Tiana’s Bayou Adventure SPOILER Thread

britain

Well-Known Member
OK… So I decided to show the video to my kids, age ranging from 6 to 16. I promise I gave no endorsement nor criticism. All they knew was that Splash Mountain was being replaced with a Princess and the Frog theme. Here are some of their comments, totally unprompted by me:

“Why is Tiana dressed like that?”
“It looks pretty, I like the fireflies.”
“What’s with the bears and raccoons?”
“Why is Tiana dressed like that?”
“Are we being turned into frogs?”
“Why are they using CG?”
“why isn’t mama Odie singing?”
“This part used to be scary because the rabbit was going to be eaten.”
“There’s Lottie!” “Where?” “She’s gone now.”
“This song isn’t in the movie.”
“That’s it? Where’s Friends on the Other Side?”
“Oh, was this based on a sequel or something?”

They acknowledged that it would probably be a lot of fun to actually be riding the log in the water, but my 8 year old girl was pretty upset to know that splash mountain is gone now.
 

Chi84

Premium Member
OK… So I decided to show the video to my kids, age ranging from 6 to 16. I promise I gave no endorsement nor criticism. All they knew was that Splash Mountain was being replaced with a Princess and the Frog theme. Here are some of their comments, totally unprompted by me:

“Why is Tiana dressed like that?”
“It looks pretty, I like the fireflies.”
“What’s with the bears and raccoons?”
“Why is Tiana dressed like that?”
“Are we being turned into frogs?”
“Why are they using CG?”
“why isn’t mama Odie singing?”
“This part used to be scary because the rabbit was going to be eaten.”
“There’s Lottie!” “Where?” “She’s gone now.”
“This song isn’t in the movie.”
“That’s it? Where’s Friends on the Other Side?”
“Oh, was this based on a sequel or something?”

They acknowledged that it would probably be a lot of fun to actually be riding the log in the water, but my 8 year old girl was pretty upset to know that splash mountain is gone now.
Your kids sound just like all the adults in this thread. All the same observations. I guess that proves no one likes this attraction.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Your kids sound just like all the adults in this thread. All the same observations. I guess that proves no one likes this attraction.

I'm still dumbstruck by the insistence by some that the "general public will like this" or "it's for kids" or whatever so we shouldn't take the strong online reaction seriously.

People spend a lot of money to go to Disney world, and even if they can't say why a ride is good or bad, if something's boring something's boring. And most kids are able to tell the difference between what's good and what isn't.
 

Vegas Disney Fan

Well-Known Member
I’ve been watching different POV videos and think I have an easy fix for Tiana (awkwardly) not moving between logs, just have her clap along with the music and bob her head to the beat, then when the log gets there she can look at us and say something like “sounding better, just a couple more parts and it’ll be perfect”. In addition to this I’d also have the ride music start with just Louis and his trumpet, then after the first scene we’d hear Louis plus the 5, then later add the bears, etc… the song would build as the ride progresses.

Easy things I’d do…

Step 1, remove most of the banners, they don’t really add anything and they feel out of place.

Step 2, remove the fence with the food on it, I know it’s hiding a path but it looks absolutely horrible, you can see the walkway in the barn anyway, just continue the path and make it look like it’s how Tiana gets into the barn.

Step 3, add critters to the grass and make the grass rustle where there’s no critters, it’s a cheap way to add little details and movement.

Step 4, have Tiana clap/dance/sing while between logs so she’s moving.

Step 5, clarify the reason we’re shrinking, it makes no sense.

The more videos I watch the more it’s growing on me, but it’s also making the flaws stand out more.
 

SilentWindODoom

Well-Known Member
Now that the site's low-light ride-through has revealed the frogs that seemed missing on all the others (I don't know if that's a matter of people not noticing them or being focused on Mama Odie), I really think it's a fun moment of foreshadowing for the future. It makes me wish there as more of them.

If indeed the clustering of animatronics is to focus them in easy-to-access-and-maintain areas, additional figured needn't even be moving. Just a little bit of an eye glow if not just some luminescent paint. But imagine seeing the animals watching us from the plants in the bayou prior to seeing them play? It would give them more exposure and, while I find the atmospheric setting to be plenty engaging, add more for those who want more.
 

FettFan

Well-Known Member
I hate how in modern Disney rides the characters stop, wait for your ride vehicle to come up and then start talking directly to the guests. It was better when the guests were passive observers in the universe we don’t need to be “part of the adventure” especially when the writing of the dialogue is so bad it’s super childish even compared to how the characters talk in the movies

5 Times The Animatronic Tiana On Splash Mountain Addressed Me By Name And Told Me She Was Going To Marry My Dad​

 

davis_unoxx

Well-Known Member
IMG_5254.jpeg
We just hit 75% thumbs down on the POV, the ratio of negative ratings keeps rising….

People on this board a few days ago said as the days go on the positive rating ratio will go higher, that was when the ratio was in equilibrium…
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
OK… So I decided to show the video to my kids, age ranging from 6 to 16. I promise I gave no endorsement nor criticism. All they knew was that Splash Mountain was being replaced with a Princess and the Frog theme. Here are some of their comments, totally unprompted by me:

“Why is Tiana dressed like that?”
“It looks pretty, I like the fireflies.”
“What’s with the bears and raccoons?”
“Why is Tiana dressed like that?”
“Are we being turned into frogs?”
“Why are they using CG?”
“why isn’t mama Odie singing?”
“This part used to be scary because the rabbit was going to be eaten.”
“There’s Lottie!” “Where?” “She’s gone now.”
“This song isn’t in the movie.”
“That’s it? Where’s Friends on the Other Side?”
“Oh, was this based on a sequel or something?”

They acknowledged that it would probably be a lot of fun to actually be riding the log in the water, but my 8 year old girl was pretty upset to know that splash mountain is gone now.

My 8 year old son has said many of the same things. Also unprompted. With my three year old we have a different situation. Last time my wife made the mistake of taking her inside Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique she would not let us leave without buying her the green Tiana dress. I wonder if she’ll feel the same way about Tianas swamp outfit or if she’ll even recognize her.
 

WoundedDreamer

Well-Known Member
I'm going to continue my examination of the story issues (first part linked above). The next issue I'm going to highlight may sound trivial, but is a symptom of a bigger problem. Let's take the premise of the attraction at face value. Bear with me while I do it.

Tiana is throwing a party. She needs a band for the party. So, the night of the event she journeys into the bayou searching for a band of animals. This is the impetus for the attraction. Like a burst of energy propelling an object forward, this is what drives the entire plot forward. Splash Mountain is a long attraction. ~12 minutes for the MK version. That's a lot of time for a pretty weak premise. But that's not the issue I want to highlight.

Who is Tiana? She is what many people would call a Type A personality. She began planning to open her restaurant when she was like 5 years old. She worked multiple jobs trying to earn enough money for the downpayment on her restaurant. She turned down invitations to events and parties because she was singularly focused on her dream. She is a planner. She doesn't leave things up to chance.

By the end of the film she's learned that some things are more important than her dream. That includes friendship and romance. She's also learned that sometimes things are out of her control and that she needs to accept more spontaneity in her life. But I think it's fair to say she still is good at planning and working hard. The film isn't against hard work and planning. It was a caution against magnifying them at the expense of other important values. Naveen needed more hard work and planning to get him out of the rut he was in. Tiana helped him focus his life.

So, what does all this have to do with Tiana's Bayou Adventure?

Tiana looking for a band the day of a party doesn't make sense with what we know about her. She's a planner. She plans things out years in advance. She is not going to launch an expedition into the dark recesses of the bayou looking for reptiles and small mammals the night of a party. That's out of character. If she was bound and determined to have a critter band, she would have organized it well in advance. I don't know how many of you have journeyed into a bayou before, but I can guarantee that it's not an easy environment to navigate. It's beautiful, but it's also wild and untamed. It's a little like saying, "I'm going to mount an expedition into the Amazon Rainforest so I can find some small creatures to man my cocktail bar later this evening."

It's just not the Tiana we know from the film.

One remedy is to have a crisis. Say Tiana is in the midst of her party planning and finds out that the band she had booked weeks ago has cancelled because they've come down with a cold. She is distraught until Louis suggests they find the animal band he used to play with in the bayou. With no other option, Tiana is forced to journey into the bayou to save her party. And of course, we come along to help.

This would have improved the story in multiple ways. As our protagonist, Tiana would suddenly find herself knocked off her feet. That's important for any good story. We have to see our protagonist struggle for some reason. Our protagonist would also need to exercise humility and put her trust in her friend and the audience. There would also be stakes. She might not find the critter band and then her whole party would be ruined. Her friends who admire her as a hostess might not think of her as a good party planner if the promised music doesn't emerge.

But nothing like the above happens. It's as if the creators of the attraction never stopped to wonder whether Tiana from the film would go galavanting into the bayou night of a big event. It's out of character.

What's the big deal, though? Who cares if the attraction has a different characterization? Isn't it just a ride?

Disney promises us that we will encounter our favorite characters in the park. While I'm dismayed by the IP invasion of the park, I get that this is the business model they've chosen. But if Disney promises Tiana, they should deliver Tiana. Not just something that looks like Tiana and sounds like Tiana. But something that is Tiana. Tiana is not just a voice actor or an image created by artists. She has attributes and characteristics. The fact that attraction that is said to be honoring the Princess and the Frog does not accurately reflect its character is disturbing. What we get is something that looks and sounds like Tiana, but that is hollow and soulless. Again, this is where the "Disney Junior" Tiana comes from.
So, I continue with another story criticism. This is my third post. You can find the 2nd linked above. I'll make a small addition to post 2 here. I see now that Tiana assigned Louis to find the band. So, Louis's incompetence is the impetus of the attraction? Or was Louis's plan to book the band the night of the party? Either way, this is still out of character for Tiana. She keeps track of things and gets business done.

But onto the 3rd post... My third critique of the story has to do with something my brother said when he watched the video. His first question was, "why do they discover the band animals all at once?" And that is a great question. Tiana and Louis walk into the bayou and find a fully formed band already playing. Neither Tiana or Louis really needed to do anything to find the band. By luck and happenstance they find it.

What if, instead of walking into the bayou and instantly finding a fully formed band, Tiana and Louis had to put the band together? They could have gone animal by animal slowly adding new instruments and talents to the band. What started out as maybe one animal playing a harmonica would gradually become a fully-fledged band. It would show Tiana and Louis working to achieve their goal. It would also leave their success in doubt. There could even be a critter that is uncomfortable to share their musical talent, but with the encouragement of Louis and Tiana opens up and completes the band. We could then form an emotional attachment with one of the critters, because we saw them conquer one of their fears. That little bit of character development would also work better with the mediocre "Special Spice" song. The whole point of the song is that by adding different voices it makes things better. The animal that started as afraid would be one of the things that makes the music sound wonderful.

As it is, the ride could basically end once we enter the first dark ride show scene. We were going into the bayou in order to find a band. Mission accomplished. We can go back now. Yeah, we get shrunk to find a handful of frogs and fireflies, but the band is good enough in the first room that the mission of the ride is complete. It's weird. It's as if in A New Hope they blew up the Death Star in the first scene, then they just kill time for the rest of the film.

And again, there could have been stakes in this ride. Tiana panicking that her party is going to be ruined. Her needing to trust her friend and make new ones in order to succeed. But there's none of that. Louis and Tiana seem pretty certain they're going to stumble on the band. They do. Mission accomplished.

It's a weird ride... 🤔
 

britain

Well-Known Member
No, because Tiana isn't charging us $6,000 to help her recruit animal band members.

Even with all these mistakes, the bones of the attraction are still great.

As much as me and my kids (thanks for the kind words) were unimpressed, this is nowhere near the disaster people are making it out to be.

This is NOT Superstar Limo, folks. It’s not Figment 2.0.

It’s simply an example of an excellent attraction having millions poured into it and becoming an “alright” one. I’m fine with a PatF version of Splash Mountain in concept. They just made some really poor decisions in execution.

Will it cause self-examination at the company? It probably already has. Will it ever be improved? Nope. It is what it is now, a pleasant diversion and a warning against corporate idiocy.

And one more reason why I don’t need to take my kids to Disney this year.
 
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Trauma

Well-Known Member
Even with all these mistakes, the bones of the attraction are still great.

As much as me and my kids (thanks for the kind words) were unimpressed, this is nowhere near the disaster people are making it out to be.

This is NOT Superstar Limo, folks. It’s not Figment 2.0.

It’s simply an example of an excellent attraction having millions poured into it and becoming an “alright” one.

Will it cause self examination at the company? It probably already has. Will it ever be improved? Nope. It is what it is now, a pleasant diversion and a warning against corporate idiocy.

And one more reason why I don’t need to take my kids to Disney this year.
You have to remember when Big Thunder closes for refurb Tiana’s is going to have very long lines.

Disney will use that as reasoning to call it a massive success and pat themselves on the back.

They will learn nothing and the mediocrity will continue.
 

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