Tiana’s Bayou Adventure SPOILER Thread

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
I'm starting to think the co-op backstory was invented and pushed to get corporate on board with the idea of making the ride a sequel, instead of following their own book report precedent.

Like the idea of a sequel was a hard sell until they hyped up the business aspect, something the higher ups could relate to.

Would explain why it's ultimately unimportant to the actual ride, and I'd hope the creative team's main takeaway from The Princess and the Frog movie was more than just "Tiana is a business owner!"
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
For as much as I can't stand Louis, your design for this scene is really endearing and a vast improvement.
And all I did was throw in some more animals in Photoshop. Imagine if I'd really sat down and staged something!

One of the biggest sins here is having unpopulated environments in spaces that were once populated. There are obviously other issues - some genuinely puzzling - but I really think more AA's would have spared them a significant portion of the blowback.

That even my terrible photoshop feels more satisfying seems telling.
 

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
I say the "feel" of the lift seems the same. I mean you know it's coming regardless of the trappings of the area. In fact it's probably visual better now because it has an animatronic.


The lift hill of Splash Mountain had an animatronic too - Brer Rabbit tied up in Brer Fox's lair. It didn't move much, but it qualified as an animatronic.

Also, the tweet didn't even have photos of the same lift hill - the one on the right, from Splash Mountain, is the lift hill from the beginning of the ride before you go around Chickapin Hill and enter the mill, not the lift hill to the top of the mountain.
The more I think about it, the more the food co-op backstory bothers me. I mean, it's clear they came up with it as an explanation for the outdoor portions and for why a Tiana ride would involve barns and a big mountain/salt dome.
It was probably just so they could show how "inclusive" they were and flaunt Tiana as a "woke girlboss" or whatever.
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Not sure if this was posted in the thread or elsewhere, but WDWMagic's articlec was mentioned on Forbes and it's a good read:

 

Kirby86

Well-Known Member
I think Park operations were getting impatient since they didn't want to miss another summer without the water ride. Also isn't there the rumor Big Thunder is going down for much needed retracking? Haunted Mansion would be swamped if the other two major rides were closed.
 

IanDLBZF

Well-Known Member
Not sure if this was posted in the thread or elsewhere, but WDWMagic's articlec was mentioned on Forbes and it's a good read:

I mentioned it already.
 

chadwpalm

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I think Park operations were getting impatient since they didn't want to miss another summer without the water ride. Also isn't there the rumor Big Thunder is going down for much needed retracking? Haunted Mansion would be swamped if the other two major rides were closed.
So summer opening and taking down another big attraction will be Disney's way of saying, "See!!! Long lines at Tiana's. People love it!"
 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member
Not sure if this was posted in the thread or elsewhere, but WDWMagic's articlec was mentioned on Forbes and it's a good read:

Forbes noting the negative reaction the ride is getting is fairly noteworthy. It felt like a balanced article that talked about the legitimate criticisms of the ride that had nothing to due with politics.
 

JD80

Well-Known Member
Showed my 6 and 11 yo girls the POV today and they seemed very excited. They also both vaguely remembered the plot to Splash and understood just a little better the plot of TBA. The last time they were on Splash was in Dec '22.

My oldest daughter's biggest disappointment was the removal of the birdhouse from the tree at the start of the attraction. She seemed to love everything else.

The biggest OOH and AAH moment from both of them was the lighting effects going when going down and up from shrinking. They kept talking about that. They can't wait to be shrunk.

I think we often need the perspective of children with these things.
 

erasure fan1

Well-Known Member
It’s another that gets downplayed. Kids love people transforming into animals or just transforming into things in general. It’s a big part of what they like about PatF. The execution in the scenes where they shrunk is down is pretty meh and does not compensate.
Yea it is a rock and a hard place with this one for sure. The "she spent 75% of the film as a frog" criticism, guaranteed they wouldn't do that again. It's a shame too, because the princess and the frog, the film, would make a fantastic ride. And if they stuck to the movie, it would have had a chance to be a worthy replacement for splash. It would still be tough to fill splashes shoes, but I think it would have gone over better.
 

brb1006

Well-Known Member
Forbes also writes poor articles about video games too. I wouldn't hold their online publication to any high standard.
Not all of Forbes articles are poorly written. There was a decent write up posted last Fall that announced Scholastic's publication of Unico: Awakening (a reboot of Osamu Tezuka's Unico manga series).
 

JD80

Well-Known Member
Not all of Forbes articles are poorly written. There was a decent write up posted last Fall that announced Scholastic's publication of Unico: Awakening (a reboot of Osamu Tezuka's Unico manga series).

I'm just saying take everything with a grain of salt.
 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member
Yea it is a rock and a hard place with this one for sure. The "she spent 75% of the film as a frog" criticism, guaranteed they wouldn't do that again. It's a shame too, because the princess and the frog, the film, would make a fantastic ride. And if they stuck to the movie, it would have had a chance to be a worthy replacement for splash. It would still be tough to fill splashes shoes, but I think it would have gone over better.
They could have had Tiana in human form for most of the ride while still keeping true to the general conflict of the movie.

Splash Mountain mixed and mashed and altered elements from the three animated segments of Song of the South in a way that evoked the general spirit of those stories while still being its own thing.
 

SilentWindODoom

Well-Known Member
Wow... Okay... I stopped catching up for a second because I got busy and I lost track of whether I was quoting messages in the spoiler thread or the regular thread. And now rather than 10 added pages... there are a total across the threads of 70. So... I'm not gonna get there. Screw it. I'm just going to give my impressions now and catch up later...

The Disney ride-through was absolute garbage. The cuts and neckbrace view for a non-omnimover dark ride were brutal. Today I got to see a 360 of an early access YouTuber going through the queue, ride, and exit to get an actual experience.

What that included was some audio entering the barn of Tiana setting up the story and suggesting that all who wish to join the search meet up with her. At least there is some explanation for what is going on, since as we saw in the ride-through within the mountain it just starts with "Let's get a-lookin'!"

It seems that now they've pared back the lyrical version of "Down in New Orleans" to the edge of the infamous gumbo wall. That's where the change from instrumental to lyrical happened in the 360, while it happens at the top of the first lift in others that are suggested at taking place earlier. I hope that this is an adjustment they've made. I can't ask Drew (at least not until tomorrow), but I wonder if this means it can no longer be heard from the pathway. That would be great.

The lily pads are free-floating like I expected. Probably why they took so long to be added.

I've only seen one version where logs got jammed at the mill. But it looks like Tiana has at least three different options for things to say, which is always a positive. As everyone's said, this is an improvement over the old mill.

The gardens are cute. Same with the gourd gator. It's disappointing to not see the bridge survive or any signage. The look-through between logs is a cool feature. I'm glad someone's still inhabiting the old cave, and the little line is fun. Louis also has multiple lines. I wonder how many everyone has. The crop movement is... really stupid-looking, tho. The traffic up here is also less fun and I really don't think it's a good idea to hear Mama Odie more than once, which seems impossible to avoid with how many are here... but I'm shocked given how much sound is blasting that there appears to be no sound bleeding from one place to the next. They could have included more critter touches up here to replace what was lost. Shoulda included the sounds of birds in the soundtrack that they did after the drop. It's definitely a downgrade, although not hugely.

One of the cringiest things about the ride preview, playing into the predictions of Dora-level dialogue was Louis saying that the Zydeco band "can play" followed by Tiana saying "They can play, no doubt!" To my great relief, both have multiple lines and it seems they're not programmed to just repeat each other like that.

I'm gonna get killed for this. I know it. But here's the deal... I'm a Mansion fan. I love Claude-Coates-style atmospheric storytelling and place-setting. I love the caverns of Pirates. I love the rainforests of Living with the Land. I love the waters off of San Angel Inn. I do think that the bayou is an improvement above the Pooh-like colorful forests of Splash. The old sets were a strange juxtaposition of bright blue skies and dark shadow that never achieved for me the charm they were meant to. The night setting works much better. But the thing I know is gonna do it is the fact that I'm not futzed about the loss of a bunch of singing critters everywhere. But the real thing that's going to get me crucified is the fact that with the screens and lighting effects, the "dead" parts of this area don't feel dead to me.

I know, I've heard a lot of Splash fans who found the sheer number of critters all around to be their favorite part. And that's gone. So I understand their complaints and know how ultimate a betrayal that is to many. I'm sure many are going to make comparison to attractions I love like the Mansion or Carousel of Progress or Jungle Cruise. But... to me personally it's not as big a deal.

But back to the experience... The deadest portion is the leadup to the last Tiana of this area, but the music changes are interesting here. I notice the frogs coming front and center in it, originally thinking the sonal experience making up some for it. But I realize now I don't think I've seen those frogs on logs we saw previewed. Are they supposed to be here and for some reason not lit up? That would be an interesting tease to them being musicians in a sec.
Tiana does not just sit there and stare off into the distance during this long straightaway as suggested by the official ride-through. She is still speaking to the last log. Fortunately, since she and Louis both have multiple lines it's not as weird as it could be. Mama Odie up in Br'er Rabbit's spot is fun. I was right! She is totally just screwing with you the whole time.

I was so focused on other things that I somehow completely missed Tiana's panicked cry as we disappear. It's quickly broken by everybody's favorite drumming frog, but it's a welcome moment of tension. I would prefer to put the big guy down below to let that linger a little longer and use this middle floor to create a threatening atmosphere.

I think the Laughing Place is a huge improvement. We had static turtles on sticks, frogs with less movement than the new ones, and the only thing that seemed to work with any level of regularity were the whack-a-gophers, and that includes the lighting. The jumping fountains are back. The surroundings are colorful and interesting. Tiana and Louis don't look nearly as terrible as they did in the initial sneak peek. This rendition of "Dig a Little Deeper" absolutely slaps. I suppose we are supposed to be able to hear them while shrunk? But we do hear Louis talk too. Strange. But Mama Odie is hanging out and screwing with us the whole time. I'm fine with it as long as the people who said Facilier could totally come back don't complain this is a plot hole. Nevertheless, while the critters have been compared to the fish in Little Mermaid, I don't think that's a good comp. They aren't held up by sticks. They don't look plastic. But the actual comparison being made is in the effect. There are a number of drummers, but except for perhaps one, they all look way more convincing than the drumming lobster.

The effect over the entrance to the lift... It works. The problem is the timing. Given the transition at the start and end of it, it NEEDS to be timed correctly. Every log should come in on the leaves and watch them open as they travel beneath. It seems like a simple thing, but I saw a number of videos where this timing is totally off. Either walking in on the tail end of her talking and watching the leaves close and then immediately open, getting stuck in a logjam at the bottom of the hill for multiple cycles, or even watching as the leaves close and then them not opening until out of view. The closest thing to getting this to work right I've seen is the official video with cuts before the start and after the end. It's terrible. There's gotta be some way to get this to work right. Given the way the leaves seem to reopen in different intervals, I'd have to imagine there's a sensor controlling it, right?

The lift hill effect doesn't seem to work well during the day as the sunlight breaks through the mist. But perhaps this is an effect that looks differently in person. I wish they'd included some bottles all the way down with varying sizes to sell the effect. Mama Odie looks good, though. And the drop is the drop. There appears to be so little mist in portions that it's almost like there isn't much point to the sprayers existing at all.

It's at this point in every ride-through that I realize that our new critter friend doesn't seem to show up nearly as much as I expected. Or does she? Is she disappearing into the darkness, hard to find on video? Is it her eyes in the stump beside Tiana before miniaturization? Or are there really only three of her? That seems very odd. Well, at least it looks like they toned down the waterfall. The animal singing effects are also really a good addition.

The finale is really hard to judge on video. I'm already on record as saying the song's lyrics are rough but the melody is catchy enough to cover over it. The set is nice and detailed. The dress complaints are a nothingburger. I was shocked when watching a clip back today that I was wrong. The princess ballgown wasn't a choice because of the costume party and her working behind a stand where practicality isn't an issue. I'd forgotten that her original, more sensible costume was ruined and she changed into something of Lottie's. As evidenced by her second wedding dress, even in the most formal of settings Tiana would never willingly dress like that. But... they found a way to put her in it for the merchandising. 🤷‍♂️

The frogs from the outside being at the end makes me think they're also an Easter Egg hidden through the ride. Are they elsewhere? Are those THEIR eyes in that log? No friggin' clue.

I like the look at the restaurant. It seems almost to be a response to all the confusion of the building in the finale or how people claimed Tiana's Foods meant she was ditching her original dream or the restaurant. But it's still there. Mama Odie is at the end as I expected when people thought her talking about the party was earlier and Juju with the beignets was a harbinger of them being the centerpiece of the attraction.

In the end... I like it. It's a big step down from the animatronic count of Splash. My hope is that they've centered these in more accessible locations so that they're easier to keep on the maintenance of. This is not the same as what happened to Imagination. The replacement there was slapdash and mostly empty black space. Tiana's Bayou Adventure on its own is not an abomination or a failure. I'd compare it to if the Haunted Mansion was replaced with Mystic Manor. Mystic Manor is not a bad ride, but for those who adore the original, it could never compare. I'm sorry for those who lost their favorite ride. I don't think it should have happened.

But judging the new experience on its own... I think it's a B+/A-
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Conspiracy Theory: They left Dr. Facilier off the ride knowing the majority of negative reviews would complain about the lack of his presence thereby allowing them to add him in the 11th hour with no fear of twitter mob coming for them as they can point to all the YouTube comments. The people have spoken and Dr. Facilier is really not all that problematic. This theory would also explain why the final lift hill is so lackluster.
 
Last edited:

FigmentForever96

Well-Known Member
Wow... Okay... I stopped catching up for a second because I got busy and I lost track of whether I was quoting messages in the spoiler thread or the regular thread. And now rather than 10 added pages... there are a total across the threads of 70. So... I'm not gonna get there. Screw it. I'm just going to give my impressions now and catch up later...

The Disney ride-through was absolute garbage. The cuts and neckbrace view for a non-omnimover dark ride were brutal. Today I got to see a 360 of an early access YouTuber going through the queue, ride, and exit to get an actual experience.

What that included was some audio entering the barn of Tiana setting up the story and suggesting that all who wish to join the search meet up with her. At least there is some explanation for what is going on, since as we saw in the ride-through within the mountain it just starts with "Let's get a-lookin'!"

It seems that now they've pared back the lyrical version of "Down in New Orleans" to the edge of the infamous gumbo wall. That's where the change from instrumental to lyrical happened in the 360, while it happens at the top of the first lift in others that are suggested at taking place earlier. I hope that this is an adjustment they've made. I can't ask Drew (at least not until tomorrow), but I wonder if this means it can no longer be heard from the pathway. That would be great.

The lily pads are free-floating like I expected. Probably why they took so long to be added.

I've only seen one version where logs got jammed at the mill. But it looks like Tiana has at least three different options for things to say, which is always a positive. As everyone's said, this is an improvement over the old mill.

The gardens are cute. Same with the gourd gator. It's disappointing to not see the bridge survive or any signage. The look-through between logs is a cool feature. I'm glad someone's still inhabiting the old cave, and the little line is fun. Louis also has multiple lines. I wonder how many everyone has. The crop movement is... really stupid-looking, tho. The traffic up here is also less fun and I really don't think it's a good idea to hear Mama Odie more than once, which seems impossible to avoid with how many are here... but I'm shocked given how much sound is blasting that there appears to be no sound bleeding from one place to the next. They could have included more critter touches up here to replace what was lost. Shoulda included the sounds of birds in the soundtrack that they did after the drop. It's definitely a downgrade, although not hugely.

One of the cringiest things about the ride preview, playing into the predictions of Dora-level dialogue was Louis saying that the Zydeco band "can play" followed by Tiana saying "They can play, no doubt!" To my great relief, both have multiple lines and it seems they're not programmed to just repeat each other like that.

I'm gonna get killed for this. I know it. But here's the deal... I'm a Mansion fan. I love Claude-Coates-style atmospheric storytelling and place-setting. I love the caverns of Pirates. I love the rainforests of Living with the Land. I love the waters off of San Angel Inn. I do think that the bayou is an improvement above the Pooh-like colorful forests of Splash. The old sets were a strange juxtaposition of bright blue skies and dark shadow that never achieved for me the charm they were meant to. The night setting works much better. But the thing I know is gonna do it is the fact that I'm not futzed about the loss of a bunch of singing critters everywhere. But the real thing that's going to get me crucified is the fact that with the screens and lighting effects, the "dead" parts of this area don't feel dead to me.

I know, I've heard a lot of Splash fans who found the sheer number of critters all around to be their favorite part. And that's gone. So I understand their complaints and know how ultimate a betrayal that is to many. I'm sure many are going to make comparison to attractions I love like the Mansion or Carousel of Progress or Jungle Cruise. But... to me personally it's not as big a deal.

But back to the experience... The deadest portion is the leadup to the last Tiana of this area, but the music changes are interesting here. I notice the frogs coming front and center in it, originally thinking the sonal experience making up some for it. But I realize now I don't think I've seen those frogs on logs we saw previewed. Are they supposed to be here and for some reason not lit up? That would be an interesting tease to them being musicians in a sec.
Tiana does not just sit there and stare off into the distance during this long straightaway as suggested by the official ride-through. She is still speaking to the last log. Fortunately, since she and Louis both have multiple lines it's not as weird as it could be. Mama Odie up in Br'er Rabbit's spot is fun. I was right! She is totally just screwing with you the whole time.

I was so focused on other things that I somehow completely missed Tiana's panicked cry as we disappear. It's quickly broken by everybody's favorite drumming frog, but it's a welcome moment of tension. I would prefer to put the big guy down below to let that linger a little longer and use this middle floor to create a threatening atmosphere.

I think the Laughing Place is a huge improvement. We had static turtles on sticks, frogs with less movement than the new ones, and the only thing that seemed to work with any level of regularity were the whack-a-gophers, and that includes the lighting. The jumping fountains are back. The surroundings are colorful and interesting. Tiana and Louis don't look nearly as terrible as they did in the initial sneak peek. This rendition of "Dig a Little Deeper" absolutely slaps. I suppose we are supposed to be able to hear them while shrunk? But we do hear Louis talk too. Strange. But Mama Odie is hanging out and screwing with us the whole time. I'm fine with it as long as the people who said Facilier could totally come back don't complain this is a plot hole. Nevertheless, while the critters have been compared to the fish in Little Mermaid, I don't think that's a good comp. They aren't held up by sticks. They don't look plastic. But the actual comparison being made is in the effect. There are a number of drummers, but except for perhaps one, they all look way more convincing than the drumming lobster.

The effect over the entrance to the lift... It works. The problem is the timing. Given the transition at the start and end of it, it NEEDS to be timed correctly. Every log should come in on the leaves and watch them open as they travel beneath. It seems like a simple thing, but I saw a number of videos where this timing is totally off. Either walking in on the tail end of her talking and watching the leaves close and then immediately open, getting stuck in a logjam at the bottom of the hill for multiple cycles, or even watching as the leaves close and then them not opening until out of view. The closest thing to getting this to work right I've seen is the official video with cuts before the start and after the end. It's terrible. There's gotta be some way to get this to work right. Given the way the leaves seem to reopen in different intervals, I'd have to imagine there's a sensor controlling it, right?

The lift hill effect doesn't seem to work well during the day as the sunlight breaks through the mist. But perhaps this is an effect that looks differently in person. I wish they'd included some bottles all the way down with varying sizes to sell the effect. Mama Odie looks good, though. And the drop is the drop. There appears to be so little mist in portions that it's almost like there isn't much point to the sprayers existing at all.

It's at this point in every ride-through that I realize that our new critter friend doesn't seem to show up nearly as much as I expected. Or does she? Is she disappearing into the darkness, hard to find on video? Is it her eyes in the stump beside Tiana before miniaturization? Or are there really only three of her? That seems very odd. Well, at least it looks like they toned down the waterfall. The animal singing effects are also really a good addition.

The finale is really hard to judge on video. I'm already on record as saying the song's lyrics are rough but the melody is catchy enough to cover over it. The set is nice and detailed. The dress complaints are a nothingburger. I was shocked when watching a clip back today that I was wrong. The princess ballgown wasn't a choice because of the costume party and her working behind a stand where practicality isn't an issue. I'd forgotten that her original, more sensible costume was ruined and she changed into something of Lottie's. As evidenced by her second wedding dress, even in the most formal of settings Tiana would never willingly dress like that. But... they found a way to put her in it for the merchandising. 🤷‍♂️

The frogs from the outside being at the end makes me think they're also an Easter Egg hidden through the ride. Are they elsewhere? Are those THEIR eyes in that log? No friggin' clue.

I like the look at the restaurant. It seems almost to be a response to all the confusion of the building in the finale or how people claimed Tiana's Foods meant she was ditching her original dream or the restaurant. But it's still there. Mama Odie is at the end as I expected when people thought her talking about the party was earlier and Juju with the beignets was a harbinger of them being the centerpiece of the attraction.

In the end... I like it. It's a big step down from the animatronic count of Splash. My hope is that they've centered these in more accessible locations so that they're easier to keep on the maintenance of. This is not the same as what happened to Imagination. The replacement there was slapdash and mostly empty black space. Tiana's Bayou Adventure on its own is not an abomination or a failure. I'd compare it to if the Haunted Mansion was replaced with Mystic Manor. Mystic Manor is not a bad ride, but for those who adore the original, it could never compare. I'm sorry for those who lost their favorite ride. I don't think it should have happened.

But judging the new experience on its own... I think it's a B+/A-
Pretty much agree with all of this. It’s not Splash Mountain and it has some very apparent flaws but it’s not a bad attraction by no means. Some weird design and pacing choices were made but I’d have to assume it will look and feel different once one is actually riding the attraction.
 

Sectorkeeper71

Well-Known Member
Wow... Okay... I stopped catching up for a second because I got busy and I lost track of whether I was quoting messages in the spoiler thread or the regular thread. And now rather than 10 added pages... there are a total across the threads of 70. So... I'm not gonna get there. Screw it. I'm just going to give my impressions now and catch up later...

The Disney ride-through was absolute garbage. The cuts and neckbrace view for a non-omnimover dark ride were brutal. Today I got to see a 360 of an early access YouTuber going through the queue, ride, and exit to get an actual experience.

What that included was some audio entering the barn of Tiana setting up the story and suggesting that all who wish to join the search meet up with her. At least there is some explanation for what is going on, since as we saw in the ride-through within the mountain it just starts with "Let's get a-lookin'!"

It seems that now they've pared back the lyrical version of "Down in New Orleans" to the edge of the infamous gumbo wall. That's where the change from instrumental to lyrical happened in the 360, while it happens at the top of the first lift in others that are suggested at taking place earlier. I hope that this is an adjustment they've made. I can't ask Drew (at least not until tomorrow), but I wonder if this means it can no longer be heard from the pathway. That would be great.

The lily pads are free-floating like I expected. Probably why they took so long to be added.

I've only seen one version where logs got jammed at the mill. But it looks like Tiana has at least three different options for things to say, which is always a positive. As everyone's said, this is an improvement over the old mill.

The gardens are cute. Same with the gourd gator. It's disappointing to not see the bridge survive or any signage. The look-through between logs is a cool feature. I'm glad someone's still inhabiting the old cave, and the little line is fun. Louis also has multiple lines. I wonder how many everyone has. The crop movement is... really stupid-looking, tho. The traffic up here is also less fun and I really don't think it's a good idea to hear Mama Odie more than once, which seems impossible to avoid with how many are here... but I'm shocked given how much sound is blasting that there appears to be no sound bleeding from one place to the next. They could have included more critter touches up here to replace what was lost. Shoulda included the sounds of birds in the soundtrack that they did after the drop. It's definitely a downgrade, although not hugely.

One of the cringiest things about the ride preview, playing into the predictions of Dora-level dialogue was Louis saying that the Zydeco band "can play" followed by Tiana saying "They can play, no doubt!" To my great relief, both have multiple lines and it seems they're not programmed to just repeat each other like that.

I'm gonna get killed for this. I know it. But here's the deal... I'm a Mansion fan. I love Claude-Coates-style atmospheric storytelling and place-setting. I love the caverns of Pirates. I love the rainforests of Living with the Land. I love the waters off of San Angel Inn. I do think that the bayou is an improvement above the Pooh-like colorful forests of Splash. The old sets were a strange juxtaposition of bright blue skies and dark shadow that never achieved for me the charm they were meant to. The night setting works much better. But the thing I know is gonna do it is the fact that I'm not futzed about the loss of a bunch of singing critters everywhere. But the real thing that's going to get me crucified is the fact that with the screens and lighting effects, the "dead" parts of this area don't feel dead to me.

I know, I've heard a lot of Splash fans who found the sheer number of critters all around to be their favorite part. And that's gone. So I understand their complaints and know how ultimate a betrayal that is to many. I'm sure many are going to make comparison to attractions I love like the Mansion or Carousel of Progress or Jungle Cruise. But... to me personally it's not as big a deal.

But back to the experience... The deadest portion is the leadup to the last Tiana of this area, but the music changes are interesting here. I notice the frogs coming front and center in it, originally thinking the sonal experience making up some for it. But I realize now I don't think I've seen those frogs on logs we saw previewed. Are they supposed to be here and for some reason not lit up? That would be an interesting tease to them being musicians in a sec.
Tiana does not just sit there and stare off into the distance during this long straightaway as suggested by the official ride-through. She is still speaking to the last log. Fortunately, since she and Louis both have multiple lines it's not as weird as it could be. Mama Odie up in Br'er Rabbit's spot is fun. I was right! She is totally just screwing with you the whole time.

I was so focused on other things that I somehow completely missed Tiana's panicked cry as we disappear. It's quickly broken by everybody's favorite drumming frog, but it's a welcome moment of tension. I would prefer to put the big guy down below to let that linger a little longer and use this middle floor to create a threatening atmosphere.

I think the Laughing Place is a huge improvement. We had static turtles on sticks, frogs with less movement than the new ones, and the only thing that seemed to work with any level of regularity were the whack-a-gophers, and that includes the lighting. The jumping fountains are back. The surroundings are colorful and interesting. Tiana and Louis don't look nearly as terrible as they did in the initial sneak peek. This rendition of "Dig a Little Deeper" absolutely slaps. I suppose we are supposed to be able to hear them while shrunk? But we do hear Louis talk too. Strange. But Mama Odie is hanging out and screwing with us the whole time. I'm fine with it as long as the people who said Facilier could totally come back don't complain this is a plot hole. Nevertheless, while the critters have been compared to the fish in Little Mermaid, I don't think that's a good comp. They aren't held up by sticks. They don't look plastic. But the actual comparison being made is in the effect. There are a number of drummers, but except for perhaps one, they all look way more convincing than the drumming lobster.

The effect over the entrance to the lift... It works. The problem is the timing. Given the transition at the start and end of it, it NEEDS to be timed correctly. Every log should come in on the leaves and watch them open as they travel beneath. It seems like a simple thing, but I saw a number of videos where this timing is totally off. Either walking in on the tail end of her talking and watching the leaves close and then immediately open, getting stuck in a logjam at the bottom of the hill for multiple cycles, or even watching as the leaves close and then them not opening until out of view. The closest thing to getting this to work right I've seen is the official video with cuts before the start and after the end. It's terrible. There's gotta be some way to get this to work right. Given the way the leaves seem to reopen in different intervals, I'd have to imagine there's a sensor controlling it, right?

The lift hill effect doesn't seem to work well during the day as the sunlight breaks through the mist. But perhaps this is an effect that looks differently in person. I wish they'd included some bottles all the way down with varying sizes to sell the effect. Mama Odie looks good, though. And the drop is the drop. There appears to be so little mist in portions that it's almost like there isn't much point to the sprayers existing at all.

It's at this point in every ride-through that I realize that our new critter friend doesn't seem to show up nearly as much as I expected. Or does she? Is she disappearing into the darkness, hard to find on video? Is it her eyes in the stump beside Tiana before miniaturization? Or are there really only three of her? That seems very odd. Well, at least it looks like they toned down the waterfall. The animal singing effects are also really a good addition.

The finale is really hard to judge on video. I'm already on record as saying the song's lyrics are rough but the melody is catchy enough to cover over it. The set is nice and detailed. The dress complaints are a nothingburger. I was shocked when watching a clip back today that I was wrong. The princess ballgown wasn't a choice because of the costume party and her working behind a stand where practicality isn't an issue. I'd forgotten that her original, more sensible costume was ruined and she changed into something of Lottie's. As evidenced by her second wedding dress, even in the most formal of settings Tiana would never willingly dress like that. But... they found a way to put her in it for the merchandising. 🤷‍♂️

The frogs from the outside being at the end makes me think they're also an Easter Egg hidden through the ride. Are they elsewhere? Are those THEIR eyes in that log? No friggin' clue.

I like the look at the restaurant. It seems almost to be a response to all the confusion of the building in the finale or how people claimed Tiana's Foods meant she was ditching her original dream or the restaurant. But it's still there. Mama Odie is at the end as I expected when people thought her talking about the party was earlier and Juju with the beignets was a harbinger of them being the centerpiece of the attraction.

In the end... I like it. It's a big step down from the animatronic count of Splash. My hope is that they've centered these in more accessible locations so that they're easier to keep on the maintenance of. This is not the same as what happened to Imagination. The replacement there was slapdash and mostly empty black space. Tiana's Bayou Adventure on its own is not an abomination or a failure. I'd compare it to if the Haunted Mansion was replaced with Mystic Manor. Mystic Manor is not a bad ride, but for those who adore the original, it could never compare. I'm sorry for those who lost their favorite ride. I don't think it should have happened.

But judging the new experience on its own... I think it's a B+/A-
I really appreciated this breakdown and I’m looking forward to watching a better ride through in the next couple days to hopefully ease my disappointment a bit thus far.

It’s crazy to me how *bad* disneys ride through was, especially since I’ve heard from folks on both sides of the love/hate opinion how much better outside recordings are than the official one. I understand Disney wanting to put one out since they know YouTube is gonna be swamped (pun intended) with them as previews roll out, but how could they have not put more effort into making it good?
 

chadwpalm

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
It’s crazy to me how *bad* disneys ride through was, especially since I’ve heard from folks on both sides of the love/hate opinion how much better outside recordings are than the official one. I understand Disney wanting to put one out since they know YouTube is gonna be swamped (pun intended) with them as previews roll out, but how could they have not put more effort into making it good?
So I've read from someone who was there the night they filmed it that they set up cameras in three different logs. I've also been reading that the ride has been shutting down frequently and there is already a YouTube video out there of an evac.

Pair these together and I'm thinking most of the jump cuts were due to either log backups or breakdowns. You'll notice the video starts at dusk but is completely dark at the end. The footage is probably multiple ride-throughs from multiple cameras trying to get the best full ride-through they could. However, there is footage from other YouTubers who made it through the ride in one take, so tough to say for sure.

Disney clearly didn't want to spend money obtaining cameras like the ones you see from YouTubers that can capture really good low light. Those are the ones I look forward to.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom