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

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
I think the only reason I didn't hate the Disneyland retheme more is because I had tiny expectations going in.

All those America Sings animatronics, now likely scrapped for parts like the Magic Kingdom's.
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
I just watched a ride through of the Disneyland version. I think it's much better paced to than the Magic Kingdom version, and there is a lot less dead space due to it being the smaller attraction. I also think because the log flume moves so fast, the "there's no story, it's just positive vibes" aspect works a lot better.

I always preferred the Magic Kingdom version of Splash Mountain to the Disneyland version because I thought Magic Kingdom did a better job telling the Brer Rabbit story, whereas the Disneyland version was too rushed to fully enjoy it. But since the story of Tiana's Bayou Adventure is its weakest aspect, this actually turns into a blessing in disguise.
Oh, I thought Disneylands track (flume) is longer?
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
I just watched a ride through of the Disneyland version. I think it's much better paced to than the Magic Kingdom version, and there is a lot less dead space due to it being the smaller attraction. I also think because the log flume moves so fast, the "there's no story, it's just positive vibes" aspect works a lot better.

I always preferred the Magic Kingdom version of Splash Mountain to the Disneyland version because I thought Magic Kingdom did a better job telling the Brer Rabbit story, whereas the Disneyland version was too rushed to fully enjoy it. But since the story of Tiana's Bayou Adventure is its weakest aspect, this actually turns into a blessing in disguise.
Oh, I had heard, Tiana was designed to fit in DRLs (smaller) attraction when they put the same design in MKs version they were forced to space out the scenes.
 

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
Even Tiana seems so disinterested with the attraction. In addition to the half-lidded expression every Tiana animatronic has, she sounds very unenthusiastic. I'm sure Anika Noni Rose was enthusiastic about voicing the character again, but it honestly does feel like she realized how weak the plot and material she was being given was and just thought "Okay, might as well get through it..."
 

splah

Well-Known Member
I think Disneyland's is even worse honestly. The vast reduction in the amount of figures (which was already a problem at WDW) is even more glaring at DL due to the sheer number that it had and are now gone and leaving empty space. And the environment detail IMO is a noticeable step down from our variant too. There appears to be an even greater amount of dark empty space and comparatively less foliage in some areas too. Here's an example-

View attachment 821711

The Tiana's Foods banner atop the second lift is also somehow even more ugly and inappropriate than WDW's-

View attachment 821713
i don't understand the thought process of DLs sign. It the size of a billboard but they positioned it so that it's obscured by the the rock work and looks forced (like other portions of this design)? if you're going to use that same size just shift it to the left and angle it toward the flume like a real billboard. Why does it have to be over the flume?
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
For what it’s worth, there were about a dozen Tokyo CM’s (they looked important) and they were being shown the exterior of TBA and walking around discussing after dark at the party last night.
I wonder how much money TWDC is paying Tokyo to erase their attraction?
 

discos

Well-Known Member
i don't understand the thought process of DLs sign. It the size of a billboard but they positioned it so that it's obscured by the the rock work and looks forced (like other portions of this design)? if you're going to use that same size just shift it to the left and angle it toward the flume like a real billboard. Why does it have to be over the flume?
That sign is obnoxiously large. A small banner under the bridge would have been sufficient
 

el_super

Well-Known Member
Because "Show, Don't Tell" is a concept lost on today's Imagineers.

I think this is just a sign (pun maybe intended) of changing times.

You're working with an audience that always has a phone in hand. Constant input and stimulus. Always reading and looking over pictures/images. It makes sense that just having long stretches of attractions that are essentially empty does not test well with audiences.
 

LittleBuford

Well-Known Member
I just got back from a WDW trip, during which I was able to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure twice. Some aspects of it were better in person, others worse. I’ll start with the positives:

The attraction looks very good from the rest of Frontierland. I was never particularly worried about whether it would blend in, but it does, and it actually adds something quite beautiful to that particular corner of the land, especially when lit up at night.

As for the ride itself, the part before you’re shrunk is much more effective than it comes across on video. The bayou environments are all very lush (I don’t really get the complaints about empty space), and the musical critters are charming and move as they ought to (it’s been brought up repeatedly that they’re not true animatronics, but they’re perfectly well-suited to the job as they are).

Now for the less positive things:

The signage and graphic work are truly dreadful. I didn’t think they could look worse in real life, but they really do, with the exception of the main attraction sign, which is rather pretty, and everything in Critter Co-op, which was clearly worked on by a different (and superior) team.

With a couple of exceptions, the screens really don’t look good, especially in the “shrunken” scene. The worst offender, as others have noted, is the screen showing a giant Tiana and Louis looking in on us—and it doesn’t help that the computer-animated Tiana looks off (on which note, while I don’t think she should have been wearing her princess gown during the bayou scenes, I did come away from the attraction feeling she appears somehow bland and charmless among all those animals).

Most of the animatronics were working, but each of the Mama Odies had its own issues both times I went on the attraction (on two separate days). Even with the animatronics that do work, you experience that weird and awkward pause as they wait for your log to approach.

I have no fundamental issue with the plot of the ride (threadbare though it is), but the way it’s conveyed leaves a lot to be desired. Both times I rode, the timing of the first Mama Odie screen (one of the few that looked good) was off, such that one couldn’t hear the dialogue properly before being shrunk. Had I not already known the story, I would have been mystified as to what what happening.

All in all, it’s about what I expected based on the ride-through videos, even if certain elements were better or worse firsthand. Experiencing it in person certainly hasn’t made me miss Splash Mountain less—quite the opposite.
 
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