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

[Brer Oswald]

Mickey and Star Wars are modern trackless rides, and as such have a lot of empty corridors. There's definitely a sense of emptiness to them as a whole, but none of the empty space in them screams "that clearly looks like a platform custom made for an AA but was left empty", unlike the spaces in Tiana. The scenery and few figures they have are all flattened tightly against the walls to allow the vehicles a wide berth. Even Frozen doesn't have a whole lot of empty spaces that clearly and specifically look like the were supposed to contain more figures.

Beauty and the Beast has a couple of these empty platforms at least in the finale, some of which were indeed occupied and others not. But again, this area was all replicated directly from a place in the movie. The ride system again fills up most of the ballroom floor and all of the other figures have to be shoved up against the walls to make way for the huge vehicles.

But I am again not just basing this on my own observations. I was definitively told by my source (who has an excellent track record and who claims to have very recently personally seen finalized full scene mockups of the entire ride) that these spaces would in fact be occupied by animatronics when complete. Take that however you like though. I'm also not the only one even in this thread who has heard from imagineers who claim this ride "won't disappoint" when it comes to a large quantity of AA's and when comparing against Splash.

The only one to show proof of anything is Splash Archives, so that’s who I tend to go with regarding info about this project. Not to say his info is infallible, but the track record for “unique” info has definitely been a lot better than other sources.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

The only one to show proof of anything is Splash Archives, so that’s who I tend to go with regarding info about this project. Not to say his info is infallible, but the track record for “unique” info has definitely been a lot better than other sources.

The source i've spoken with has an excellent track record as well. On both this attraction as well as many others. They were the one who broke that initial info dump I posted back in 2022. While everyone else was assuming this was still a low budget overlay with hollowed out sets and very few AA's. This includes the amount of new original major characters being created. And later (again before anyone else) that the AA's would not be face projected. I was also told in June last year that the attraction was going to open significantly earlier than originally planned, some at WDI pushing for 5-6 months earlier. That all ended up being spot-on.

I'll reiterate that I think the renders Archive posted do originate from Disney, not fanmade fakes. My contention is the way in which people are trying to extrapolate information and jump to conclusions based on what is and isn't present in them. These renders are extremely simplistic and were clearly being used for internal testing for certain figures and angles, they're not in a remotely complete enough state to be making any concrete assertions about how many figures will be present in the final show-ready scene. Whether these assertions are from Splash Archive, or from his friend who got ahold of the renders and was simply relayed their own claims, I do not know. But I suspect there is some mistaken information involved here.

When Archive first posted about these renders on Twitter in July of last year, he claimed that it would only have six animatronics, as the official finalized number. That post is still up for reference-

When Archive was informed that he was missing three additional characters that had already been confirmed over two months prior to this tweet, he changed the number to 9 in a post on this forum. And he said that 9 was now the true final number with no chance of any additional figures beyond that. Something i'm inclined to believe is not the case. I suspect that Archive's numbers were inferred based on counting how many characters physically appear in the renders, and that they adjusted that number after they discovered that Disney had already confirmed there were more.

To reiterate, the fact that every one of these renders demonstrates a different combination of characters (one of them without any characters at all, and another showing two in a basic t-pose stance) should at least serve as a warning not to jump to conclusions about what the final count will be.

At this point, I am not the only one on this forum who heard that the ride will have a very impressive quantity of AA's. I don't think anyone has been told a specific number yet, or they're keeping things close to the chest if they have been. But several people with good track records here have independently heard from their own sources that the "dozens" claim by Disney is the real deal. And not just a meager 24 or even 36, but considerably more still. Allegedly something that should satisfy people who valued that particular aspect of Splash.

 

[Disney Analyst]

The source i've spoken with has an excellent track record as well. On both this attraction as well as many others. They were the one who broke that initial info dump I posted back in 2022 when everyone else was assuming this was still a low budget overlay with hollowed out sets and very few AA's. This includes the amount of new original major characters being created, and that the AA's would not be face projected. As well as the fact that the attraction was going to open significantly earlier than originally planned.

I'll reiterate that I think the renders Archive posted did originate from Disney, not fanmade fakes. My contention is the way in which people are trying to extrapolate information and jump to conclusions based on what is and isn't present in them. These renders are extremely primitive and being used for testing internally, they're not in a remotely complete enough state to be making any assertions about how many figures are to be included. Whether those assertions are from Splash Archive, or from his friend who he says got ahold of the renders and simply relayed their own claims.

When Archive first posted about these renders on Twitter in July last year, he claimed that it would only have six animatronics, as the official finalized number. That post is still up for reference-

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When he was informed that he was missing three other characters that had already been confirmed nearly three months prior, he altered the claim to state that there would only be 9 figures. And THAT was now the true final number with no possible chance of any additional figures. This to me indicates that Archive's numbers are based on what either he or his friend are seeing from the renders, along with whatever else Disney has confirmed to the public so far.

To reiterate, the fact that every one of these renders demonstrates a different combination of characters present (one of them without any characters at all, and another showing two in a t-pose) should at least serve as a warning not to jump to conclusions here.

At this point, I am not the only one on this forum who heard that the ride will have a very impressive quantity of AA's. I don't think anyone has been told a specific number yet, they're keeping things close to the chest if they have. But several people with good track records here have also now independently heard from their own sources that the "dozens" claim by Disney is the real deal. And that it doesn't mean a meager 24 or even 36, but considerably more still. Allegedly something that should satisfy people who valued that particular aspect of Splash.

I just wanted to chime in and state you have explained your reasoning very clearly, and you don't owe anyone further explanation.

I also agree with you that there are far more AAs than some on here want to push, and now we just wait to see who was right all along.

 

[TomboyJanet]

I’ve seen a few of his vids, he definitely does go into the nuts and bolts of some of that stuff which is super interesting!

And agreed, they’re sorta their own animal. I recall being on splash a bunch where we were pretty much bump drafting another log through certain scenes and then have to get held up once we got to a lift or drop.

I like to yell things out like where'd you learn to drive nj?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I just wanted to chime in and state you have explained your reasoning very clearly, and you don't owe anyone further explanation.

I also agree with you that there are far more AAs than some on here want to push, and now we just wait to see who was right all along.

I'm not at all unwilling to admit to being wrong and apologize if it turns out I am. Just relaying what it currently looks like to me, as well as what was specifically told to me by someone I have a lot of longstanding trust. They have already gotten a staggeringly large amount of details on this ride correct so far. And in this instance, the details on the AA's were stated to be backed up with strong visual evidence very recently provided by imagineers working on the ride right now.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I'm not at all unwilling to admit to being wrong and apologize if it turns out I am. Just relaying what it currently looks like to me, as well as what was specifically told to me by someone I have a lot of longstanding trust. They have already gotten a staggeringly large amount of details on this ride correct so far. And in this instance, the details on the AA's were stated to be backed up with strong visual evidence very recently provided by imagineers working on the ride right now.

Not to mention your sources have been confirmed just very recently with Disney stating, with the ride opening only months away that there will be "dozens" of AAs.

Anyone who says there will be less than that has bad info.

 

[Drew the Disney Dude]

I'm not at all unwilling to admit to being wrong and apologize if it turns out I am. Just relaying what it currently looks like to me, as well as what was specifically told to me by someone I have a lot of longstanding trust. They have already gotten a staggeringly large amount of details on this ride correct so far. And in this instance, the details on the AA's were stated to be backed up with strong visual evidence very recently provided by imagineers working on the ride right now.

As @Disney Analyst said, you have provided, without a doubt, some of the best info on these forums, and everything you have said and explained makes sense, and also lines up exactly with what Disney and Josh D'Amaro have said regarding this attraction. I trust you and your sources, and I think many others on here would agree, especially given the track record.

I know personally that Mark at Splash Archives does have legitimate info in regards to certain aspects of this attraction too, yet we will only know the specifics once it's all revealed soon. Thankfully we don't have to wait much longer.

The little info I have on this attraction leads me to believe we could easily see 48 Animatronics, especially with 17 new characters already confirmed. I know all of this has already been talked about more than enough, but I firmly believe there is nothing to worry about in regards to Animatronics specifically.

There's a reason this is the closest I have ever followed an attraction, let alone a retheme of Splash, which I loved dearly. Disney is not going to disappoint us and I'll leave it at that.

 

[seabreezept813]

Even with Disney’s track record and recent attractions less than a dozen for this ride would be highly unusual. This ride has a lot of show space. And while Disney has many many flaws, I’m pretty sure most can agree that they know that the bar is high for this one. It’s funny Splash was always my favorite attraction and yet I can still be excited for Tiana. Can’t wait to see the castle from the logs. I know that I’ve had great memories on its predecessor and will make more on the new ride. Just wish my youngest was tall enough to ride and 5 year old was more brave with rides. They love Tiana but I think we’ll end up having to rider swap. Fingers crossed this iteration brings some more joy back to MK.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Not to mention your sources have been confirmed just very recently with Disney stating, with the ride opening only months away that there will be "dozens" of AAs.

Anyone who says there will be less than that has bad info.

The "dozens" thing was from almost a year ago. And I would normally recommend not taking what they claim in PR statements as gospel. Especially given their track record of playing extremely fast and loose with the term "AA" to describe simple props with less complexity than a Tiki Bird (which is pretty much the minimum baseline for what i'd classify as an AA). We also need to know how MANY dozen. Thankfully it sounds like ToTBellHop seems to also believe we're looking at well above 36.

And to be clear, I don't think Splash Archive has ever stated how many figures in total the entire ride will contain. He cited 6 and then later 9 for the finale. But he hasn't given an overall precise number, just that it would be sparse. This again contradicts what I was told.

Brayden was the one who started the "only 17 AA's in the entire ride" claim. Then WDW Pro stole it along with Archive's stuff to add his own spin to it. These claims at least are already provably false.

As @Disney Analyst said, you have provided, without a doubt, some of the best info on these forums, and everything you have said and explained makes sense, and also lines up exactly with what Disney and Josh D'Amaro have said regarding this attraction. I trust you and your sources, and I think many others on here would agree, especially given the track record.

I know personally that Mark at Splash Archives does have legitimate info in regards to certain aspects of this attraction too, yet we will only know the specifics once it's all revealed soon. Thankfully we don't have to wait much longer.

The little info I have on this attraction leads me to believe we could easily see 48 Animatronics, especially with 17 new characters already confirmed. I know all of this has already been talked about more than enough, but I firmly believe there is nothing to worry about in regards to Animatronics specifically.

There's a reason this is the closest I have ever followed an attraction, let alone a retheme of Splash, which I loved dearly. Disney is not going to disappoint us and I'll leave it at that.

Much appreciated. And I really don't enjoy stepping on any toes here, especially in the event I somehow end up being proven wrong and need to apologize for both that and also coming across as rude (I don't think what I was told will be incorrect, but still). I've got my eye on this as well given what i've been told.

There are at least 27 confirmed major individual characters who will be present this attraction (not the AA total). 17 new original characters created for the attraction, along with the 10 confirmed returning ones from the film. Public information of course, so that already debunks what Brayden and Pro claim. They should all be present in animatronic form in the ride (not all A1000's of course, but the others should still be very good in their own right).

As you and I have both noted, a significant amount of these characters will appear multiple times throughout the ride. So they will have several AA's each. Tiana I'm sure will have at least 3-4 figures. Louis and Naveen should have at least 2+. I expect a number of the other new critters (like the Otter for instance) to also reappear multiple times. You get the idea. Likely there will be some regular minor critters in the ride too that aren't part of the band. But we'll see.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The "dozens" thing was from almost a year ago.

And was just repeated in a recent blog.

PR does make mistakes, but with TBA, they've been updating themselves, e.g., "Late 2024" to "2024" to "Summer 2024."

If the number of AAs changed, they probably would have updated "dozens of AAs" in the recent blog post.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

And was just repeated in a recent blog.

PR does make mistakes, but with TBA, they've been updating themselves, e.g., "Late 2024" to "2024" to "Summer 2024."

If the number of AAs changed, they probably would have updated "dozens of AAs" in the recent blog post

It’s also possibly worth noting the dozens of anImatronics and critters found throughout are the first 2 things mentioned out of 5 within the blog post. Most likely to coincide with the animatronic reveal which was the obvious highlight, but it is still hopeful seeing them recognize these factors. If they felt they could get away with the bare minimum of AAs they wouldn’t emphasize this, and I am aware of the discrepancy in figure count for Rise. Now I could be wrong and may be falling for their own PR fluff but it corroborates well with what others have said here so I’d like to remain more optimistic about the project

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

And was just repeated in a recent blog.

PR does make mistakes, but with TBA, they've been updating themselves, e.g., "Late 2024" to "2024" to "Summer 2024."

Communicore Hall.........Coming..Uh.....Um.. ..Soo..no ...Toda...Next week?..Hey, Epcot any word when you'll be ready for this to be open?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Communicore Hall.........Coming..Uh.....Um.. ..Soo..no ...Toda...Next week?..Hey, Epcot any word when you'll be ready for this to be open?

Shortening the time frame for TBA meant lengthening it for Communicore. It's the circle of lifecycle.

 

[FettFan]

From a merchandising standpoint, Do you think they'll be selling Tiana's non-princess outfits?

Disney is pushing it hard…that’s the outfit she’ll be meeting and greeting at GF once 1900 Park Fare reopens. Which is a good fit.

Sadly she’ll be next to Aladdin in his Prince Ali getup, apparently.
Because to hell with theming anymore, right?

 

[Brer Oswald]

I think we could see 48 figures. I doubt they will all be animatronic. I know they won’t all be A1000 like the Tiana they have shown. I will guess at least half will be limited motion.

This wouldn’t be the first time they’ve counted all of the figures as “animatronic”. They’ve claimed Rise has over 60. Really it has under 10. They claimed WDW Splash had over 80. Really it was around 50 (still impressive) give or take a few that were hard to classify. Perhaps that’s why they’re being vague. Dozens could mean as little as 24 (the bare minimum) and as high as 72.

 

[Indy_UK]

I’m not fussed about the overall amount of AAs but I just want the scenes to make sense.

I envision where they will be sparse throughout the ride like Frozen ever after

 

[zipadee999]

I think we could see 48 figures. I doubt they will all be animatronic. I know they won’t all be A1000 like the Tiana they have shown. I will guess at least half will be limited motion.

This wouldn’t be the first time they’ve counted all of the figures as “animatronic”. They’ve claimed Rise has over 60. Really it has under 10. They claimed WDW Splash had over 80. Really it was around 50 (still impressive) give or take a few that were hard to classify. Perhaps that’s why they’re being vague. Dozens could mean as little as 24 (the bare minimum) and as high as 72.

I hope we get dozens of limited motion figures (we probably won’t) A scene full of these simple, limited figures is far more effective than a scene that’s barren and inhabited by a single A-1000. I can hardly remember the last time Disney did the former.

That’s why old-school imagineering was so effective. They used the cocktail party technique. Every scene was full and there was something going on wherever you looked. Even if the figures weren’t overly advanced, the scenes were full and there was something to see everywhere you could think to turn your head (Think Pirates!)

Modern WDI seems to be content with the Frozen Ever After technique. They don’t want you to look around in a scene and look for details, because there aren’t any! They will plop down one or two impressive A-1000s, and then purely focus your interest specifically on those sparse animatronics. Looking around will result in you noticing lots of empty walls.

 

[Incomudro]

I hope we get dozens of limited motion figures (we probably won’t) A scene full of these simple, limited figures is far more effective than a scene that’s barren and inhabited by a single A-1000. I can hardly remember the last time Disney did the former.

That’s why old-school imagineering was so effective. They used the cocktail party technique. Every scene was full and there was something going on wherever you looked. Even if the figures weren’t overly advanced, the scenes were full and there was something to see everywhere you could think to turn your head (Think Pirates!)

Modern WDI seems to be content with the Frozen Ever After technique. They don’t want you to look around in a scene and look for details, because there aren’t any! They will plop down one or two impressive A-1000s, and then purely focus your interest specifically on those sparse animatronics. Looking around will result in you noticing lots of empty walls.

What was great about the old way as well, was that every time you rode you could look somewhere different.
With a single advanced AA, that's your focal point.
This is why I mentioned how well Secret Life of Pets is done at Universal.
I haven't ridden it - only watched videos - but it really recalls the way Disney used to do things.
I'm really hoping Tiana's is like that.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I’m not fussed about the overall amount of AAs but I just want the scenes to make sense.

I envision where they will be sparse throughout the ride like Frozen ever after

Placement and scene composition is definitely more important than quantity. All of Splash’s major scenes were memorable, some of which only had three figures. I want the same to be true of TBA.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

Placement and scene composition is definitely more important than quantity. All of Splash’s major scenes were memorable, some of which only had three figures. I want the same to be true of TBA.

The placemaking and sets within the ride are going to be top notch. What I'm most curious about is the soundtrack. It can be the determining factor between the ride being great but just missing something, or an instant classic. I think.

According to cupofchai ^