Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Someone help me out with the whole Ray thing. Ok so Facilier is dead or problematic or whatever so he’s not on the ride. On top of this they double down and don’t include fan favorite character Ray because he is also dead? But then they have him singing a song on the attraction? Not to a mention a highly themed store right outside of the attraction. The leadership on this project. SMH
How many stores have the name of a once alive founder? Or for that matter how many once alive singers still continue to have their songs played with them singing? It’s not like they rename stores or redo a song with another singer just because someone is no longer alive.

Him being dead in the timeline doesn’t make his name or voice usage not make sense. He isn’t actually visible in the attraction or the store that I’m aware.
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
I think we’re arguing the same thing. Splash wasn’t great because it had a great story, it was great because it was a complete, cohesive, and well-themed immersive experience with good music.
I do think it's more complicated than that and does come back to the idea of story beats. Even if you didn't understand the linear narrative of the story on the first ride, you knew the atmosphere was happy, then grew increasingly tense leading up to the drop, and then there was this big moment of relief and joy following the drop. Repeat rides were rewarded with a greater understanding of the meaning behind all those story beats.

I'm not sure I would argue this version is especially cohesive or well-themed, but I don't think it would matter that much if it was more so than it is now. A big problem is that nothing much really happens. There could be scenes populated with far more audioanimatronics and detailed sets, but the only real tension is that New Orleans is for some reason out of musicians but the bayou is full of them so Tiana has to go there to gather some for her party. That is resolved as soon as you enter the bayou and find it's full of talented musicians, so the rest of the ride just cruises along on the same note.
 
This is the only explanation. They hired some recent college grads who’ve never been to a theme park and forbade them from watching Splash POVs.

Seriously though, since when is anyone at WDI okay with visible un-themed speakers? Their standards for Web-Slingers were higher than for this attraction.
Eh i wouldn’t say much higher considering how terrible web slingers is. I was going to say it’s a six flags quality level ride but then again, even the cheap dc shooter ride at six flags magic mountain is a lot better than web slingers lol
 
I still just can't wrap my head around how amateurish this attraction is (on both coasts). At every turn, WDI made lazy choices and then implemented them carelessly.

I've been critical of some recent WDI projects for being antiseptic and lacking stakes, but at the very least almost all those attractions have been competent. TBA is a mess. How did this happen? Insufficient budget? Misguided creative mandates? Inadequate timeline? Did they not realize there was a lot riding on this? How on earth is this the same organization that produced Rise of the Resistance, Fantasy Springs, the Adventureland Treehouse, etc.? TBA indicates a serious quality control problem at WDI. I beg them to reconsider whatever processes led to TBA being approved, and to please reconsider trusting this creative team with anything ever again.
That makes me worry about how bad the avengers e ticket will turn out to be (the one that they have been promising us at California adventure since 2019)
 

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Disneyland's Space Mountain a d Splash Mountain were superior to WDW's. WDW's Splash was certainly a longer ride though and I did like the Brer Rabbit design in Florida.
More on Space:

DL's Space Mountain, by itself, is a rather boring roller coaster. It's a bunch of turns and a few small drops. The onboard soundtrack (which is undoubtedly awesome) makes it interesting.

WDW's Space Mountain by itself is a good rollercoaster. It would be cool if it had an onboard soundtrack, sure, but it doesn't require one. It has more drops and more resembles Matterhorn (which is why it exists).

The WDW version is also unique to WDW. The DL version previously existed in Tokyo and exists in Hong Kong.

Now, maybe some personally prefer the DL Space because it's smoother, or prefer the WDW version for the drops. That's fine. Preferences exist. But they're two entirely different rides.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Disclaimer: I have not been on the DL version.

However, on the WDW version, he is not.
That is my understanding too, he isn’t on the ride other than as a reference and his “voice” in song. But again that doesn’t mean anything as both can still happen even if he is dead in this timeline.

Additional for reference from the WDW version -

https://allears.net/2024/06/06/wait-ray-and-evangeline-are-not-missing-from-tianas-bayou-adventure-in-disney-world
 

ParkPeeker

Well-Known Member
Ray’s visually in our version, and dead within the ride.
IMG_4383.jpeg


Edit: oh this is what u meant. Counts to me lol.
other than as a reference
 
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BrerFoxesBayouAdventure

Well-Known Member
Any implementation of Dr F would be an improvement. Can anyone confirm the rumor that they didn’t want to be disrespectful of Hoodoo beliefs? If so… sigh.

Unrelated (or is it?): Why was Dig a Little Deeper stripped of its Gospel arrangement?
It's so weird that Dr. Facilier continues to appear in the parks as a face character but is nowhere to be seen on the Princess and the Frog ride.
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
I will admit, as much as those critters have been universally panned across the board, I do enjoy their character designs. Not even a fair comparison to Marc Davis, but IMHO they’ve got some charm to them.

And that's the problem. They're perfectly fine designs- I mean you could sell most of them as stuffed animals and they'd look great.

But replacing the work of Davis with this is ridiculous.
Now what really gets me is the fact they’re MASSIVE in person, and yet they couldn’t manage to fit more actuators into their mech designs?? Even having some of the same critters reappear in different gags along the way would’ve sold them for me, limited motion or not. These were written with extensive backstories in mind so it makes zero sense why they’re so one note. Feels like something(s) were definitely cut

So we lost Marc Davis figures for limited motion figures. I mean it's insulting to park fans at this point.
 

EagleScout610

These cats can PLAAAAAYYYYY
Premium Member
Watching some low-light POVs of Bayou and I have to say, the lights being off really work to its benefit, especially in the upper HDYD scenes. Because the moment you increase the brightness you see how much of Splash's sets were left over and how slapped on the fake grass/leaves look when compared to how natural the world of Splash felt.
Screenshot 2024-10-27 000832.png

Screenshot 2024-10-27 000854.png

Screenshot 2024-10-27 000910.png
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Have only seen POVs of the non-DL versions but having Laughing Place play before the 2nd drop is an odd choice. That being said they're still paced better for Splash's story and work/worked as better rides.

I think this was because in the film, Br'er Rabbit sings Laughin Place as he tricks Br'er Bear into following him to the beehive. It still seems weird within the context of Splash, but I have to imagine that's why they did it.
 

Professortango1

Well-Known Member
I think this was because in the film, Br'er Rabbit sings Laughin Place as he tricks Br'er Bear into following him to the beehive. It still seems weird within the context of Splash, but I have to imagine that's why they did it.
It just doesn't work for the ride because it's part of the same scene as HDYD essentially. Then the loss of Burrows Lament was another blow. The fallout from the double wide logs is my third strike. Way too slow, less intimate, less iconic looking mountain due to squatiness.

WDW's Splash reminds me of DCA's Tower in terms of appearance. I understand the change to increase capacity, but it made both attractions look shorter and less intimidating.
 

Professortango1

Well-Known Member
Space is a matter of opinion.

Splash...are you okay? Should I call someone for help? I think you may have had too much DL Kool Aid.
Nah, the WDW version always felt like a discount POTC whereas Disneyland's felt like a Fantasyland Darkride on an E-ticket scale. The slow wide flume doesn't work for me. Nor did the cuts to the scenes or the move to Laughing Place being so early and prior to the second drop.

As a kid I liked the hopping Brer Rabbit at WDW.
 
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