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

[monothingie]

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.

Imagineers had shoestring budgets when they built the MK DLR and EPCOT. The results for the most part were unbelievable. The argument that the poor domestic parks get their budgets cut doesn’t fly. It’s a lack of talent and ambition. There is no comparison between WDI past and present.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

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

I disagree.

 

[Meeko77]

I'm glad I am not alone in how I felt after watching the ride-through. I didn't ride Splash all that often, but when I did, it kept my interest continually - this version - not so much. The highlight for me was the "dancing" okra - ha! This is a true disappointment compared to what it was previously - too many sections without critters and storyline.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I supported the move away from SotS but this is a disaster. It amplifies all of Imagineerings worst tendencies. Perhaps worst of all, it confirms fairly definitively that Imagineering is incapable of producing the kind of rides that made Disney special.

There’s no edge, no tension, no highs and lows. We see the same thing, the same fancy, flailing Tiana figure, over and over. No scenes, no vignettes. Advanced AAs that do nothing, add nothing, punctuating empty space.

The plot, reminiscent of GotG, is an incoherent assemblage of bits with no narrative, tonal, or thematic unity. It feels like a dozen different story treatments smashed together, the whole mess sanitized by corporate censors.

MMRR is vastly superior. I miss Great Movie, but MMRR exists as its own entity in a way TBA and FEA don’t. Characters, even if only on screens, DO things. There’s tonal variety, a fun sense of tension, actual humor. It’s head and shoulders above pretty much anything else modern Imagineering has produced in Florida.

I was right when I said Splash should have been torn out and replaced from the ground up. This is just… sad.

 

[mightynine]

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

The WDW queue writes a check the ride can’t cash. Having experienced Ariel first at DCA, the queue/show building there sets expectations for the ride appropriately, IMO.

 

[UNCgolf]

The queue writes a check the ride can’t cash. Having experienced Ariel first at DCA, the queue/show building there sets expectations for the ride appropriately, IMO.

The WDW queue is definitely a problem, but I think the ride itself is bad regardless. The Under the Sea scene should have been a major showpiece and instead it looks cheap and plastic.

 

[Ghost93]

I had a completely different impression of the voided areas. To me, it felt like we were leaving the scene were everyone was singing and dancing to a deeper, quiet part of the forest where you could prominently hear the crickets, etc.

That was actually my favorite part of the whole attraction.

That was actually the one part where I didn't mind the lack of activity. It was very atmospheric and reminded me of the beginning of the Disneyland version of Pirates.

 

[peter11435]

Imagineers had shoestring budgets when they built the MK DLR and EPCOT. The results for the most part were unbelievable. The argument that the poor domestic parks get their budgets cut doesn’t fly. It’s a lack of talent and ambition. There is no comparison between WDI past and present.

You should rethink this post.

 

[Casper Gutman]

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.

I’d argue LM gets much, much closer to its goal - modest Fantasyland dark ride - then TBA. Mermaid also doesn’t suffer from huge expanses of empty space. I wouldn’t say LM is “better,” but it’s certainly in the same league.

 

[UNCgolf]

I’d argue LM gets much, much closer to its goal - modest Fantasyland dark ride - then TBA. Mermaid also doesn’t suffer from huge expanses of empty space. I wouldn’t say LM is “better,” but it’s certainly in the same league.

I don't think that was LM's goal, though -- not when they spent well over $100 million on it. It was supposed to be a D/D+; not an old school Fantasyland C ticket. In many places, it looks like a dark ride you'd find at a regional park with plastic figures on sticks and glued to the walls.

 

[mightynine]

The WDW queue is definitely a problem, but I think the ride itself is bad regardless. The Under the Sea scene should have been a major showpiece and instead it looks cheap and plastic.

Oh, the ride in and of itself is quite lacking, we agree there.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I don't think that was LM's goal, though -- not when they spent well over $100 million on it. It was supposed to be a D/D+; not an old school Fantasyland C ticket. In many places, it looks like a dark ride you'd find at a regional park with plastic figures on sticks and glued to the walls.

I think the budget is merely an indication of the fact that Imagineering is utterly incapable of controlling costs, something we know. LM fits just fine in an area that used to feature the painted flats of Toad (which I loved). It sure ain’t great, but it’s fun and won’t break your heart like TBA.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Think of all the gags and little details competent Imagineers - classic Imagineers - could pour into the “shrunken” section.

 

[dothebrdwalk]

Ok so, I think Disney did a disservice to themselves by putting this poorly shot video out. Releasing early on a Saturday morning with no announcement? Shooting from a front facing POV only? No official audio making things hard to understand and hear on video, even though it's coming straight from Disney? PLUS the awkward cuts which don't help to make scenes feel distinct or allow people to follow the story.

I think the reason this plot seems so awful and confusing is due to the poor filming. I just noticed that every time we see Tiana we are finding more critters to play in the band. On first view I literally thought it was the same band again and again. But turns out the first crew is brass and has the beaver, the second crew is drums and has the bears, and the third crew we get shrunk to find are the frogs. This isn't as bad as I thought, but perhaps it just doesn't play well to video? The ride itself is gorgeous just lacking something story wise.

 

[Starship824]

My only only real complaints is that there's not as many AAs as I would like, the screens in the former laughing place and the build up, or lack there of to the drop. Otherwise I think it's good. But I do have to say this POV video is pretty terrible compared to there other POV video's they've put out in the past. Why is a video that's clearly filmed on phone with only one view straight forward and awkward cuts with bad audio? Why are using a video that looks like it was filmed by my mom for most people's first look at this attraction.

 

[999th Happy Haunt]

Ohhhhhhh nooooooooooooooo

 

[Tha Realest]

Personally, I am amazed at shear number of expert ride designers in this forum. The untapped expertise is absolutely astounding. The fact that Disney or any other theme park has not snapped up these visionaries is sad indeed.

And yet - this is what they came up with. Tends of millions in development costs and you get…this.

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

“It’s much better than Little Mermaid” is the most brutal thing someone has said about this attraction so far.

 

[Casper Gutman]

This is the direct-to-video sequel of Disney theme park attractions.

 

[Trauma]

I supported the move away from SotS but this is a disaster. It amplifies all of Imagineerings worst tendencies. Perhaps worst of all, it confirms fairly definitively that Imagineering is incapable of producing the kind of rides that made Disney special.

There’s no edge, no tension, no highs and lows. We see the same thing, the same fancy, flailing Tiana figure, over and over. No scenes, no vignettes. Advanced AAs that do nothing, add nothing, punctuating empty space.

The plot, reminiscent of GotG, is an incoherent assemblage of bits with no narrative, tonal, or thematic unity. It feels like a dozen different story treatments smashed together, the whole mess sanitized by corporate censors.

MMRR is vastly superior. I miss Great Movie, but MMRR exists as its own entity in a way TBA and FEA don’t. Characters, even if only on screens, DO things. There’s tonal variety, a fun sense of tension, actual humor. It’s head and shoulders above pretty much anything else modern Imagineering has produced in Florida.

I was right when I said Splash should have been torn out and replaced from the ground up. This is just… sad.

This will be the first post of yours that I hit the love button on.

Thank you for using your way with words to better describe my and I’m sure many others feelings about this attraction.

 

[KDM31091]

My expectations for LM are lower as to me it’s just supposed to be a fun little Fantasyland dark ride, not a show stopping major attraction. And I think for what it is, it’s fun and well done.

The huge, huge amount of hype Disney has put around Tiana, since it’s the only major attraction opening anytime in the foreseeable future, does not match the quality of the ride. It should be E ticket quality, from animatronics to immersion to storyline.