Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[Disney Analyst]

So Tiana is going into a salt mine to find a tiny band of critter musicians for her party.

That is the driving narrative behind this massive E ticket attraction?

If this and Frozen Ever After are examples of WDI’s ability to create “new stories”, I will never complain about “book report” rides again.

Good lord.

No.

The Salt Dome is simply the setting we float around when outside the attraction. Currently once you enter the show building, you are floating down the river into a bayou, which is a new outdoor setting (inside a show building).

 

[mlayton144]

I don’t feel like we learned anything new today. What changed? What the “secret ingredient” is?

Yes , it’s music or so I think. If this attraction can pull off a fun ride through the bayou full of music and critters it’s can be as simple as that. I’m guessing each scene is going to feature a musician and after the big drop you will get the full band together. That’s what Disney needs - simple and fun. It will all be in the execution though, I was worried we were gonna get a lesson as a story line

 

[Adventureland Veranda]

While I'm thrilled to hear they are including the fabulous songs from the movie (and the riverboat show) from PATF, I'm a little ticked off that the "secret ingredient" isn't love, or community, or cooperation, or family, or you.

If the secret ingredient is the cute little animal band that plays at all the best bayou parties, that seems like a ride concept that is almost normal and fun. How did they get that one slipped past HR?

WWI Falls concept art will be released to take the fun away.

 

[mickEblu]

Yes , it’s music or so I think. If this attraction can pull off a fun ride through the bayou full of music and critters it’s can be as simple as that. I’m guessing each scene is going to feature a musician and after the big drop you will get the full band together. That’s what Disney needs - simple and fun. It will all be in the execution though, I was worried we were gonna get a lesson as a story line

I see. I guess it didn't really change my perception of what the ride is going to be. As bad as the marketing has been and how non-whimsical the queue sounds, Ive always figured that critter band will be part of the old "How do you do" scenes although it’s nice to get confirmation of a rendition “Going Down the Bayou” there. Then I figured Laughing Place is where they could/ would/ should introduce some sort of drama ( rumored to be we get shrunk down and perhaps escape gators or maybe even a late addition of Facilier) then Mama Odie on the lift hill and a Mardi Gras finale that will most likely pale in comparison to Splash Mountain.

I always figured there would be at least 2-3 renditions of original songs from the movie. Disappointing that “Friends on the other side is probably not one.

What would change my perception would be a confirmation of Facilier/ Friends on the other side/ any drama and confirmation of 50+ AAs with fully fleshed out sets.

Maybe you’re onto something with the picking up a band member every scene. I guess that and a more dramatic laughin place/ burrows lament scene could both be true. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

 

[Rich T]

I don’t feel like we learned anything new today. What changed? What the “secret ingredient” is?

We learned there’s been “ …a bit of a mix-up between Prince Naveen and Louis. Uh-oh!…”

And to think we worried there’d be no conflict or dramatic tension on this ride….

 

[mlayton144]

I see. I guess it didn't really change my perception of what the ride is going to be. As bad as the marketing has been and how non-whimsical the queue sounds, Ive always figured that critter band will be part of the old "How do you do" scenes although it’s nice to get confirmation of a rendition “Going Down the Bayou” there. Then I figured Laughing Place is where they could/ would/ should introduce some sort of drama ( rumored to be we get shrunk down and perhaps escape gators or maybe even a late addition of Facilier) then Mama Odie on the lift hill and a Mardi Gras finale that will most likely pale in comparison to Splash Mountain.

I always figured there would be at least 2-3 renditions of original songs from the movie. Disappointing that “Friends on the other side is probably not one.

What would change my perception would be a confirmation of Facilier/ Friends on the other side/ any drama and confirmation of 50+ AAs with fully fleshed out sets.

Maybe you’re onto something with the picking up a band member every scene. I guess that and a more dramatic laughin place/ burrows lament scene could both be true. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Good point about adding drama , it needs some kind of tension to lead up to the drop where things get dark. Maybe my expectations were low but I think can be good (if they had to remove splash). My fav part of splash other than the ride was the great tie in of the music

 

[mickEblu]

Considering the size of these critters it’s hard to imagine them having a big impact on the finale unless they’re a whole lot of them. Splash had large anthropomorphic animals and it had a lot of them in that scene. I dunno, maybe with some good staging and in conjunction with the human AAs + Louis they can do something good? They really should have preserved as much of that old Splash finale as possible.

 

[mickEblu]

We learned there’s been “ …a bit of a mix-up between Prince Naveen and Louis. Uh-oh!…”

And to think we worried there’d be no conflict or dramatic tension on this ride….

Haha sorry I don’t think I’m following. As in Tiana is sleeping with Louis? Lol.

 

[mickEblu]

Good point about adding drama , it needs some kind of tension to lead up to the drop where things get dark. Maybe my expectations were low but I think can be good (if they had to remove splash). My fav part of splash other than the ride was the great tie in of the music

Yeah i think at the very least it will be “good”/ fun as it still has the ride system/ ride layout/ drops/ thrills with some of the original music from the movie and at least a mostly whimsical setting when it comes to the ride itself. It’s the other things that I’d like to get confirmation of that would elevate it from just being baseline “good” to fulfilling most people’s expectations as well as its own potential.

 

[Rich T]

Haha sorry I don’t think I’m following. As in Tiana is sleeping with Louis? Lol.

I don’t think so. I think by “mix-up” they mean argument (though a fistfight would be awesome). They could certainly have worded that better.

Two ways this plot could turn out great:

1) By “Naveen and Louis having a mix-up” they actually mean the two accidentally swapped heads.

2) The ghost of Dr. Facillier kidnaps Gritty The Rabbit Who Likes License Plates Maybe Too Much and makes Bunny Gumbo.

 

[mickEblu]

And I think that is why they changed this blog post to say "missing ingredient" rather than "secret ingredient".

I didn’t even realize they changed the verbiage. This would seem to indicate a script change or maybe just somebody waking up.

 

[mickEblu]

I don’t think so. I think by “mix-up” they mean argument (though though a fistfight would be awesome). They could certainly have worded that better.

Three ways this plot could turn out great:

1) By “Naveen and Louis having a mix-up” they actually mean the two accidentally swapped heads.

2) The ghost of Dr. Facillier kidnaps Gritty The Rabbit Who Likes License Plates Maybe Too Much and makes Bunny Gumbo.

What’s # 3?

 

[Disney-Universal Fanboy]

Pooh never belonged in Critter country in the first place: it is a story from England. Y’know what did fit there? Country Bears!!!!

They are animals tho, and the surrounding area and gift shop bakery is really well don if you ask me

 

[Rich T]

What’s # 3?

Whoops—That’s what happens when I try to cook dinner and post online simultaneously. Numbed three got the axe. It was too cynical. I went back and changed the post.

 

[Rich T]

They are animals tho, and the surrounding area and gift shop bakery is really well don if you ask me

Agreed. If the ride had turned out good enough to make up for losing the Country Bears, the England setting of Pooh wouldn’t bug me.

 

[DavidDL]

Ahh, thanks all for the clarification. I missed the bit in their release about where the aforementioned Critter band encounter occurs. I think I was getting thrown off too because the first bit of artwork has the riders in seemingly calmer waters (which reminds me more of the end) whereas I feel like the log still has some speed to it after that first drop and into that first show scene. At least, in Disneyland's version.

Also, every comment I make regarding Splash should probably come with some kind of disclaimer regarding WDW's version because I've only ridden that one once or twice in my life and don't remember much. At least, in terms of pacing, etc.

 

[Professortango1]

Agreed. If the ride had turned out good enough to make up for losing the Country Bears, the England setting of Pooh wouldn’t bug me.

And Pooh isn't really English. Not in Disney's application of the character and world.

 

[MisterPenguin]

So Tiana is going into a salt mine to find a tiny band of critter musicians for her party.

Yes, indeed. It will be splendid that 80% of the ride will be bare, white walls. An ode to minimalism.

 

[Disney Irish]

I didn’t even realize they changed the verbiage. This would seem to indicate a script change or maybe just somebody waking up.

As far as I remember they've been using the "missing ingredient" description for awhile, such as this blog post from last year -

Disney Reveals New Storyline for Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Walt Disney Imagineering shares next chapter in Tiana's story, as part of Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction experience coming to Disneyland Park and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.

disneyparks.disney.go.com

"Tiana wants to give a big thanks to her family and friends and the entire community for all the support they’ve given her by throwing an amazing party during Mardi Gras season. When it turns out there’s been a bit of a mix-up with the party preparations, Tiana invites us to meet her at Tiana’s Foods to help with the missing ingredient for the party."

So I don't think its a script change, per se, I think it was just previous blog posts were being purposely vague so they could slow drip out the plot points over time. And I think some just took that "missing" meant "secret" (or maybe a 2020 blog post said "secret" I dunno) and that meant something silly like it being the guests, or love, or something.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The missing ingredient was an anthropomorphic critter zydeco band in our hearts the whole time!