DavidDL
Well-Known Member
This will all be subject to change once I finally ride it for myself but after watching multiple ride-throughs, I'll give my initial thoughts on each area of the attraction.
Queue: Other than the murals on the barn, I like it. Aside from a few signs maybe not feeling as "authentic" or "worn" as some of the previous Splash signage, I think there is more to look at and enjoy here. The newly opened walkway for Single Riders (-and I assume, wheelchairs) is interesting. Not having the little window that used to look out onto Brer Rabbit's former home will take some getting used to but I guess within the context of the story, it makes sense. Getting rid of the monitors where you used to view your photos and, I assume, using this as the wheelchair parking area will take some getting used to, too. But it probably makes sense from an Ops standpoint. As a former Splash CM, moving those chairs around ourselves in the station was a bit of a hassle.
Dispatch thru first Tiana: I appreciate we didn't get the second, oddly placed CM visible that WDW got. If they are there, I'm glad their position is hidden away. I don't have much to say here other than I don't have any complaints. It looks nice, and we don't have that awful-looking painted fence alongside us as we enter the barn. DL definitely got the better exterior mountain. The signage hanging here doesn't bother me, either. It feels like something you'd hang around the "office" to remind folks about a party, so, cool. This should probably be a general note for the entire attraction going forward, but provided the (insert animatronics at this moment)/Tiana figure function as intended, this change is nice, too.
Outdoor segment thru former Slippin' Falls: Burn the giant "Tiana's Foods" sign with fire. I hate it. So, so much. Just get rid of it. Other than that, I actually really like this portion. I would have been fine with instrumentals here instead of the actual singing but one small detail I've noticed in the videos and appreciate is that, after Tiana and Louis have their outdoor conversation, the song switches to an instrumental version for the rest of the way. It's a small detail but it feels natural, like Tiana was singing along the way and stopped to talk to Louis in this moment. I also haven't watched any night time POVs for WDW's version but during one of ours, Louis talks about how its "hard to find musicians in the dark". Not sure if that line is intentionally played during night time but if it is, kudos. Overall, I think this area looks like an improvement, outside of the ugly "Tiana's Foods" sign, there is more to look at and enjoy.
First indoor segment thru "shrink" drop: So, I like what I see. As I hoped, the pacing is much, much better here for me. Scenes that had a lot of "dead air" between them over at WDW hit you in quick succession here. I understand the disappointment with the loss of animatronic/character quantity just as you enter the show building for the first time but I think the initial introduction to the bayou with it's twinkling lights overhead and it's colorful, night time atmosphere is enough of its own unique "wow" moment to carry us to the first Louis figure and so on. The bayou setting/firefly screens/etc. don't work so well for me over in WDW because it feels like they are using them too often to try and fill out the previously mentioned "dead air" between scenes and I don't feel they can do enough to successfully carry that burden. Here, however, I feel like it's just right.
"Shrink drop" thru former Burrow's Lament: I don't have much to say about the former Laughin' Place area. It's colorful and I think works fine. It's a little odd to me that they decided to sort of "close up" the middle of room with a wall but it's not a deal-breaker by any means for me. It would have been nice to get the jumping fountains that WDW had for this moment.
I think, though, the "traffic conditions" at the former Burrow's Lament will make or break how I feel about a lot of ride-throughs on this one. Five Fires' nightime POV is the only video I have seen so far without a log jam here. Assuming "traffic" is clear, this moment is fine. I even don't mind the Mama Odie screen so much because, like the first half of the ride, you sort of soar right on through. But when backed up? Yikes. Not enough to enjoy visually and the music/tone of the moment feel frustratingly at odds with what is actually happening around you. Imagine listening to a really catchy song about moving fast while stuck in LA traffic and you'll know what I mean. Lots of ride-through POVs are skipping ahead/editing this part of the ride out and there's a reason for that. Hopefully Ops can find the sweet spot in terms of how many logs to keep on the flume to help is area out? Fingers crossed for my first ride-through.
Final lift: Lighting effect feels more pronounced here but on the nighttime POV it felt weaker for some reason? Conclusion I've come to is that I will simply need to see the effect with my own eyes before passing any sort of judgement. If the effect is as pronounced as some videos make it seem, I will be fine with this moment and feel that it works well enough. The visual cues given to us with this effect when we "shrink" and "grow" I think read well enough for me. The previously giant bottles that decorate the former Laughin' Place are also another visual indicator of what size we are at any given moment. Mama Odie figure looks good.
Finale: So, I like everything about the finale except the stupid signs they have right before you enter the scene and right overhead once you're inside of it. They both say the same thing within a span of like, 5 seconds and neither one of them are necessary. I mean, give your audience some credit. We can use our imaginations to fill in the gaps. We don't need two signs within seconds of each other to tell us "Now approaching Tiana and Naveen's house". It just feels weird and unnatural. It may seem like a minor gripe to some but that is my only real frustration with the final scene. Otherwise, I think it looks good.
Overall: I think it looks good. I think it looks like a fine attraction (provided things are working as intended). Do I think it's better than Splash Mountain? That's sort of tough for me to answer. I don't have the same affection for the characters of Splash Mountain that others around here do (I certainly would prefer to watch Princess and the Frog over Song of the South) but I'm not just gonna pretend Splash didn't have a better storyline/messaging and figure count. Though, Splash's figures seldom worked and at times the level of maintenance/upkeep in there was just.. embarrassing. So it's also hard for me to ignore how a refresh of any kind makes the ride feel more alive.
I guess, then, my initial conclusion (based solely on a day's worth of preview POVs and having not ridden it myself yet) would be that Tiana's is worse than a fully functioning Splash Mountain but better than one that isn't being taken care of. Basically it would go: Splash Mountain @ 100% > Tiana's Bayou Adventure @ 100% > Splash Mountain w/ maintenance problems > Tiana's Bayou Adventure w/ maintenance problems. It's a shame Disney allowed the show on Splash to fall so far over the years. I'm inclined to say that a fully functioning Tiana's is better than what Disney allowed Splash to become just before it closed, but if you want the definitive version of what this log flume attraction should look like, that would be Tokyo's Splash Mountain.
Queue: Other than the murals on the barn, I like it. Aside from a few signs maybe not feeling as "authentic" or "worn" as some of the previous Splash signage, I think there is more to look at and enjoy here. The newly opened walkway for Single Riders (-and I assume, wheelchairs) is interesting. Not having the little window that used to look out onto Brer Rabbit's former home will take some getting used to but I guess within the context of the story, it makes sense. Getting rid of the monitors where you used to view your photos and, I assume, using this as the wheelchair parking area will take some getting used to, too. But it probably makes sense from an Ops standpoint. As a former Splash CM, moving those chairs around ourselves in the station was a bit of a hassle.
Dispatch thru first Tiana: I appreciate we didn't get the second, oddly placed CM visible that WDW got. If they are there, I'm glad their position is hidden away. I don't have much to say here other than I don't have any complaints. It looks nice, and we don't have that awful-looking painted fence alongside us as we enter the barn. DL definitely got the better exterior mountain. The signage hanging here doesn't bother me, either. It feels like something you'd hang around the "office" to remind folks about a party, so, cool. This should probably be a general note for the entire attraction going forward, but provided the (insert animatronics at this moment)/Tiana figure function as intended, this change is nice, too.
Outdoor segment thru former Slippin' Falls: Burn the giant "Tiana's Foods" sign with fire. I hate it. So, so much. Just get rid of it. Other than that, I actually really like this portion. I would have been fine with instrumentals here instead of the actual singing but one small detail I've noticed in the videos and appreciate is that, after Tiana and Louis have their outdoor conversation, the song switches to an instrumental version for the rest of the way. It's a small detail but it feels natural, like Tiana was singing along the way and stopped to talk to Louis in this moment. I also haven't watched any night time POVs for WDW's version but during one of ours, Louis talks about how its "hard to find musicians in the dark". Not sure if that line is intentionally played during night time but if it is, kudos. Overall, I think this area looks like an improvement, outside of the ugly "Tiana's Foods" sign, there is more to look at and enjoy.
First indoor segment thru "shrink" drop: So, I like what I see. As I hoped, the pacing is much, much better here for me. Scenes that had a lot of "dead air" between them over at WDW hit you in quick succession here. I understand the disappointment with the loss of animatronic/character quantity just as you enter the show building for the first time but I think the initial introduction to the bayou with it's twinkling lights overhead and it's colorful, night time atmosphere is enough of its own unique "wow" moment to carry us to the first Louis figure and so on. The bayou setting/firefly screens/etc. don't work so well for me over in WDW because it feels like they are using them too often to try and fill out the previously mentioned "dead air" between scenes and I don't feel they can do enough to successfully carry that burden. Here, however, I feel like it's just right.
"Shrink drop" thru former Burrow's Lament: I don't have much to say about the former Laughin' Place area. It's colorful and I think works fine. It's a little odd to me that they decided to sort of "close up" the middle of room with a wall but it's not a deal-breaker by any means for me. It would have been nice to get the jumping fountains that WDW had for this moment.
I think, though, the "traffic conditions" at the former Burrow's Lament will make or break how I feel about a lot of ride-throughs on this one. Five Fires' nightime POV is the only video I have seen so far without a log jam here. Assuming "traffic" is clear, this moment is fine. I even don't mind the Mama Odie screen so much because, like the first half of the ride, you sort of soar right on through. But when backed up? Yikes. Not enough to enjoy visually and the music/tone of the moment feel frustratingly at odds with what is actually happening around you. Imagine listening to a really catchy song about moving fast while stuck in LA traffic and you'll know what I mean. Lots of ride-through POVs are skipping ahead/editing this part of the ride out and there's a reason for that. Hopefully Ops can find the sweet spot in terms of how many logs to keep on the flume to help is area out? Fingers crossed for my first ride-through.
Final lift: Lighting effect feels more pronounced here but on the nighttime POV it felt weaker for some reason? Conclusion I've come to is that I will simply need to see the effect with my own eyes before passing any sort of judgement. If the effect is as pronounced as some videos make it seem, I will be fine with this moment and feel that it works well enough. The visual cues given to us with this effect when we "shrink" and "grow" I think read well enough for me. The previously giant bottles that decorate the former Laughin' Place are also another visual indicator of what size we are at any given moment. Mama Odie figure looks good.
Finale: So, I like everything about the finale except the stupid signs they have right before you enter the scene and right overhead once you're inside of it. They both say the same thing within a span of like, 5 seconds and neither one of them are necessary. I mean, give your audience some credit. We can use our imaginations to fill in the gaps. We don't need two signs within seconds of each other to tell us "Now approaching Tiana and Naveen's house". It just feels weird and unnatural. It may seem like a minor gripe to some but that is my only real frustration with the final scene. Otherwise, I think it looks good.
Overall: I think it looks good. I think it looks like a fine attraction (provided things are working as intended). Do I think it's better than Splash Mountain? That's sort of tough for me to answer. I don't have the same affection for the characters of Splash Mountain that others around here do (I certainly would prefer to watch Princess and the Frog over Song of the South) but I'm not just gonna pretend Splash didn't have a better storyline/messaging and figure count. Though, Splash's figures seldom worked and at times the level of maintenance/upkeep in there was just.. embarrassing. So it's also hard for me to ignore how a refresh of any kind makes the ride feel more alive.
I guess, then, my initial conclusion (based solely on a day's worth of preview POVs and having not ridden it myself yet) would be that Tiana's is worse than a fully functioning Splash Mountain but better than one that isn't being taken care of. Basically it would go: Splash Mountain @ 100% > Tiana's Bayou Adventure @ 100% > Splash Mountain w/ maintenance problems > Tiana's Bayou Adventure w/ maintenance problems. It's a shame Disney allowed the show on Splash to fall so far over the years. I'm inclined to say that a fully functioning Tiana's is better than what Disney allowed Splash to become just before it closed, but if you want the definitive version of what this log flume attraction should look like, that would be Tokyo's Splash Mountain.
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