Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[TP2000]

Because no one asked, here's why I don't really care that Disneyland's Splash Mountain is closing:

1. The ride system/track itself isn't changing. The logs will still go through the same rollicking flume and wild drops as they have since 1989.
2. Disneyland's Splash Mountain is clearly the weakest of the 3 versions. The Tokyo version is the best by far, and it still exists.
3. I love the music of Princess & The Frog. The movie Song of the South had good music, but Princess & The Frog had great music.
4. I can't wait to see how an employee-owned cooperative is incorporated into Disneyland, where employee-ownership is forbidden.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I think that's a great idea. Start mid-day with a temporary closure that just keeps getting extended.

That's very nearly what happened with 20,000 Leagues at the Magic Kingdom - it went down for a scheduled refurb, which got extended, and extended . . . until they finally fessed up and announced the attraction wouldn't be coming back online.

There's more to it, of course - in fact, a lot - but that's the gist.

 

[EagleScout610]

My theory is that Disney has a shutdown date in mind or even planned with the park management, but we'll know it  very close to when it happens. As in it wouldn't shock me if they tell us a week or two before that it's happening.

 

[Parteecia]

Ooh! That's devious, but an even better idea than my thought that Ken Potrock just calls the King Of The Dockers-Clad Managers after park closing one night and says "That's it, the log ride is closed. Don't open it in the morning."

In a week or two, you shut the ride down at 1pm for a normal breakdown. Then you extend the downtime into late afternoon. Then past dinner. Then the park closes and it's a cold spring night (the entire West has been much colder than normal all winter, and spring is late this year), and so no one cares anymore because it's too cold and you keep the ride closed for the night. Then after the park closes you announce "Oh, by the way, today was Splash Mountain's last day. It's closed. Thank you for being immersed in our relevant stories! Don't forget to purchase Genie+ and Like and Subscribe!"

Seriously, I love that idea and scenario. It's crappy, but it's good.

I like your refinements! Now I say it should go down around sunset* when most everyone who wanted to ride has done so and no one will care much.

*Almost literally "sunsetting" the ride.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Because no one asked, here's why I don't really care that Disneyland's Splash Mountain is closing:

1. The ride system/track itself isn't changing. The logs will still go through the same rollicking flume and wild drops as they have since 1989.
2. Disneyland's Splash Mountain is clearly the weakest of the 3 versions. The Tokyo version is the best by far, and it still exists.
3. I love the music of Princess & The Frog. The movie Song of the South had good music, but Princess & The Frog had great music.
4. I can't wait to see how an employee-owned cooperative is incorporated into Disneyland, where employee-ownership is forbidden.

Point 3 is where I differ the most, and I know many would disagree with me. PatF’s music is just okay. It’s no better than your average Disney flick to me. There’s maybe a song or two I’ll listen to on occasion (the villain song and the human song) but everything else is an immediate pass.

On the other hand, Splash, and by extension SotS, has my favourite Disney soundtrack. They just really got something right with these tunes melodically. If you could take happiness itself, bottle it up and convert it into a song, it would be Disneyland’s Zipadeedoodah. I could listen to that for hours straight without getting tired of it (in fact, I have on many occasions).

 

[SuddenStorm]

Point 3 is where I differ the most, and I know many would disagree with me. PatF’s music is just okay. It’s no better than your average Disney flick to me. There’s maybe a song or two I’ll listen to on occasion (the villain song and the human song) but everything else is an immediate pass.

On the other hand, Splash, and by extension SotS, has my favourite Disney soundtrack. They just really got something right with these tunes melodically. If you could take happiness itself, bottle it up and convert it into a song, it would be Disneyland’s Zipadeedoodah. I could listen to that for hours straight without getting tired of it (in fact, I have on many occasions).

Zip a Dee Doo Dah alone elevates the soundtrack to the top echelon of Disney soundtracks- as it's rivaled only by When You Wish Upon a Star in terms of longevity and how dang widespread the song's usage throughout the company is (was).

None of Princess and the Frog's songs come close to that legacy.

 

[mickEblu]

Zip a Dee Doo Dah alone elevates the soundtrack to the top echelon of Disney soundtracks- as it's rivaled only by When You Wish Upon a Star in terms of longevity and how dang widespread the song's usage throughout the company is (was).

None of Princess and the Frog's songs come close to that legacy.

I’ve always maintained losing the soundtrack I feel is the biggest loss of this change experientially even though I do enjoy the PatF soundtrack. Followed by the loss of the Marc Davis AAs but from what I understand the majority may be sticking around. The sets/ set dresssing will be missed but considering the PatF theme they could keep a lot of that if they wanted to. The biggest chance of failure is the finale. Hoping they don’t butcher that too bad.

 

[Californian Elitist]

None of Princess and the Frog's songs come close to that legacy.

Not yet, but they could.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I’ve always maintained losing the soundtrack I feel is the biggest loss of this change experientially even though I do enjoy the PatF soundtrack. Followed by the loss of the Marc Davis AAs but from what I understand the majority may be sticking around. The sets/ set dresssing will be missed but considering the PatF theme they could keep a lot of that if they wanted to. The biggest chance of failure is the finale. Hoping they don’t butcher that too bad.

I think the repercussions of this change will be felt throughout that half of the park- and unless Imagineering finds a way to capture that old school Disneyland feel in a way they haven't in about 20 years, it will do serious harm to that half of the park.

Splash's facade is iconic- it's unique and distinctly Disneyland. It was designed to make the drop feel taller than it is, and is visible from that entire half of the park. I could be wrong- but this generic dirt mound they're turning it into doesn't quite have the same flair that the current facade has. I anticipate the attraction will look much shorter without the tree at the top.

And then there's the area music- which is among the best Disney's ever done.

 

[chadwpalm]

When I went to Disneyland last May, I remember riding SM and thinking, "This will probably be the last time I ride this."

Then I went again in October, and once again I thought for sure it would be my last ride.

Now I'm going again in a few weeks and will probably ride it thinking, "This will be my last ride."

Will it?

To be continued....

 

[SuddenStorm]

Not yet, but they could.

That's optimistic. The film came out 14 years ago- and until the new ride opens, the songs have no presence inside Disneyland. Frozen got a spot on the Canal Boats. Tangled got a tower in Fantasy Faire. Disney kept Tiana's park presence to a minimum- if her film was a smash hit like the renaissance era stuff we would have seen them add an instrumental version of one of the film's songs to Fantasyland's area loop. Instead, the film floundered at the box office, largely didn't connect with audiences, and Disney was content to largely ignore it for a decade until the decision to capitalize on a political movement three years ago.

Zip a Dee Doo Dah has had a presence inside Disneyland since day one.

Even now, Disney isn't focusing on the film's music- it's focusing on marketing Tiana as a strong independent woman that younger girls can look up too. That's the appeal of the film, and part of why this new ride is getting built with the convoluted backstory it has.

I just hope Disney finally makes a good Disney+ show that isn't Marvel or Andor or Mandalorian with the Tiana reboot- so far all of their stuff has been mediocre to poor and sometimes downright awful. If this new Tiana show isn't a home run Disney's gonna have a multi million dollar attraction with limited cultural appeal.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That's optimistic. The film came out 14 years ago- and until the new ride opens, the songs have no presence inside Disneyland. Frozen got a spot on the Canal Boats. Tangled got a tower in Fantasy Faire. Disney kept Tiana's park presence to a minimum- if her film was a smash hit like the renaissance era stuff we would have seen them add an instrumental version of one of the film's songs to Fantasyland's area loop. Instead, the film floundered at the box office, largely didn't connect with audiences, and Disney was content to largely ignore it for a decade until the decision to capitalize on a political movement three years ago.

Zip a Dee Doo Dah has had a presence inside Disneyland since day one.

Even now, Disney isn't focusing on the film's music- it's focusing on marketing Tiana as a strong independent woman that younger girls can look up too. That's the appeal of the film, and part of why this new ride is getting built with the convoluted backstory it has.

I just hope Disney finally makes a good Disney+ show that isn't Marvel or Andor or Mandalorian with the Tiana reboot- so far all of their stuff has been mediocre to poor and sometimes downright awful. If this new Tiana show isn't a home run Disney's gonna have a multi million dollar attraction with limited cultural appeal.

The length of time that’s passed since the film released, whether the songs play in Disneyland or not, etc. don’t matter. It is entirely possible that “Almost There” or “When I’m Human” will surpass ZADDD in popularity in the future, however that happens. If this happens, we could be dead or alive. Who knows? We’ll see.

They’re writing new music for the ride. Not sure how much of a focus it will be.

I also hope the show will be good. They already had a multi-million dollar attraction with limited cultural appeal (in terms of the IP) with Splash Mountain. I don’t believe the popularity of the show will determine how well the ride will do.

 

[Consumer]

Even now, Disney isn't focusing on the film's music- it's focusing on marketing Tiana as a strong independent woman that younger girls can look up too. That's the appeal of the film.

That’s the appeal of the film?

 

[Brer Oswald]

Not yet, but they could.

Zip was a hit right out of the gate. I’m sure the PatF songs will get more attention by the company; they already have. But none of the songs are ever going to reach the peak of what was The Disney Song at one point in time.

 

[SuddenStorm]

The length of time that’s passed since the film released, whether the songs play in Disneyland or not, etc. don’t matter. It is entirely possible that “Almost There” or “When I’m Human” will surpass ZADDD in popularity in the future, however that happens. If this happens, we could be dead or alive. Who knows? We’ll see.

I'll admit I'm not a fan of this speculative anything could happen form of discussion, I prefer to focus on what's actually happened. I could use the same thought process to speculate that in 10 years Tiana will be irrelevant, forgotten, and supplanted by newer Disney characters that haven't been developed yet. Who knows? We'll see.

I also hope the show will be good. They already had a multi-million dollar attraction with limited cultural appeal (in terms of the IP) with Splash Mountain. I don’t believe the popularity of the show will determine how well the ride will do.

I think it will play a huge part. If corporate synergy and merchandising play a huge role in the development of this new attraction- ensuring Tiana's Disney+ show is high quality and resonates with all ages will play an important part in both the ride's short term popularity- and helping to ensure the merchandising for the attraction lasts longer than the initial opening.

There appears to be a difference in this ride's story and development and marketing when compared to Splash Mountain. While Splash was designed to operate independently of SotS and therefore has a fanbase and legacy separate from the film- this Tiana attraction appears to rely heavily on Tiana as a character and her cultural appeal. If Tiana becomes more irrelevant in the public lexicon than she already is, this new ride will have limited long term popularity. But a successful Disney+ show that inspires new merchandise, film, and music? That could help kickstart Tiana for a new generation and help give the new ride a boost in long term appeal.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Zip was a hit right out of the gate. I’m sure the PatF songs will get more attention by the company; they already have. But none of the songs are ever going to reach the peak of what was The Disney Song at one point in time.

You don’t know what kind of success the songs will see in the future. No one does. ZADDD’s immediate popularity in the 1940s won’t have anything to do with its future popularity.

Important key words/phrases you used in this response: “was” and “at one point in time.” There are plenty of examples of creative works that have always been popular since release, ones that were popular after release, but aren’t popular now, and ones that flopped after release, but are considered iconic classics now.

If Disney stops using the song in the parks, ads, and wherever else, I can see ZADDD becoming even less popular, especially because the movie it’s linked to cannot be officially watched in the US.

 

[NobodyElse]

Ooh! That's devious, but an even better idea than my thought that Ken Potrock just calls the King Of The Dockers-Clad Managers after park closing one night and says "That's it, the log ride is closed. Don't open it in the morning."

In a week or two, you shut the ride down at 1pm for a normal breakdown. Then you extend the downtime into late afternoon. Then past dinner. Then the park closes and it's a cold spring night (the entire West has been much colder than normal all winter, and spring is late this year), and so no one cares anymore because it's too cold and you keep the ride closed for the night. Then after the park closes you announce "Oh, by the way, today was Splash Mountain's last day. It's closed. Thank you for being immersed in our relevant stories! Don't forget to purchase Genie+ and Like and Subscribe!"

Seriously, I love that idea and scenario. It's crappy, but it's good.

This all sounds reminiscent of the Rocket Rods situation.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'll admit I'm not a fan of this speculative anything could happen form of discussion, I prefer to focus on what's actually happened. I could use the same thought process to speculate that in 10 years Tiana will be irrelevant, forgotten, and supplanted by newer Disney characters that haven't been developed yet. Who knows? We'll see.



I think it will play a huge part. If corporate synergy and merchandising play a huge role in the development of this new attraction- ensuring Tiana's Disney+ show is high quality and resonates with all ages will play an important part in both the ride's short term popularity- and helping to ensure the merchandising for the attraction lasts longer than the initial opening.

There appears to be a difference in this ride's story and development and marketing when compared to Splash Mountain. While Splash was designed to operate independently of SotS and therefore has a fanbase and legacy separate from the film- this Tiana attraction appears to rely heavily on Tiana as a character and her cultural appeal. If Tiana becomes more irrelevant in the public lexicon than she already is, this new ride will have limited long term popularity. But a successful Disney+ show that inspires new merchandise, film, and music? That could help kickstart Tiana for a new generation and help give the new ride a boost in long term appeal.

Regarding the first part, yes, that absolutely could happen. Ten years is a stretch, but it could happen.

Given that PatF wasn't popular when it was initially released, and now it has grown immensely in popularity without newly-created content from Disney, I have strong doubts the show will have that much of a significant influence on the ride's popularity. We're also living in a different world than the one that birthed Splash Mountain. There are other factors that can influence TBA's popularity that weren't here in the 1980s, including social media (especially TikTok) and Disney vloggers. It's arguably unfair to compare the two, in that context.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Regarding the first part, yes, that absolutely could happen. Ten years is a stretch, but it could happen.

Given that PatF wasn't popular when it was initially released, and now it has grown immensely in popularity without newly-created content from Disney, I have strong doubts the show will have that much of a significant influence on the ride's popularity. We're also living in a different world than the one that birthed Splash Mountain. There are other factors that can influence TBA's popularity that weren't here in the 1980s, including social media (especially TikTok) and Disney vloggers. It's arguably unfair to compare the two, in that context.

You and I definitely have different perspectives on this whole thing- and probably for most of Disneyland- but to me the spike in popularity for the property feels more like Disney trying desperately to make Tiana relevant in response to social changes and not something the public demanded. It's was if a switch was flipped and the new priority became as much Tiana as possible, stat!

But I'll admit I got bored and stopped the movie after 30 minutes- still haven't seen the whole thing- and I'm as big of a Splash Mountain fan as they come so I'm definitely not the target demographic for this project and am viewing everything Tiana with as critical a lens as possible.

 

[Californian Elitist]

You and I definitely have different perspectives on this whole thing- and probably for most of Disneyland- but to me the spike in popularity for the property feels more like Disney trying desperately to make Tiana relevant in response to social changes and not something the public demanded. It's was if a switch was flipped and the new priority became as much Tiana as possible, stat!

But I'll admit I got bored and stopped the movie after 30 minutes- still haven't seen the whole thing- and I'm as big of a Splash Mountain fan as they come so I'm definitely not the target demographic for this project and am viewing everything Tiana with as critical a lens as possible.

The spike hasn't been sudden, though. The film's popularity has grown and grown consistently over time. There was no quick switch. Tiana and the movie in general were already more popular prior to 2020 than in 2009. PatF representation from has been consistently in the parks since the movie's release, which has likely helped. There could be, and probably are, a number of reasons why it's grown in popularity over the last 13+ years.

Thank you for admitting your bias.