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

[Brer Panther]

I’m not a big fan of Iger but calling someone who managed to become CEO of Disney an “idiot” doesn’t make any sense.

According to @Inspired Figment, he only became CEO by manipulating and forcing Roy Disney.

 

[GhostHost1000]

I may be in the minority here, but does anyone else think they are wasting money redoing so much of the outside and queue when that money could be spent on things inside the attraction or even others that need some tlc?

 

[LittleBuford]

But the rest is a visual culinary abortion.

Other than the contentious mural, what are you referring to?

 

[Magicart87]

I may be in the minority here, but does anyone else think they are wasting money redoing so much of the outside and queue when that money could be spent on things inside the attraction or even others that need some tlc?

We don't know what's going on inside. But based on what we can see outside, it's a mess. And they've certainly wasted time and money on it when the results are mostly anachronistic and visually-muddled. It's a hodgepodge of whatever and it looks it. You can't just throw random ingredients in a pot and call it gumbo. There's been little to convenience me that Carter and company know what they're doing. The greens are nice. And the water tower is palatable. But the rest is a visual culinary abortion. I think they could have used their finances and talents to better results.

Other than the contentious mural, what are you referring to?

The queue work, the tiara (which to be fair was in the concept art - still hate it) the mural (as mentioned) the colors, the signage. Most all of it.

 

[ddisneyd]

Boring or not, when will it open?

 

[Magicart87]

Splash didn’t have a giant princess tiara out in front.

Nothing says “Frontierland” more than a giant princess tiara!

Yep. A deft hand would have gone a long way in making the exterior satisfactual. Less is more. Even the greenery is becoming a bit heavy-handed. The tiara and mural though, yeah those shouldn't have made it past the blue sky phase. Imagineering's biggest challenge remains their inability to budget and to say No. Everyone wants to put their dash of seasoning on it. The results speak for themselves.

 

[mergatroid]

My point is that the WDI team isn’t too concerned if it fits. Or at least not as concerned as the primary reason for it existing. I’m about 99% sure that it TBA was built 6 years ago that mural wouldn’t exist.

I think the art looks fine. It has its place. Its place just isn’t at Frontierland and part of an attraction that’s supposed to be set in 1920’s New Orleans. The one with Louis looks out of place but the other one with those faces (that I’m not sure I saw until recently) really looks out of place. I do believe things can be objectively ugly or beautiful.

When they built Everest all those years ago they designed the line based on areas in Tibet. "It looks raggedy" I remember some saying whilst others marvelled at the authenticity of the research and design. They're never going to please everyone but it's not a new thing to travel to different places to decide how to theme a queue.

 

[JoeCamel]

You think we get a plush Louis that sits on the shoulder? Maybe playing a trumpet ala banshee?

 

[Magicart87]

I mean, if the "missing ingredient" story point is muddled might I suggest adding a foil to make the quest of getting said ingredient more challenging and thus more rewarding? Tiana wants the ingredient for X but another just so happens to want it for Y. Who is this fiendish antagonist trying to stop Tiana from accomplishing her goal?

 

[mergatroid]

Really? I think it very much sounds like the same sentiment. If he thought whatever he was walking through was fun would he care that he didn’t fully understand the story? I don’t think so.

“You guys this is looking excellent. Kudos. The kids are going to love this. But I’m going to need you to rework some of these scenes so I can understand it better.”

And yet that's the exact reaction we get from many posters on here who don't like Guardians?

"Well people may love the speed, they may love the spinning and they may love the music. But do they follow the story, I don't"

That seems to be the exact thought process of the 'Coaster in a box' folk regarding Guardians, so that thought process must exist?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

If the "missing ingredient" story point is muddled might I suggest adding a foil to make the quest of getting said ingredient more challenging and thus more rewarding. Tiana wants the ingredient for X but another just so happens to want it for Y. But who could it be? And will we in time?

Could have it as Tiana/the guests are trying to get the ingredient which can also be used in spells and the dark side is trying to get it first and seems to have it but then Madam Odie gets it and uses it in one of her spells which brings you to safety, out of the hands of darkness (and down a large waterfall)

 

[Magicart87]

Could have it as Tiana/the guests are trying to get the ingredient which can also be used in spells and the dark side is trying to get it first and seems to have it but then Madam Odie gets it and uses it in one of her spells which brings you to safety, out of the hands of darkness (and down a large waterfall)

That tracks. It's Faciliesque without Facilier. But then why not just have him featured as well? I could see that being a serviceable story beat.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That tracks. It's Faciliesque without Facilier. But then why not just have him featured as well? Still, it works and I could see that being a serviceable story beat.

Oh, I would definitely include him - even if just his presence or implication of being "on the other side" and maybe he needs this ingredient for a spell to get out of there

 

[Tha Realest]

I think we're somewhat in agreement. To be clear, I don't think Iger has made any point to be intimately involved with the development process on this attraction. He is typically very hands-off as things come together (as well he *generally* should be, he has much bigger fish to fry and Disney pays other people to be creative) and I'm sure that has continued here.

However, I don't believe for a second that he would have given approval to the pre-vis of this attraction those creatives would have presented UNLESS he really felt it was strong. That, or then he would have offered the sort of "it's boring" comment being bandied about and sent them back to work. It is definitely true that Iger recognizes this project as significant and is not interested in risking that it fall short. Disney has enough bad press these days, and screwing this up would not go over quietly.

It is also true that Iger has seen enough attractions in progress to know that it ain't finished until it's finished, so unless something is, like, SHOCKINGLY different from what he gave approval to, this would be an odd stage to offer direction-altering criticism. At the current juncture, "riding" the thing in The DISH would give a more accurate sense of the finished ride than walking through the empty flume with worklights on, sets in various states of completion, and no Animatronics.

You make a lot of assumptions here. This ride was announced in the summer of 2020 after he left. In July 2022 we had a “2024” date for the new ride. Iger came back in late November 2022, and immediately had to stave off the proxy fight with Peltz. Splash MK was closed down January 23, 2023.

Where, exactly, in that process do you expect him to have “signed off” on the pre-viz? When would he have “stopped the jackhammers” when the theatrical slate (his bread and butter) was in crisis mode?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

You make a lot of assumptions here. This ride was announced in the summer of 2020 after he left. In July 2022 we had a “2024” date for the new ride. Iger came back in late November 2022, and immediately had to stave off the proxy fight with Peltz. Splash MK was closed down January 23, 2023.

Where, exactly, in that process do you expect him to have “signed off” on the pre-viz? When would he have “stopped the jackhammers” when the theatrical slate (his bread and butter) was in crisis mode?

The thought of this being approved by Chapek is terrifying, that said I’d be shocked if Iger wasn’t able to spare 20 minutes in the last year to see a pre-vis, whether he paid any attention to it with all the other turmoil is a valid question though.

It’s possible he was bored by the pre-vis and told Josh to deal with it because he was dealing with bigger issues, and was surprised he still found it dull, it just seems unlikely he’d be that hands off given how its success/failure will impact his legacy.

Disney has felt like a rudderless ship for a few years now though, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was just another thing that should have been a priority and instead fell through the cracks.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

You make a lot of assumptions here. This ride was announced in the summer of 2020 after he left. In July 2022 we had a “2024” date for the new ride. Iger came back in late November 2022, and immediately had to stave off the proxy fight with Peltz. Splash MK was closed down January 23, 2023.

Where, exactly, in that process do you expect him to have “signed off” on the pre-viz? When would he have “stopped the jackhammers” when the theatrical slate (his bread and butter) was in crisis mode?

The thought of this being approved by Chapek is terrifying, that said I’d be shocked if Iger wasn’t able to spare 20 minutes in the last year to see a pre-vis, whether he paid any attention to it with all the other turmoil is a valid question though.

It’s possible he was bored by the pre-vis and told Josh to deal with it because he was dealing with bigger issues, and was surprised he still found it dull, it just seems unlikely he’d be that hands off given how its success/failure will impact his legacy.

Iger didn't leave the company until the end of December 2021. And he came back less than one year later. Chapek only held "full control" of the company for an extremely short period of time. And even when he was "gone", Iger still meddled in the company's business. He was who most in the company still considered the leader. Much to the irritation of Chapek, who was just a fall guy who Iger knew wouldn't last long.

Chapek never cared about this ride or its existence. It's not *his* project (I also don't think he would have approved it if he was in full control of the company when it was announced), it's very much Iger's "baby" so to speak. Iger was also in favor of a higher budget after the negative backlash against the retheme. He has taken a lot more personal interest in this attraction than most other park projects (outside of Shanghai that is). He's tethered his ego to its success. It would surprise me if he hasn't actually kept an eye on it throughout development.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Iger didn't leave the company until the end of December 2021. And he came back less than one year later. Chapek only held "full control" of the company for an extremely short period of time. And even when he was "gone", Iger still meddled in the company's business. He was who most in the company still considered the leader. Much to the irritation of Chapek, who was just a fall guy who Iger knew wouldn't last long.

Chapek never cared about this ride or its existence. It's not *his* project (I also don't think he would have approved it if he was in full control of the company when it was announced), it's very much Iger's "baby" so to speak. Iger was also in favor of a higher budget after the negative backlash against the retheme. He has taken a lot more personal interest in this attraction than most other park projects (outside of Shanghai that is). He's tethered his ego to its success. It would surprise me if he hasn't actually kept an eye on it throughout development.

I have to say that if Chapek was truly in charge, TBA would’ve been the original lower cost ride with the lower amount of projected face AAs and lots of screens. His usual approach of the guests will like it no matter what the critics say.

 

[harrisonm]

 

[_caleb]

That artificial plants seem to be connected by strings?

 

[JoeCamel]

That artificial plants seem to be connected by strings?

Will they twinkle or have fairy lights fluttering through them?

I guess they might be going for full immersion and it is a waterline for irrigation.....