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

[Drew the Disney Dude]

Here's photos from today — starting off with the queue. I don't want to make another "almost there" joke, but it quite literally is almost there. The final areas that needed to be addressed are being addressed now, and once those are finished, just about the entire area is going to be finished.

 

[Drew the Disney Dude]

And here's photos of the ride — there's been a ton of electrical work at the splashdown area for the speakers and lights, so hopefully that's done soon and they finally turn on the lanterns.

I also saw a blue light on the first lift out of the load station, so that's another nighttime lighting element — the same spot where the instrumental of "Down in New Orleans" has been playing.

Another very fun day. Every time I think "nothing is going to happen tonight" I end up seeing something new. I hope that keeps happening until it opens.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I think he means "Friends on the Other Side."

Yes. Dig a Little Deeper I find a bit annoying and obnoxious.

 

[Ghost93]

If I were to rank the PatF songs:
1. Almost There (a song I get in my head when I'm trying to finish a difficult task)
2. My Belle Evangeline
3. Friends on the Other Side
4. Going Down the Bayou
5. Down in New Orleans
6. Dig A Little Deeper
7. When We're Human

Even if it wouldn't fit in the ride, "My Belle Evangeline" should definitely be an instrumental piece in the queue. Would fit nice with the nighttime scenery.

 

[Brer Oswald]

If I were to rank the PatF songs:
1. Almost There (a song I get in my head when I'm trying to finish a difficult task)
2. My Belle Evangeline
3. Friends on the Other Side
4. Going Down the Bayou
5. Down in New Orleans
6. Dig A Little Deeper
7. When We're Human

Even if it wouldn't fit in the ride, "My Belle Evangeline" should definitely be an instrumental piece in the queue. Would fit nice with the nighttime scenery.

For me it would be:
1) Friends on the Other Side
2) Down in New Orleans
3) When We’re Human
And then the rest.

 

[celluloid]

Okay, so … not a book report ride. A side story with some overlapping characters.

I don't know how to tell you this, but the crappy indefinitely suspended show...was pretty much just that. That's the point.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

He’s a much better instrumentalist than he is a lyricist.

I don't like the instrumentation in those non-chorus parts either.

Princess and the Frog's soundtrack ranges wildly between really good and mediocre. But I will say that I can't bring myself to hate on even the lesser songs too much. I'm not a fan of most of Randy Newman's other work, but he at least did do a surprisingly good job with a few of the PATF songs. And even at its worst, the soundtrack avoids the pitfall of sounding out of place with its setting and time period. Not delving into more modern pop/country sounding music like Tangled, Frozen and others after it did.

 

[Drew the Disney Dude]

The Walt Disney World Ambassadors and Disney Parks social media team are currently in New Orleans.

 

[mickEblu]

For me it would be:
1) Friends on the Other Side
2) Down in New Orleans
3) When We’re Human
And then the rest.

Incredibly overrated soundtrack. Randy Newman’s a hack. For what it’s worth, the soundtrack sounds better in other languages.

Friends on the Other Side and When We’re Human are my two favorite. I have the latter as #1 as Friends on the Other Side doesn’t really kick into high gear until the end. It’s fitting that my two favorites are the only two songs we haven’t heard being included in the attraction as Disney has had a personal vendetta against me for the last 7 years.

 

[Ghost93]

Incredibly overrated soundtrack. Randy Newman’s a hack. For what it’s worth, the soundtrack sounds better in other languages.

Are the songs really overrated? Hardcore Disney fans appreciate the music, but none of the songs became viral hits like the ones in Frozen, Moana or Encanto.

When I first saw the Princess and the Frog in early 2010 I didn't care for the soundtrack at all, but it slowly grew on me. I like it better than the music in Tangled but found it weaker than the music form the Lopez's and Lin Manuel Miranda.

 

[headintheclouds]

Are the songs really overrated? Hardcore Disney fans appreciate the music, but none of the songs became viral hits like the ones in Frozen, Moana or Encanto.

When I first saw the Princess and the Frog in early 2010 I didn't care for the soundtrack at all, but it slowly grew on me. I like it better than the music in Tangled but found it weaker than the music form the Lopez's and Lin Manuel Miranda.

When I think overrated none of PATF songs come to mind because I don’t think most people appreciated them. There aren’t too many Disney songs I don’t like but when I think OVERrated I think of “Let It Go.”

 

[headintheclouds]

That said, "Going to Take You There" fits Splash Mountain perfectly and is well suited for the ride.

Agreed. I think it’s going to become a cult favorite or at least more popular when this ride opens.

 

[Incomudro]

That's the issue with much of the soundtrack, you can just hear him singing it, like a MADTV sketch version of himself.

That's what I like about it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I really love the chorus of Dig A Little Deeper, but don't care for the the other parts. The "don't matter what you look like" part is Randy Newman at some of his worst.

Doesn't matter what you look like? Hmph. Tell that to 'short people'!

I don't like the instrumentation in those non-chorus parts either.

Princess and the Frog's soundtrack ranges wildly between really good and mediocre. But I will say that I can't bring myself to hate on even the lesser songs too much. I'm not a fan of most of Randy Newman's other work, but he at least did do a surprisingly good job with a few of the PATF songs. And even at its worst, the soundtrack avoids the pitfall of sounding out of place with its setting and time period. Not delving into more modern pop/country sounding music like Tangled, Frozen and others after it did.

Original mediocre songs *could* be made more palatable with the right re-orchestration and singing and harmonization. E.g., I *loathe* "Wonderful Christmas Time" for its gimmicky orchestration and cloying, non-sensical lyrics. But Disney made it good by re-orchestrating it in the Christmas fireworks and made it work.

OTOH, they *could* always make it worse. TPatF piece in Harmonious was absolutely ruined by a bunch of divas trying to out-riff each other in a screechy screaming way. It was a cacophonous mess.

I hope that they're not just lifting the soundtrack from TPatF but re-orchestrating it to make it better and less Newmanish.

 

[lentesta]

Tiana's media event in WDW is June 9-11. Invites went out yesterday.

 

[splah]

I can’t remember, were you able to hear the music outside the ride from the different areas on splash like we can now hear from the Tiana testing?

 

[zipadee999]

I can’t remember, were you able to hear the music outside the ride from the different areas on splash like we can now hear from the Tiana testing?

Only the Zip a Dee Doo Dah outdoor section after the drop. The music in the station and first lift was synced with the queue music, so you would hear it if you were anywhere near the entrance vicinity. You would still only hear SOTS music once you entered the splash vicinity. Just walking through Frontierland you’d still hear the Frontierland loop, even if you were near splash. You’d only hear Splash music if you got really close to the splashdown or queue

On the DL version, How Do You Do played in the pond that takes you around the briar patch, and that could be heard from the pathway.

 

[GoneForGood]

I can’t remember, were you able to hear the music outside the ride from the different areas on splash like we can now hear from the Tiana testing?

Somewhat. There was no audio around the pond in WDW. Disneyland's did though. In Florida IIRC, the only bits of music you could hear from the ride was the Zip finale instrumental around the drop loop. And if you stood just by the entrance you could faintly hear the Bluegrass HDYD.

I assume the reason we could hear the Almost There snippet was due to the fact that TBA's queue loop is not activated.

 

[Mikomike12]

Tiana's media event in WDW is June 9-11. Invites went out yesterday.

Wow! we're REALLY close! How have we not gotten a opening date yet???

 

[ToTBellHop]

Wow! we're REALLY close! How have we not gotten an opening date yet???

Historically, opening dates are announced as late as a month out. They want at least a few weeks of previews so if that’s still possible, we will need to hear more soon. They already committed to the summer media blitz for June 10 instead of the usual Memorial Day so any small delays at TBA will cut into previews but not impact the grand opening.