrapped, though.
BubbaisSleep
Well-Known Member
To be fair, trashing animatronics isn’t a common thing for us west coasters. Sometimes they even show up in the bunker of an Alien fortress. WDW seems to be the one with endless room but wants to keep removing their classic rides. I’m really curious what animatronics Disney ends up saving by the end of this. It’s pretty sad when you think about the amount of animatronics both of the rides you mentioned had, I hope it doesn’t happen to Splash’s animatronics.
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
That's true... whatever happened to your Country Bears? I've heard that Big Al was reskinned as Oogie Boogie for Haunted Mansion Holiday, but I dunno if there's any truth to that.
I think that's because it's somehow cheaper than building a ride on land that's sitting empty.
rick_
Member
If I recall, this was the reasoning for Runaway Railway going into the Chinese Theater instead of Animation Courtyard or elsewhere, having a show building that's already fit to host an attraction is a huge save for both budget and time.
I think some will be reskinned.
After watching a video of the BAtB ride at Tokyo I have some hope we could get something decent for a Splash Redo if they go that route
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
Oh dear. I certainly hope not. BatB is incredibly shallow.
I was referring more to the AAs they got.
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
We’re not getting AAs that are THAT good. Unless, of course, OLC comes to an agreement on a Splash retheme that they’d share R&D costs with. Which, in that case, wouldn’t be PatF.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
Seems like Disney is moving away from attractions with lots of low-tech AAs (RotR notwithstanding) in favor of just a few high-tech AAs (hello Na'vi Shaman of Songs)+ screens. I'd love to see BOTH, actually- lots of little, low-tech AAs and a few, attention-grabbing lifelike ones (with maybe a subtle use of screens).
But the technology to run them is VERY different. The clicky-clacky of the electromechanical pneumatic/hydrolic systems have given way to the (quiet) whirring of electronics with tiny electric motors. The cost to build is much higher, but the cost to maintain the old AAs hardly seems worth it (hence a lot of broke-down mechanical AAs across the parks).
Splash Mountain has lots of AAs. There's no way they're going to maintain those AND add a new high-tech system for new AAs. There's also no way they're going to recreate all the old AAs but with modern technology. So I'm thinking a lot of those old AAs are destined for the scrap pile.
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. It’s likely way cheaper to build 8 high tech animatronics than 80 medium tech like you see in Splash.Seems like Disney is moving away from attractions with lots of low-tech AAs (RotR notwithstanding) in favor of just a few high-tech AAs (hello Na'vi Shaman of Songs)+ screens. I'd love to see BOTH, actually- lots of little, low-tech AAs and a few, attention-grabbing lifelike ones (with maybe a subtle use of screens).
But the technology to run them is VERY different. The clicky-clacky of the electromechanical pneumatic/hydrolic systems have given way to the (quiet) whirring of electronics with tiny electric motors. The cost to build is much higher, but the cost to maintain the old AAs hardly seems worth it (hence a lot of broke-down mechanical AAs across the parks).
Splash Mountain has lots of AAs. There's no way they're going to maintain those AND add a new high-tech system for new AAs. There's also no way they're going to recreate all the old AAs but with modern technology. So I'm thinking a lot of those old AAs are destined for the scrap pile.
Which means that, overall, most of the more recent projects are middling experiences with 20 or 30 seconds of high points. They don’t even build sets and environments like they used to.
It’s sad, but that’s the era we’re in. Hopefully the next era is more like the ones of years past.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I keep hoping that as the tech becomes cheaper, WDI will come up with ways to repopulate attractions with AAs. Just like we now see projection mapping literally everywhere in the parks, we may see some breakthroughs that allow for AAs to be cheaper/easier/more flexible.
The use of drones, for example are one thing I think we're going to see more of. Originally, they were very expensive and quite dangerous. Now, they're smaller, lighter, safer, and more capable, so application can move beyond "a car-sized X-Wing hovering over SWGE on opening night," to the use of tiny drones in aerial light (and sound) shows.
The stuntronic AAs are another example of this. The first one cost a TON of money (R&D), but the idea is a high-tech AA that they literally throw across the parks. So they've worked hard to get the cost/weight down, and I think we're going to see more of them.
BuzzedPotatoHead89
Well-Known Member
I still think the primary justification for the retheme has honestly been the high cost to maintain many of these aging AAs for what many consider to be primarily a “thrill ride first, story ride second”. At DL in particular, these AAs date back to the 70s and given the damp/intimate environment makes it challenging for the maintainance teams to access.
Combine that with OSHA and years of deferred maintenance (since the infamous Pressler era) and I’m not shocked TDA and WDI thought up the idea of a more “marketable” retheme. I still have hope some of the AAs will remain to be redressed (in Mardi Gras attire for the finale) or reskinned (Brer Bear to Louis) but I wouldn’t be shocked if up to 2/3rds of them aren’t dumped entirely.
_caleb
Well-Known Member
I agree. @lazyboy97o has also pointed to additional refurb costs related to infrastructure wear due to the wet environment. That will certainly eat up a large portion of whatever budget the project receives.
I do think there's a place for a more stylized approach to AAs that could keep costs way down. The low-tech AAs in It's a Small World, for example, don't need to be super articulated or lifelike. Or the head-turning Storm Troopers in Rise. Maybe there's a way to do something like this as a low-budget/high payoff approach to reusing a few older AAs while wowing guests with a high-tech, "lifelike" AA with fluid animation like we're seeing in BatB?
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