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

[Brer Oswald]

It's far better than Mermaid. It gets docked extra points than it normally would because it's replacing a much better ride. I'm mad as hell that is is such a replacement as well. But if you compare it against Mermaid, no contest that it beats the pants off of it. To me anyway.

The quality of Mermaid's scenery and its figures (outside of Ursula) are mostly cheap looking trash. The lighting is also horrible, and everything looks extremely plastic-y There's also a ton of exposed structural elements. Tiana has the decency to actually fill out its sets with detail from what i'm seeing. Even if they look empty without many characters.

Frozen is also still much worse. Again, a ton of that ride has blank vacant unpainted black walls and/or poor video projection. Very exposed ceiling structure again. Tiana's video projections of characters also suck, but there aren't quite as many of them by comparison as Frozen has. 90% of the ride is comprised of narrow empty corridors with barely anything in them. The ice even looks bad, just opaque painted flats instead of something that is transparent and refractive. And in Epcot's case, they also have those hideous face projections.

The problem with Tiana is that you can’t even see the sets because the entire thing is just dark now. I’m sure the old sets are there, and they still probably look great. But the artstyle doesn’t fit so they just turned all the lights.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Yeah, if you remove Splash from the equation and look at this as a new build, I'm not sure how you could think Frozen Ever After or Little Mermaid were remotely comparable.

To be fair, they are a C and D and this is an E, but the issues with FEA and Little Mermaid are not due to their ticket status.

This is a D shoved into an E’s body. You can’t credit the drops and Rockwork because that was already there.

 

[UNCgolf]

This is a D shoved into an E’s body. You can’t credit the drops and Rockwork because that was already there.

Even if you want to classify it that way, it's still much better than Little Mermaid. That ride is awful.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Yeah, if you remove Splash from the equation and look at this as a new build, I'm not sure how you could think Frozen Ever After or Little Mermaid were remotely comparable.

To be fair, they are a C and D and this is an E, but the issues with FEA and Little Mermaid are not due to their ticket status.

I'm disappointed in Tiana -- had relatively high hopes from the information they'd released -- but it's a much better ride than either FEA or LM. Those are just outright bad attractions.

The ironic thing is if Splash were built as it was for the first time in 2024, it would be heavily ridiculed as having cheap looking sets. You’ll never convince me otherwise.

 

[Figments Friend]

They took the best mountain in the park and turned it into a chia pet with no heart.

Quote of the year, thus far.

-

 

[the_rich]

I love it. I agree that splash might have been a  tiny bit better, but I absolutely love it. Stunning lighting, the screens look to blend in well, the story is understandable to me, and the music is great. I love it. Granted, MMRR is also one of my favorite rides on earth, and I enjoy FEA, so take my opinion with a grain of salt

Mmrr is a great ride imo and better than what it replaced. FEA is one ride where I miss the original. Never went on the original figment so I can't miss it .

 

[monothingie]

The ironic thing is if Splash were built as it was for the first time in 2024, it would be heavily ridiculed as having cheap looking sets. You’ll never convince me otherwise.

Seems to indicate then that modern day WDI is a shadow of what it once was. I could only dream the results of classic Imagineering having access to the technology of today back then.

 

[Bayou]

It's a step up from Splash Mountain overall, but the way they've integrated the music is just terrible. Why do the characters talk over their own music tracks? It's such an odd choice. They should have minimized the screens, included Naveen in areas where there's nothing but fireflies and foliage, and made more of the tunnel drop (though that effect might not come across well on camera). It's okay, but it doesn't hold a candle to Anna and Elsa's Frozen Journey or Rapunzel's Lantern Festival, which were executed with much more care. Still, considering it's a retheme of an existing attraction, it's not bad. My main gripes are Naveen's absence, the awkward dialogue over the music, and the missed opportunity for animatronics instead of screens. And in the finale, while I don't mind the screens, I wish we had figures that had a similar range of motion as the critters.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I think this will join the ranks of Tower of Terror to Mission Breakout, Maelstrom to Frozen, etc, it’ll still be popular, some will even prefer it, but most will miss the previous version and we’ll probably hear about it for decades.

 

[plutofan15]

This is a forum of theme park enthusiasts, so of course people are passionate and worked up about it. Disney is a happy place for many. So to see a change you feel is negative, of course is disappointing.

And there is nothing wrong to not like a change or be disappointed. Never said that. It is those who think they know more than anyone, think their opinion is the only one and attack those who disagree with them. For now, I am off to enjoy the wonderful weather and join a picnic.

 

[Bayou]

Seems to indicate then that modern day WDI is a shadow of what it once was. I could only dream the results of classic Imagineering having access to the technology of today back then.

WDI seems to be doing alright-- look at Fantasy Springs: it's evident that the American parks aren't given the budget necessary to match those kinds of experiences.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

This looks really great honestly, I'm very happy with it and cannot wait to get to experience it in person! It's not absolutely perfect, and I didn't expect it to be, but I've got no major complaints really. The scenes are so charming, the music is lovely, the AAs look out of this world, and the ride actually looks like it'll be fun to experience beyond the drops which is the primary complaint I always had with Splash (I found large sections of Splash to be frankly not all that interesting to move through).

WDI has introduced a lot of not great things into the parks this century like we've all mentioned like FEA, Smuggler's Run, and Mermaid. Even some of the good rides they've debuted recently have stopped short of being truly great like Remy's. But this really has the spark in it that I was hoping it would, and I am certain it's going to become just as beloved to the generations that are experiencing this as their first trip around this mountain as Splash was to those who experienced and loved it.

Congratulations to WDI and everyone who put in all the many months of hard work to make such a beautiful and--at least from the video--quite fun attraction.

 

[Architectural Guinea Pig]

the awkward dialogue over the music

For an entire portion in a WDI episode of how good the sound was supposed to be on the ride, it's ironic. My thoughts are that the ride itself lacks that energy of Splash with the animatronic critters moving and dancing all around you, except for the New Orleans finale, which is seriously the only step up from Splash to TBA

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

I think this will join the ranks of Tower of Terror to Mission Breakout, Maelstrom to Frozen, etc, it’ll still be popular, some will even prefer it, but most will miss the previous version and we’ll probably hear about it for decades.

I'm not so sure most people prefer California's ToT to Mission: Breakout. Sure some Disney purists begrudged it but the general consensus I've always seen is that California's ToT was already inferior to Florida's and Mission Breakout made it a much more fun ride experience even if the IP itself isn't everyone's cup of tea. I can't think of any way that their ToT was better than Mission Breakout as it was already such a neutered, less thrilling version of Florida's.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

I think this will join the ranks of Tower of Terror to Mission Breakout, Maelstrom to Frozen, etc, it’ll still be popular, some will even prefer it, but most will miss the previous version and we’ll probably hear about it for decades.

Splash was iconic since it opened. A retheme never stood a chance in terms of ranking ahead of it. But I still think it looks really enjoyable.

 

[Dayma]

I am not impressed at all. Music seems just so blah, along with the story. To each their own, but feels devoid of creativity I expect from Imagineers (maybe I shouldn't).

 

[Trauma]

I think this will join the ranks of Tower of Terror to Mission Breakout, Maelstrom to Frozen, etc, it’ll still be popular, some will even prefer it, but most will miss the previous version and we’ll probably hear about it for decades.

I don’t think Mission Breakout is the same. The definitive versions still exists in the States so it’s not as big a downgrade to the parks.

Now we have to go to Japan to ride the superior version of this attraction.

 

[Brer Oswald]

The ironic thing is if Splash were built as it was for the first time in 2024, it would be heavily ridiculed as having cheap looking sets. You’ll never convince me otherwise.

No it wouldn’t. And Mermaid doesn’t have cheap looking sets either.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

No it wouldn’t. And Mermaid doesn’t have cheap looking sets either.

Mermaid does. That whole attraction looks tacky and cheap. And they spent what 150M on it?

 

[mightynine]

More I’ve churned it around in my head, as a flume ride based around the build-up to a big drop, it may not be a great re-theme.

But if it were a boat ride built from the ground-up to suit the storyline, it would be a great attraction.