Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Haven't really been following this conversation, but it's interesting that it evolved into a discussion about the difficulty of maintaining AAs relative to other more modern effects.

AAs probably are objectively much more difficult and expensive to maintain, but you wouldn't know it from a day at Disneyland in 2022. Sure, the America Sings AAs from 1974 might not be working, but neither are the brand new projections on Snow White, the projections and smoke on Big Thunder, the hitchhiking ghosts, 10% of the kinetics on Small World, the mouth projected onto Lightning McQueen, the fire and lava and boulder on Indy, the audio on Haunted Mansion, etc. There's just no excuse.

Sometimes this forum needs a “cry” emoji.

Radiator springs has been a disaster since they reopened, I still haven’t seen Sarge move, haven’t seen Mater move either (although I think I read he’s finally fixed), the mouths are hit or miss…

What’s more alarming though is the recent problems with the ride system itself, RSR was down a couple weeks ago due to a fire/overheating/smoke incident and just went down again because two cars bumped into each other, bad show is one thing but foregoing routine maintenance is going to get someone hurt or worse.

 

[mickEblu]

Looks like they may have already started working on the PatF retheme at MK. The left side of the facade seems to have been painted more earthy brown like DLs version with brighter grass and flowers while the right side still has the red clay look.

Also this guy is definitely my favorite vlogger.

 

[Too Many Hats]

Certainly agree with him that in retrospect it's just amazing how Disney spared absolutely no expense on Splash back in 1992 and Tower of Terror in 1994. What a time for Imagineering. IMO the two best attractions at WDW.

And yeah Tiana Mountain is a lateral move offering no financial ROI and so Disney has no incentive to invest any real money/time/effort into it. This has been everyone's concern from the start, and it's even more troubling with a recession right around the corner.

The earthy colors look bad in MK. I'll miss the red clay.

 

[Dear Prudence]

For a family of 4, that $200 a day is actually $800. Plus marked up food & merchandise, closer to $1000 probably. I can think of several other places to take pictures, watch shows, eat snacks, and meet "characters" (maybe not the kid-friendly kinda characters) for much, much less.

One day at Disneyland for my wife and I, is one months worth of a Tesla car payment.

Thank you for this. Paying all that money to wait in line for hours of attractions that don't work in a park that's utterly filthy. The white knight ing gaslighting in this thread has been off the charts.

 

[Rich T]

This isn't just a Bob directive... or the other Bob.... or the other other Bob... this move away from AAs has been decades in the making. Remember what DCA was like when it opened?

It's not a matter of Disney being wrong or right. They are making choices that strike a balance between providing a show, providing value in an attraction, maintaining thistory and yes, being efficient with their money and resources. I strongly disagree that AAs are an important part of what sets Disney apart. The audience has moved away from thinking that robot shows are great entertainment, and Disney has to be aware of and respond to the audien

They will probably never build another Pirates or even another Tiki Room. But they still include AAs in their premiere rides. It's a ba
Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong, but if the attendance keeps going up and they keep making money, we can be sure they are making the right decisions.

Your words sound like you’re approaching this from the point of view of a fan of corporate success over quality and artistry, and—Hey, that’s a valid way of observing the company. But it’s not what drew me to Disney.

Disney has always been a balance of art and business, but right now the balance is completely out of whack, leaning more toward profit and away from value and innovation. You might respond that it’s working, so it’s the right course. I say the product is suffering and Disney will need to course-correct eventually, but by then massive long-term damage will have been done to a base that took many decades to carefully build up and just a decade or so to suck dry by the worst, most self-serving pinhe— Sorry, sorry, I meant to say “executives with no real interest or understanding of creativity who see no difference between Disneyland and a forest in need of strip-mining.”

The only point in your response I completely agree with: They will probably never build another AA attraction like Pirates or Tiki Room.

 

[Rich T]

Seriously, though. If the rumors are true, then someone in charge at Disney approved this as the winning Splash storyline:

 

[Californian Elitist]

I’m waiting to see how the trumpet storyline plays out before I criticize it. Some of my favorite movies and television shows have basic-sounding/uninteresting general plot lines. SpongeBob SquarePants is about a yellow sponge and his adventures with his sea star friend and squirrel friend. Cast Away is about a man who gets stranded on an island and becomes friends with a washed up volleyball, which he eventually depends on for company and partially his sanity.

 

[GoneForGood]

Wont say much....But I heard that there may be an A & B plot situation. Similar to MMRR.

My main thing is that I hope whatever they come up with isn't a parody of current Splash (Which is what the Jim Hill rumor sounds like). That would be incredibly disrespectful for a multitude of reasons. lol.

 

[Rich T]

I’m waiting to see how the trumpet storyline plays out before I criticize it. Some of my favorite movies and television shows have basic-sounding/uninteresting general plot lines. SpongeBob SquarePants is about a yellow sponge and his adventures with his sea star friend and squirrel friend. Cast Away is about a man who gets stranded on an island and becomes friends with a washed up volleyball, which he eventually depends on for company and partially his sanity.

I will be very pleased to hear if it turns out well. But after Incredicoaster, Frozen Ever After, Grand Fiesta Tour and Snow White the Gerber Applesauce Edition… I can’t help but imagine the worst. I really hope I’m wrong.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I will be very pleased to hear if it turns out well. But after Incredicoaster, Frozen Ever After, Grand Fiesta Tour and Snow White the Gerber Applesauce Edition… I can’t help but imagine the worst. I really hope I’m wrong.

For sure, I’m not expecting to love this ride and think it to be reminiscent of previous and greater imagineering. Just thinking of the plot alone, though, it’s possible that the premise will be good. But, of course, the execution also has to be good.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Certainly agree with him that in retrospect it's just amazing how Disney spared absolutely no expense on Splash back in 1992 and Tower of Terror in 1994. What a time for Imagineering. IMO the two best attractions at WDW.

And yeah Tiana Mountain is a lateral move offering no financial ROI and so Disney has no incentive to invest any real money/time/effort into it. This has been everyone's concern from the start, and it's even more troubling with a recession right around the corner.

The earthy colors look bad in MK. I'll miss the red clay.

EuroDisneys financial troubles seem to be the turning point from “quality at any expense” to “do it on a budget to reduce risk”.

Disneyland Paris is stunning, it’s amazing what Imagineering is capable of when given the budget. TokyoDL is on our bucket list in large part because we want to see what a couple decades of “quality at any expense” looks like.

 

[Dear Prudence]

I’m waiting to see how the trumpet storyline plays out before I criticize it. Some of my favorite movies and television shows have basic-sounding/uninteresting general plot lines. SpongeBob SquarePants is about a yellow sponge and his adventures with his sea star friend and squirrel friend. Cast Away is about a man who gets stranded on an island and becomes friends with a washed up volleyball, which he eventually depends on for company and partially his sanity.

SpongeBob and Patrick at the very least endearing. Louis is insufferable.

 

[mickEblu]

Certainly agree with him that in retrospect it's just amazing how Disney spared absolutely no expense on Splash back in 1992 and Tower of Terror in 1994. What a time for Imagineering. IMO the two best attractions at WDW.

And yeah Tiana Mountain is a lateral move offering no financial ROI and so Disney has no incentive to invest any real money/time/effort into it. This has been everyone's concern from the start, and it's even more troubling with a recession right around the corner.

The earthy colors look bad in MK. I'll miss the red clay.

I’ve never been in person but I’ve always been turned off by the red color. Its always come across as artificial looking to me probably because I’ve never seen anything like that in nature in person. I guess it looks better with the surrounding area?

When they first built the new ROA waterfalls they started off by coloring the rocks red which looked really out of place at DL. I’m glad they changed them to their current color.

 

[Rich T]

For the first few years Splash 2 is open, they should retheme the entire resort to Louis Lost His Trumpet. Every ride. The pirates are looking for it. The ghosts are looking for it. Alice is looking for it. The Small World kids are singing “Where could Louis’s trumpet be”. The trumpet can be spotted on Jungle Cruise, Autopia, in the Abominable Snowman’s vehicle pile… Mater’s singing about it, The Incredibles are trying to get it back from Jack Jack..

But Louis doesn’t find it—Not even on Splash. BUT, if you pay $1,000 per person, you can, after park closing, attend an exclusive 5 minute cupcake party in a large tent where Louis walks onto a small stage, holds up his trumpet, says “Found it!” and walks off.

 

[Too Many Hats]

I’m waiting to see how the trumpet storyline plays out before I criticize it. Some of my favorite movies and television shows have basic-sounding/uninteresting general plot lines. SpongeBob SquarePants is about a yellow sponge and his adventures with his sea star friend and squirrel friend. Cast Away is about a man who gets stranded on an island and becomes friends with a washed up volleyball, which he eventually depends on for company and partially his sanity.

Sure, but of course Cast Away and most episodes of Spongebob have character arcs, a call to adventure, a conflict to be overcome, and, you know, the full cycle of the Campbellian "hero's journey." For all their talk of "story," it's not clear modern Imagineering understands storytelling.

By no means does every theme park attraction need to tell a story. But a slow-moving 12-minute log flume probably works best if riders can get invested in something.

Anyway now I'm kind of hoping this attraction reveals Louis has gone mad stranded in the bayou and has anthropomorphized his trumpet, hence his distress at losing it. The riverboat finale will be replaced with him shouting, "I'm sorry!" as the trumpet floats away forever.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Sure, but of course Cast Away and most episodes of Spongebob have character arcs, a call to adventure, a conflict to be overcome, and, you know, the full cycle of the Campbellian "hero's journey." For all their talk of "story," it's not clear modern Imagineering understands storytelling.

By no means does every theme park attraction need to tell a story. But a slow-moving 12-minute log flume probably works best if riders can get invested in something.

Anyway now I'm kind of hoping this attraction reveals Louis has gone mad stranded in the bayou and has anthropomorphized his trumpet, hence his distress at losing it. The riverboat finale will be replaced with him shouting, "I'm sorry!" as the trumpet floats away forever.

Right, but I had to watch SpongeBob and Cast Away to learn that. Based on the basic plots alone, I initially wasn’t impressed.

The point is, we don’t know how the story will play out. All we know is that his trumpet will go missing. So, personally, there’s no point in getting upset or concerned about it. I’m going to wait and see.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Sure, but of course Cast Away and most episodes of Spongebob have character arcs, a call to adventure, a conflict to be overcome, and, you know, the full cycle of the Campbellian "hero's journey." For all their talk of "story," it's not clear modern Imagineering understands storytelling.

By no means does every theme park attraction need to tell a story. But a slow-moving 12-minute log flume probably works best if riders can get invested in something.

Anyway now I'm kind of hoping this attraction reveals Louis has gone mad stranded in the bayou and has anthropomorphized his trumpet, hence his distress at losing it. The riverboat finale will be replaced with him shouting, "I'm sorry!" as the trumpet floats away forever.

Ironically, current Splash follows beat for beat the Campbellian "hero's journey."

 

[D.Silentu]

Quick comment, and one that I've made before: This whole lost trumpet business originated from Jim Hill's podcast. The credibility of his reporting is subjective of course.

 

[mickEblu]

Quick comment, and one that I've made before: This whole lost trumpet business originated from Jim Hill's podcast. The credibility of his reporting is subjective of course.

Yeah we ve all really took that one and ran with it. Probably because there has been ZERO news

 

[Brer Panther]

SpongeBob and Patrick at the very least endearing. Louis is insufferable.

I like Louis, but I still think the "Louis can't find his trumpet" storyline sounds stupid. Especially if the joke in every other scene is going to be "it's RIGHT THERE and Louis doesn't see it! Laugh at how stupid he is!" over and over again. Which is also incredibly insulting to Louis' intelligence.