The Enchanted Tiki Room is coming to the Magic Kingdom!

[David S.]

Not according to the majority of other replies in this thread! And even if I may be in the "minority" with my love of the original Tiki Room, I'd say the hardcore Tiki Room fans like me are much more than "one in a million". If it truly appealed to just one in a million, they would have just closed it after the fire. And I don't doubt that Pirates is more popular than Tiki Room. But if Hall of Presidents is, I doubt if it's THAT much more so.

And other attractions with cute, singing, critters seem to draw good numbers (like Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Country Bear Jamboree, It's A Small World), so there is definitely a market for these type of attractions in the Disney parks. A big part of the Fantasyland expansion is even The Little Mermaid ride, which has a predominant feature of cute undersea AA critters singing "Under The Sea". That's the main showpiece of the ride!

PS. I didn't mean my original post to be argumentitive with you, if you took it that way. I was just pointing out that the Tiki Room has a cuteness factor and a whimsy that was being overlooked, and that all people don't evaluate the attractions strictly by the technology, especially if they have other factors that they enjoy (like catchy songs, cuteness, whimsy, fantasy, etc).

But we obviously have different taste and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. There is room in the parks for a wide variety of attractions, so let's just agree to disagree!

I'm still ecstatic that the original show is back! For a while, I thought it never would be, not in Florida, anyway.

 

[CountryBearFan]

I don't mind that they edited the show down. I totally understand why.

I did notice that they took out the lines "our show is delightful, we hope you'll agree, we hope that it fills you with pleasure and glee, 'cause if we don't make you feel like that, we're gonna end up on a lady's hat!"

...which I can also understand, I'm sure PETA would have a fit these days over that.

That verse of the song has been absent from DL's Tiki Room since the mid-90's as well.

I can see where you think PETA might get concerned, but personally, I think the reason for omitting that verse is just an attempt to condense the song for time and not let the show run so long that walk-outs could start to occur.

Let's face it--when DL's Tiki Room shortened their show in the mid-90's, the Offenbach number was not the only casualty. That aforementioned theme song verse and a few random bits of dialogue were trimmed out as well.

 

[Ignohippo]

Not according to the majority of other replies in this thread! And even if I may be in the "minority" with my love of the original Tiki Room, I'd say the hardcore Tiki Room fans like me are much more than "one in a million". And I don't doubt that Pirates is more popular than Tiki Room. But if Hall of Presidents is, I doubt if it's THAT much more so.

And other attractions with cute, singing, critters seem to draw good numbers (like Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Country Bear Jamboree, It's A Small World), so there is definitely a market for these type of attractions in the Disney parks! A big part of the Fantasyland expansion is even The Little Mermaid ride, which has a predominant feature of cute undersea AA critters singing "Under The Sea"! That's the main showpiece of the ride!

PS. I didn't mean my original post to be argumentitive with you, if you took it that way. I was just pointing out that the Tiki Room has a cuteness factor and a whimsy that was being overlooked, and that all people don't evaluate the attractions strictly by the technology, especially if they have other factors that they enjoy (like catchy songs, cuteness, whimsy, fantasy, etc).

This goes back to what I've been saying for awhile. It's about story and execution - not about how much money you can spend and having the latest technologically advanced ride.

In a few years, no one will care how much something cost to build or that at one time it was the most technologically-advanced ride. They'll just know if it's a good ride or not. It's all about the "show".

The Tiki Room has been going strong for 40+ years for that very reason.

 

[TalkingHead]

The Tiki Room has been going strong for 40+ years for that very reason.

Going strong for 40 years? People were walking out of the show in the '90s. They obviously edited the show down yet again because they expect today's guests won't have much tolerance for the show.

 

[David S.]

The videos were not edited (well, the one was, but it was relatively complete stitching two parts together between songs.)

The show has been cut to pieces! This is the "Reader's Digest" version, even shorter than the truncated Disneyland version. Nearly half of the show is gone! I'm ecstatic that it's back, but seriously disappointed with how short it is now. No more sing-along with the birdies, and half the Hawaiian War chant is missing.

I completely agree with you, I'd much rather not have the cuts. I'm really glad I am seeing it first online. That way when I see it in person this winter, the edits will be less disappointing, as I will already be prepared for them.

I may be in the minority, but my favorite version is the original full-length 1963 version, complete with the Offenbach number. I find the song very beautiful and relaxing, and I like its operatic bird-call vibe.

Still, like you and others have said, I would rather have the original show back in MK in edited form, than to have kept UNM, which was itself a very short show. So I'm not "complaining" or "ungrateful", if anyone takes it that way!

It's really a shame that "modern" audiences apparently have the collective attention span of someone with chronic Attention Deficit Disorder who is overdosing on caffeine!

I do take consolation in the fact that I have the full original 1963 audio on CD (on the Disneyland 6-disc boxed set), and that a longer version of the current WDW show still plays at Disneyland.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Forgive me for the 'blasphemy' that I am about to let slip from my lips...

Oh, yeah, that was an improvement! That's exactly what Walt wanted for his company, to take steps backward, not forward. That was his motto y'know,
'We'll continue to take steps backward, and the [Park] will get more smaller every year!' I mean it's obvious to anyone that's studied any on Walt's life that he hated moving forward, and progress. (Heavy sarcasm implied.)

Okay, so don't get me wrong y'all, I'm not a mean guy, and I do think that this show is... refreshing, and multiple times better than 'Under New Management,' but that's just because there was absolutely no creativity that went into that show. With the right amount of thought, that idea (incorporating Disney's major bird characters from their films) is actually a strong, and - for lack of a better word - obvious idea, that would've/could've blended in organically.

Sorry y'all, and yes, a What-Walt-Would-Do statement is coming... but seriously, we all know - somewhere deep down inside our souls - that Walt would be astonished that the parks have stayed the same as much as they have. Though, I do believe that he could justify it, because after all, he was 'the man,' and after he died, then what? But I do not believe that he could justify going from a new iteration of the Tiki Room, to an old one.

As a side-note, I say the same thing about him being able to justify the fact that we didn't continue with EPCOT, it was his baby. Though I do think he'd be a little ticked that we represent his 'baby' like we do, at the so-called Epcot that exists today.

Anyway, I just think taking a step backwards, and opening up an old version of an attraction, is against a major thing that Walt stood for... and that's progress.

I like the sign and logo though! :wave: :lol: :lookaroun

I kind of agree. This is fixing a mistake - it's a step forward from that mistake but not a step forward from what proceeded it. To those people that have argued things like the Fantasyland is a net gain of 0 attractions from the early 90s, you need to look at this the same way.

Under New Management was an awful show. Tropical Serenade is a better show. I know it has many fans, and should certainly hold an audience better than Under New Management. Having said that, those people that are pointing to opening day numbers as evidence of its staying power are delusional.

There was a reason that they made the switch to Under New Management, the reviews were in - Tropical Serenade was stale and there was a need for a change. When people saw the change they spoke even louder.

This is absolutely a positive for the land, but we have to recognize that it's relative. These types of attractions are needed, but this will not anchor the park, nor should it be expected to do so. I don't expect this to be full every show, and I don't expect everyone to love it. But I do expect more people to see it and more people to enjoy it over Under New Management.

 

[HMF]

This goes back to what I've been saying for awhile. It's about story and execution - not about how much money you can spend and having the latest technologically advanced ride.

It's actually "theme" and execution. Tiki Room has no story.

 

[NoChesterHester]

I kind of agree. This is fixing a mistake - it's a step forward from that mistake but not a step forward from what proceeded it. To those people that have argued things like the Fantasyland is a net gain of 0 attractions from the early 90s, you need to look at this the same way.

Under New Management was an awful show. Tropical Serenade is a better show. I know it has many fans, and should certainly hold an audience better than Under New Management. Having said that, those people that are pointing to opening day numbers as evidence of its staying power are delusional.

There was a reason that they made the switch to Under New Management, the reviews were in - Tropical Serenade was stale and there was a need for a change. When people saw the change they spoke even louder.

This is absolutely a positive for the land, but we have to recognize that it's relative. These types of attractions are needed, but this will not anchor the park, nor should it be expected to do so. I don't expect this to be full every show, and I don't expect everyone to love it. But I do expect more people to see it and more people to enjoy it over Under New Management.

I think this may be a case where step back is a step forward. I am usually the one championing change because it is part of who I am and my interests. I'll admit I'm not much of a preservationist. In this case however I feel the return of the original show was the right decision.

I don't necessarily feel that it was a lost opportunity to update a timeless attraction because doing so, and leaving parts of the original intact, requires the most deft hand. It really could have been butchered by changing the content. The important thing to me is that the original Tiki Room fits Adventureland. UNM didn't.

Updating the show by returning it to the original returns a missing element of the ambiance on what was one of the best lands in the Magic Kingdom. The story of this exotic land with fantastical exotic adventure stories was crafted to have the Tiki Birds as part of the journey, and with them gone a big piece was missing from the narrative. Now it feels right. Better at least.

If the Jungle Cruise could just get the refurb it deserves... and the Aladdin spinners could get a caravan tent at the very least.

 

[Ignohippo]

It's actually "theme" and execution. Tiki Room has no story.

Duh. It was a general comment. :brick:

 

[Ignohippo]

Much improved. But, does anyone else think it lacks a finale?

 

[tirian]

Much improved. But, does anyone else think it lacks a finale?

No, the war chant is the finale.

I'm glad they removed the singalong portion of "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing." At DL, that song is a bit awkward, since nobody sings with it. Also, the "hat" line in the opening song was probably removed because few people would have caught the joke.

As much as I love the Enchanted Tiki Room, and as much as I prize my original soundtrack LP, I will admit the original length is too slow for today's audiences; and even at DL, I sometimes nod off during "Birdies" and the "War Chant." A song revue with no plot wears thin fast. I think I might actually prefer sitting through the truncated version at WDW. I'll happily listen to the full soundtrack at home, where I'm not sitting on a hard bench.

 

[David S.]

It's actually "theme" and execution. Tiki Room has no story.

When the Imagineers say "Everything in the parks has a story", I don't think they mean that it has to be a literal, complex, narrative. It can mean "story" in a simpler sense, simply defining what something is, and why it is the way it is.

So, the "story" of the Tiki Room could be that deep in the heart of Polynesia, there is a wonderous, enchanted room where birds sing songs. The room is so enchanted, that eventually the flowers and tikis join in the singing and celebrating. This creates such a rukus that "the gods are angered by all the celebrating", and cause a storm, ending the show.

Not as complex a story that would be needed to fill up a movie, but still a "story", from a certain point of view. I guess they could use the word "concept" here instead, if you prefer.

 

[Scuttle]

Mission to Mars is back, and improved, and it's over at Epcot, where it ROCKS, but everyone complains about it, cause it replaced an even better ride. SO... Let's have Horizons replace SGE

If I only had one wish! Lol

 

[DisneyWorldDork]

Looks Amazing....but I am going to miss the Tiki Goddess

 

[The Duck]

A job well done!:sohappy: I don't mind the slightly edited version at all as long as the true spirit of the show remained intact and indeed it has. I've read elsewhere that some further tweaking is in the works (perhaps the puff of smoke where the fountain used to be?) so lets all keep our eyes and ears peeled for a few more possible surprises.

 

[jjnshane]

I don't mind that they edited the show down. I totally understand why.

I did notice that they took out the lines "our show is delightful, we hope you'll agree, we hope that it fills you with pleasure and glee, 'cause if we don't make you feel like that, we're gonna end up on a lady's hat!"

...which I can also understand, I'm sure PETA would have a fit these days over that.

Awww... I love that verse -- they could have easily changed it to:

" 'Cause if we don't make you feel like that, they're gonna wanna bring Iago back!" :ROFLOL:

Okay, an approximate rhyme, but still makes me giggle when I sing it in my head! :lol:

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Isn't anyone sad that we lost the voice talents of two amazing actors who are no longer with us?

Phil Hartman in the preshow and Jerry Orbach as the French bird (Pierre?). I loved the old show and I loved those voices. The preshow was hilarious, how often do you have the opportunity to see two major talents like Don Rickles and Phil Hartman trade one-liners.

I, for one, am sad.

We still have a lot of movies with him, we have the Simpsons-episodes with Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, there are tons of possibilities to see and HEAR him, we don't need a preshow for a spoiled "plussed" Tiki Room that was the most hated attraction in the entire MK. Actually it is better that no one connects him any longer with this abomination.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Yeah, I'm kinda over attractions like this. So is the general public. Honestly I'm tired of being in WDW and hear ppl from 6 - 60 say the word "lame". It's time for Disney to be innovative again instead of bringing back tired old attractions.

There they are, the unavoidable naysayers that always try to spoil the fun for those who are happy to have the Tiki Room back.

 

[David S.]

Awww... I love that verse -- they could have easily changed it to:

" 'Cause if we don't make you feel like that, they're gonna wanna bring Iago back!" :ROFLOL:

Okay, an approximate rhyme, but still makes me giggle when I sing it in my head! :lol:

Good one! :ROFLOL:

I've watched the videos a few times now, and it sure is swell not having that obnoxious loudmouth interupt that classic song right at the beginning!

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I know it's a joke. Just be thankful that garbage show under new management is gone.

EXACTLY! Gone forever and Iago burns (or better continues to burn, hihihi...) in the hell for bad AAs.