Tiana’s Bayou Adventure SPOILER Thread

[Jedi14]

So I've seen several videos and am ready to make some commentary about my, admittedly, video only experience. There will be inevitable comparisons to Splash but only insofar as to what it did right, not to why or whether it should have been replaced.

Queue

• Very well done. Intricate detail.
• Two items of interest in the queue, though. A chalkboard shows that Louis was assigned getting the band. Another area shows Louis assuming that Naveen would do it. If only the ride had leaned more into this. It's not just a general round up. It's Tiana freaking out: "OMG! The party is tomorrow and we still don't have a band! Louis, you need to find a band in the bayou NOW! You should have already done this and you dropped the ball! Hurry!"

Crops Area

• Get rid of "Tiana's Foods" banner
• Reminds me too much of Living with the Land with all the signs in front of crops
• Why the barren tree? Do something, anything with it. If the birdhouses must be removed, add an owl or something.
• So one of the signs is a handwritten sign slapped over another sign saying "Shortcut to Bayou". No explanation as to why the handwritten sign is there.

Bayou

• Sadly, this is the worst area of the entire ride. Items below in no particular order, many of which already discussed
• Too much blank space, whether foliage or screens
• Spread out the critters instead of three band ("bland"?) scenes in a row. You're rounding them up, remember?
• In Splash, the first turn had birds. Add critters, like maybe the turtle here.
• Add critters around Louis as another poster already pointed out.
• Between the first and second band is more empty space. Could have had more critters.
• Another poster pointed out the empty band stage in Critter Co-Op. Would have made a great set piece after the third band and before Tiana. Slap a sign on it that says, "Went to a gig", indicating they left for Tiana's party.

Lily Pad area (former Laughin' Place)

• Overall I think they did a good job with the theming in this area
• The shrinking and getting larger aspect is confusing. Some posted that their kids thought you become frogs which is not a bad idea. They should have leaned into that.
• The screen with the bobbing Tiana and Louis is out of place as others have mentioned.
• Others have pointed out that the merchandise shirt phrase, "We know a shortcut" is nowhere in the ride. Audio from the fireflies and comparable movement from them on the screens would have been a good place for this.
• The lift hill is just a means to get larger. It's now basically an afterthought and doesn't count as a "mountain" anymore.

Finale

• Glad the Walt welcome banner was removed. It doesn't belong and glad the banner inside was unlit. Otherwise, you would have overkill of three banners and/or signs with a variation of "Welcome".
• Thought they did a good job with the party with the combination and screens. (The screens work here as they blend in with the AAs.) Catchy new music too.
• The wall on the right beyond the party is another glaring missed opportunity for AAs.

General

• The log activated AAs just don't work. Most are Tiana who looks bored until you approach her. I'm looking at you barn and final bayou Tiana!
• You know it's a bad storyline when every AA has to explain the story to you. By contrast, in Splash, you can tell the storyline even with no audio: Brer Rabbit having fun at home, Brer Rabbit going to his happy place, Brer Fox captures Brer Rabbit (lift hill), Brer Rabbit thrown into the briar batch (final drop), Brer Rabbit celebrates being home (finale). All that can be figured out without any extra plot exposition as opposed to Tiana which explains it from every line Louis, Tiana, and Mama Odie say.
• Depending on your approach to an AA, you may not get anything and not get the aforementioned plot exposition. If you don't here Mama Odie saying to the effect "I am now shrinking you!" then what just really happened?

Such a missed opportunity. Well, I'll probably still enjoy my time riding it because it's a log flume.

The main thing the plot needs is some dialogue changes. If Tiana was more stressed in the queue or in the mill it would give some sense of urgency to find musicians. With Tiana on the stump they could have her say that she likes the two bands but feels like she’s missing something to make it all come together. Louis can then say when he’s stuck in the log that he hears something, but can’t reach or he’s too big. This gives a more clear reason for Mama Odie to shrink us.

 

[JohnD]

The main thing the plot needs is some dialogue changes. If Tiana was more stressed in the queue or in the mill it would give some sense of urgency to find musicians. With Tiana on the stump they could have her say that she likes the two bands but feels like she’s missing something to make it all come together. Louis can then say when he’s stuck in the log that he hears something, but can’t reach or he’s too big. This gives a more clear reason for Mama Odie to shrink us.

I agree about the urgency. It still goes to my point that the ride still needs the log-activated AAs to tell you what in blazes is going on.

 

[gorillaball]

Again, I recommend keeping your powder dry. If the executives see nothing but “TBA is awful!” coming out of the online community, they’ll dismiss it, because it’s probably a decent, not-as-good-as-it-once-was-but-still-fun attraction.

It will seem like there’s no pleasing any of us.

And THEN what will you do when they do something truly awful? They’ll ignore us because we can’t be nuanced.

I have not ridden it yet nor have I seen a POV, but I do take all "online" responses with a huge grain of salt. My memory can't recall a ride that opened up with a lot of positive "online" feedback, that's part of the nature of the online garbage. A week into Cosmic Rewind opening you'd think every other person that came off the ride was barfing their guts up for coaster of screens. Well, I don't view Cosmic Rewind negatively now so maybe I'm in the minority and just have to accept I can ignore online reviews for the most part. I still read them, but I have to wade through some pretty thick biased crap to get to some actual logical thoughts.

 

[SilentWindODoom]

View attachment 789557We 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…

A lot of people who were told to wait and see suggested they were merely predicting the future based on all previous experience. I imagine that prediction was made the same way.

There has to be something wrong. You hear the audio for the previous log loud and clear. Then you just sit there as Tiana stares at you. She then repeats the same audio.

This is something I would expect from a budget ride at an amusement park.

They need to fix this.

We've seen evidence that all voice lines have 2-3 variations. I do not understand why newer videos seem to be repeating lines a lot more. Is it set to be truly random rather than just cycling through them? What is going on here?

I've looked multiple times, including Disney's original POV. I don't see one inside the finale. I think you're remembering the banner inside the finale for Splash and have just convinced yourself there was one inside for Tiana. There isn't. LOL. Maybe you're referring to the sign on the right just as you go in?

The banner is real, but for some reason the only source of media where I can find it actually lit up is the publicity photo of the finale that Disney released. It's unlit in Disney's own POV video and every other POV i've found since then. Not sure if the spotlight broke, or if Disney made the conscious decision to switch off the light so guests can't see it. It IS still there in the videos if you look closely, but it's hard to see since it's unlit.

Here's the photo showing it lit up-

View attachment 789650

Okay. I guess they realized it was overkill
1. Walt "Welcome" quote banner
2. Welcome sign on the right
3. Welcome banner above your head.

So it seems they resolved, or temporarily resolved, two of the banners. Removed the first one which you could obviously see and unlit the finale banner.

That finale banner is the only one that sort of "works". It served the same sort of purpose as the one in Splash, welcoming guests to a big party. It also has some attractive and period appropriate fonts for the era. I didn't mind it to be honest.

It's all of the other ones that need to go. At least one of them has been removed (hopefully not temporarily), but that one on the millhouse and ESPECIALLY the one atop at the garden need to be removed.

I was shocked when I realized the finale banner has always been there, just in complete darkness. One thing of note is that the metal sign says almost (if not) the exact same thing as the finale banner. The metal sign was a last-minute addition. Could they have just turned off the lights on the finale banner now that they have the same thing on a better-looking sign? Strange considering how the banner is a nice nod to Splash.

What is the in-universe explanation for why the sign is handwritten and illegible?

It's plenty legible in non-360 versions of the ride-through, probably more in person.

I am curious as to what was originally below. I assumed originally that it was pointing to the bayou or something within and this was just a less formal way of pointing it out, but the sign below is definitely pointing back the other way.

It's been nice seeing the forum unite in our disdain for this new iteration.

Not exactly united.

Lies! We all know Bob Iger has multiple accounts on this forum and is eagerly awaiting our feedback to help him determine the future of the company!

Sadly, that is just an urban legend.

Bob Chapek is definitely present, tho. But I haven't seen him in a while.

Firmly agree.

I was thinking the Mill House AA should have a clipboard or something, taking notes or counting items hung behind them, or something, and then turns around to greet the riders like “oh hey, we are just finishing up for the party, go meet Louis!”

Give her action before the interaction.

I am glad to see that she does fidget a bit and not just stand completely still as many say. Within the bayou, we come upon her around a corner and we don't see the leadup to the moment where she's in the midst of discovering a band.

But the last bayou Tiana... It makes no sense to find her just sitting there and we see her sitting for a lengthy straightaway. It's an easy fix with animation of her fanning herself or mention of needing a rest, waiting for Louis to get unstuck, or hearing a tune nearby but being unable to find it.

The creative team that made the decision to not show Tiana as a princess... she is now just a lady who runs an employee owned foods factory... that needs a band for a party....they have taken away the sweet dreaming girl we loved and replaced her with someone else... older, different dreams...changed.

I'm reminded of the people who complained about Luke not being their Mary Sue ideal, often while accusing other characters of being one. She still has her restaurant. Her father brought the community together with his food, and the queue shows that she has done the exact same thing. She followed in his footsteps and achieved every ambition she wanted to.

 

[The Mom]

What is the in-universe explanation for why the sign is handwritten and illegible?

Also, I still don't think this is what the T-Shirt/photo is talking about.

I think - but do not know - that it is made to look like a temporary sign that one might put up to direct people to a party. You know, this way to the Smith wedding/birthday/graduation party type signs that people might put up in a rural area. I know I've seen many over the years.

 

[Disney Analyst]

A lot of people who were told to wait and see suggested they were merely predicting the future based on all previous experience. I imagine that prediction was made the same way.



We've seen evidence that all voice lines have 2-3 variations. I do not understand why newer videos seem to be repeating lines a lot more. Is it set to be truly random rather than just cycling through them? What is going on here?









I was shocked when I realized the finale banner has always been there, just in complete darkness. One thing of note is that the metal sign says almost (if not) the exact same thing as the finale banner. The metal sign was a last-minute addition. Could they have just turned off the lights on the finale banner now that they have the same thing on a better-looking sign? Strange considering how the banner is a nice nod to Splash.



View attachment 789881

It's plenty legible in non-360 versions of the ride-through, probably more in person.

I am curious as to what was originally below. I assumed originally that it was pointing to the bayou or something within and this was just a less formal way of pointing it out, but the sign below is definitely pointing back the other way.



Not exactly united.



Sadly, that is just an urban legend.

Bob Chapek is definitely present, tho. But I haven't seen him in a while.



I am glad to see that she does fidget a bit and not just stand completely still as many say. Within the bayou, we come upon her around a corner and we don't see the leadup to the moment where she's in the midst of discovering a band.

But the last bayou Tiana... It makes no sense to find her just sitting there and we see her sitting for a lengthy straightaway. It's an easy fix with animation of her fanning herself or mention of needing a rest, waiting for Louis to get unstuck, or hearing a tune nearby but being unable to find it.



I'm reminded of the people who complained about Luke not being their Mary Sue ideal, often while accusing other characters of being one. She still has her restaurant. Her father brought the community together with his food, and the queue shows that she has done the exact same thing. She followed in his footsteps and achieved every ambition she wanted to.

I mean, she does fidget in that scene, and she can be seen on the lead up to her sitting scene bopping her head to the music, but I do think a bit more action before would help the scenes play better.

So far Mama Odie at the end is the worst of the bunch. She basically freezes between lines, from what I have seen.

 

[SilentWindODoom]

I mean, she does fidget in that scene, and she can be seen on the lead up to her sitting scene bopping her head to the music, but I do think a bit more action before would help the scenes play better.

So far Mama Odie at the end is the worst of the bunch. She basically freezes between lines, from what I have seen.

Exactly. The fidgeting itself is less an issue as the fact that she's sitting and we can clearly see from a distance she's sitting. It doesn't jive with the implied urgency.

I've seen that last Mama Odie in different states. Sometimes her cycle between times speaking seems immediate. Other times she's moving her head back and forth a little, looking as though she clearly sees and is watching the logs in between. But I've also seen her in B-Mode just saying one word instead of her cycle of lines. Dunno if that mode had more freezing.

 

[LittleBuford]

My memory can't recall a ride that opened up with a lot of positive "online" feedback

Rise of the Resistance, as I recall.

 

[gorillaball]

Rise of the Resistance, as I recall.

Really?, I recall interweb saying... ride is broken... evac... Disney delays opening and still can't get it to work... epic fail...

 

[LittleBuford]

Really?, I recall interweb saying... ride is broken... evac... Disney delays opening and still can't get it to work... epic fail...

This forum was buzzing with positivity, which was (and remains) quite unusual. Complaints about broken effects or poor maintenance are different from complaints about the actual ride conception, design, etc. We’ve certainly had the former but very little of the latter when it comes to Rise.

 

[gorillaball]

This forum was buzzing with positivity, which was (and remains) quite unusual. Complaints about broken effects or poor maintenance are different from complaints about the actual ride conception, design, etc. We’ve certainly had the former but very little of the latter when it comes to Rise.

Fair enough... I did just go back to Nov 2019 to refresh my memory and there was a mixture, of course griping about the wrong characters and the blasters/lightsabers not being as realistic as "promised"... but I will agree to your proclamation that Rise is a valid exception overall.

 

[HonorableMention]

It feels like a missed opportunity that in a ride all about musical animals, Louis doesn’t play his trumpet once. He just holds it in the finale

 

[VicariousCorpse]

It feels like a missed opportunity that in a ride all about musical animals, Louis doesn’t play his trumpet once. He just holds it in the finale

Another obvious missed opportunity. He is a wonderful animatronic that has all these bells and whistles like having multiple moving belly plates to bounce around and breathe. Nothing differentiates the finale Louis from the other 2 standing Louis' except for the trumpet that he is not using. I wonder if his arms can't reach all the way in front or looks awkward if he does so.

 

[Brer Panther]

Yeah I'm not sure what that was about. Maybe they were trying to respond to criticism of "book report" rides?

In addition to the "we can't make it a book report because people complained about Tiana being a frog for most of the movie!" thing, I think all the stuff about Tiana running an employee-owned food co-op was just for good publicity. Y'know, hype up the ride as the most progressive and inclusive Disney attraction EVER.

 

[splah]

Another improvement that wouldn’t take much effort would be adding some additional Tiana and Louis dialogue in the emptier sections. Describing the bayou and what they’re looking for next. We wouldn’t need to see them trampling through the bayou but some audio could fill it out some

 

[SilentWindODoom]

Another improvement that wouldn’t take much effort would be adding some additional Tiana and Louis dialogue in the emptier sections. Describing the bayou and what they’re looking for next. We wouldn’t need to see them trampling through the bayou but some audio could fill it out some

As an Ellen's Energy Adventure Enjoyer(TM) I am definitely all for voices in the forest.

 

[JohnD]

Meanwhile, CMs on an AP FB group are singing it's praises. I can't imagine them saying anything else as they work for Disney and have profiles with their names there. Here, they can take an alias and say what they really think.

 

[doctornick]

I think is what happens in AA programming design when the figure doesn't actually have any purpose. If you look at something like Hondo at Smugglers Run, it is an effective figure because he is speaking to the audience and making a presentation, and his movement fits that role. In TBA, the AA programmers really had nothing to work with, other than to make her "look alive," which is how we end up with the flailing.

Tiana should be looking around as though she is searching for animals/musicians in between logs.

 

[doctornick]

Wasn't this one of the rare projects that got an increase in budget as they went along rather than cuts?

Yeah budget wasn’t the problem here. This is entirely a creativity issue. Granted corporate dictates or restrictions may have played a big role too

 

[celluloid]

She’s looking down at you, so the implication is that she is taller. Agreed though there is probably ways of doing it as a AA. I don’t really mind that screen so much though, it’s really the one in the Laughin Place with Tiana that annoys me more at least on video.

That would have been a great opportunity to do large Animatromics of their heads. A bit intense but when you reaize friends it's fun. Also minor expression details easier since close and mechanics would have room.