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

[Ayla]

So I'm one who often gets called a pixie-duster (apparently "shield" is the new term of depreciation?). I have not waded into the fray since the POV video was released, mostly because the sheer volume over-the-top dramatic (and self-congratulatory) displays of confirmation bias does not interest me.

TBA is a project I've followed since its announcement, and one that I have particular interest in. Your post seemed like one of the few here that might invite good faith discussion. If I'm wrong and my thoughts are met with mocking antagonism, I'll be happily bow out so everyone can carry on gnashing their teeth.

I would not use the word "troubled" to describe how I feel about the responses here, maybe "annoyed," or "frustrated," or even "disappointed" would be more accurate for me? I am not defending Disney, I'm not being paid, and I'm not blind to the less-successful work of WDI. I'm a fan of imagineering and themed entertainment, and I've ridden Splash dozens of times. I have been looking forward to TBA.

Releasing that POV video seems like a strange mistake on Disney's part. I'm not sure if the release was intentional or accidental, but it seems clear that it hasn't helped Disney's cause at all, because it did not show TBA in its best light. But so many comments here make wild assumptions about why they released it. If I wanted crazy conspiracy theories, I'd hang out on Twitter or Facebook.

SHOW SCENES
Reacting strongly to what was shown/heard in the POV video seems foolish. The POV video was edited to skip some sections (for some reason), and because the camera did not turn to face show scenes, several were missed. And this confirmed (for those with this bias) "long stretches of emptiness" where there were actual scenes and AAs. But we know that Imagineers often deliberately build in "lulls" in the action in order to tell the story well (Splash did this quite a bit). We also know that some show scenes are designed to grab guests' attention, and so they intentionally make surrounding areas sparse as not to compete with key narrative elements/scenes. We don't know if this was the case in TBA, and really won't until we ride it or see more guest videos that react/respond to the environment by turning their cameras towards whatever grabs their attention.

RIDE MUSIC/AUDIO
The POV audio wasn't great. Yet folks here are talking about the poor mixing and complaining that they just used the studio recordings rather than a special arrangement, or that certain AAs don't song/speak. Better audio that has come out since, and it seems most of that criticism was unfounded.

STORY
Many here complain about the story, but the POV video skipped the queue and loading area, where a great deal of story information is often provided. Can you imagine trying to follow the story on Indy without the info given in the queue and loading areas? People got so bent out of shape about the Co-op backstory, even though it just served (like all attraction backstories) to help guide coherent placemaking; this is why there are crops on the exterior, kitchens and food storage in the queue, and the salt mine is how they explain the exterior setting and drop.

SIGNAGE/GRAPHIC DESIGN
I've appreciated the good faith critiques of TBA's signage, banners, logos, etc. Most of it doest come down to "how well do the details of these elements combine to transport me to a themed place?" But those who complain that TBA uses signage in storytelling while ignoring that this is pretty commonly done in most attractions comes across as disingenuous.

COMPARISONS TO SPLASH
The least honest criticisms seem to be those comparing the worst of TBA to the best of Splash. "TBA's AAs just stare and gesture;" so did the ones on Splash. "There are long stretches of nothing;" just like on Splash. "The story is convoluted;" it was to many guests on Splash. How could anyone reasonably expect 30-seconds of the brand-new Secret Spice to make you feel as good as Zip-A-Dee, the song you've heard a thousand times and brings a rush of childhood nostalgia from some of the happiest times in your life? I get that these are sincere reactions, but they're mostly not offered in good faith or with a sober assessment of what Splash actually was.

I get it, people are still sad about losing Splash I am sympathetic to that. Some are upset about other things. In the end, I don't find it fun or interesting to engage with people who assuage their grief and air their grievances by criticizing things unfairly and then extrapolate entire narratives based on those criticisms. I prefer thoughtful conversation with people who are honest and respectful of their peers. Several here have attempted, only to be drowned out by the seething disdain for anything and everything about this ride, about Disney, Bob Iger, perceived ideological opponents, and Star Wars (for some reason).

Some might say, "well too bad, that's how internet discussions work!" But I've been around here long enough to know that it doesn't have to be like this.

Here's an example of what I consider a thoughtful, even-headed pre-opening review based on the POV:

I've been ruminating on the changes since the POV video came out and this is where I am at, too.

 

[brettf22]

While most of the time I genuinely enjoy the ability to instantly view and discuss every tiny update to the parks, sometimes I long for the simpler days of showing up and being surprised by new rides.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Stop watching the POV. Wait for the ride itself.

 

[UNCgolf]

Are we sure it's not showing TBA in its best light? If this is really just a matter of a poorly filmed and edited video then "strange mistake" would be an understatement. I'm not sure I'm buying that explanation, though.

I'm more inclined to think Disney took the unique step of releasing an official POV because they've tasted too much of their own medicine and thought it would be a home run.

POVs put out by others (like this site) are better than the official Disney POV. I'm not entirely sure why they released it, especially with the relatively poor quality.

That said, at least for me, the higher quality versions don't make a significant difference. They don't resolve any of my main issues with the attraction.

 

[UNCgolf]

Yes, I agree. Which is why I included:


I was responding to the question:

I thought I was doing so in good faith, so I'm sorry if it came across otherwise. Should I add examples of the reasons I gave for not wanting to weigh in here?


I didn't even intend to give any opinion about TBA at all in my post, just commentary on why I was "bothered" by the discussion here. No handwaving of opinions from me, I'd much prefer that those criticizing what they see as TBA's shortcomings by comparing it to Splash would also acknowledge the similarities (where there are some).

BTW, yours would be among of the commentary I appreciate.

That's fair. I certainly understand wanting to dismiss the people claiming things like it's worse than the Little Mermaid (or even more hyperbolically, that's it the worst attraction Disney has ever built). It's not even the worst re-theme they've ever done, much less the worst attraction.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I'll most likely ride it eventually before the year is over. I have an AP currently and am a local. But I am avoiding the parks right now due to high temperatures and ongoing health issues with chronic pain that is heavily aggravated by heat. The vast majority of the complaints I have with the ride aren't the sort of things that would be fixed by riding in person regardless though.

 

[LittleBuford]

STORY
Many here complain about the story, but the POV video skipped the queue and loading area, where a great deal of story information is often provided. Can you imagine trying to follow the story on Indy without the info given in the queue and loading areas? People got so bent out of shape about the Co-op backstory, even though it just served (like all attraction backstories) to help guide coherent placemaking; this is why there are crops on the exterior, kitchens and food storage in the queue, and the salt mine is how they explain the exterior setting and drop.

I am sympathetic to much of what you wrote, but I have to disagree with you quite strongly when it comes to the story. One shouldn’t need the backstory or queue to enjoy the main attraction, even if those elements help flesh out what’s going on. Indeed, one doesn’t even have to understand the main story itself (plenty of people never followed the plot of Splash). As long as there is good pacing and appropriate shifts in mood, even a narrative in a language one doesn’t understand can be interesting and engaging. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure appears to be sadly lacking in this regard.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

In a vacuum, everything shown in the preview with PJ Morton is very solid. That is why my initial opinion of this attraction was so much higher. I just wish there was MORE of it spread throughout the attraction. Needless to say this isn’t a disaster by any means, it’s FAR more salvageable than many rethemes they’ve done in the past, they just need to commit to making this even better similar to how Universal rushed to open Jurassic World early on, plussing the attraction much later putting it on par with JPRA

 

[doctornick]

Interesting. So TBA is just going to be inserted into Frontierland as is?

I still am a firm fan that if they want to do a NOLA area, do it on the backside of TBA, next to the train station. There's room there to create a mini-land and then you can continue to path to the (future) BBTM area

 

[JoeCamel]

In a vacuum, everything shown in the preview with PJ Morton is very solid. That is why my initial opinion of this attraction was so much higher. I just wish there was MORE of it spread throughout the attraction. Needless to say this isn’t a disaster by any means, it’s FAR more salvageable than many rethemes they’ve done in the past, they just need to commit to making this even better similar to how Universal rushed to open Jurassic World early on, plussing the attraction much later putting it on par with JPRA

This is the company that built and operates little mermaid as built. I doubt you will see a change

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

This is the company that built and operates little mermaid as built. I doubt you will see a change

I mean, never say never, but yeah it will be a while before we see anything, and that’s even IF we see anything improved upon at all

 

[AndyS2992]

They did at least make some changes, minor as they were, to the Little Mermaid to improve it at least. That's the best we can hope for here I suppose.

 

[_caleb]

I am sympathetic to much of what you wrote, but I have to disagree with you quite strongly when it comes to the story. One shouldn’t need the backstory or queue to enjoy the main attraction, even if those elements help flesh out what’s going on. Indeed, one doesn’t even have to understand the main story itself (plenty of people never followed the plot of Splash).

I agree that a strong attraction should not depend on the backstory or queue, those have come to be effective tools in themed attraction storytelling. I'm glad we've moved beyond switchbacks (as in classic Fantasyland dark rides) to immersive themed queues. I look at updates to the Jungle Cruise queue as pretty significant to the storytelling and placemaking of that attraction. It seems newer, "you're in the story" attractions tend to use the queue as major storytelling devices (with differing degrees of success, in my opinion).

As long as there is good pacing and appropriate shifts in mood, even a narrative in a language one doesn’t understand can be interesting and engaging. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure appears to be sadly lacking in this regard.

Yes. And like I mentioned, pacing is hard to gauge based on an edited, fixed-gaze POV video, and story can be difficult to discern based on muffled audio.

I wanted to avoid spoilers ahead of my first ride later this year, but I went ahead and watched other/better videos (like the 360º video) and like a total nerd, I paused the video multiple times to examine scenes. I'm not sure if this gives me a better or worse idea of how the story is conveyed through an actual ride through, but there do seem to be things that support rider's understanding and experience of the story that were not obvious or even visible in the initial POV video.

 

[stepjune28]

I'm awake at 3 am because I'm still thinking about the ride, but after going on it twice, I 100% stand behind every comment I made in the video I posted on Twitter after my first ride.

I respect everyone's opinions in here and I am happy to answer any questions about it since I was able to experience it during the day and at night.

I don't have to avoid spoilers anymore, so I'll be active on here again and will answer any questions anyone wants answered.

I don't have Twitter but I would really love to know what your thoughts were! Do you plan to post anything on Youtube about it? I have so enjoyed following your updates on here throughout the process.

One question that I have, and I feel silly for asking it-- what is the storyline? I have watched 3 different POV videos and I can't make out what the characters are saying in any of them, so it is very hard for me to figure out what is going as far as the story goes.

I will say, from what I can SEE in the better videos, I think it looks amazing. I loved Splash Mountain. It was my family's favorite ride by far. But I never loved it for its story. I barely understood the story in Splash, I just had fun looking around at the scenes, falling down the drops, and getting wet. I realize I must be in the minority (especially on a board like this one), but it seems like the ride will still be a big favorite for me and my family when we go in 2025 and I am super excited about it!

 

[Sir_Cliff]

STORY
Many here complain about the story, but the POV video skipped the queue and loading area, where a great deal of story information is often provided. Can you imagine trying to follow the story on Indy without the info given in the queue and loading areas? People got so bent out of shape about the Co-op backstory, even though it just served (like all attraction backstories) to help guide coherent placemaking; this is why there are crops on the exterior, kitchens and food storage in the queue, and the salt mine is how they explain the exterior setting and drop.

I don't think, though, that the criticism of the story has been related to needing to know the co-op backstory for the ride to make sense. The criticism has been more that the rather convoluted backstory is barely relevant to the story of the ride itself. For example, what does the food co-op element add to the ride? Tiana could just as easily be still running her restaurant as in the film and be throwing a party for which she, for some reason, needs a band comprised of animals from the bayou. Similarly, the personality sketches of the animals provided beforehand aren't used in any way within the ride, so it makes no difference whether you know them or not.

Having now seen the ride and its very simple story supported by a lot of exposition within the ride, it just seems a head scratcher that they spent more time thinking through the story for the queue than the ride itself.

 

[monothingie]

I think it needs to be the good old fashioned way of not having it fail in the first place, and if it does, down the ride until its fixed.

In that same spirit, I'm sort of glad they didn't go with Individual LL for this. The potential for lost revenue caused by fixing show elements would have forced them to prioritize attraction uptime at the expense of show.

 

[doctornick]

Same for me with Tokyo. Wish they’d bring more to WDW from TDL since I imagine VERY FEW guests visit those two. Many more make it to DL and DLP.

I feel like pretty much any major ride from Asia should be cloned to WDW. The overlap in guests between WDW and those parks is exceedingly small.

 

[HonorableMention]

To add some positivity to the discussion, I really like the brief moments we hear the critter bands playing “Gonna Take You There” in the bayou and the arrangement of “Dig a Little Deeper” in the shrinking section.

I wish they had Tiana and Louis (plus Naveen maybe) singing instead of disembodied Ray in the first indoor section.

 

[ChrisFL]

I realize this is going to be a deep cut that a lot of people won't be familiar with, but for those who are...this reminds me of the changes that they did from the first version of the Sindbad ride at Tokyo DisneySea to the second one.

The original version was more dramatic with a storyline and villains, etc. like a huge troll, then after a year or so(?) they changed it to a whole musical instead and the same huge troll is now friendly and sings along with you. I enjoyed both versions of it, but the second version was much more lighthearted and fun.

It's clear that's the vibe they were going for here, and I DO like all of the music in TBA, but also realize how much people loved Zip as a theme.

 

[LittleBuford]

I agree that a strong attraction should not depend on the backstory or queue, those have come to be effective tools in themed attraction storytelling. I'm glad we've moved beyond switchbacks (as in classic Fantasyland dark rides) to immersive themed queues. I look at updates to the Jungle Cruise queue as pretty significant to the storytelling and placemaking of that attraction. It seems newer, "you're in the story" attractions tend to use the queue as major storytelling devices (with differing degrees of success, in my opinion).

Yes. And like I mentioned, pacing is hard to gauge based on an edited, fixed-gaze POV video, and story can be difficult to discern based on muffled audio.

I wanted to avoid spoilers ahead of my first ride later this year, but I went ahead and watched other/better videos (like the 360º video) and like a total nerd, I paused the video multiple times to examine scenes. I'm not sure if this gives me a better or worse idea of how the story is conveyed through an actual ride through, but there do seem to be things that support rider's understanding and experience of the story that were not obvious or even visible in the initial POV video.

I think we’re talking about fundamentally different things. My dissatisfaction with the story has to do with the big picture, not the little details that fail to come across in a video.