Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

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.

Song of the South's reputation could've been easily cleared up had the company released it with a content warning attached to it, but there's no way they'd do that now.

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.

Years ago back in the 2000s, Disney released a variety of titles under its Walt Disney Treasures collection. Included amongst these were chronological releases containing all of the Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoon shorts. All of the racially insensitive cartoons were included as this was an adult-oriented set intended for collectors instead of the general public.

Something like this was considered for Song of the South, but Disney ultimately put their foot down and said no. So that's why we have a DVD of Annette from The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse instead of something deserving of being included in the collection.

 

[TP2000]

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:

Which he didn't do. And Louis failed at booking a band. Because we all know that men are wildly incompetent and incapable of doing things correctly. Naveen is lucky Tiana lets him show up at these parties.

Thank goodness there were four other strong, capable, independent women on the To Do list who got their 'it done!

On the flip side to that HR approved plot, there was a mention in the press packets being distributed at WDW's media party today about Tiana's recipe for "man-catching beignets", which I found delightfully retro and honest.

How did that one slip past the DEI censors, I wonder?!?

 

[Rich T]

…So that's why we have a DVD of Annette from The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse instead of something deserving of being included in the collection.

*Ahem* That’s Mickey Mouse CLUB.

And I do believe that Annette and the MMC were absolutely worthy of their inclusion in the Treasures series. The MMC show was huge, both as a pop culture/tv history phenomenon and as a major step for Walt Disney Studios.

 

[EagleScout610]

The cast of PatF rode MK's version and Keith David's face pretty much sums it up-

 

[NobodyElse]

*Ahem* That’s Mickey Mouss CLUB.

*Ahem* Mouse.

 

[Rich T]

*Ahem* Mouse.

Thank you. Fixed. I’ll just…show myself out now…

 

[TP2000]

The cast of PatF rode MK's version and Keith David's face pretty much sums it up-
View attachment 790736View attachment 790737

"I'm sorry Mr. David, but your character is now problematic and has been erased from the plot. Happy Mardi Gras!"

 

[Disney Irish]

Thank you. Fixed. I’ll just…show myself out now…

Its ok you were just hungry at time..... I got your back.

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[Disgruntled Walt]

"I'm sorry Mr. David, but your character is now problematic and has been erased from the plot. Happy Mardi Gras Season!"

FTFY. Can't make it just Mardi Gras, that's too religious!

 

[Figments Friend]

No kidding. I don't think we knew how good we had it then, now that we can see what they gave us for Tiana's ride.

Has Mr. Baxter ever spoken about what it was like for him to get to, or perhaps be burdened with, using and re-using the Marc Davis animals from America Sings? He certainly meshed them all into Splash Mountain beautifully, and at the time back then only us Disneyland nerds knew where they came from, or could recognize which Act they performed in on America Sings.

The Swamp Boys perform "Polly Wolly Doodle" in Act II of America Sings, Presented by Del Monte

The Swamp Boys. A riff on The Beach Boys. Get it? WED was hip back then, I tell you!

Another great picture!


I am pretty sure I recall reading some of Tony’s comments years ago about what it was like to have that responsibility of moving and keeping the ‘America Sings’ figures operational.
He enjoyed that show back when it was running, and he loved those character figures so wanted to do what he could to try to save them.
So they were included in the cast for ‘Splash Mountain’ almost from the start.

Some claim the figures were only saved because ‘Splash Mountain’ was way over budget and it was a desperation move.
They couldn’t afford the time or money for new figures, so reused the recently evicted critters from ‘Sings’.
I don’t buy that story…as I know I have heard Tony say he wanted to save those figures and they were always planned to be included in the ‘Zip-a-Dee River Run’.
The early storyboards and concept works show this to be true.

-

 

[Ghost93]

Song of the South's reputation could've been easily cleared up had the company released it with a content warning attached to it, but there's no way they'd do that now.

Years ago back in the 2000s, Disney released a variety of titles under its Walt Disney Treasures collection. Included amongst these were chronological releases containing all of the Mickey, Donald, and Goofy cartoon shorts. All of the racially insensitive cartoons were included as this was an adult-oriented set intended for collectors instead of the general public.

Something like this was considered for Song of the South, but Disney ultimately put their foot down and said no. So that's why we have a DVD of Annette from The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse instead of something deserving of being included in the collection.

I agree that the treasures series would have been the right way to release the film. It wouldn't have sold many copies (only about 100,000-250,000 sets were made of each volume and I couldn't see Disney approving creating more than 500,000 copies for SOTS), but it would have put the movie in historic context and diminished its status as a "forbidden" banned Disney movie.

I also think the reputation of the Brer characters could been salvaged had Disney done more with them outside of Song of the South. Maybe if Brer Rabbit got a Disney Afternoon TV show or a couple of direct-to-video movies, he could have established more of an identity separate from the problematic film. Kids riding Splash Mountain could ask where the character came from and a parent could say "Oh, from the Brer Rabbit TV show" instead of 'oh, from the BANNED racist Disney movie."

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

I also think the reputation of the Brer characters could been salvaged had Disney done more with them outside of Song of the South. Maybe if Brer Rabbit got a Disney Afternoon TV show or a couple of direct-to-video movies, he could have established more of an identity separate from the problematic film. Kids riding Splash Mountain could ask where the character came from and a parent could say "Oh, from the Brer Rabbit TV show" instead of 'oh, from the BANNED racist Disney movie."

I brought this up in the WDW Tiana thread so I'll quote that post here:

There actually were plans for something like this back in the early aughts called Splash Mountain Boys that explained the whole backstory behind Splash Mountain and why Chick-A-Pin Hill got flooded.

View attachment 789075
View attachment 789076

This was something only found out about VERY recently, as an auction site had a listing for Splash Mountain Boys back in March of this year (that's 2024 for you future readers). Additionally, an animated series called Disney's Critter Country was being developed in the 90s for the Disney Afternoon with Br'er Fox as the main villain. There were definitely attempts to distance the characters from their problematic origins.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I agree that the treasures series would have been the right way to release the film. It wouldn't have sold many copies (only about 100,000-250,000 sets were made of each volume and I couldn't see Disney approving creating more than 500,000 copies for SOTS), but it would have put the movie in historic context and diminished its status as a "forbidden" banned Disney movie.

I also think the reputation of the Brer characters could been salvaged had Disney done more with them outside of Song of the South. Maybe if Brer Rabbit got a Disney Afternoon TV show or a couple of direct-to-video movies, he could have established more of an identity separate from the problematic film. Kids riding Splash Mountain could ask where the character came from and a parent could say "Oh, from the Brer Rabbit TV show" instead of 'oh, from the BANNED racist Disney movie."

There was a genuine effort put forth to do both of these, but Iger shot them down. Floyd Norman, Disney’s first black animator, lobbied for something for awhile and kept getting turned away.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

There was a genuine effort put forth to do both of these, but Iger shot them down. Floyd Norman, Disney’s first black animator, lobbied for something for awhile and kept getting turned away.

This getting announced in Summer 2020 only to get immediately pulled hurts on an immense level. I cannot imagine being Mr. Norman and finally managing to score a win only for the company you lobbied against for so long to pull the plug.

 

[Ghost93]

There was a genuine effort put forth to do both of these, but Iger shot them down. Floyd Norman, Disney’s first black animator, lobbied for something for awhile and kept getting turned away.

Oh, the attempts to create new media with Brer Rabbit would have needed to start in the Eisner era, before the public was aware that the Disney company was trying to actively separate the characters from Song of the South. I think it would have been too awkward for the Disney company to randomly start making new Brer Rabbit cartoons in the mid 2000s, when Iger took over.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

Oh, the attempts to create new media with Brer Rabbit would have needed to start in the Eisner era, before the public was aware that the Disney company was trying to actively separate the characters from Song of the South. I think it would have been too awkward for the Disney company to randomly start making new Brer Rabbit cartoons in the mid 2000s, when Iger took over.

It's funny you say that because Eisner was so heavily against putting the film on VHS with a content advisory disclaimer.

 

[Ghost93]

It's funny you say that because Eisner was so heavily against putting the film on VHS with a content advisory disclaimer.

Eisner was uneasy about SOTS but he was comfortable enough with it to do a theatrical re-release in 86 and greenlight Splash Mountain. Between him and Iger, Eisner would be more likely to give such a Brer Rabbit spinoff an okay.

And while internally SOTS was probably being softly banned in the 90s, I don't think the general public released its status as a banned property until the early 2000s.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Another great picture!


I am pretty sure I recall reading some of Tony’s comments years ago about what it was like to have that responsibility of moving and keeping the ‘America Sings’ figures operational.
He enjoyed that show back when it was running, and he loved those character figures so wanted to do what he could to try to save them.
So they were included in the cast for ‘Splash Mountain’ almost from the start.

Some claim the figures were only saved because ‘Splash Mountain’ was way over budget and it was a desperation move.
They couldn’t afford the time or money for new figures, so reused the recently evicted critters from ‘Sings’.
I don’t buy that story…as I know I have heard Tony say he wanted to save those figures and they were always planned to be included in the ‘Zip-a-Dee River Run’.
The early storyboards and concept works show this to be true.

-

The America Sings figures are in all of the concepts for Splash Mountain, so I've never bought the 'they used them to save on the budget' story either, it has no grounds in reality.

It's also worth noting that some of the America Sings designs are almost identical to Davis's work in America sings- like the possums. It's a natural fit.

 

[SuddenStorm]

No kidding. I don't think we knew how good we had it then, now that we can see what they gave us for Tiana's ride.

Has Mr. Baxter ever spoken about what it was like for him to get to, or perhaps be burdened with, using and re-using the Marc Davis animals from America Sings? He certainly meshed them all into Splash Mountain beautifully, and at the time back then only us Disneyland nerds knew where they came from, or could recognize which Act they performed in on America Sings.

The Swamp Boys perform "Polly Wolly Doodle" in Act II of America Sings, Presented by Del Monte

The Swamp Boys. A riff on The Beach Boys. Get it? WED was hip back then, I tell you!

Let's just take a second to appreciate that this set from the '70s is a more convincing 'Bayou' than what WDI just delivered with their myriad of research projects.

 

[Avastindy]

Let's just take a second to appreciate that this set from the '70s is a more convincing 'Bayou' than what WDI just delivered with their myriad of research projects.

I'd venture to say that Pirate's bayou is also more convincing. Where's the flying fireflies in the new Tiana Hobby Lobby Aisle ride??