News Tiana's Bayou Adventure - latest details and construction progress

[tanc]

seems like they've done a lot of exterior work, but who knows with the interior. wonder when this will open though lol.

 

[ToTBellHop]

seems like they've done a lot of exterior work, but who knows with the interior. wonder when this will open though lol.

2nd half of 2024 is the best I can ever get.

 

[Tha Realest]

3) Did you even watch Jurassic World?
Claire was the reason everything went wrong when instead of getting a location on the Indominus by its gps tracker, she flipped the hell out and went into panic mode thinking it had already escaped, which led to it actually escaping .

Yep.

The only way to guarantee a company/corporation featured in an attraction comes off favorably is to sponsor it.

Fictional companies in attractions generally run the gamut from evil (X-S) to incompetent (Star Tours travel agency, Sallah’s tours through IJ Adventure, Himalayan Escapes, Dino Institute, Imagination Institute).

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Reading @Vegas Disney Fan's post also made me think of the Starcruiser marketing. When people started going on it we heard positive things, but they really bungled the launch to the extent that they had to quickly delete their first promo video because it made the experience look so bad.

I also suspect from the promo art that this will be a fun ride through the bayou with music and audio animatronic animals. For some reason, though, the information they keep putting out focusses on food co-ops and salt mines. I even think the information about the mural would have been better received if people had more confidence that the ride was going to be fun. Instead, it reinforces the notion the whole project is driven by earnestness around the message of the project with the ride experience as an afterthought.

I agree the marketing/promotion has been backwards - all the backstory is great but should be "extra" to the core experience (which should be a fun ride through the bayou with familiar and new friends

It would be like marketing Smugglers Run almost entirely on Hondo and Tanaka Enterprises and only mentioning in passing that you will get to fly the Millennium Falcon

I think a big reason why is b/c they don't really have much else going on at WDW and they want to discuss/share *something*, but is taking the focus away from the fun of the ride

 

[_caleb]

Several folks here keep mentioning "how TBA is being marketed," and that it all focuses on the backstory details of co-ops and salt mines. While much has been made of these things through the Disney blogosphere, I'm curious what these folks are referring to.

Probably the most comprehensive overview of TBA that Disney has provided was in this post on the Disney Parks Blog back in July of 2022. We've talked a lot about the inspirational art by Sharika Mahdi and another post recently about the mural painted by Malaika Favorite. The DPB is where we learned that Mama Odie will, in fact, be featured in TBA. I think almost all we know about the actual story of the ride is summarized in this narrative treatment.

There have been several videos posted to YouTube, like this one from Charita Carter's Mardi Gras field trip, talking about the tiara on top of the water tower, and this one about the Imagineers' cultural inspiration from New Orleans. There've been a few on TikTok, too, but not much, and not recently. Of course, there were the physical models shown at D23 and the announcements there, which mentioned salt domes (and which we analyzed to death here).

But all these behind-the-scenes pieces are more like "Behind the Attraction" teasers designed to address initial negative fan reaction rather than outright marketing for the ride itself.

 

[Tha Realest]

Several folks here keep mentioning "how TBA is being marketed," and that it all focuses on the backstory details of co-ops and salt mines. While much has been made of these things through the Disney blogosphere, I'm curious what these folks are referring to.

Probably the most comprehensive overview of TBA that Disney has provided was in this post on the Disney Parks Blog back in July of 2022. We've talked a lot about the inspirational art by Sharika Mahdi and another post recently about the mural painted by Malaika Favorite. The DPB is where we learned that Mama Odie will, in fact, be featured in TBA. I think almost all we know about the actual story of the ride is summarized in this narrative treatment.

There have been several videos posted to YouTube, like this one from Charita Carter's Mardi Gras field trip, talking about the tiara on top of the water tower, and this one about the Imagineers' cultural inspiration from New Orleans. There've been a few on TikTok, too, but not much, and not recently. Of course, there were the physical models shown at D23 and the announcements there, which mentioned salt domes (and which we analyzed to death here).

But all these behind-the-scenes pieces are more like "Behind the Attraction" teasers designed to address initial negative fan reaction rather than outright marketing for the ride itself.

I know all of this adds up to Disney's effort to navigate the change from Splash, the cultural/authenticity concerns, and ultimately to raise awareness and anticipation for the ride. But are these things what people are talking about when they criticize "how Disney is marketing TBA?"

In the end, it seems clear to me that Disney sees TBA first and foremost as a cultural celebration rather than focusing on the thrill (or technology, as they have with other recent additions). But in all the "marketing" materials I've seen, there really doesn't seem to be more than a passing mention of salt mines, co-ops, etc.

You express supposed befuddlement at how much focus there’s been “on the backstory details of co-ops and salt mines.”

But then you link to a blog post that, in your words, gives us “all we know about the story of the ride” which mentions co-ops four times and salt mines / domes five times.

Don’t gaslight this into a thing that the folks critical of the ride have been inflating in importance. Clearly those are key fixtures of the attraction and experience, or else they wouldn’t keep bringing them up.

 

[_caleb]

You express supposed befuddlement at how much focus there’s been “on the backstory details of co-ops and salt mines.”

But then you link to a blog post that, in your words, gives us “all we know about the story of the ride” which mentions co-ops four times and salt mines / domes five times.

Don’t gaslight this into a thing that the folks critical of the ride have been inflating in importance. Clearly those are key fixtures of the attraction and experience, or else they wouldn’t keep bringing them up.

I’m not gaslighting. I’m asking if these are the things people are talking about when they say the focus has been on co-ops and salt domes. That one post to the Disney Parks Blog did mention these elements multiple times. But that’s one post, which hardly seems to overshadow the cultural messaging they’ve put out about TBA.

I’m genuinely asking, because I haven’t seen what others are talking about and I’m wondering what I’ve missed.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’m not gaslighting. I’m asking if these are the things people are talking about when they say the focus has been on co-ops and salt domes. That one post to the Disney Parks Blog did mention these elements multiple times. But that’s one post, which hardly seems to overshadow the cultural messaging they’ve put out about TBA.

I’m genuinely asking, because I haven’t seen what others are talking about and I’m wondering what I’ve missed.

It isn't just the salt mines or co-op aspect (though those have been covered/promot s) but just all the articles and videos about research trips to New Orleans and the art and artists from the area and that provided inspiration, etc .... So much talk about everything but the actual ride experience

I am still very optimistic that the final product will be well done and a very fun experience - but so far they have been covering all the background and backstory and inspiration way more than what that fun experience will actually be

 

[celluloid]

What exactly is your point? Most rides should either be redone or get major refurbs after that amount of time.

Not when they are still bringing in long waits and huge guest satisfaction. That is pretty rare.

I wish Space would get a huge treatment vs the terrible concrete wall experience things were shifted to be.

 

[celluloid]

Isn't Louis playing in Tiana's restaurant by the end of the movie? Clearly that issue is at least partly resolved within the events of the film. No reason that can't be the case in the ride as well.

The joke is it was a musician in a costume. That throwaway gag vs entire story would not work with everyone as humans actually communicating.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I’m not gaslighting. I’m asking if these are the things people are talking about when they say the focus has been on co-ops and salt domes. That one post to the Disney Parks Blog did mention these elements multiple times. But that’s one post, which hardly seems to overshadow the cultural messaging they’ve put out about TBA.

I feel like when the bulk of your marketing has to do with co ops, salt mines, and the 'cultural importance' of what you're doing, you've missed the mark.

We don't need to be told if something is culturally important- if it's well done that will become apparent the second the ride opens.

And honestly, a theme park attraction shouldn't have cultural messaging at all in it's marketing. It should instead focus on the experience and how that attraction is fun.

 

[MaxDrake79]

Guys in my opinion will open the attraction for the beginning of summer 2024, I will go in mid-late July and hope to find it open. It seems to me that the works are well under way, in my opinion it would be illogical to open it after the summer which is the season with the most turnout at the parks. What do you think?

 

[TP2000]

I just realized some of these posts I made tonight were in the WDW version of this topic, whereas I had assumed I was posting in the Disneyland version of this topic that has a slightly different tone to it, with different data points being discussed.

I apologize for some of the confusion here on my part, particularly to @LittleBuford who was/is doing a much better job of managing the two different threads than I was.

 

[Cliff]

I feel like when the bulk of your marketing has to do with co ops, salt mines, and the 'cultural importance' of what you're doing, you've missed the mark.

The salt mine and employee oened co-op elements are features of the attraction. The salt mine portion is there to explain why there is a "mountain" (supposedly) in a New Orleans swamp. It NEEDS to be there to explain the structure of the ride. It's the "ONLY" geographical element that they could use to shoe-horn in to make any sense whatsoever.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

What is it? A trumpet? If so, it looks really weird for a trumpet.

Why did I think he played the sax? Maybe because they gave some of the Mark Twain passengers plywood saxophones to play for the big finale' of the riverboat show in 2009?

So what is this instrument? It doesn't look like a trumpet, or upon closer inspection even a saxophone in Ms. Favorite's mural. Is that a miniature French Horn?

He pretty clearly plays a trumpet, not sure what the confusion could be

 

[JoeCamel]

What is it? A trumpet? If so, it looks really weird for a trumpet.

Why did I think he played the sax? Maybe because they gave some of the Mark Twain passengers plywood saxophones to play for the big finale' of the riverboat show in 2009?

So what is this instrument? It doesn't look like a trumpet, or upon closer inspection even a saxophone in Ms. Favorite's mural. Is that a miniature French Horn?

He pretty clearly plays a trumpet, not sure what the confusion could be

View attachment 749311

Its Louis Armstrong, it is a trumpet

 

[aladdin2007]

They just showed sections of this mural on the local news, it looks like it belongs at a daycare. 0% belongs in Frontierland....they have thrown all placemaking out the door. This project is starting to look and feel more ill-fitting than I ever thought it would, I dont know what they think they are doing.

 

[JD80]

They haven't marketed this ride yet. It's all just Parks blog stuff for us park nerds.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

It isn't just the salt mines or co-op aspect (though those have been covered/promot s) but just all the articles and videos about research trips to New Orleans and the art and artists from the area and that provided inspiration, etc .... So much talk about everything but the actual ride experience

I am still very optimistic that the final product will be well done and a very fun experience - but so far they have been covering all the background and backstory and inspiration way more than what that fun experience will actually be

I'm actually pretty ok with the videos focussing on their research in New Orleans, work with local artists, use of zydeco music, Dooky Chase, etc. That seems a little along the lines of all the stuff Joe Rhode used to do for Pandora and Expedition Everest.

The problem is more when they shift to describing the ride, the details suddenly seem so strangely pedestrian regarding an employee-owned food company and a salt mine. I feel like they haven't done a good job of communicating how they will bring the art, music, and culture they've been researching into the ride itself. They have begun to give us more about audioanimatronics and a glimpse of Mama Odie and, like you, I remain hopeful about the ride experience. I do think they should look at this and the Starcruiser and re-think how they tease rides and experiences in the future.

 

[Cliff]

They just showed sections of this mural on the local news, it looks like it belongs at a daycare. 0% belongs in Frontierland....they have thrown all placemaking out the door. This project is starting to look and feel more ill-fitting than I ever thought it would, I dont know what they think they are doing.

I think you are looking more into the theming than Disney want's you to. I think your expectations are too high. (I can tell that you are an old school Imagineering fan)

Just dont look to deep into this attraction details or concept coheisiveness. It's made by a new group of people that are less concerned with the actual theming details than you might be???

I think it WILL have good attention to the moral aspects of the attraction though.