Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion

[Rich T]

Watched a DL ride-through. Having ridden the MK version and already been very disappointed by the “story,” I think the DL version seems to flow a bit better… when the logs aren’t backed up. And though I still don’t care for the new critters, their staging at DL annoyed me less than at MK.

I do like the finale scene in both versions. I just wish they’d come up with something… ANYTHING… more exciting for the story and, like original Splash, highlighted the big drop as part of the plot.

A couple of fixable things that stood out to me:

- The outdoor fenced queue past the children’s garden looks, IMO, cheap and ugly. Disney used to know how to make “ramshackle” look good.

- That dry, waterless final drop is not a good look. They really need to fix that.

 

[HonorableMention]

Side by side video of Splash and TBA:

 

[EagleScout610]

 

[el_super]

110 animatronics reduced to 14. There’s no way to sugar coat it, that’s a terrible downgrade.

This just seems to emphasize quantity over quality. It doesn't matter why or how they just need to fill the place with AAs? Do you think Pirates would be better if they filled the bayou scene with AAs too?

The AAs from America Sings never really belonged in Splash. They were old, limited in motion and never supported the story that was being told. They were there as a novelty, a decision made when stuffing AAs into children's pizza parlors were the hot new thing to do.

But let's be real: if the quantity of AAs mattered over the entire presentation, America Sings never would have closed, and Splash never would have been built.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It is what it is.

TWDC felt the need to erase the attraction that shall not be named and replace it with something, anything.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

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.

I think it’s pretty obvious what happened. They panicked in the middle of a politically heated moment and so pushed something for virtue signaling reasons as opposed to actually designing something that would fit.

Considering the sociopolitical significance to the company of replacing Splash Mountain, the project got affected by the usual “design by committee” process in all the worst possible ways to meet quotas and so it ended up just being soulless slop that pleases nobody.

 

[el_super]

I think it’s pretty obvious what happened. They panicked in the middle of a politically heated moment and so pushed something for virtue signaling reasons as opposed to actually designing something that would fit.

It fits perfectly fine.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It fits perfectly fine.

DLR experienced the worst re theme it the history of the company, I am speaking of Rocket Rods.

Not only did Rocket Rods fail but it also destroyed the people mover track such that it was rendered useless and is now a forever eyesore.

Compared to Rocket Rods, Tiana is a huge success.

 

[CaptinEO]

This just seems to emphasize quantity over quality. It doesn't matter why or how they just need to fill the place with AAs? Do you think Pirates would be better if they filled the bayou scene with AAs too?

The AAs from America Sings never really belonged in Splash. They were old, limited in motion and never supported the story that was being told. They were there as a novelty, a decision made when stuffing AAs into children's pizza parlors were the hot new thing to do.

But let's be real: if the quantity of AAs mattered over the entire presentation, America Sings never would have closed, and Splash never would have been built.

Must be a matter of preference. To me, especially on a fast moving ride like Splash I'd rather take an army of limited AAs vs 14 advance ones. It really added to the set to me.

 

[CaptinEO]

The decrease in animatronics is definitely my biggest issue with the ride. Those animatronics filled out the scenes and made them feel alive, I loved always having something to look at on Splash.

Also, almost all of those animatronics were from America Sings and didn’t have anything to do with Song of the South, getting rid of all of the ones that weren’t Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit doesn’t make sense.

The real reason the old animatronics are gone is they didn't want to maintain them. Disney did a very poor job maintaining them before the closure as well. The electronic motor ones will be easier to service than hydraulic. But it still doesn't excuse them getting rid of so many animatronics for a huge space.

 

[mickEblu]

Side by side video of Splash and TBA:

Wow the old HDYD scenes were so much better. They really dropped the ball there. Maybe all the dark nothingness would work if you weren’t already halfway through the ride or if there was some dark presence in the bayou chasing us. There is a disconnect with the darkness and the happy vibes for me. They flipped it on its head. Splash would go from brighter to darker and back again. TBA starts dark and just keeps getting brighter through the final lifthill leaving no feeling of a satisfactory emotional arc or journey. I’m referring to not only the lighting but the story as well.

The set design on Splash and lighting is so much better. Even on the finale with the giant tree in the foreground with the canopy of foliage extending throughout the room with the boat rocking back and forth in the background.

That’s without getting into the plethora of charming animals and anthropomorphic figures. All the vignettes.

What a Fail.

 

[Rich T]

DLR experienced the worst re theme it the history of the company, I am speaking of Rocket Rods.

Not only did Rocket Rods fail but it also destroyed the people mover track such that it was rendered useless and is now a forever eyesore.

Compared to Rocket Rods, Tiana is a huge success.

I loved Rocket Rods! It was…. Wacky! Like a Wham-O toy in ride form! But the queue was awful and I would have preferred a refurbed/retooled PeopleMover. And the end result of closed, rotting tracks becoming a familiar part of DL’s TL is, IMO, inexcusable.

 

[CaptinEO]

How on earth is this the same organization that produced Rise of the Resistance, Fantasy Springs, the Adventureland Treehouse, etc.?

It's because it's also the same organization that did Incredicoaster, Mission Breakout, Web Slingerz, Journey Into Your Imagination, and Cars Route 66 Road Trip (this may be the single worst Disney attraction).

I'm sure all the tech people in WDI wanted to use their budget for advance new robot toys they can show off on TV. The problem being you pass by them in 5 seconds. But look, they get to show off in an ABC Magic of Disney TV special.

There has definitely been something broken in this organization for a long time now. They are not giving the guests what they want.

 

[Disstevefan1]

The real reason the old animatronics are gone is they didn't want to maintain them. Disney did a very poor job maintaining them before the closure as well. The electronic motor ones will be easier to service than hydraulic. But it still doesn't excuse them getting rid of so many animatronics for a huge space.

I think it was kill two birds with one stone thing. Maintenance AND erasing the previous attraction for social justice.

I agree the main reason was maintenance, I think they could no longer get spare parts and maybe needed spare parts custom made.

Will the electronic motor driven animatronics prove reliable in this atmosphere is a open question. Lets see what happens.

 

[mickEblu]

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.

You know why. We all know why. Becasue of all of their self imposed constraints and having the wrong priorities. The same reason they closed Splash is the same reason they dropped the ball here. Walking on egg shells worrying about who they might offend. So no Facilier, Tiana can’t be a frog etc. So now priorities have been shifted. The focus isn’t how do we deliver the most entertaining attraction. It’s how so we do something that’s not offensive and then the obsession of being authentic arises not to make the ride more fun or entertaining but to preach on how Good Disney is and how much research they did. Throw in the fact that WDI can’t write an original script to save their life right now (looking at you POTC auction scene), a bunch of rookies and an ex accountant leading the way with way too many cooks in the kitchen. Add All of that up and you get Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

 

[HonorableMention]

DLR experienced the worst re theme it the history of the company, I am speaking of Rocket Rods.

Not only did Rocket Rods fail but it also destroyed the people mover track such that it was rendered useless and is now a forever eyesore.

Compared to Rocket Rods, Tiana is a huge success.

Agreed, in the grand scheme of things I think the retheme is fine. Underwhelming, but fine enough and something the GP will enjoy. It ranks at about the level of Frozen Ever After for me.

Unfortunately I think WDI is just fundamentally different now. We aren’t going to see loads of animatronics anymore or super rich storytelling, unless it’s a once-in-a-blue-moon ride like Rise. But compared to something like Web Slingers, Pixar Pier, or Hong Kong’s Ant Man ride, this is fine.

It’s not a sum of its parts, but I like some of the parts. I’ll still complain about the things I don’t like (because it’s human nature) but at this point I’m ready to move on

 

[el_super]

They just had a bunch of people with a bunch of different visions, and it's clear they couldn't get it to mesh.

Riiiight. But Splash Mountain, with a ride system copied from Knotts, animatronics stolen from America Sings and an IP based on a 40 year old movie was a masterpiece. Sure.

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

Riiiight. But Splash Mountain, with a ride system copied from Knotts, animatronics stolen from America Sings and an IP based on a 40 year old movie was a masterpiece. Sure.

It was. And I'm tired of pretending it isn't.

 

[mickEblu]

Not sure I agree with what you're implying, actually. Yes, that was the MacGuffin that got this ball rolling. But TBA's failures come down to basic storytelling stuff -- telling instead of showing, lacking a narrative arc, etc. -- as well as themed entertainment mistakes that should be beneath WDI, like lazy music choices (why do we hear Almost There twice? why is Ray singing?), repetitive and exposition-heavy show writing (there's no shame in doing a second draft!), haphazard staging, bad pacing, disregard for existing infrastructure, story beats that are incongruent with the ride system, removing effects without replacing them, etc.

Very nice list. Id add not being more cognizant about what they were replacing considering it was such an iconic attraction. You can’t go from dropping into the mountain and have a bunch of singing geese to a firefly projection on a wall for 20 seconds. There’s no way riders won’t feel a sense of loss there. Early into the project I said they should treat this retheme as a 1:1 since the IP allowed them to do so. Keeping Splash Mountain as a brand if you will. You could even keep the name like they did with the new treehouse. So on Brer Bears butt drop have Louis bent over there. Instead of Brer Fox it’s Facilier on the lifthill and so forth. There is not one good reason the boat in the finale had to go. You could have had Louis and some other people/ animals playing on there. This certainly would have came out better than what they did. Hell, sounds like Louis and lost trumpet would have too.

 

[el_super]

It was. And I'm tired of pretending it isn't.

It wasn't. And now it's gone forever.