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

[UNCgolf]

It would look cute if the ride were set in the ’70s!

Or even the present day -- I wouldn't be surprised to see something that looked similar to that on a college campus now.

 

[Earlie the Pearlie]

I think that yes, some folks were always going to dislike the change. That's what you're up against when you decide to change one of the most incredible and popular theme park attractions ever created. For Disney, the stakes could not have been higher-- and I think not fully appreciating this was their first mistake.

But look back on these boards and elsewhere, and a lot of folks, even many who expressed dislike over the initial decision, transitioned into the "let's wait and see" camp. Let's be fair and give Disney the benefit of the doubt.

Disney then acknowledged the stakes were high and began to tout how incredible the new ride would be, releasing teasers of animatronics and storylines and even admitting Bob Iger wanted improvements and that improvements were being made. Their message: "We understand. Don't worry. We hear you. We've got this."

Perhaps they set expectations too high; perhaps (as many folks have been arguing) they are simply completely out of touch.

The issue is larger than the ride itself at this point. Disney has been responsible for a growing number of recent and massive missteps. Starcruiser, Harmonious, EPCOT's transformation, a lifeless and sterile Star Wars land, disrespecting sight lines, instituting a firm caste system in the form of Genie+, longer lines, higher prices, endless upcharges, confusing apps, needless complications, questionable ride reliability, countless examples of poor show and shoddy maintenance, only one waterpark open at a time, destroying highly themed resort environments by supplanting or replacing incredibly themed architecture with bland and generic construction, a botched tile job in Morocco, a DJ in the train station at the MK... the list goes on.

So with TBA, the stakes could not have been higher and the consensus is mixed at best. To respond by simply calling a thread "miserable" tracks with the growing effort on these boards to dismiss negativity as whining, or hyperbole, or expressing a lack of imagination.

Read the criticisms in this thread. Yep, some are driven by an agenda, but the *vast* majority are basing their opinions on solid criticism and have expressed those criticisms in specific and constructive terms.

A miserable thread is what you get when the stakes are unbelievably high and you manage to overpromise and underdeliver.

It's not just TBA. A lot of folks, lifetime fans and paying customers who invested financially and emotionally in a brand that charges a lot but promises even more... have reached the end of their patience. And it shows.

I feel betrayed by what I have seen today. I thought they HAD to knock this out of the park. How could they screw this up so badly?
I was really rooting for this ride. Go back and read some of my past posts on this thread if you don’t believe me. I was so excited for this.
Every step of the way, I ignored criticism. I suppose I owe some of you an apology. Your points were (mostly) correct. I put too much faith in this entire thing.
And I feel personally betrayed by this. They over promised and underdelivered. They led with the best scene. They led with the central animatronics that ended up just kind of being plopped down. They told us backstory and backstory that I thought-silly me!- would have some bearing on the plot, or at the very least, the critter bios would play into the ride somewhat, through sight gags or something. The only one of these guys that ended up really having any personality was that cool frog guy. He’s awesome. I wish more of the ride was like him: full of character. I didn’t want to believe it, but I guess you guys were right. They have lost a lot of my support and trust today. If actually going on this thing doesn’t change my mind, I don’t know if anything short of the return of Dreamfinder himself can win me back. I’m just so disappointed.

 

[LittleBuford]

I feel betrayed by what I have seen today. I thought they HAD to knock this out of the park. How could they screw this up so badly?
I was really rooting for this ride. Go back and read some of my past posts on this thread if you don’t believe me. I was so excited for this.
Every step of the way, I ignored criticism. I suppose I owe some of you an apology. Your points were (mostly) correct. I put too much faith in this entire thing.
And I feel personally betrayed by this. They over promised and underdelivered. They led with the best scene. They led with the central animatronics that ended up just kind of being plopped down. They told us backstory and backstory that I thought-silly me!- would have some bearing on the plot, or at the very least, the critter bios would play into the ride somewhat, through sight gags or something. The only one of these guys that ended up really having any personality was that cool frog guy. He’s awesome. I wish more of the ride was like him: full of character. I didn’t want to believe it, but I guess you guys were right. They have lost a lot of my support and trust today. If actually going on this thing doesn’t change my mind, I don’t know if anything short of the return of Dreamfinder himself can win me back. I’m just so disappointed.

You don’t owe anyone an apology. You waited rather than prejudged, which was the right thing to do.

I’m sorry you feel as disappointed as you do. My hopes weren’t as high as yours so I don’t feel as let down.

 

[MandaLou]

I think my biggest gripe (aside from everything that has been stated thus far) is that the AAs, while incredibly smooth and high tech, literally have no purposeful movement. Like why spend all those resources to create animatronic figures that really didn't need to be so "perfect"? Those resources could have been used to actually make a coherent story or fill in the dead spaces. I was cautiously optimistic about everything in hopes that Disney would really treat this story well, but I am incredibly disappointed. I LOVE Tiana and PatF and that story deserves something much better than this.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

That may be, but if I'm not mistaken, they are trying to transport you back to New Orleans in the 20s, not take you into the film. Therefore, the graphics should be reflective of how flyers would look back then.

Let's be serious, now - they are clearly taking you to The Princess and the Frog's version of that place and time. It makes sense that things borrow cues from the look of the movie.

Perhaps the central flyer, but the rest? What about the “Free Cooking Classes” ad?

It looks like a multicolor linocut print. I don't think it's beautiful, but it doesn't really scan as totally egregious to me.

Certainly doesn't strike me as "Everything wrong with current storytelling in the Parks in one image", like the poster I was replying to suggested.

 

[Trauma]

Well at least when they announce the next re-theme nobody will be mad.

Maybe a story about a rabbit that goes out looking for adventure…

 

[UNCgolf]

It looks like a multicolor linocut print. I don't think it's beautiful, but it doesn't really scan as totally egregious to me.

Certainly doesn't strike me as "Everything wrong with current storytelling in the Parks in one image", like the poster I was replying to suggested.

I agree that specific line was hyperbolic, but that poster does leap out as egregious to me. Nothing about it even remotely fits the time period (nor does it have anything to do with the style of the film).

It's similar to issues they've had in other places around the parks the past few years. It's obviously a minor thing overall in that it's just a small part of the queue, but those are the kind of details they used to strive to get right.

 

[Tha Realest]

I think Louis hears the frogs in the log (that's why he's half in it). And so, to get to the frog band, Odie shrinks us down to recruit them for the party.

So in a ride where each turn features a sign or banner hitting the audience over the head with needless exposition, why is that so unclear to the guests?

 

[Meeko77]

I really regret now not riding Splash one more time when I could have. Watching a YouTube video of Tokyo's Splash just made me feel a bit better and reminds me how vivid and fun an attraction can be with proper placement of critters throughout.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Again, compare the papers on the corkboards to the ads appearing in Epic Universe's Parisian Potter area. The difference in period appropriateness and place setting is night and day.

This is something that was ENTIRELY in the control of Imagineering. Yes, corporate has mandated IPs and sets budgets and gives guidelines, but a lot of the most egregious failures in TBA are things that were almost certainly at the discretion of the Imagineers.

 

[monothingie]

I feel betrayed by what I have seen today. I thought they HAD to knock this out of the park. How could they screw this up so badly?
I was really rooting for this ride. Go back and read some of my past posts on this thread if you don’t believe me. I was so excited for this.
Every step of the way, I ignored criticism. I suppose I owe some of you an apology. Your points were (mostly) correct. I put too much faith in this entire thing.
And I feel personally betrayed by this. They over promised and underdelivered. They led with the best scene. They led with the central animatronics that ended up just kind of being plopped down. They told us backstory and backstory that I thought-silly me!- would have some bearing on the plot, or at the very least, the critter bios would play into the ride somewhat, through sight gags or something. The only one of these guys that ended up really having any personality was that cool frog guy. He’s awesome. I wish more of the ride was like him: full of character. I didn’t want to believe it, but I guess you guys were right. They have lost a lot of my support and trust today. If actually going on this thing doesn’t change my mind, I don’t know if anything short of the return of Dreamfinder himself can win me back. I’m just so disappointed.

I don’t think anyone is happy that this turned out to be underwhelming at best.

The whole way this was developed seems to draw parallels to “Wish”; dry, hollow, and lacking soul, which seems to be the MO for Disney right now. Worst off they had time and money and later even more money to get this right, and they still fell on their butts. Maybe less PR junkets to New Orleans and more time in design studios at WDI.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I agree that specific line was hyperbolic, but that poster does leap out as egregious to me. Nothing about it even remotely fits the time period (nor does it have anything to do with the style of the film).

It's similar to issues they've had in other places around the parks the past few years. It's obviously a minor thing overall in that it's just a small part of the queue, but those are the kind of details they used to strive to get right.

You don't see anything in there that relates to the style of the film?

The poster is styled as a linocut as opposed to a silkscreen, but there's very clearly a visual callback happening here.

 

[Casper Gutman]

You don't see anything in there that relates to the style of the film?

View attachment 788915

The poster is styled as a linocut as opposed to a silkscreen, but there's very clearly a visual callback happening here.

The upper image evokes the Harlem Renaissance. The lower image, especially the one on the right, is very clearly from the 60s (or later). There is no equivalence.

 

[UNCgolf]

You don't see anything in there that relates to the style of the film?

View attachment 788915

The poster is styled as a linocut as opposed to a silkscreen, but there's very clearly a visual callback happening here.

I still don't see it even in what you've posted here. It's really not the same style.

I'm certainly willing to believe that's what they were attempting to do, but if so, they unfortunately failed.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

I too feel betrayed by this whole situation. When this was announced I was skeptical it would ever top SM, seeing Disney’s track record isn’t great when it comes to these things. Over time insiders on here such as Merlin really convinced me this would be something spectacular, and I wanted to believe it all because I had to accept the fact SM was no more and nothing could ever save it aside from a stellar replacement. I ignored alot of the naysayers, and it was hard to listen to anyone else because some people wanted to push their own agendas against the retheme without giving any constructive criticism. It became severely exhausting, especially when this is one of the only brand new offerings being developed for the parks right now. I had high expectations because this NEEDED to exceed what it’s replacing. Anything short of SM automatically classifies this whole endeavor as a colossal waste of time/capital and a huge disappointment. In the end I became excited and passionate about this attraction, I followed along with every update anticipating something groundbreaking, and was left with a product that was incredibly underwhelming, confusing, and empty. I really wanted this to succeed, I’m sick of mediocrity being the new standard

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I still don't see it even in what you've posted here. It's really not the same style.

I'm certainly willing to believe that's what they were attempting to do, but if so, they unfortunately failed.

You really don't see how the humans are stylized in the same fashion? The shapes of the faces, the eyes, the mouths, even the slopes of the shoulders? Again, one is rendered as a faux-linocut and the other two are faux-silkscreens, but come on. The stylization of the people is totally related.

 

[monothingie]

Perhaps the central flyer, but the rest? What about the “Free Cooking Classes” ad?

I was personally looking forward to a sign from HR referencing the upcoming changes to the coop’s healthcare plans as well as 401K enrollment dates.

 

[enchantedteacup2]

did they use less experienced imagineers and artists for this? it just seems like such a bungle resource and story wise for something with a lot of promise. PatF is an amazing story with rich characters , scenery and a perfect villain. also what’s with her wearing safari clothes?

 

[McMickeyWorld]

I tried watching his video but he has his own music overlayed on top of the actual audio in the ride. Probably for copyright or something. I finally had to quit watching. Was hoping for another 3rd party video. This ain't it.

x2

 

[dig311dug]

I can't believe disney hasn't turned off comments on the video...