Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

I was as shocked as anyone when they announced the retheme, but when you stop to think about it, the ride’s association with that film was bound to become an issue one day. All we can do now is hope that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure turns out to be a great experience in its own right.

The critters were on Br'er-ed Time I suppose lol.

I get why they're so reluctant to show actual ride footage, but at this point it's getting ridiculous, it's coming out next year and they had the opportunity to show it off at D23 but they didn't. WDW's version is farther along I'm assuming but DL's definitely has less to rip out so who knows what stage they're at overall.

 

[CaptinEO]

Because it's just a remodeled log ride at a theme park???

Can you imagine if Knott's Berry Farm tried to drag a remodel of an older ride out this long? Leaking vague intel on queue decor that 99.94% of the riders won't notice, talking about the native Buena Park artisan they employed to paint the mural on the side of the building, discussing in hushed tones the old junk they found at Salvation Army on Beach Blvd. to decorate the unload dock with?

I mean, my God, it's just a theme park log ride. If you don't want to tell us what's inside the ride, then don't tell us.

But don't pretend that it's some sort of important state secret that must not be revealed for fear it falls into our enemy's hands and is used against us to attack our American way of life.

This gets back to a comment I made recently in another thread... This current crop of Imagineers take themselves sooooo seriously. Everything they do is very important. It's all so deeply meaningful. They are doing very, very important work.

And yet I'm sitting here thinking "Honey, it's just a log ride at a theme park. Lighten up a bit. You're not Elon Musk."

Very well said. The WDI story team sees themselves as "the world's greatest storytellers" thanks to conjecture from Disney Co over the last few decades. I guess they bought into it. Rides are never about telling stories they are about making experiences.

What's even dumber is all of WDI's recent "stories" for almost 20 years are based on pre existing stories.



There really are WDI folks that are pretentious enough to think their minor story details are changing the world.



I don't think Disney has some tactic where they tried to mislead anyone to wow them. They clearly just highlight over the top background story details to show how "good" they are and inflate their ego, and people naturally laugh at them.



The most diverse ride is still It's A Small World, and it wasn't a movie tie in. Walt also didn't go on and on out about how he is the best person ever for representing all these cultures. It's just a well intentioned ride with a nice general message. If that ride was made today (it never would be), each doll would need its own detailed backstory.

 

[Nirya]

Well, true.

Since I spent the summer in San Diego, I almost used an analogy of the elaborate backstory some inept 24 year old intern could create for the new Shamu show at Sea World.

But instead I went with a retheme at Knott's Berry Farm.

The point remains. It's just a log ride. They are not curating a new exhibit on Cajun culture at the Smithsonian.

It's just a freaking log ride. With singing robots. And the same big drop they've had since 1989, which is really the reason people go on the damn ride to begin with. WDI needs to dial the self-importance back just a bit. It's getting to be too much.

I agree with this sentiment, but I think the reaction that people have had and continue to have about Splash changing does stand in contrast to that. A lot of people have been and continue to be critical of any minute detail revealed and are more than willing to jump to wild conclusions, so I can absolutely understand why Disney is keeping actual details of the ride experience close to the vest and seems to only be releasing info that speaks to backstory or the queue or things that won't matter once you actually get into the log.

Then throw in the history of Disney overpromising and underdelivering, and I think it becomes clear they're trying to manage expectations so that the initial reveal will be more well-received. It's not the worst strategy in the world, and understandable given how ridiculous people can get about this ride, but that seems to be the process here.

 

[_caleb]

it's just a theme park log ride.

I’m not sure everyone shares this sentiment. I mean, we still have people skulking about in mourning and deep depression for having lost the previous theme.

 

[Rich T]

I’m not sure everyone shares this sentiment. I mean, we still have people skulking about in mourning and deep depression for having lost the previous theme.

Yes, but we’re talking about the big picture and how most guests regard rides at theme parks. No one likes it when a personal favorite goes away, but that’s part of life. I still miss Adventure Thru Inner Space, but it isn’t (and never was) important. Rides are just rides. Movies are just movies. They’re meant to entertain and inspire, not be a replacement for reality.

 

[_caleb]

Yes, but we’re talking about the big picture and how most guests regard rides at theme parks. No one likes it when a personal favorite goes away, but that’s part of life. I still miss Adventure Thru Inner Space, but it isn’t (and never was) important. Rides are just rides. Movies are just movies. They’re meant to entertain and inspire, not be a replacement for reality.

Oh, I agree that big picture, we’re talking about something that’s an exclusive privilege to even experience, nevermind spend hours debating on a message board!

 

[BrianLo]

Not sure how true this information is, but the lack of details we have and how quiet Disney has been regarding this project make sense if they’re trying to surprise guests instead of give everything away.

Outside of just giving us a sheet of specs or the entire render, why is this not perceived as what it is, more than we normally know? I totally agree with you. They have to keep something a surprise, I see no conspiracy here other than Disney being Disney.

It's an overlay. In fact I've already been on the ride track on both coasts. So have most of you. We have the updated model. Lots of concept art for the interior. Animatronic concept art.

I'm flashing back to weeks before Seven Dwarf Mine Train opened and the Insiders were quite certain the figures were all static. We had literally no idea what the Flight of Passage Ride vehicles would look like. A week ago people were surprised with how short the HKDL coaster was, despite the track length being fully exposed during construction. We still don't fully understand what Tokyo's new Peter Pan Ride is.

It's kind of why I don't really even follow these two threads, I don't really need to know anything more...

 

[Professortango1]

Yes, but we’re talking about the big picture and how most guests regard rides at theme parks. No one likes it when a personal favorite goes away, but that’s part of life. I still miss Adventure Thru Inner Space, but it isn’t (and never was) important. Rides are just rides. Movies are just movies. They’re meant to entertain and inspire, not be a replacement for reality.

Both are pieces of art and exercises in storytelling. However, a movie doesn't vanish when it's remade. It's natural to mourn something which is going away and will never be experienced again. I can say that it does bum me out that I can never experience Splash or my favourite version of TOT ever again. Does it ruin my day? No. But it is a loss that I still feel. I can never experience, as intended, these pieces of art.

 

[Rich T]

Both are pieces of art and exercises in storytelling. However, a movie doesn't vanish when it's remade. It's natural to mourn something which is going away and will never be experienced again. I can say that it does bum me out that I can never experience Splash or my favourite version of TOT ever again. Does it ruin my day? No. But it is a loss that I still feel. I can never experience, as intended, these pieces of art.

Lots of art is meant to be appreciated for a finite period of time. Broadway shows (or any wonderful theater production) are the first category that comes to mind. Some disappear forever after their sometimes brief initial runs, and even those that are constantly revived can never completely replicate the original cast, direction and experience.

I grew up in an era when a tv special would air, entertain and then, unless it was a huge hit, disappear forever. World’s Fairs were amazing creations full of incredible experiences that vanished forever (with the exceptions of the few Disney attractions we all know). And though we still have the dinosaurs, we will never get to experience Ford’s Magic Skyway.

It’s all a matter of perspective. Theme parks are a very young entertainment field, and for all we know the concept might be completely obsolete and extinct in another 30-50 years. Many assume Disney as a company will always be around just because it’s always been there throughout our own lives. But… nothing lasts forever. It’s important to appreciate something that’s good while it’s there. Like a brief, brilliant one-of-a-kind sunrise. Or Disney Parks as they used to be.

Being bummed out by the end of an entertainment experience we enjoyed is human and natural. But perspective helps. We are fortunate to live in a country and a time period where life, in general, allows so many people enough leisure time to enjoy things like theme parks.

I’m sure most of the original Imagineer crew designing Disneyland, who lived through some very frightening and uncertain world situations to get to where they were, did not imagine their creations surviving as long as they have. I think they’d be amazed if they could witness how long many of the original attractions have lasted (“Mr. Toad??? No way!!!”)

We could also get into the difference between fine art and pop art. Pop art is meant to entertain in the here and now with the understanding that it might not be relevant in years to come (most isn’t). I’d call theme park attractions a very elaborate, expensive, long-term form of Pop Art.

It’s still sad for us when park attractions close, but they are not meant to last indefinitely.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

It’s still sad for us when park attractions close, but they are not meant to last indefinitely.

It happened before with Mr. Toad, 20k, GMR, ToT (in DCA at least), Maelstrom, Cranium Command, and the Mickey Mouse Revue. And it'll happen again, what with Dino-Land's imminent death and Country Bears going away.

Splash is just the latest in a long line of casualties removed from the parks for one reason or another and as much as I hate to admit, one the company seems dead-set on enforcing the erasure of. I can't say its comparable to other closed attractions because fans of those still get a bone thrown to them every now and then, whereas with Splash all references to it have slowly been removed.

 

[EagleScout610]

It happened before with Mr. Toad, 20k, GMR, ToT (in DCA at least), Maelstrom, Cranium Command, and the Mickey Mouse Revue. And it'll happen again, what with Dino-Land's imminent death and Country Bears going away.

CBJ isn't going away. It's being reworked. Big difference compared to Splash, Toad, Maelstrom, GMR, ect....
\

 

[Rich T]

It happened before with Mr. Toad, 20k, GMR, ToT (in DCA at least), Cranium Command, and the Mickey Mouse Revue. And it'll happen again, what with Dino-Land's imminent death and Country Bears going away.

Splash is just the latest in a long line of casualties removed from the parks for one reason or another and as much as I hate to admit, one the company seems dead-set on enforcing.

We live at a particular point in time when certain theme park attractions have existed throughout our lives. Prior to children being born in 1955, this was not a thing. And, sometime in the future, it will probably cease to be a thing as another concept replaces the traditional theme park.

Rides have shelf lives. When a roller coaster wears out, the owner decides if it would be more advantageous to the company to replace track and vehicles to keep a sentimental classic around, or replace it with something new.

Or a ride might have a theme that has not aged well, and the owner decides when the time is right to switch it out. Disney is not the first to do this.

But I do think park fans need to remember that rides are not a permanent thing, we don’t own them, and park owners can do whatever they please with them. It’s a business.

 

[Professortango1]

Lots of art is meant to be appreciated for a finite period of time. Broadway shows (or any wonderful theater production) are the first category that comes to mind. Some disappear forever after their sometimes brief initial runs, and even those that are constantly revived can never completely replicate the original cast, direction and experience.

It’s still sad for us when park attractions close, but they are not meant to last indefinitely.

Theatre has always been temporary. It's one of things I love and hate about working in that medium. However, even staples are mourned when they close. Phantom felt like it would run forever. So when it closed, it hit a lot of folks hard.

And for many, the theme parks do feel permanent. For a long history of the DLR, they rarely took away. Most changes were additions. Especially when the parks settled into the Golden Era of the 60's-70's. Growing up in the 80's and 90's, the parks were cast in stone. Pirates would always be there. As would Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain.

Other giants like Indy and Splash were added and felt like these new monoliths which would stand for centuries alongside their companions. There was a reverence for these E Tickets. The idea of replacing Splash Mountain would have seemed insane in the mid-90's early 2000's.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised to have Encanto replace the Haunted Mansion or to see Big Thunder covered in snow to become an Elsa coaster. And that's not me being hyperbolic. I literally wouldn't be surprised, just disappointed.

And that's what people are also reeling from. The underlying knowledge that current management has no reverence for anything at the parks. Anything and everything is replaceable. So long as it's cost efficient and pushing a newer IP.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Pretty much nothing at the parks is 100% safe, not even their respective names. Anything is expendable, and there’s nothing folks can do about that. They’ve made this very clear. The sooner fans come to terms with this, the better.

 

[Consumer]

Pretty much nothing at the parks is 100% safe, not even their respective names. Anything is expendable, and there’s nothing folks can do about that. They’ve made this very clear. The sooner fans come to terms with this, the better.

Right, but that doesn't mean it doesn't stink. Even though I'm not emotionally invested in Disneyland anymore, there is something sad about never being able to experience something again that I once loved.

 

[Rich T]

Theatre has always been temporary. It's one of things I love and hate about working in that medium. However, even staples are mourned when they close. Phantom felt like it would run forever. So when it closed, it hit a lot of folks hard.

And for many, the theme parks do feel permanent. For a long history of the DLR, they rarely took away. Most changes were additions. Especially when the parks settled into the Golden Era of the 60's-70's. Growing up in the 80's and 90's, the parks were cast in stone. Pirates would always be there. As would Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain.

Other giants like Indy and Splash were added and felt like these new monoliths which would stand for centuries alongside their companions. There was a reverence for these E Tickets. The idea of replacing Splash Mountain would have seemed insane in the mid-90's early 2000's.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised to have Encanto replace the Haunted Mansion or to see Big Thunder covered in snow to become an Elsa coaster. And that's not me being hyperbolic. I literally wouldn't be surprised, just disappointed.

And that's what people are also reeling from. The underlying knowledge that current management has no reverence for anything at the parks. Anything and everything is replaceable. So long as it's cost efficient and pushing a newer IP.

We park fans are from the generations that happen to have existed during a fascinating time in entertainment and technological evolution when theme parks, for us, were always there and certain rides could be depended on to always provide the same experiences. And a huge part of this was Disney’s long-lasting consistency with its product, artists, image and respect for its audience and its audience’s budgets… which was unique among all entertainment companies.

That was a very unusual combination of cool things synching together for several decades. But the Disney we grew up with is not the Disney that the company has become.

Things change, and the era of park attractions that last for decades and decades is a fairly recent development that might very well eventually run its course and be replaced by something else.

But, steering back toward the thread topic, I’m hoping TBA is a wonderful retheme, because, IMO, that would be really refreshing in the wake of the many rethemes Disney’s done that I find vastly inferior to the original attractions.

TBA won’t last forever either, but I hope it has a good long run like Splash 1.0 did, and brings smiles to millions of people during its existence in an era when theme parks are still things that exist. That’s really all a log flume could hope for.

 

[Rich T]

Right, but that doesn't mean it doesn't stink. Even though I'm not emotionally invested in Disneyland anymore, there is something sad about never being able to experience something again that I once loved.

And that’s normal, yes. That’s why I find it very helpful to build a vast, broad range of things to enjoy and be fascinated by. If I had a dime for every much-loved theme park attraction, tv series, restaurant, small business, public recreation offering or stage production I’ve watched go bye-bye, I could buy a Blaze pizza at Disney Springs.

Heck, a huge part of my life was spent browsing around in local bookshops. Anyone remember bookshops?????

 

[_caleb]

We live at a particular point in time when certain theme park attractions have existed throughout our lives.

And for many, the theme parks do feel permanent.

In my opinion, this is what happens when they leave the parks stagnant too long—they get stuck in a losing battle w/expectations and nostalgia.

They should change out all the screen and show-based rides frequently. CBJ, Star Tours, SW:SR, FoP, etc. then, periodically, for a limited time only, bring them back.

Keep us guessing and always wanting more! Try new things and don’t be afraid to go back to successful versions!

 

[Californian Elitist]

Right, but that doesn't mean it doesn't stink. Even though I'm not emotionally invested in Disneyland anymore, there is something sad about never being able to experience something again that I once loved.

Never said it doesn’t suck. It does, sometimes. But it’s something that should be expected. Change has been occurring for decades.

It’s not worth getting super pi$$ed off about.

 

[Rich T]

In my opinion, this is what happens when they leave the parks stagnant too long—they get stuck in a losing battle w/expectations and nostalgia.

They should change out all the screen and show-based rides frequently. CBJ, Star Tours, SW:SR, FoP, etc. then, periodically, for a limited time only, bring them back.

Keep us guessing and always wanting more! Try new things and don’t be afraid to go back to successful versions!

I’m glad to see them trying a new show for the Bears. Beyond that, though, I’m not sure devoting time and money for overlays of existing attractions would bring in enough additional business to be worth the cost compared to putting that budget toward something new, particularly at WDW. It might be a better strategy at locals-dominated DLR.

For me, WDW feels stale in many ways, and new shows for existing screen-based attractions wouldn’t help much IMO (though it certainly wouldn’t hurt!)

The parks at WDW need more attractions, period. They need more capacity, more variety and more of the unexpected. And they need to be more affordable, easier to experience, and less tethered to phones.