Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[Tony the Tigger]

For me, the surprising/dismaying part is that here Disney gives me the impression that they put merchandising first, story last.

I keep trying to be charitable, and imagine their thinking went along the lines of, “Ok, people loved Splash Mountain’s abundance of musical animals. That’s an element we can bring back.” But there’s no substance behind it. These are nobody characters, on and off ride. A few words on a shop poster does not instantly make them anything more than what they are: Soulless merch.

Now, if they were part of an original attraction with a great premise (and better character design), well great! The parks SHOULD introduce new characters.

But this was in PLACE of better utilizing the PatF cast of characters that people already know and love. It’s almost as if Disney didn’t have enough faith in the IP and, rather than embracing the fun, thrilling and scary elements of that world (which is a PERFECT fit for a potentially great, great ride) they dumbed everything down and introduced this cast of wanna-be Care Bears and Emmett Otter castoffs who one can imagine arriving in their agent’s van and saying, “Yeah, we know you wanted Facilier’s ghost or something, but instead you got us. Introduce ourselves??? Didn’t ya read the press releases? We got BACKSTORY, man!”

Thank God I don’t think this way.

First of all, they can’t win. If they use all the IP, they’re “not creative enough” without IP.

If they make original characters, you want - what - instant nostalgia? No. Go on the ride for 20 years, and then if they try to move one of those characters: How dare they? The magic is gone! We’ve loved critter #13 for so long! Maybe they’ll bring it back with Figment and the Jungle Cruise natives in Horizons! The splash at the end just doesn’t feel as splashy without him.

Wait for the live action movie and you’ll have more backstory.

 

[Consumer]

If they make original characters, you want - what - instant nostalgia? No.

Except there are plenty of recent examples that do this, such as the Hungry Bear sign. A completely static figure and yet has more soul than any of the characters in TBA.

 

[mickEblu]

Except there are plenty of recent examples that do this, such as the Hungry Bear sign. A completely static figure and yet has more soul than any of the characters in TBA.
View attachment 796156

Oh that Beautiful beautiful sign. Of course it’s all about expectations.

TBA with its two dozen crappy figures replacing one of the all time great Disney attractions and dozens of charming America Sings AAs = very high expectations.

Sign that nobody expected or asked for = Pleasant surprise

Then there is also the workmanship. Compare that Hungry Bear sign to all the signage and banners in TBA.

 

[Rich T]

Thank God I don’t think this way.

First of all, they can’t win. If they use all the IP, they’re “not creative enough” without IP.

If they make original characters, you want - what - instant nostalgia? No. Go on the ride for 20 years, and then if they try to move one of those characters: How dare they? The magic is gone! We’ve loved critter #13 for so long! Maybe they’ll bring it back with Figment and the Jungle Cruise natives in Horizons! The splash at the end just doesn’t feel as splashy without him.

Wait for the live action movie and you’ll have more backstory.

Hi, Tony the Tigger. Did you read my entire post? Because I did address the point you bring up. It’s buried in there somewhere.

I try not to start posts with comments like “Thank God I don’t think this way.” I try not to make assumptions about the way other fans think.

Ok. I respect your opinion, and your comment about instant nostalgia and the passage of time is spot-on.

But here is my opinion: It’s all about the end result. If it works, great. IP or original, the end result is what matters, and DL parks, in the past, have presented a great combo of both types of attractions.

In this case, it doesn’t work for me.

With Tiana’s Bayou “Adventure”, they have wasted, IMO, an opportunity to make a fantastic ride. Instead, they removed all the thrills and fun of the source material and focused on an assortment of generic-looking animal characters (Rufus and Larry excluded because at least they aren’t stuck with those sappy smiles on their faces). WHY? Best case scenario: They wanted to replicate the “Mountain of Musical Animals” element Splash was famous for. Fair enough. I think the end result is awkward and clumsy.

Disney is capable of being far, far better than this.

That doesn’t mean the ride is worthless or doesn’t provide some fun. In my review, I pointed out the things I believe are done spectacularly well. And I think TBA’s issues could be fixed in the future, maybe by a team given permission to actually provide an element of danger/conflict to the story.

This is all just my opinion. If you think TBA is the “bee’s knees” (to quote Tiana), and you love the new animals, great! Enjoy! That’s awesome!

The ride and its area are full of elements I think we can both agree are excellent.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Hi, Tony the Tigger. Did you read my entire post? Because I did address the point you bring up. It’s buried in there somewhere.

I try not to start posts with comments like “Thank God I don’t think this way.” I try not to make assumptions about the way other fans think.

Ok. I respect your opinion, and your comment about instant nostalgia and the passage of time is spot-on.

But here is my opinion: It’s all about the end result. If it works, great. IP or original, the end result is what matters, and DL parks, in the past, have presented a great combo of both types of attractions.

In this case, it doesn’t work for me.

With Tiana’s Bayou “Adventure”, they have wasted, IMO, an opportunity to make a fantastic ride. Instead, they removed all the thrills and fun of the source material and focused on an assortment of generic-looking animal characters (Rufus and Larry excluded because at least they aren’t stuck with those sappy smiles on their faces). WHY? Best case scenario: They wanted to replicate the “Mountain of Musical Animals” element Splash was famous for. Fair enough. I think the end result is awkward and clumsy.

Disney is capable of being far, far better than this.

That doesn’t mean the ride is worthless or doesn’t provide some fun. In my review, I pointed out the things I believe are done spectacularly well. And I think TBA’s issues could be fixed in the future, maybe by a team given permission to actually provide an element of danger/conflict to the story.

This is all just my opinion. If you think TBA is the “bee’s knees” (to quote Tiana), and you love the new animals, great! Enjoy! That’s awesome!

The ride and its area are full of elements I think we can both agree are excellent.

Thanks for your opinion.

I haven’t seen it yet, my AP expired several weeks ago, and I think we’re doing a DCL before buying new ones.

How different can an incidental critter replica be, and how bad can it be that it upsets you so?

 

[SuddenStorm]

I mean, sure, but let's not pretend that Splash was well-known for always having all of its AAs working flawlessly, especially in the last 15 years or so of its life.

It was practically a competition between Splash and Indy to see which ride could have the most broken effects/AAs/etc at any given time for well over a decade.

The poor maintenance of Splash was inexcusable, and also something to call Disney out on. Especially when Pirates across the way basically always has almost all of it's animatronics working fine- and those were theoretically older than Splash's.

But there's a difference between a 20+ year old attraction that's using about 100 40+ year old animatronics having ones that don't work and other issues- then a brand new headliner attraction having animatronics that stopped working during the previews.

In Splash, if a few geese weren't moving it was often hard to tell due to the staging and pace of the attraction, and the sheer volume. Still inexcusable, but it is what it is.

With Tiana, when you only have one real animatronic per scene if that isn't working right- it's a huge detriment to the show.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Oh that Beautiful beautiful sign. Of course it’s all about expectations.

TBA with its two dozen crappy figures replacing one of the all time great Disney attractions and dozens of charming America Sings AAs = very high expectations.

Sign that nobody expected or asked for = Pleasant surprise

Then there is also the workmanship. Compare that Hungry Bear sign to all the signage and banners in TBA.

Do we know if that sign was made by WDI, Raymond Kinman, or Disneyland's sign shop? We should figure out the provenance.

 

[Rich T]

Thanks for your opinion.

I haven’t seen it yet, my AP expired several weeks ago, and I think we’re doing a DCL before buying new ones.

How different can an incidental critter replica be, and how bad can it be that it upsets you so?

If you do the DCL, have a great cruise!!!

Regarding TBA discussions, please understand that when I criticize and joke about something, I am not upset about anything. Miffed, grumpy, a bit disappointed, sure. In the end, this is all just entertainment we’re talking about. Fan forums are the place for discussing the nitty gritty details of the hobbies we enjoy.

So, regarding the new critters… To me they look generic and sappy. They are not up to the character design quality of the original PatF cast, IMO.

But let me add this: Guests in the Critter Co-Op shop seemed to LOVE the new characters. And, like I mentioned in my review, if I had ended up loving the new ride, I might have looked upon their debut a bit more kindly and bought the $200+ resin featuring them frolicking around the water tower. But the ride disappointed me and the critters are part of the reason, since the ride’s creators chose to focus the entire story on the new characters and sideline most of the PatF cast.

Imagine if Disney rethemed MK’s Peter Pan ride into an Alice in Wonderland ride. And fans were upset to lose Peter Pan, but looking forward to a Florida Alice ride. Sounds fun, right?

But then imagine if, when the Alice ride opened, its focus was on a new cast of Mushroom Trolls that have nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland. Now, maybe the Mushroom Trolls would have been fine in their own, original ride… but as the main focus of an Alice in Wonderland ride??? Why???

Like that.

TBA is still fun. I just think its “story” is far too bland and puts the focus in the wrong place.

 

[mickEblu]

Do we know if that sign was made by WDI, Raymond Kinman, or Disneyland's sign shop? We should figure out the provenance.

I don't know but I do know that he/she did not work on Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

 

[PiratesMansion]

The poor maintenance of Splash was inexcusable, and also something to call Disney out on. Especially when Pirates across the way basically always has almost all of it's animatronics working fine- and those were theoretically older than Splash's.

But there's a difference between a 20+ year old attraction that's using about 100 40+ year old animatronics having ones that don't work and other issues- then a brand new headliner attraction having animatronics that stopped working during the previews.

In Splash, if a few geese weren't moving it was often hard to tell due to the staging and pace of the attraction, and the sheer volume. Still inexcusable, but it is what it is.

With Tiana, when you only have one real animatronic per scene if that isn't working right- it's a huge detriment to the show.

Could just be an example of WDW maintenance sucking at everything as they always do.

It will be interesting to see if the DL version AAs have the same issues.

 

[SplashMountainArchives]

Took my new camera for a test run while at the park, still learning how to use it but here is an update

``

 

[Tony the Tigger]

If you do the DCL, have a great cruise!!!

Regarding TBA discussions, please understand that when I criticize and joke about something, I am not upset about anything. Miffed, grumpy, a bit disappointed, sure. In the end, this is all just entertainment we’re talking about. Fan forums are the place for discussing the nitty gritty details of the hobbies we enjoy.

So, regarding the new critters… To me they look generic and sappy. They are not up to the character design quality of the original PatF cast, IMO.

But let me add this: Guests in the Critter Co-Op shop seemed to LOVE the new characters. And, like I mentioned in my review, if I had ended up loving the new ride, I might have looked upon their debut a bit more kindly and bought the $200+ resin featuring them frolicking around the water tower. But the ride disappointed me and the critters are part of the reason, since the ride’s creators chose to focus the entire story on the new characters and sideline most of the PatF cast.

Imagine if Disney rethemed MK’s Peter Pan ride into an Alice in Wonderland ride. And fans were upset to lose Peter Pan, but looking forward to a Florida Alice ride. Sounds fun, right?

But then imagine if, when the Alice ride opened, its focus was on a new cast of Mushroom Trolls that have nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland. Now, maybe the Mushroom Trolls would have been fine in their own, original ride… but as the main focus of an Alice in Wonderland ride??? Why???

Like that.

TBA is still fun. I just think its “story” is far too bland and puts the focus in the wrong place.

Yeah, that’s what they did with Star Wars. No Dagobah, Hoth, etc; just “generic space.”

I’m so used to hearing people arguing against IP (and often disagreeing with them) I have to read it twice when you seem to be wanting more.

I only saw this movie once on TV, don’t remember much about it, not much into Princess movies in my 50’s.

As I understand it, the character people want to see no longer exists after the movie, and this takes place after the movie.

I give them credit for the idea of making it a continuation after the movie vs. a book report ride, but sometimes good ideas don’t pan out like the creatives hoped.

I’m sure they would have been roundly criticized for a book report ride. Then there’s the resentment factor for those who wanted to keep Splash Mountain, whether for nostalgic, personal, or political reasons.

And I wonder if there wasn’t some rushing while dealing with their new circumstances without Reedy Creek.

Maybe it shouldn’t have opened early. Maybe these issues didn’t present during CM previews.

I tend to not react much to this kind of thing. They can always refresh it, add things, whatever. When I’m on the ride, I’m not staring at every detail, I’m enjoying a log flume ride that’s decorated. My expectations are: float, oh look at the alligator, splash.

And for no reason other than long lines and not wanting to get wet, I think I’ve gone on Splash once or twice in the last 20ish years.

I roll with whatever they’re doing, and either like certain things or don’t. It’s no big deal. I appreciate that I can go at all. So I do tend to react to people acting like this is dire.

 

[mickEblu]

I don’t know why this is so confusing for some people. It’s pretty simple really. If you are basing an attraction on IP the audience has expectations so you should probably stick to the characters, music and story beats from the film. If you want to use original stories and new characters then make an original attraction not based on any IP.

bUt YoU gUys aLwaYS cOmPLain yOu wAnt OriGinal AtTracTiOnS.

 

[Consumer]

I don’t know why this is so confusing for people. It’s pretty simple really. If you are basing an attraction on IP the audience has expectations so you should probably stick to the characters, music and story beats from the film. If you want to use original stories and new characters then make an original attraction not based on any IP.

bUt YoU gUys aLwaYS cOmPLain yOu wAnt OriGinal AtTracTiOnS.

Right. Indiana Jones and Star Tours are the perfect examples. Neither are based off a particular film from their franchises, but they both still embrace elements that are iconic to their movies (boulder and trench run), creating satisfying attractions while still delivering brand new experiences.

Part of what makes that work so well is that those are both franchises with multiple entries, each with iconic moments, so it's easy to pull inspiration from all of those movies and create something brand new but still familiar. The Princess and the Frog, however, is just one movie so anything that isn't identical to the one movie isn't going to feel like the property.

Unfortunately for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, there are almost no connections between the ride and the film, other than a few of the characters present, and even then Tiana feels completely different from her film counterpart and Louis doesn't even play the trumpet, his signature trait!

 

[TheRealSkull]

I'm guessing late September is when this opens. Maybe early October. They really need it open by late October for the Holiday crowds.

 

[mickEblu]

Part of what makes that work so well is that those are both franchises with multiple entries, each with iconic moments, so it's easy to pull inspiration from all of those movies and create something brand new but still familiar. The Princess and the Frog, however, is just one movie so anything that isn't identical to the one movie isn't going to feel like the property.

Great point

 

[mickEblu]

I'm guessing late September is when this opens. Maybe early October. They really need it open by late October for the Holiday crowds.

No what they need to do is go back to the drawing board and take as much time as they need to fix what they can with this attraction. Disneyland will be fine. It’s packed with attractions.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Thing is, Tony's not wrong. If it was a straight book report, people would have complained about it, just the way they complained about Mermaid and other book report attractions. If they had done "Friends on the Other Side" on the final lift, people would have been whining about how predictable and obvious and lazy Disney has gotten.

And there were always going to be people who were never going to like this simply because it was replacing Splash, even if the resulting attraction had been a flawless masterpiece.

So if the finished ride isn't all it was supposed to be, as seems to be the common takeaway, I'm not sure there was ever any universe where TBA would have become a beloved attraction on boards like these no matter what approach it ended up taking.

 

[mickEblu]

Thing is, Tony's not wrong. If it was a straight book report, people would have complained about it, just the way they complained about Mermaid and other book report attractions. If they had done "Friends on the Other Side" on the final lift, people would have been whining about how predictable and obvious and lazy Disney has gotten.

And there were always going to be people who were never going to like this simply because it was replacing Splash, even if the resulting attraction had been a flawless masterpiece.

So if the finished ride isn't all it was supposed to be, as seems to be the common takeaway, I'm not sure there was ever any universe where TBA would have become a beloved attraction on boards like these no matter what approach it ended up taking.

Oh no not the Mermaid comparison again. It’s the execution that’s lacking on the Mermaid ride not the fact that it’s a retelling of the story. “Book report” is semantics and a term people threw around to express their dissatisfaction with the end result which in Mermaids case was a boring, lackluster ride with a blink and you miss climax.

Tony (and now you I guess) are wrong. There are a lot of people in this world and someone would have complained about any approach they took with TBA but the vast majority would have been much happier with a “book report” with Facilier on the lift hill and a proper climax. Not sure how that can even be disputed. Do you honestly think that if they went with a book report that you would have seen the same backlash we’ve seen with this version of the ride they put out? Not even close.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Oh no not the Mermaid comparison again. It’s the execution that’s lacking on the Mermaid ride not the fact that it’s a retelling of the story. “Book report” is semantics and a term people threw around to express their dissatisfaction with the end result which in Mermaids case was a boring, lackluster ride with a blink and you miss climax.

Tony (and now you I guess) are wrong. There are a lot of people in this world and someone would have complained about any approach they took with TBA but the vast majority would have been much happier with a “book report” with Facilier on the lift hill and a proper climax. Not sure how that can even be disputed. Do you honestly think that if they want with a book report that you have seen the same backlash we’ve seen with this version of the ride they put out? Not even close.

I think there would have been backlash from people no matter what they did, simply because they replaced Splash, the frequently-noted favorite attraction of several people on every side of this board, many other boards, and many people who casually visited the parks.

I really don't think it's a reach to make such a statement. If they redid Haunted Mansion tomorrow and replaced it with, I don't know, a take on the Family Madrigal house from Encanto utilizing the exact same infrastructure, there's basically nothing they could do for it to live up to HM for me, because Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride. If I can straight up admit to such hypothetical scenarios, than I'm unsure why many people are unable to do so with this *actual* scenario.

Perhaps a book report version would have been better received, but I still don't see a world where a book report TBA is received super well either because of what it replaced. I know I didn't imagine that period where book report attractions were widely derided and seen as lazy. If you personally thought differently, perhaps you were an exception to that, but it was a very real sentiment in the community for a long time.

Now maybe this ride really is garbage or close to it, as seems to be the consensus, but let's be honest, this (not meaning this forum or this website in this instance, but arguably the entire Disney theme park fan community, NOR do I mean this in anything other than a strictly objective and neutral fashion) is a very biased group of people that have certain things they like or don't like, and certain things that are/were sacred cows, both in terms of big things and small. Is there really a chance that most people were truly going to come in to this particular ride neutral? The Splashers were always going to be (at the very least) resentful because it replaced an iconic attraction; likewise, there were others excited about the prospect of a PATF ride that they were going to love this no matter what. From where I'm sitting, this is all very clear and self-evident. If people disagree with me, oh well.