The bolded point is one that I think gave this the push above all else from just an idea to reality. In their minds, their 4-5 “core” brands trump all else, and spreading them throughout the 4 parks is the smartest business decision.
1. Yes, I remember it quite clearly, because the girls were upset and hurt. Disney did not stock much PatF in 2018-early 2020. I regularly looked for her in stores, online, and at WDW. Sadly, the teens were correct.
Made me picture if they put Mardi Gras music into Westard Whoa!.
Having seen it in real life with the tower installed, I have to disagree. I was actually shocked at how small and compact the structure was. Of course, it’s always been this way, but they really had me convinced for 20 years that the mountain was taller (with the forced perspective of the tree) and had more depth (with the layering of briar patch thorns).
I suppose it’s subjective. Perhaps a consensus will emerge one way or the other when it opens and more people see it. We’ll know it looks too small if a lot of parents complain that that their children were lured onto something that turned out to be a lot scarier than it seemed.
Amazing what skilled Imagineers can do….
At least with Splash, they were able to make some subtle updates to make it work. I hope they at least have a rattlesnake who sings “yeehaw!”
MK's Splash mostly didn't take place in a bayou, that's why it fit as well as it did there. The imagineers fundamentally altered the setting to take place in a countryside in Georgia, leaning more heavily on the film's setting. That's why the exterior used such bright red clay. The soundtrack at MK was also very bluegrassy instead of DL's jazz.
