Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Just a rumor so take this whole thing like a grain of salt.

Supposedly the reason that the DL version doesn’t have a date and seems to be quietly operating and being maintained is because Ken Potrock deep down doesn’t want to do it. When Chapek was in charge, there was supposedly a point where the entire project was almost cancelled, because Ken and half of the board made extremely compelling arguments and Chapek was just about on board. The WDW president, who has been pro-retheme the entire time, apparently even considered cancelling it once Chapek was on board. Supposedly both parks would have still gotten Tiana rides so they could use the props already produced, but WDW would have built a ground up dark ride and DL would have done a Mr Toad retheme. Once Iger came back, who’s the most pro-retheme of them all, he started pushing and forcing the project harder than ever. The WDW president jumped on board immediately, but Ken decided to fight with Iger on it. Ken has half of the board backing him to save the DL version, but Iger is very adamant. Supposedly Iger threatened to fire Ken if he didn’t go through with it, so Ken decided to drag his feet on the Indy refurb so they physically couldn’t take splash down for capacity reasons. Apparently he’s using the extra time bought by extending the Indy refurb for he and the board to duke it out with Iger. Apparently the whole situation’s a mess right now. This story has been going around since about yesterday, and supposedly is from a high-ranking cast member who wishes not to be named to secure their job. A few YouTube channels have started to report it. This person said that under Chapek it got so far that they were in the initial stages of crafting a social media post calling the project off and announcing a different Tiana ride instead.

Again, take this as a grain of salt, no idea if it’s true or not, but it sure is interesting!
Well in all fairness it’s just the DL board, not the board of the entire company.

Next "rumor" I'm sure will be that Potrock was going to get this imaginary "DL Board" to hold Iger's paycheck hostage until he changes his mind....

So believable..... :rolleyes:
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Come on guys I’m just the messenger, I didn’t say whether I believe it or not. It’s just in interesting story I read about which I thought might make an interesting post

No harm done. It certainly made for an interesting read! And there may be some elements of truth in it, as almost all solid rumors do have at least an element or two of truth or reality in them somewhere.

But, as has been explained here by others, Splash Mountain at Disneyland needs to stay open until the big seasonal E Ticket rehabs are done with and the park has reopened its remade Toontown.

The other thing that I find a tad too unbelievable about this rumor is that all those senior executives (setting aside nomenclature and hierarchy errors about their being a Board of Directors for Disneyland and such) are actually that invested or caring about the theme parks. Even the Disneyland President Du Jour isn't going to care that much about the log ride theme. Three years ago that guy was selling Chinese made crap via the Disney Store and shopdisney.com, and a year or two from now he'll be in charge of the Disney Cruise Line or India's Disney+ Streaming or leave Disney entirely to go be the President of Spacely Sprockets or something.

These execs don't care enough about the parks to get all involved in corporate drama on a log ride retheme.

To them, it just doesn't matter.

 

CaptinEO

Well-Known Member
Let's look at the logic.

  • Disneyland has Holiday overlays, which results in rides shutting down in January to switch back. Haunted Mansion is still down.
  • Disneyland has a major attraction, that desperately needed a refurb. Indy should have closed months and months ago. Indy is finally down.
  • A 100 year celebration needs to be launched. This is now launched. Press have come and gone.
  • A new attraction needs to open, as well as an entire land being reworked around it. Part one is done, part two coming in March.


It just makes sense to hold onto Splash until things settle, most attractions are back up, and then get going on the changeover.
Sure I agree logistically that this is why Splash is closing later in DL and it makes sense from an ops point of view.

What I don't buy is the fanboy created theory that Iger is ordering Splash closed and Disneyland's president is secretly refurbing Indy to delay and cancel Splash's redo.
 

Disney Analyst

Well-Known Member
Sure I agree logistically that this is why Splash is closing later in DL and it makes sense from an ops point of view.

What I don't buy is the fanboy created theory that Iger is ordering Splash closed and Disneyland's president is secretly refurbing Indy to delay and cancel Splash's redo.

Yeah, it's an absurd "theory".
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Just a rumor so take this whole thing like a grain of salt.

Supposedly the reason that the DL version doesn’t have a date and seems to be quietly operating and being maintained is because Ken Potrock deep down doesn’t want to do it. When Chapek was in charge, there was supposedly a point where the entire project was almost cancelled, because Ken and half of the board made extremely compelling arguments and Chapek was just about on board. The WDW president, who has been pro-retheme the entire time, apparently even considered cancelling it once Chapek was on board. Supposedly both parks would have still gotten Tiana rides so they could use the props already produced, but WDW would have built a ground up dark ride and DL would have done a Mr Toad retheme. Once Iger came back, who’s the most pro-retheme of them all, he started pushing and forcing the project harder than ever. The WDW president jumped on board immediately, but Ken decided to fight with Iger on it. Ken has half of the board backing him to save the DL version, but Iger is very adamant. Supposedly Iger threatened to fire Ken if he didn’t go through with it, so Ken decided to drag his feet on the Indy refurb so they physically couldn’t take splash down for capacity reasons. Apparently he’s using the extra time bought by extending the Indy refurb for he and the board to duke it out with Iger. Apparently the whole situation’s a mess right now. This story has been going around since about yesterday, and supposedly is from a high-ranking cast member who wishes not to be named to secure their job. A few YouTube channels have started to report it. This person said that under Chapek it got so far that they were in the initial stages of crafting a social media post calling the project off and announcing a different Tiana ride instead.

Again, take this as a grain of salt, no idea if it’s true or not, but it sure is interesting!
Taking it with a ton of salt, as in not believing any of it. Let’s start with the ludicrous idea that Mr. Toad could be rethemed into a Tiana ride. Mr. Toad is in a tiny, tiny, tiny space which is probably a major factor in its longevity.

I gotta shake my head when I hear stories about “forces within” Disney trying to save the Song of the South flume theme. You gotta be kidding me. Like ANYONE within Disney cares that much about preserving the flume’s controversial singing bunny.

It’s a freaking singing bunny from one of the weakest films Disney ever made. NOBODY is going to risk their career trying to delay the INEVITABLE retheme. Gooooood grief.
 

Ne'er-Do-Well Cad

Well-Known Member
LOL. Imagine the insult to black folks if Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was cancelled and instead an overlay was shoehorned into the 80-second all-plywood ride. C’mon now.

I gotta shake my head when I hear stories about “forces within” Disney trying to save the Song of the South flume theme. You gotta be kidding me. Like ANYONE within Disney cares that much about preserving the flume’s controversial singing bunny.

Thank you.

374 pages of conspiracy theories and desperation. The overlay is coming. All we can do is hope it’s well-executed.
 

Consumer

Well-Known Member
LOL. Imagine the insult to black folks if Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was cancelled and instead an overlay was shoehorned into the 80-second all-plywood ride. C’mon now.
I'm going to be completely honest right now, anybody who puts their value as a human being in a product of a Disney theme park is a loser.
 

BuzzedPotatoHead89

Well-Known Member
I'm going to be completely honest right now, anybody who puts their value as a human being in a product of a Disney theme park is a loser.
I hope you’re either armed with A) a shield; or B) salad dressing.

Because I hereby predict an onslaught of whatever the equivalent of a bunch of virtual vegetables are about to be thrown your way lol. It’s an old fashioned food fight, bayou employee owned co-op style. 😉
 

Ne'er-Do-Well Cad

Well-Known Member
I'm going to be completely honest right now, anybody who puts their value as a human being in a product of a Disney theme park is a loser.

Totally agree. Like all the people crying about the Splash Mountain overlay 2 1/2 years after its announcement.

It would nonetheless be insulting to black guests if Disney cancelled the overlay because the company has already gone to such great lengths to contextualize TBA as a monument to representation in their parks. To cancel at this point would send the message that actually such representation doesn’t really matter after all. Would be an egregious reversal (and so of course it will not happen).
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
I'm going to be completely honest right now, anybody who puts their value as a human being in a product of a Disney theme park is a loser.
Put it this way; imagine Disney’s PR nightmare if, after all their talk about the positive changes they were making with the retheme, they completely backpedaled and said, “Naw, we’ve decided to stick with the racist movie theme for our log ride.”
 

Consumer

Well-Known Member
Put it this way; imagine Disney’s PR nightmare if, after all their talk about the positive changes they were making with the retheme, they completely backpedaled and said, “Naw, we’ve decided to stick with the racist movie theme for our log ride.”
Let's be real, if Disney did decide to cancel this project (not that I expect them to), Disney would not announce the cancellation of the project, it just simply would never happen.
 

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
Put it this way; imagine Disney’s PR nightmare if, after all their talk about the positive changes they were making with the retheme, they completely backpedaled and said, “Naw, we’ve decided to stick with the racist movie theme for our log ride.”
What would happen if it was cancelled?

Those people who were truly offended and never went to the theme parks anyway would keep not going and move on to their next faux offense ten minutes later and the hundreds of millions that enjoyed Splash for the past 30+ years would continue to enjoy it.

That’s what would happen.
 

zipadee999

Well-Known Member
What would happen if it was cancelled?

Those people who were truly offended and never went to the theme parks anyway would keep not going and move on to their next faux offense ten minutes later and the hundreds of millions that enjoyed Splash for the past 30+ years would continue to enjoy it.

That’s what would happen.
Exactly
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
What would happen if it was cancelled?

Those people who were truly offended and never went to the theme parks anyway would keep not going and move on to their next faux offense ten minutes later and the hundreds of millions that enjoyed Splash for the past 30+ years would continue to enjoy it.

That’s what would happen.
And then the SotS issue would resurface. Again and again and again. This is why Splash is going away. Disney wants to be rid of the IP forever and never deal with SotS again.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
Let's be real, if Disney did decide to cancel this project (not that I expect them to), Disney would not announce the cancellation of the project, it just simply would never happen.
The media isn’t going to let this go away. The #1 entertainment company on Earth made a huge public deal about the Tiana ride. If they just decided suddenly to do a 180, it would end up being a huge embarrassment for Iger, and the whole world would know about it.

Disney does not exist in a vacuum. They started this, they drew attention to the proposed change, and now they have to finish what they started.
 

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