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

[neo999955]

You realize that people aren’t limited to being ONLY “creative” or ONLY “accounting,” right? And at a company like Disney, we actually want someone who understands both?

Yeah, just wanted to jump in on this as well. People have many different paths to the work they take on later in life. I know a lot of people who had less "creative" college careers and have gone to be of the most creative people I've ever met.

It feels depressing to me that anyone would entirely dismiss people as "uncreative" and unfit for their roles (that they've had for decades) because they have an accounting background. People are complicated and multi-faceted. I'm sure it is also a benefit, as stated above, to have a deep understanding of the financials as well.

I know people claim WDI has lost its creative abilities, but a lot of issues credited are made outside of the imagineers themselves. I think Avatar, Mickey, Rise and Guardians are four breathtaking rides that deserve a lot of credit. People leaving does not mean only inferior people come in to take their place either. Obviously, things do change and all long-running departments have highs and lows, but I don't think it's fair to cast all of WDI down so negatively.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Disney fans:

Imagineering is out of control spending half a billion dollars for a new attraction.​

Also Disney fans:

Imagineering is cutting corners to recklessly save money.​

​

​

(Okay, maybe not all Disney fans... but the ones who attack Disney in every thread making self-contradictory statements to score their points.)

There are things I like -
I love the points of light on SSE and the other lighting enhancements they made around SSE
I love they brought back the acrylic spires in the fountain in front of SSE.
I love they got rid of the memory plaque graveyard in front of SSE and I even like the way they display them now.
I like the addition of the Rat to France and the expansion of France.
I like the Skyliner (as long as I don’t get stuck in one)
The new Connections and Creations, are growing on me, I like the big windows in connections.
I am super happy we still have club cool. They could have easily simply stopped that.
I like Guardians, but I would have done a cheaper overlay and keep the old ride system.
Space 220
I am happy for the Walt Statue in EPCOT.
And a quick nod to TRON, love it.
I also love they saved that massive cruise ship from the scrap yard Even though I know I will never cruise on it.

Things I don’t like -
Moana Journey of Water
The Harmonious barges
The PolyDay Inn DVC
Park Pass Reservations
Genie+, ILL
Loss of DME
Loss of the fountain of Nations
The money the company wasted on D+
There are others that I guess really don’t count that I just really miss like the lights of winter and the Osborne lights.
There are probably others I could add but am not thinking of them right now.

But you see, there is still a lot to like and it is possible to both like some things and dislike other things.

 

[Brer Panther]

Really stinks that they're not going to have "Friends On the Other Side" in the retheme...

What's the point of building an attraction based on a movie if you're not going to include the best parts?

 

[MisterPenguin]

There are things I like -
I love the points of light on SSE and the other lighting enhancements they made around SSE
I love they brought back the acrylic spires in the fountain in front of SSE.
I love they got rid of the memory plaque graveyard in front of SSE and I even like the way they display them now.
I like the addition of the Rat to France and the expansion of France.
I like the Skyliner (as long as I don’t get stuck in one)
The new Connections and Creations, are growing on me, I like the big windows in connections.
I am super happy we still have club cool. They could have easily simply stopped that.
I like Guardians, but I would have done a cheaper overlay and keep the old ride system.
Space 220
I am happy for the Walt Statue in EPCOT.
And a quick nod to TRON, love it.
I also love they saved that massive cruise ship from the scrap yard Even though I know I will never cruise on it.

Things I don’t like -
Moana Journey of Water
The Harmonious barges
The PolyDay Inn DVC
Park Pass Reservations
Genie+, ILL
Loss of DME
Loss of the fountain of Nations
The money the company wasted on D+
There are others that I guess really don’t count that I just really miss like the lights of winter and the Osborne lights.
There are probably others I could add but am not thinking of them right now.

But you see, there is still a lot to like and it is possible to both like some things and dislike other things.

While I disagree with some of your Disney complaints, and agree with others; you weren't in my mind as one of the ones who trip themselves up attempting to be negative about everything.

 

[Magenta Panther]

You realize that people aren’t limited to being ONLY “creative” or ONLY “accounting,” right? And at a company like Disney, we actually want someone who understands both?

I realize that we have ample evidence that she's an accountant. What evidence do we have that she's in any way creative?

 

[Magenta Panther]

Disney fans:

Imagineering is out of control spending half a billion dollars for a new attraction.​

Also Disney fans:

Imagineering is cutting corners to recklessly save money.​

​

​

(Okay, maybe not all Disney fans... but the ones who attack Disney in every thread making self-contradictory statements to score their points.)

As a park-goer, I don't give a darn how much Disney spends creating a ride, as long as the dollars show up in the results.

 

[_caleb]

I realize that we have ample evidence that she's an accountant. What evidence do we have that she's in any way creative?

You mean other than her 16 years as a leader at WDI and the projects she’s successfully led? I’d encourage you to read this (admittedly positive) article profiling Charita Carter and ask yourself why you would continue to insist she’s not qualified for the job.

 

[_caleb]

Really stinks that they're not going to have "Friends On the Other Side" in the retheme...

What's the point of building an attraction based on a movie if you're not going to include the best parts?

It’s not “based on the movie.”

 

[Magenta Panther]

You mean other than her 16 years as a leader at WDI and the projects she’s successfully led? I’d encourage you to read this (admittedly positive) article profiling Charita Carter and ask yourself why you would continue to insist she’s not qualified for the job.

Oh, is she responsible for the weird heads on Mickey and Minnie in MMRR, and the fact that, if a park guest sits in the back row of the train, they can't hear or see Goofy at all? Or follow the ride's storyline? Bravo!

 

[_caleb]

Oh, is she responsible for the weird heads on Mickey and Minnie in MMRR, and the fact that, if a park guest sits in the back row of the train, they can't hear or see Goofy at all? Or follow the ride's storyline? Bravo!

Oh, yes, every little thing in the parks that you don’t care for should solely and squarely be blamed on Charita Carter. But she should not, under any circumstances, be given credit for anything you may like about any of the projects she’s been responsible for.

I take it you didn’t bother to read the article I linked?

 

[V_L_Raptor]

No, just trying to have an optimistic outlook on the future. Also for whatever reason my four year old loves PATF, Tiana, and the part of the song "Friends on the Other Side" where Keith David goes "yeeeeesssssssssss......".

Lots of motivation to hope this ride is a raging success in my household, animatronics and otherwise.

I noticed in the earlier message that you were reassuring someone of your opinion. That's certainly in an optimistic spirit, but understand that your opinion is not what anyone's necessarily seeking reassurance about.

 

[V_L_Raptor]

We talk about creatives and bonafides and backgrounds, especially in light of WDI projects that get done and how they stack up to Disney's past output. Splash vs. Tiana is just the most recent example.

I have the Imagineering Way (2003) books, and I was flipping through them the other day. It struck me that a significant portion of the people who contributed to those books aren't with WDI anymore, for one reason or another. That's a whole culture that has vacated the space, in favor of something more closely (evidently) resembling Zach Riddley. I'm sure there was always a mix of engineering, creatives, marketing, and accounting keeping the designs and plans flowing, but lately it seems that marketing and accounting are the more prominent activities than the creative and engineering sides. Considering the preponderance of IP, that's not necessarily surprising... Give the movie/TV teams a second run working up Blue Sky proposals for attractions based around their works, even as adjuncts to the process, and having dedicated creatives outside the movie/TV stream becomes superfluous, which isn't the healthiest thing for you if you're with Disney nowadays. It makes optimism much more difficult, to say the least.

Just some spectator thoughts.

 

[Midwest Elitist]

I want someone to have stupid, ambitious creative ideas and someone in finance to cut them down to reality, while still maintaining the greatness of the idea. These should be two different people.

 

[Speedy71]

View attachment 700695
It's where he was born and bred in, the Briar patch is where he was heading

Well now I know how horizons fans feel...

 

[TomboyJanet]

What drives me crazy about this is that it looks like they are making the drop happen in a story with no danger in the plot. The whole anticipation of the drop, the deeper we go the darker we get, all those feelings that made SM awesome are being removed. This creates a big plot hole, why would good guys throw us over a waterfalls? The Same issue I had with Frozen. Just WHY?! Have they all gone mad? Did they forget how to write a story? It needs a climax when you have a LITERAL CLIMAX! Is Mama Ode going to turn around and go "oh by the way I'm going to throw you down a 50 foot waterfall for no particular reason! Have a nice day!" ? What is even happening here!?

 

[EagleScout610]

What drives me crazy about this is that it looks like they are making the drop happen in a story with no danger in the plot. The whole anticipation of the drop, the deeper we go the darker we get, all those feelings that made SM awesome are being removed. This creates a big plot hole, why would good guys throw us over a waterfalls? The Same issue I had with Frozen. Just WHY?! Have they all gone mad? Did they forget how to write a story? It needs a climax when you have a LITERAL CLIMAX! Is Mama Ode going to turn around and go "oh by the way I'm going to throw you down a 50 foot waterfall for no particular reason! Have a nice day!" ? What is even happening here!?

Removing the Briar patch removes any sense of wonder or danger from the drop. I remember being terrified someone would get hit with them given how close and huge they were, giving it much more of a "We survived?!" feeling, which made the celebration at the end more earned. Now it's just "To the pond with you"

 

[TomboyJanet]

I also wanted to note that the lack of transparency from Disney about what is happening with this retheme is not exactly improving my opinion of it. The Less I hear the more I think they don't really know what they are doing. To replace an attraction this beloved, one that to many is actually part of the MAIN REASON to visit Disney Parks, you have to hit waaaay harder than Frozen Ever After, Ratatouille, and even Guardians. This basically has to be flawless to justify it and from what I'm seeing, it's far from it. I've actually been preparing disappointment lines to shout out after getting off in case of any of the bad things I expect are coming, like "WHY DID SHE TRY TO KILL ME WITH A WATERFALL?" "I don't get the plot!!!" or "They took out Splash mountain.....FOR THIS!?". All I hear about this ride is "It's inclusive" That's great! Now what's the plot? How are you going to utilize this African American Heroine, in a way that shows how cool she is? I keep hearing a lot about Co-Ops and ingredients....Is this a ride or restaurant board room meeting?

Now that I've been a bit mean I wanna point out the things I do like...
I do like that there are original characters, which is probably as close we can get to park exclusive ip as possible.
I do like that they are keeping the logs

Ok but Splash Mountain had both of those already so...it's not really a plus just more of a parallel.

They're going to need to put some action in this ride and not just have it be a celebration or the plot is going to be deranged

They also need to do more than just add a bunch of screens with like repeat animatronics and maybe five or so new ones. Splash Mountain seemed to have the most animatronics out of any ride. I'm not sure if that's true but It has to be up there. So if they make it mostly flat It will look EXTREMELY empty.

No Pop Music! It has to have period specific music.

Reuse some of the animatronics if not most.

ahh gee would you put the tree back?

 

[Coaster Lover]

What drives me crazy about this is that it looks like they are making the drop happen in a story with no danger in the plot.

The final ingredient to the mystery dish they are trying to cook is an extract derived from human fear... the big thing Disney hasn't told us yet is that this is a mashup between Are You Afraid of the Dark and Tiana... they are making Fear Soup! (And no, you don't need to remind me that Are You Afraid of the Dark is owned hy Nickelodeon/Paramount and not Disney... this is my insane theory and I'm sticking with it!)

 

[Kirby86]

The final ingredient to the mystery dish they are trying to cook is an extract derived from human fear... the big thing Disney hasn't told us yet is that this is a mashup between Are You Afraid of the Dark and Tiana... they are making Fear Soup! (And no, you don't need to remind me that Are You Afraid of the Dark is owned hy Nickelodeon/Paramount and not Disney... this is my insane theory and I'm sticking with it!)

Well Disney already license out IP from Paramount so there's a chance.

 

[FettFan]

The point of this stupid replacement is not "fun". It's to preach and apologize and, IMO, grovel.

I think the bigger issue is merchandise sales. The “diversity” angle was just a red herring.

I was at World of Disney this past week, and Tiana ceramic kitchenware had a rather large showing.

Just you wait and we’ll see Tiana Foods charcuterie sets, Flapper Tiana glassware, and those novelty toasters that burn Froggy Naveen into the side of the bread.