Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[Consumer]

The idea to retheme and close it was inevitable. A huge media corporation like Disney cannot continue to operate a major attraction based on a film as (unintentionally) offensive (so much so that the company is erasing every trace of it ) as Song of the South.

Potentially, but doing so as a knee jerk reaction to Twitter was undeniably a mistake. They rushed every aspect of this makeover to please a loud minority and now have a product nobody wants.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

It is funny because of how dumb it is. Someone mentioned the Co-Op merch is being made in Chinese sweatshops and sold by a company undergoing labor disputes. I then said its sometimes hard to hold yourself to the same standard as you want the world to be. For instance, I hate Amazon and what it has done to commerce and yet I still use them constantly because it is convenient. And ever since I have been banned on the other forum.

Welcome to the club!

 

[Brer Oswald]

Potentially, but doing so as a knee jerk reaction to Twitter was undeniably a mistake. They rushed every aspect of this makeover to please a loud minority and now have a product nobody wants.

I knew how this would pan out in 2020 when we only had the one (good) piece of concept art. It’s hard to retheme such a purposefully designed attraction, as Splash was, and expect equally successful results. It’s even harder when you choose a theme that isn’t exclusively critter based.

I don’t thing Splash “needed” to go, but their attitude on the Brer characters outside of the park definitely needed to change in order for the ride to survive. That’s not happening under Iger’s watch. It’s odd to me how they could be so hypocritical giving Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pocahontas, etc a pass while the Brer characters in isolation of their animated and theme park appearances are such a nothingburger in comparison. Oh well.

 

[dreamfinding]

LIt’s odd to me how they could be so hypocritical giving Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pocahontas, etc a pass while the Brer characters in isolation of their animated and theme park appearances are such a nothingburger in comparison. Oh well.

My favorite thing in Disneyland is that you can experience being a circus animal by riding in the cages on Casey Jr.

 

[mickEblu]

I Swear guys. I had nothing to do with this.

 

[Consumer]

I wonder how different Splash Mountain's replacement would have turned out had they not forced it to be Princess and the Frog. A Bambi flume ride may not have been the most demanded, but it would have been an ideal thematic replacement for Splash Mountain. Unfortunately I fear Disney would find the idea of a hunter too problematic to include in a theme park attraction. If it's not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, it's too dark for Disneyland.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

It is funny because of how dumb it is. Someone mentioned the Co-Op merch is being made in Chinese sweatshops and sold by a company undergoing labor disputes. I then said its sometimes hard to hold yourself to the same standard as you want the world to be. For instance, I hate Amazon and what it has done to commerce and yet I still use them constantly because it is convenient. And ever since I have been banned on the other forum.

Isn't that all Disney merchandise though? Like I'm sure my beloved Br'er dolls were manufactured in a sweatshop.

Produced with only the best and most organic blood, sweat, and tears from underpaid labor workers!

 

[TP2000]

WDW is pumping out info and offerings for Tiana's new ride now. This ride photo package is baffling to me. It's available for the low-low price of $32.95, and includes a bunch of immersive pieces of paper in addition to your photo.

"Celebrating Mardi Gras With Princess Tiana"??? We were doing that? That was never mentioned on the ride. The words Mardi Gras are not found on any of the ride's banners announcing the party.

No one said or sang a word about it being Mardi Gras.

You get a little thank you card from Princess Tiana that starts with "Thank you for coming to our Mardi Gras celebration!"

Plus a postcard showing the happy Cooperative workers placing the tiara on the Employee Owned water tower. And two recipe cards for Tiana's beignets and gumbo, and a keepsake picture of Mama Odie.

I like the overall folio design; it's classy and themed well. But it just seems to add more to the confusion and plot problems on this ride. Did anyone know this ride was about Mardi Gras? It's not mentioned anywhere in the dialogue or lyrics.

 

[Rich T]

I knew how this would pan out in 2020 when we only had the one (good) piece of concept art. It’s hard to retheme such a purposefully designed attraction, as Splash was, and expect equally successful results. It’s even harder when you choose a theme that isn’t exclusively critter based.

I don’t thing Splash “needed” to go, but their attitude on the Brer characters outside of the park definitely needed to change in order for the ride to survive. That’s not happening under Iger’s watch. It’s odd to me how they could be so hypocritical giving Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pocahontas, etc a pass while the Brer characters in isolation of their animated and theme park appearances are such a nothingburger in comparison. Oh well.

One main difference is that Peter Pan and Dumbo are excellent, much-loved movies. SotS is not. It’s not hypocrisy; if SotS was a genuinely great movie, there would probably have been money and effort put toward putting it into historical context for the GP, redubbing/altering certain scenes, etc. As it was, Iger screened it before making a decision, and I don’t blame him for not wanting to spend one second of his career defending what is—when it comes down to it—a very weak, boring (and unintentionally offensive) film.

And, unfortunately, all the good music, character designs, performances and animation got dragged down into oblivion along with it.

 

[Rich T]

WDW is pumping out info and offerings for Tiana's new ride now. This ride photo package is baffling to me. It's available for the low-low price of $32.95, and includes a bunch of immersive pieces of paper in addition to your photo.

"Celebrating Mardi Gras With Princess Tiana"??? We were doing that? That was never mentioned on the ride. The words Mardi Gras are not found on any of the ride's banners announcing the party.

No one said or sang a word about it being Mardi Gras.

You get a little thank you card from Princess Tiana that starts with "Thank you for coming to our Mardi Gras celebration!"

Plus a postcard showing the happy Cooperative workers placing the tiara on the Employee Owned water tower. And two recipe cards for Tiana's beignets and gumbo, and a keepsake picture of Mama Odie.

I like the overall folio design; it's classy and themed well. But it just seems to add more to the confusion and plot problems on this ride. Did anyone know this ride was about Mardi Gras? It's not mentioned anywhere in the dialogue or lyrics.

And I will be purchasing none of it. Ever. Money saved toward an Epic Universe vacation!

 

[Rich T]

A Bambi flume ride may not have been the most demanded, but it would have been an ideal thematic replacement for Splash Mountain. Unfortunately I fear Disney would find the idea of a hunter too problematic to include in a theme park attraction. If it's not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, it's too dark for Disneyland.

At the top of the big lift:
“Run, Bambi! Run!!!!”
*RIFLE SHOT*
The big drop.
“We made it, Mother! Mother?”
You hear Bambi’s cry for his mom echoing here and there as you drift toward finale.
Finale: All dark except for Bambi’s Dad staring down at you.
“Your mother can’t be with you anymore.”
Finale scene at last turn: Bambi crying.
Somber music along exit path.
Outside there’s a cart selling venison jerky.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

if SotS was a genuinely great movie, there would probably would have been money and effort put toward putting it into historical context for the GP, redubbing/altering certain scenes, etc.

Regardless, I feel SotS should be put in a historical context for general public like they did with Gone With The Wind and the racist Looney Tunes shorts from the 1940s.

 

[Brer Oswald]

One main difference is that Peter Pan and Dumbo are excellent, much-loved movies. SotS is not. It’s not hypocrisy; if SotS was a genuinely great movie, there would probably would have been money and effort put toward putting it into historical context for the GP, redubbing/altering certain scenes, etc. As it was, Iger screened it before making a decision, and I don’t blame him for not wanting to spend one second of his career defending what is—when it comes down to it—a very weak, boring (and unintentionally offensive) film.

And, unfortunately, all the good music, character designs, performances and animation got dragged down into oblivion along with it.

The movie might not be well loved, but the ride absolutely was. The music, iconography, and characters are a huge part of why. I know Iger, in his infinite lack of respect for the parks, doesn’t think that counts for much, but I wouldn’t suspect theme park fans on a discussion board dedicated to Disney Parks could wave that away so easily.

 

[Rich T]

Regardless, I feel SotS should be put in a historical context for general public like they did with Gone With The Wind and the racist Looney Tunes shorts from the 1940s.

It’ll resurface in that context eventually. Plenty of people bought the Japanese laserdisc, and the film will become public domain in a couple of decades. Maybe a future Disney management will actually find it beneficial to handle a retrospective look at the film themselves instead of leaving it to another company.

 

[Jedi14]

Can someone explain why others are saying the plot for the ride is considered too “juvenile” compared to other rides? That’s the one complaint I don’t really understand.

 

[Gusey]

In case anyone was was wondering about the lack of Naveen in the ride, the queue claims he is in charge of finishing setting up the decorations for the party:

 

[Gusey]

Same To Do List has references to Imagineers Carmen Smith, Charita Carter and Tiana inspiration Leah Chase
View attachment 790687

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

It’ll resurface in that context eventually. Plenty of people bought the Japanese laserdisc, and the film will become public domain in a couple of decades. Maybe a future Disney management will actually find it beneficial to handle a retrospective look at the film themselves instead of leaving it to another company.

The film can be viewed via Archive.org and I believe bootlegs are fairly easy to buy.

 

[Kyle’s Dad Sent Me]

Regardless, I feel SotS should be put in a historical context for general public like they did with Gone With The Wind and the racist Looney Tunes shorts from the 1940s.

Gone with the Wind and Looney Tunes are two of the most important pieces of film history and have retained that status for nearly a century. Song of the South meanwhile for the last 30-40 years has had a reputation as “the banned Disney movie” to even casual audiences. That’s been the film’s entire legacy for decades now, and only viewed through a lens of it being a forbidden object. It’s a fetishized pop culture urban legend. It sits culturally next to those articles about Disneyland deaths.

This is also the larger issue of film preservation when historical art is owned by modern media mega-companies. A problematic but historically significant piece of fine art can be given context within an educational environment like a museum, but Disney movies are family entertainment sold in Blu-Ray combo packs at Target or exist as a tile on an app next to Elemental and Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.

 

[Rich T]

The movie might not be well loved, but the ride absolutely was. The music, iconography, and characters are a huge part of why. I know Iger, in his infinite lack of respect for the parks, doesn’t think that counts for much, but I wouldn’t suspect theme park fans on a discussion board dedicated to Disney Parks could wave that away so easily.

But theme park fans are not calling the shots, Bob Iger is. In the context of what Disney has become (a huge media corporation playing with newly acquired toys like Star Wars and Marvel), Splash Mtn., with its ties to a movie they’re pretending doesn’t exist, became a thing that, in their eyes, could be converted into something more merchandise-able and less potentially an issue.

And now even I, a huge PatF fan, am dismayed at the results. Had they simply given the ride the PatF makeover that nearly everyone was envisioning—With Facilier scaring riders in the old Laughing Place section and “Are you ReAAADYYY???” playing on the lift to the big drop— This could have been amazing. But somewhere along the way some less than stellar creative choices were made (IMO), and we got a ride that seems like a very expensive episode of a Playhouse Disney show. With a 50 foot drop.