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

M

Midwest Elitist

Well-Known Member
_caleb said:
I think this overly-detailed, "convoluted" backstory is typical for most thoughtfully-designed themed attractions. The main difference here is that they're sharing it with the public like this so early in the process. Someone upthread shared the backstory document for Pandora, and it was similarly filled with details and in-world jargon while being short on narrative or emotional connections.

Based on other things we've seen, I don't think the document represents the storyline of the Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The ride seems like it will have a cute critters, a fun party story, and, well, some sort of adventure. The backstory might be better understood as a framework the actual stories of the ride, restaurants, and shops should fit into.

In the parks, they are retheming the mountain. They want to sell hot sauce and beignets, have a restaurant, a kitchen/cooking/baking shop (Eudora's), offer cooking classes, sell gardening/homesteading merch, brand all these things as being under the ownership of Tiana, and tie it into the Disney+ series and its characters.

This backstory document can serve to unify all these efforts in time/place/story. WDI teams are gathering props and sourcing materials and beginning to build out TBA, and this document can help provide context for things like blueprints, checklists, and plans.

It also seems clear to me that Disney is trying to nurture the fandom by sharing things like the "Beyond Thunder Mountain" blue sky presentation at last years' D23 and documents like this backstory. The goal of releasing this was probably to get us talking about the ride, to signal what's coming, and to appeal to those of us who like to be in on the process as it's happening. I could be wrong, but I don't think the document was designed to be a press release or a summery of the ride.
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The longer your defensive wall of text, the more obvious your cracks in hope start to show.
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
doctornick said:
Unfortunately I’m not sure that many guests that go to WDW are among the target audience given this backstory.
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I’m certain that the majority of guests want to go into a repurposed salt mine to fetch ingredients for a minority owned restaurant by way of an employee owned co-op.

I hope we get to load Benguits into crates just like they do in New Orleans 😒
 
_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
EPCOT-O.G. said:
Ah, “this isn’t for you.” The last refuge of those who want to shut down any legitimate criticism.
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I think legitimate criticism is fine. And I know we all have different ideas about what is/isn’t “legitimate criticism.” This is a fan message board, after all.

When I saw the backstory (which most of us already knew) posted and then all the responses here, it seemed like a logical conclusion that the rethemed ride might not be intended to appeal to this audience.

Do you disagree?

I don’t think all the mocking sarcasm in this thread is needed.
 
GhostHost1000

GhostHost1000

Premium Member
_caleb said:
I think legitimate criticism is fine. And I know we all have different ideas about what is/isn’t “legitimate criticism.” This is a fan message board, after all.

When I saw the backstory (which most of us already knew) posted and then all the responses here, it seemed like a logical conclusion that the rethemed ride might not be intended to appeal to this audience.

Do you disagree?

I don’t think all the mocking sarcasm in this thread is needed.
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With that crazy backstory, who do you think is their intended audience?
 
_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
Midwest Elitist said:
The longer your defensive wall of text, the more obvious your cracks in hope start to show.
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What’s defensive about my post? I’m just sharing my opinion. I agree that the backstory is convoluted.

Interpreting what Disney is doing (and why) isn’t the same thing as endorsing it. Honestly I’m not sure what I think about the whole thing, so I’m waiting to see what they do with it.

Sorry my posts are too long for you.
 
Surferboy567

Surferboy567

Well-Known Member
MrPromey said:
I actually get where they're coming form with this... because I'm a fan of Tobasco Hot Sauce and know a little about how and where it is/was made and the history of the company.

For anyone who doesn't know and cares to:

en.wikipedia.org

Avery Island (Louisiana) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org

Tabasco sauce - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

With that in mind, the salt dome and the hot sauce and it being tied in as a Louisiana thing does make some semblance of sense if this attraction is sponsored by the McIlhenny Company and they will be the ones bottling the souvenir hot sauce being sold as Tiana's... and if guests are familiar with all of this.

But I'm guessing the makers of Tobasco sauce are not sponsoring this. I'm also guessing that since I'm the only person that has so far recognized this connection, that it's not going to click for 99.9% of guests, either.

And also, that real-life salt dome (along with any other) looks absolutely nothing like the carcass of Splash Mountain no matter how they try to paint or decorate it so unlike the real stuff, this is all, as they say, pretty weak sauce.

Then again, the circumstances around why that salt mine shut down in 2020 may be reason enough for Disney to not want that connection to be obvious as guests ride through this one.
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I understand why from an architectural standpoint, they had to make it a salt mine/dome as you mentioned. The geography is well…flat and that is the only thing with any kind of elevation.

I’m more concerned about how this ties into a log flume log system then how it makes sense within the confidants of it making sense within Louisiana. Food co-ops and community growth doesn’t really scream thrilling log flume to me.

It makes sense for a next step in Tiana’s character not really for a thrilling log flume though.

I hadn’t even thought of the potential of them making Tiana branded hot sauce. Not exactly something that goes hand and hand with a log flume.
 
Drdcm

Drdcm

Well-Known Member
_caleb said:
I think legitimate criticism is fine. And I know we all have different ideas about what is/isn’t “legitimate criticism.” This is a fan message board, after all.

When I saw the backstory (which most of us already knew) posted and then all the responses here, it seemed like a logical conclusion that the rethemed ride might not be intended to appeal to this audience.

Do you disagree?

I don’t think all the mocking sarcasm in this thread is needed.
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That may be true. I’m still giving them the benefit of the doubt, which is why I tend to fluctuate on my temperature of the ride. That being said, Why aren’t they making a ride that has broad appeal? It seems shortsighted of them to target such a small minutia of customers.
 
_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
GhostHost1000 said:
With that crazy backstory, who do you think is their intended audience?
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That's a good question. I imagine they have in mind:
  • African Americans: food, culture, community, history
  • Foodies: hot sauce, beignets, cooking
  • Fans of local business/entrepreneurship: the whole co-op thing
  • Women/girls: empowerment, leadership, creativity
  • History buffs: 1920's business models, salt mines, New Orleans
  • "Geeks" who get into story and theming details (similar to fans of S.E.A., etc.)
  • And, of course fans of Princess and the Frog who might care about what happens next w/Tiana
I think Disney intentionally put a Black woman in charge of the retheme and much of this is a result of her vision for how they might use Tiana in the parks. I think this will likely make the whole thing less readily/immediately appealing to people who are culturally distant from her perspective.
 
GhostHost1000

GhostHost1000

Premium Member
_caleb said:
That's a good question. I imagine they have in mind:
  • African Americans: food, culture, community, history
  • Foodies: hot sauce, beignets, cooking
  • Fans of local business/entrepreneurship: the whole co-op thing
  • Women/girls: empowerment, leadership, creativity
  • History buffs: 1920's business models, salt mines, New Orleans
  • "Geeks" who get into story and theming details (similar to fans of S.E.A., etc.)
  • And, of course fans of Princess and the Frog who might care about what happens next w/Tiana
I think Disney intentionally put a Black woman in charge of the retheme and much of this is a result of her vision for how they might use Tiana in the parks. I think this will likely make the whole thing less readily/immediately appealing to people who are culturally distant from her perspective.
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So what you’re saying is Disney is replacing one of their most popular attractions, spending a lot of money to do it, and making an attraction that is focused on only that intended audience?

Also if imagineers are doing their job, it honestly shouldn’t matter the race of the people who are in charge of it, or for anything for that matter. Joe Rhode did pretty well in AK for example. Just get the right people to do the right job and work as a team.
 
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_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
GhostHost1000 said:
So what you’re saying is Disney is replacing one of their most popular attractions, spending a lot of money to do it, and making an attraction that is focused on only that intended audience?
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No, of course not. I'm saying these are some potential audiences they're likely trying to go deeper with while building something most people will enjoy.

The reasons for the retheme have been discussed at length elsewhere. Now that it's been decided that the retheme is happening, we're getting Tiana's Bayou Adventure. And I think they're designing this with certain key sub-audiences in mind. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.

Disney has laid out this strategy in their streaming efforts: rather than try to make something that is primarily designed to appeal to everyone (which is increasingly difficult), pick out a sub-set of the audience and cater primarily (but not exclusively) to them.

The reason for this approach is that they have increasingly improved data about audiences and fandoms, if you can connect with them, spend lots more money and are far more loyal than general audiences. Well, that's the theory, anyway.
 

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