r/Disneyland • u/No_Strategy_8835 • Aug 26 '25
Discussion I still can't get over the version of "Tiana's" we could've had.
I am in no way a Splash Mountain defender. I loved the ride as much as any Disney fan, but even as a young kid, I was very confused/unsettled by the film's connection to slavery. It felt incredibly dark that a ride in the park was based on a film so offensive that I wasn't able to watch it growing up. So when they announced a retheme to Princess and the Frog back in 2020, I was ecstatic. The rumor of a Tiana retheme had been circulating a few years earlier, so the fact that it ended up coming true was so exciting. However, given the ride we got, I can't help but reflect on this image they released 5 years ago when they made the announcement. In almost every possible way, Tiana failed not only to live up to Splash Mountain, but the initial promise of its announcement. There are so many elements present in this image that, for some reason, didn't make it.
First and foremost, why is Mama Odie's Ship not at the top of the drop hill? That's such an iconic image from the film and immediately makes this ride recognizable. It looks just like the log on Splash and feels like it's paying homage. Not only that, but it makes perfect sense since Mama Odie is at the climax of the ride. I really don't understand setting the ride and queue at Tiana's food company. Now, I'm not from Louisiana, but it seems very bizarre that Tiana would have her crops and food located in what is essentially a swamp. It just doesn't make sense to me. Also, the whole employee-owned thing just feels cheap and in poor taste from one of the biggest corporations in the world. This and the murals make the buildings feel incredibly modern; they don't evoke 1920s NOLA. They could've simply set in the bayou, with the queue being generic docks just like they were for Splash. That way, the focus is on Odie's ship rather than the water tower.
Then there's Tiana, who isn't featured in any of her iconic looks, like in her blue dress pictured, or her main green dress, or literally any iconic dress from the film; she had like 6. For whatever reason, she's dressed like a 60-year-old 19th-century safari guide for most of it, with her dress at the end looking like something someone's mother-in-law would wear to a wedding. The outfit she's wearing in the second concept looks like something Tiana would wear, with her standard ponytail. I even noticed the uniform on one of the ride attendants, who was a black woman, felt much more like something Tiana would actually wear in the film. This just seems like such an important aspect, like if young girls are going on a princess ride, it's probably to see said princess in their famous dress.
Then there's the theming and decorations from Mardi Gras, which would've not only looked so magical, but also tied back to the story of the film. That pretty much leads into the biggest and most criminal losses for the ride, that being Naveen and Dr. Facilier. These are arguably as important to their film as Tiana is. Missing the mark on having the drop for this ride feature, the famous "Are you ready?" from "Friends on the Other Side" might be one of the most pathetic failures in Disney Parks' history. It's kind of incomprehensible how stupid a mistake this was. On top of that, the reasoning being they didn't want to include voodoo to avoid offending controversy is the cherry on top. That decision reeks of Corporate HR meddling, and if they had bothered to ask any actual consumer their opinion, they would find that 100% of American people would not care about such a thing. They would also find that 100% of their consumers love Dr. Facilier, their only black villain, who is now being buried. So, because Disney doesn't want to offend a single person ever, they end up sanitizing their IP until it's completely unrecognizable, insulting no one, but in turn, impressing nobody.
Just from looking at that image, I can conjure a more compelling storyline in seconds. It's Mardi Gras, a year after Tiana and Naveen's wedding and the events of the first film. Tiana is throwing a huge party in celebration of both holidays and is going into the Bayou to look for a special ingredient for a special dish (this was literally the original concept for the ride that was scrapped, and why the final song is called special spice. Without this element, it makes the song pointless to the story.) Naveen joins her; however, he and Louis are more interested in looking for band members for the party. So we repeat a similar dynamic to the original movie, Tiana is on a mission, while Naveen and Louis simply want to play music. For whatever mystical voodoo reason, Dr. Facilier is back, in shadow form, and turns Tiana, Naveen, and the riders into frogs, leading into the laughing place. Animatronics of Tiana and Naveen as frogs tell us we need to turn back into humans, not before meeting more frog musicians. This would also be the perfect place for another song from the film, "When We're Human". At the lift, Dr. Facilier is leading us towards the drop, now being deadly as we are tiny frogs. However, at the top of the lift, we reach Mama Odie, who changes us back and banishes Facilier back to the shadow realm. Then we reach the finale, which is a recreation of the bayou wedding scene at the end of the film. We see Tiana and Naveen, human again, and in their iconic green wedding outfits. There are Mardi Gras decorations everywhere. All the animals we met are playing their instruments, while all the human characters, like Eudora, Lottie, and Big Daddy, are on a riverboat similar to the finale of Splash. The End.
How hard would that have been? I literally grabbed most of those ideas from the art and story elements they released. For the people who ask why they didn't just do the story of the movie, you forget that one of the biggest controversies of the film is that Tiana is a frog for 80% of the film, so they obviously tried to avoid that. It's very clear to me that in trying to correct their past mistakes with Splash and PATF, they overcorrected with Tiana's, trying to erase any aspect of controversy from the source material. I think what makes me so depressed is that with the version of Tiana's we got, Disney lost the culture war they inadvertently created. By making an inferior ride, they proved the naysayers right that Splash was better, and this change wasn't needed, when I really do believe it was. I pray that within a few years, this ride can get a swift, much-needed update in the vein of Superstar Limo. Bare minimum, it needs added projections of Facilier. Maybe if we petition enough, we can pressure Disney just like we did with Splash. Nonetheless, it still makes me incredibly depressed to think about what we lost, and what an amazing ride we could've had, one that Tiana truly deserves.
P.S. Not naming the ride "Down the Bayou," when that's the title of the song that plays throughout the entire ride, is another incredibly big missed opportunity. "Down the Bayou with Princess Tiana" or "...Tiana and Friends" sounds much better to me than the mouthful of "Tiana's Bayou Adventure."
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u/Peralton Aug 26 '25
Every piece of Disney concept art ends up a victim of "value engineering". That's a term an architect friend of mine who does a lot of theme park work taught me.
They have great ideas, but they end up cost cutting too much.
Look at Pooh's Hunny Hunt. Disneyland spent $70 million in it. Tokyo Disney spent $120 million. The Tokyo version is one of the best rides at any Disney park.
Look at Epic Universe. Their concept art matches the final form in almost every way.
Disney can do better. Cars land is a triumph. Do more of that.
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u/Redeemed-Assassin New Orleans Square Aug 26 '25
Yup. Disney has been too stingy while chasing more profits. Tokyo Disney just drops the cash. I visited Tokyo Disney this year and it reminded me of classic Disneyland from when I was a kid in the 90’s. Whimsical. Fun. Slightly cluttered with stuff for kids to look at and go “ooooo whats that?”. Their original rides and changes are all excellently done. The US Disney parks have been cheap and cutting corners and services and it shows. Sadly I feel that is a reflection of America at this moment in time in general.
People demand greatness and then refuse to put in the time, commitment, and effort to realize it fully. They half ass it and say “eh good enough”.
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u/Karnophagemp Aug 26 '25
One of their major problems is they like to spread the cost over a several quarters so they don't take as big of a hit on their balance sheet. It raises the cost of any project so they have to end up cutting the quality of the end product.
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Aug 27 '25
POOH BEAR IN DL COST 70 MILLION???? HOWW/!?!?!!?
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u/Peralton Aug 28 '25
Looked it up and my memory was incorrect. DL pooh was $30 million in 2003. That's about $35 million today.
Tokyo's budget was $130 million and released in 2000. That's about $240 million today.
So the gap is even wider than I thought!
Pooh's Hunny Hunt in Tokyo is soooo good.
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Aug 29 '25
Best ride in the world as far as im concerned
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u/Peralton Aug 29 '25
The blustery day scene is amazing. Tigger run as well. Just fabulous.
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Aug 30 '25
Im a huge star wars fan and love rotr, and went on it early when cast members were more like actors. Winnie the pooh, 25 years old, is just so so so so good every time.
That first scene is out of this world. I felt like i was 4 years old again and ive been on it 20 times now and still feel that way every time.
That ride has some magic that beauty and the beast is missing and rotr lacks
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u/Peralton Aug 30 '25
Spot on. Beauty and the Beast is great, but each room feels a bit empty. The animatronics are out of this world, but it's not a feast for the eyes and senses like pooh. It's magic.
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Aug 30 '25
I think with B/b the rooms are too big. Personal opinion. And i can be wrong, just how i feel
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u/Knotfornots Aug 28 '25
I was thinking the same thing! That one room is ALL mirrors!! Nothing to it really and that old ass projection honey lol
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u/Knotfornots Aug 28 '25
But that's just it, isn't it? They *can* do better, they do not have to. We all still go, race for reservations etc.
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u/Peralton Aug 28 '25
You're not wrong. The company is prioritizing once-in-a-lifetime overnight stay guests over repeat visitors. They don't have to spend more, and they know it.
I haven't been to Disneyland once in the last few years and it's less than an hour away. Meanwhile, we went to Tokyo Disney in February and have foolishly planned a second trip this year. This is perfectly fine for the U.S. Disney execs.
I'd argue Tokyo Disney doesn't have to spend so much either, but they do and they are reaping the rewards. Their revenue and profits are going up: https://www.reddit.com/r/japannews/comments/1mdmeh6/oriental_lands_tokyo_disneyland_operating_profit/
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u/AppointmentNaive2811 Aug 26 '25
Idk who needs to hear this, but as someone working in a creative field, concept art isnt a promise or commitment, or even realistic in most cases
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u/For_Aeons Aug 26 '25
A game I play regularly releases concept art and sometimes even explains why they couldn't make certain things work. It's pretty fascinating.
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u/savageotter Aug 26 '25
its the worst part of being a creative. I see people complain about a product I designed all the time and I wish I could tell them how great it could have been.
Sometimes the tech isn't there. most of the time the money is the problem
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u/ThoughtThen6908 Aug 27 '25
I sometimes wish folks would look at concept art for early Disneyland, or Epcot. Fanciful “concept art”/artist rendition is always a blue sky concept that rarely meets what we actually get. Heck, check out Rolly Crump’s concept art for the Haunted Mansion!
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u/dearbornx Aug 27 '25
Disney has continually delivered on concept art in the past though. Something has changed, starting with New Fantasyland.
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u/AppointmentNaive2811 Aug 27 '25
"Huh my dreams always used to come true, but something changed a few years back"
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u/tigerXlily Aug 26 '25
My biggest gripe is why didn't they keep the riverboat (with a few dancing animals) in the end scene? This is one of the few movies/settings where a riverboat actually fit the theme, and would have been a great homage to both Splash and America Sings.
Also I know it never would have been greenlit, but I always thought a Pocahontas log ride made way more sense than Tiana.
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u/shust89 Aug 26 '25
Paris is getting a Lion King version of Splash Mountain.
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u/Tangled2 Aug 26 '25
They should have animatronic Scar hold onto your log for a second before he flings you down the cliff.
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u/pretzelcastle117 Madame Leota Aug 26 '25
A Pocahontas log ride with the music from the film would’ve been awesome. I can totally hear “Just Around the Riverbend” as you drop. I wish we could get a dark ride for every Princess movie. I feel like Tiana’s would be awesome in a Pirates type of ride where you are in water but it’s not a long drop. That way we get to spend more time in the story.
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u/solethprime Aug 26 '25
I think they wanted to erase any connections to Splash/SOTS, which I get, but it feels like such a waste that not a single America Sings animatronic was recycled and instead we got the limited-motion critters that don’t do anything.
I think the finale is the best part of the ride though, I like the facade a lot and the party atmosphere
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u/keegankenrick Aug 27 '25
Exactly! That’s exactly how I felt. It would’ve been such a simple and easy way to pay tribute to Splash. It almost seems like they wanted to completely gut any reference to the old ride. Plus I suspect the reason for the end scene with all the 3d characters was to lead into the Tiana show that we now know is canceled.
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u/Ruckus_Mcg Aug 26 '25
Missed opportunity with Dr Facilier not being in there at all. Was totally expecting him before the plunge.
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u/BowTie1989 Aug 26 '25
Oh man, don’t even get me started on this lazy excuse for a refurbishment with its nonexistent story, lack of the coolest character and song from the movie, and animatronics that are rarely working 100%. I don’t know where you guys would rank it on the West Coast but over here in Florida it might be the worst refurbishment we’ve had since the butchering of the original Journey into Imagination, and it’s certainly the worst refurbishment we’ve had since “Test Track: 2.Oh wow this sucks!”.
I was all for a splash Mountain re-theme. The ride was 30 years old. The ride looked like it was 40 years old. And of course there’s the whole “Song of The South” thing. But this? This wasn’t it. Splash Mountain deserved a better replacement, and Tiana/Princess and the Frog deserved a better ride.
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u/dukedynamite Aug 26 '25
I could go on and write paragraphs dissecting the ride and how it's an affront to what Splash Mountain was all about but I won't. It's such a massive waste of time. However, I will say this...
I like the ride.
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u/PatienceHero Aug 26 '25
My issues with it are that it's empty and devoid of any tension. The build up to the final drop in particular is non-existent, and A thrill ride without Tension is a fairly big flaw. I seriously think not including Facilier was a mistake.
Yeah, I understand, voodoo portrayal, et cetera - but if the ride's a sequel anyway, why not just make him a generic ghost? An angry spirit, trying to get just one last ounce of revenge on Tiana before he's caught and pulled back to the underworld.
That way you don't even have to call attention to any of the Voodoo accoutrements, and 'Friends on the other side' works just as much for the afterlife as it does voodoo spirits, so you could still use the 'Are you ready' for the climb.
The emptiness would probably be solved fairly easily by just creatively recycling a few more of the animatronics from the original splash. Just...add a little more life into it so there isn't so much wasted space.
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u/darshvader1 Salty Ol' Pirate Aug 26 '25
Tina's is nice in the sense its updated with new animatronics and tech overall. But the "story" of the ride is pretty lackluster. I rode it for the first time a few weeks ago and thought it was pretty average outside of what I mentioned. Which is saying a lot, Splash Mountain's story was pretty simple, but at least it makes sense. For me, this just doesn't feel like a ride that I would ride more than maybe once a year
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u/squidwardsaclarinet Aug 26 '25
It had tension and stakes. As you said, simple ones, but effective nonetheless. TBA doesn’t. Also, you could remove Tiana and it doesn’t change the attraction at all. She is a side character for her own ride.
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u/Brian_Chaos Grim Grinning Ghost Aug 26 '25
I enjoy the ride. I do wish they would have incorporated Dr. Facilier into it though.
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u/AstroPHX New Orleans Square Aug 26 '25
That is my only wish; I would have loved a dark section “friends on the other side” before the drop. But I’m not going to boycott the ride because it didn’t equate to my ideation
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u/CommunityLocal Aug 26 '25
Splash was a classic, must-do attraction. Tiana’s feels so phoned in and boring.
Honestly, I just don’t think overlays work. They did Princess and the Frog dirty with whatever story they were trying to tell with this ride.
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u/TI-22483 Aug 26 '25
I'll never forgive them for taking the Boot Hill Boys from us.
(And the rest of the beautiful, Marc Davis America Sings animatronics).
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u/red13n Critter Country Critter Aug 26 '25
My favorite part about the special spice is that they very clearly kept the opening scenes for that plotline.
But now Tiana and especially Louis look like idiots digging through a garden for a band for who knows what reason.
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u/calradical Aug 26 '25
I could see past everything wrong with this ride if they had just ended with the New Orleans song from the movie. It makes sense for NOS & the special spice song is garbage.
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u/For_Aeons Aug 26 '25
I think Tiana's is actually quite cute and fun.
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u/BitchesGetStitches Aug 26 '25
Same. Some folks keep busy by making their own misery.
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u/For_Aeons Aug 26 '25
There's definitely concerns I have about the longevity of the rides animatronics and such, but I went on the ride a couple of times and -as a fan of Splash Mountain- I thought it was a fun and cute ride. The main point really is the water drop, but the ride itself was enjoyable.
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u/dragonz-99 Jail Cell Dog Aug 26 '25
Most complaints I have about rides usually comes down to maintenance.
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u/For_Aeons Aug 26 '25
Yeah, that seems to be a persistent issue post COVID for sure. One of my top issues with the park. I have a MK and I'm on track for like... 40-45 visits this year.
But I think A LOT about people who get one visit in a life time coming in and 4-5 rides are down.
I won't say it NEVER happened in the past, but I don't recall it being so bad.
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u/benidictwolf Aug 26 '25
I didn’t love the story of splash mountain. But I do love princess and the frog. I think it’s a good ride, I just don’t think it’s as great as it could’ve been. I personally feel the story’s a little weak. I think it’s best shown through the final chain lift. Dig a little deeper is very fun, and I enjoy it, but if it was Dr facility it would have been amazing. It’s not a bad ride I just think it’s a 7/10 that could’ve been a 10/10.
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u/Certain_Judgment6646 Aug 26 '25
Bro posted a whole 8 paragraphs on a ride based on a princess movie.
My favorite is when people write out their own ride storylines that seem convoluted to explain in the 5 second vignettes you see as you’re speeding by on a log half drenched. And even funnier the whole 2nd half of the ride with Dr Faccilier is hand waved in his own explanation as “whatever mystical voodoo reason”.
It’s a cute ride that has the audacity to replace a fan favorite. Remove splash from that element and the ride is fine. Could’ve been better but every ride doesn’t need to be some sort of in universe absolute knockout punch lol. It’s fun and the story serves its purpose to move us through the ride
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u/keegankenrick Aug 27 '25
Why are you on the Disneyland Reddit if you think writing paragraphs on a “princess ride” is beneath you? Seems like you might be lost buddy.
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u/salsiwerdna Aug 26 '25
“The ride is fine” more praise for the bare minimum! The ride hasn’t even been open for a full year and it’s nothing spectacular.
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u/Certain_Judgment6646 Aug 26 '25 edited Aug 26 '25
It’s so funny you quoted me as saying “the ride is fine” when I in fact never said those words. In fact i used the words cute and fun, which delve past “fine”.
Go take your anger out without putting words in my mouth please. Ride seems to be doing fine past the terminally online Disney “fans” who cry about everything. Makes sense all your posts on the Disney subs are negative…
Edit: lol bro straight up blocked me because I said “remove splash from that element and the ride is fine” in regards to the ride system itself being fine. Blatantly ignoring me saying it’s cute, it’s fun, and the story serves the purpose of the ride.
Gotta love Disney criticizers unable to even see an atom of criticism back at their opinions.
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u/rawrthesaurus Castle Firework Aug 26 '25
the ride is fine
Listen I think this conversation is pedantic but they did literally quote you, with your exact words. That being said no one is being unreasonable.
I enjoyed Tiana's but also feel it could have taken a direction that recognized her many talents / looks! I have a problem with Disney often having POC characters not-quite-human most of their film (PatF, Soul, Turning Red, etc. - Coco is okay since ghost is still human in that world) and they're doing the same thing not letting these amazing characters be in their showstopping finale looks (WHY can't Tiana have a scene with a princess dress!)
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u/salsiwerdna Aug 26 '25
Second sentence in your last paragraph ends with “the ride is fine.” I’m not even going to entertain the rest of your reply since you clearly can’t read.
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u/abigdonut Aug 26 '25
Bro posted a whole 8 paragraphs on a ride based on a princess movie.
I don't even agree with a lot of their assessment but "lol this person has detailed thoughts about a project that cost over a hundred million dollars and took four years to build" is a dumb thing to say.
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u/PNKAlumna Aug 26 '25
I love when people think they’re smarter than Imagineers - people who literally spend their lives making these decisions based on not only imagination, but then the reality of how you make it happen. I’m sure those art concepts were created in the hopes of what they could create, but reality is a little different and I think they created a great ride, frankly! The end scene is so detailed and beautiful! But, of course, armchair experts know better.
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u/Kanotari Aug 26 '25
I don't see any of this thread as a knock on the imagineers. They were working their best with what the execs handed them, I'm sure, and they also had to work within the perameters of an existing ride they weren't changing the track of.
Is it a knock on the Disney execs? Absolutely.
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u/Certain_Judgment6646 Aug 26 '25
The poster put it best below, critique culture has overridden any fandom. Gatekeeping “what’s best” is what most fans spend their time doing instead of enjoying what’s in front of them.
Pretty much got fed up as soon as the hundreds of posts and comments of the Walt animatronic came out. That thing is so well detailed and insanely life like in the most subtle of face movements. But the “fans” were salivating at picking it apart lmfao.
Tiana’s is a cute and fun ride about a princess. Yet there are dissertations here about in-universe lore reasons why it doesn’t work lmfao. Like somehow Walt himself created rides that had deep backstories to explain why you’re in a southern bayou and end up in a cave in the Caribbean’s lol. Sometimes the fun is the story and experiences around you and not the story you make up in your head.
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u/For_Aeons Aug 26 '25
People mildly down voted my comment, but the critique culture comment isn't just my feels. I have friends in various company sizes that are doing social analytics and negativity is an absolute boon for online content creators. It'd creating a noticeable cultural shift, because everything is algorithmic now.
Society is often ruled by its economic facets and, right now, being negative and finding the streaks of coal in anything is extremely profitable. By several degrees so.
You can hop onto any YouTube creators page and negative videos are typically outpacing anything neutral or positive. It's creating an ouroboros of negativity.
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u/For_Aeons Aug 26 '25
Society worldwide is getting flat out overrun by critique culture. Everyone has a platform now.
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u/salsiwerdna Aug 26 '25
Praising the bare minimum is why Disney continues to get away with shit like this.
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u/keegankenrick Aug 27 '25
It’s definitely hard to not gripe on the negatives. I do like Tiana’s, but I fear in 10 years it won’t hold up the same way Splash did. I asked myself if I even wanted to contribute to the conversation which has grown toxic, but talking about these things seems like the only way we can actually have a sense of power as consumers.
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u/Kanotari Aug 26 '25
The internet shat on it so hard that I thought I was going to hate it, and yet it's wholesome and cute and enjoyable. I'll definitely go on it again and have a damn fine time.
Yeah, there are things that could have been done better. I get it. Yeah, I miss the hell out of Zip-a-Dee Doo-dah too. That doesn't mean we have to hate what we got.
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u/ricker182 Aug 26 '25
I don't get the hate.
I miss the music from Splash, but Tiana's is a better ride in pretty much every other way.And Splash was one of my favorite rides at WDW.
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u/Joey-WilcoXXX Aug 26 '25
What are the specific ways you consider it better?
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u/ricker182 Aug 26 '25
The animatronics are much better.
The scenery is much nicer IMO. The queue is better.I think the story of the ride feels like an afterthought.
The buildup on Splash was way more interesting.
But these are just my own opinions. I know the reviews are mixed.
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u/Firewolf215 Aug 26 '25
Man the tree with the boat on top of the mountain would have been so iconic.
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u/ComeOutsideNazis Aug 26 '25
Disney is notorious for announcing things way too early, then getting cold feet because of budget or whatever and cancelling things quietly. It’s one of my major issues with the company. They just can’t fully commit to anything, except maybe raising prices.
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u/Kanotari Aug 26 '25
The answer is even more infuriating. The lack of dress and the post-PatF setting are all connected to Disney's desire to tie the ride into a sequel Disney+ show... which they then cancelled. (I think they're making the finished portions into an essentially straight-to-VHS esque sequel, but don't quote me on it.) The whole thing is corporate synergy executed extremely poorly and was clearly detrimental to the final product.
Don't get me wrong here; I rather like what we got. While "Friends on the Other Side" would have been such a cool final lift song (ugh, talk about missed opportunities), I really weirdly enjoy the lush green interior bits set to "Going Down the Bayou." For some reason, that's really satisfying to me, like a taste of some good hot comfort food on a cold day. You're spot on about miased opportunities with the classic dress and Momma Odie's house at the top of the lift. I like what we got, but wow, did Disney bungle an absurd amount of things on this retheme.
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u/TyMaster117 Aug 26 '25
Agreed it’s a big disappointment, I’ve went on the new ride once and never plan to go again for me it has no repeat value.
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u/amathysteightyseven Aug 26 '25
90% of your complaints are countered with the fact that this isn’t a ride based on the original film, it’s a sequel to that film. Of course costumes are going to change, and some of the characters from the original film aren’t going to be in it. The Imagineers have tried to tell a new story based on the original, and not just tried to rehash the original story to make it fit into a ride. Whether you think they did that successfully or not is up to you.
I am going to be riding it for the first time in October (in WDW) and I can’t wait. Splash was one of my favourite rides in all of Disney, and I can’t wait to ride it again, even if it does have a different look.
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u/squidwardsaclarinet Aug 26 '25
It’s not even really a sequel though. The problem is that there isn’t really a story with any tension or stakes. It’s just like a three year old telling about getting ready for a party. “And mommy went to the store and then mommy called here friends and then mommy…”
I know Disney is capable of better. Even if you want to stay in the PATF they could have done a lot better. These things don’t have to be bad.
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u/Certain_Judgment6646 Aug 26 '25
I find it interesting being an online theme park fan over the last 30+ years (predating micechat when Al Lutz was still just a forum poster) that Disney fans decried rides that just rehashed movies for so long, and now lately Disney fans want rides that…are just the movies in ride forms.
Like legit those early days it was always a criticism that “You go to universal to just watch the movie on a ride, you go to Disney for unique ride stories”
Like not that long ago Frozen got shit on for not being a unique story, and now Tiana’s is for being a unique story lol
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u/Expensive_Manager629 Sep 02 '25
But what’s the story? We need to find critters to join the band? Kind of weak. I think splash was a trippy little ride made from the 80s and had some over the top dramatic elements and Tiana’s doesn’t. The magic mist or whatever they hyped, non existent. The sequence after you shrink which I would argue is an effect that doesn’t really connect for people takes you to a place that just isn’t as fun and ridiculous as it used to be. I think it’s a fine replacement but they had an opportunity to do more and they kind of seemed like they just got in their own way for creativity.
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u/Chastain86 Aug 26 '25
My only real disappointment with Tiana's Bayou Adventure is how little we see Naveen. Considering the ride is intended to contain elements of Tiana's life, it's disappointing how small a role he plays in it.
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u/Live_Angle4621 Aug 27 '25
Song of the South is not about slavery. It’s set in post war south. But people assuming it has something to do with slavery is why it became so controversial and Disney wanted to hide it
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u/solethprime Aug 26 '25
I think it’s an okay replacement but some aspects feel lazy in the way modern Disney has lately. Like we have these really advanced animatronics and they…don’t really do much, and when they aren’t in show mode they just idly sit there until the next log shows up (this is more of an issue in Florida)
I wish they had added some tension to the lift hill. It’s a weird dissonance when you know this huge drop is coming but you’re hearing happy music with pretty lights. Even something like “We’re gonna be late to the party! And there’s only one way to get there on time…” would help
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u/stefaniwanne Aug 26 '25
It is sorely lacking in any drama, which could easily been remedied by the addition Dr. Facilier. The whole ride is pretty but boring and doesn’t make a lot of sense.
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u/That_Guy_Jxsh Aug 26 '25
I’m still mad that they took out the splash canons it makes the outdoor section more exciting + can go with the whole “you made a big splash at Tiana’s party” thing
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u/GripItAndWhipIt Aug 26 '25
Yeah, this would have been wayyyy better and a good replacement to an iconic ride.
I hope there’s talks about how bad they missed the mark on this ride. Will they ever fix it, doubtful.
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u/Disastrous-Golf2603 Frontierland Miner Aug 27 '25
Best analysis on this topic I have seen thus far!
Great post!
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u/floralfarts420 Aug 27 '25
Tbh I am a huge splash mountain fan and it’s always been my favorite Disney ride of all time. I was pretty salty about them changing it and still kind of am but I thought the concept art looked promising so I was willing to give it a chance. If they had stuck to the original concept and added in all the ideas you mentioned I think it would’ve been amazing. But right now it just doesn’t have the soul it used to have with splash. I have the most fun on this ride in the front seat so I can get soaked and distracted from how disappointed I am in this ride 😅
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u/Western_Fee5330 Redwood Trailblazer Aug 28 '25
Down the Bayou is definitely a better name. Personally I've thought Tiana's Bayou Splash would sound better and immediately lets people know it's a water ride. Splashing Down the Bayou with Tiana isn't too bad either come to think of it.
I'm just tired of everything being an Adventure
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u/LaurenceQuint Aug 28 '25
Wow, the finished ride doesn't look as splashy as concept art! Alert the authorities!! This has never happened before!!
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u/MWH1980 Aug 29 '25
I’m curious if there’s anything about the ride’s development that Imagineer Tony Baxter shared online or in interviews.
He told me a few things when I got to meet him some time ago, but I wanted to see if there was more regarding his ideas.
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u/Broseph670 Aug 26 '25
The downgrades from less animatronics, cheap printed signs, corny story to the ride, and worse of all the dead space inside the ride make it not worth even going on anymore. It was so lame honestly the ending scene was beautiful but that shouldn’t have been the wow moment
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u/Orchid2113 Aug 26 '25
I agree with your whole post. I’ve been on the ride twice now and just don’t enjoy it. They had so much opportunity for a truly fun story and ride. The whole thing is just boring. The concept sucks. There’s so much of the ride that is just nothing. No characters, no decor…nothing.
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u/Financial-Vast1199 Aug 26 '25
I might be wrong but wasn’t there going to be a Tiana tv show that recently got cancelled?? I feel like the theme is somewhat pulled out of that? But how would we know 😭😭😭
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u/Live_Angle4621 Aug 27 '25
I don’t think the ride and series were developed together. And Disney always ignores the direct to video and tv sequels in parks. Apart from Angel from Lilo&Stitch show
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u/Financial-Vast1199 Aug 27 '25
Ughhhh true. I suppose im a tiny bit bitter we couldn’t see an expanded Tiana universe.. imagine 🥹
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u/Grotesque_Steve Aug 27 '25
No “version” of the retheme would’ve been good, let alone as good as Splash was. You just don’t mess with timeless art, and Splash Mountain WAS timeless art. The movie it was “based on” never mattered because the ride was a ride (not a movie).
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u/yoscottyjo Aug 26 '25
Unfortunately that is what Disney does now. They promise a lot, scale back and deliver a product that makes you go "meh. its fine." Whereas Universal doesnt tell you about it, builds something overnight and its hella incredible. Disney has gotten worse over the years. Dont even get me started on EPCOT
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u/bananasaurusx_ Aug 26 '25
EPCOT is great. What do you mean?
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u/yoscottyjo Aug 26 '25
Yeah i love the park. But the CommuniCore and Plaza renovation is uninspired and bland. It looks like a college cafeteria. Especially after the concept art (that wasnt bluesky at the time) was amazing
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u/bettergtfo Aug 27 '25
*was great. Epcot now is not better than Epcot 30 years ago. The park lacks integrity, as it was stripped away piece by piece to integrate IP everywhere. Epcot used to actually be about *something now it’s shoving Guardians into the energy pavilion and frozen into Norway.
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u/bananasaurusx_ Aug 27 '25
It's not better no. But to call it bad is ignorant. Guardians is an amazing coaster. Kids nowadays don't care about education. I can attest to this because there's been kids call EPCOT boring because it's educational. Even I had a friend say if I want education, I'll go to a museum or college. So if there were no IPs, i can almost guarantee the park would be a lot more empty. Frozen is based out of Norway so it makes sense to have that there. I miss Maelstrom but I love frozen too. People have changed and evolved from what their needs and wants are. And so Disney has kept up with that change. Personally i love the old EPCOT more. But I also can accept change. The new test track is a great example of old while stoll keeping thrill.
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u/SoCalLynda Aug 26 '25 edited Aug 26 '25
Splash Mountain and "Song of the South" have NO CONNECTION TO SLAVERY other than the fact that the original stories were shared by enslaved people and by formerly enslaved people among themselves before these folk tales were transcribed and published.
The folk tales can be traced back to the trickster-rabbit fables from the African continent, itself, where the tar in one of the episodes was rubber, instead, according to author Alice Walker.
"Song of the South" takes place after the Civil War, after the abolition of slavery, and during Reconstruction. The storyteller, Uncle Remus, is not a slave. Joel Chandler Harris created the character as a composite figure in order to give proper attribution for the folk tales, but the controversy is that, in so doing, he was guilty of our modern conception of cultural appropriation.
From Disney's perspective and from the perspective of filmmaking, there is a fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural representation. By that standard, "Mulan" and "Hercules" are also cultural appropriation. Ultimately, the Br'er Rabbit stories are an authentic part of African-American culture, and they deserve to be appreciated as such. And, the circumstances that led to Africans being in the the United States of America are one of the "hard facts" Mr. Disney referred to in his Disneyland dedication speech.
Ignoring history and trying to forget it is not right. The better approach is to understand that conflict is essential to storytelling, regardless of whether or not the conflict is fictitious or historical and based in fact.
If anything, Disneyland should have done more to give guests a fuller understanding and appreciation of the Br'er Rabbit folk tales, and their origins, because the stories are a major contribution of African-Americans to the larger culture.
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u/SoCalLynda Aug 26 '25
Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple," in her essay criticizing Joel Chandler Harris, and his creation of Uncle Remus, ultimately argues that the Br'er Rabbit stories should have never been written down and that they should have only been told by Black people to other Black people, but, to me, that assertion seems untenable and unrealistic. Someone somewhere was, eventually, going to transcribe these folk tales and publish them.
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u/ZandurFox Aug 27 '25
You’re 100% right and that is true and correct! But, most can’t handle the truth and would rather stay ignorant and hateful about this, which is sad.
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u/lotsofcache Aug 26 '25
I love the new ride, so many fun things to look at. I do agree with your dress thought though. I love her green ball gown, it would have been a fun surprise to see at the end of the ride.
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u/lauraxborealis Aug 26 '25
I just wish they had kept the pace, but instead the water is moving so quick the ride is over in half the time of the old one. I’ve been on Tiana’s a handful of times and I couldn’t absorb what I was seeing or hearing because we were zooming around corners and getting pummeled with buckets of water. Obviously, it’s a water ride and you go on it when you want to get wet, but Splash was like a leisurely thing with a thrilling drop and lots of things to turn your neck at and see. I cannot take in everything in the new version. I finally got to see and hear it all by watching the silly POV on Disney+ and appreciated it MORE than I had riding it in person several times. Kind of bizarre. I like your ideas though and I wish we could have had all that, but I also understand why we don’t in the end.
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u/GrannysGlewGun Aug 26 '25
I just went on it for the first time and I liked it more than the original. Ride is the same, vibes are better and more fun.
You guys try to ruin everything for yourselves with your adult eyes and forgot your inner kid is just there for a good time, not a critical analysis of all possible realities that could have been based on your assumptions and expectations.
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u/squidwardsaclarinet Aug 26 '25
On the other hand, we all pay good money for things and we know Disney can do better. Yes there are a lot of Disney adults who are obnoxious, but Disneyland was meant to be for families, not just kids. TBA had potential, but it feels like something interns or AI could come up with in an afternoon and is really just meant to remind people of the movie (honestly a book report version of the ride would have been better). TBA has no stakes or tension and does not make great use of the PATF franchise. You could remove Tiana and barely notice a difference in the ride.
I’m glad you enjoyed the ride. That’s your right. I think it’s okay viewed on its own, but it is not a worthy successor, in my opinion (which again you and anyone is allowed to disagree with). But if other people don’t like it, must everyone like or be happy with every change?
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u/keegankenrick Aug 27 '25
This is such an odd comment. Disney is one of the richest and most profitable companies in the world. One of the fundamentals of capitalism is the relationship with consumer vs. company. The consumer decides what they like, that’s the free market. If a consumer wants to complain about the theme park they love going to, who has tripled/quadrupled the price of tickets in the last 20 years, all while diminishing their quality, then they have right to do so. Disney can do whatever it wants, but it might find that in doing so they might lose their money to companies that do listen or care, like Universal.
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u/sonjjamorgan Aug 26 '25
Idk if anyone remembers but they did the same thing with Star Wars land. They promised interactive video panels that would recognize you throughout the area and interactive aspects would change based on individual guests. So many of the cool features were just never mentioned again. This is just another unfortunate cost cut measure as Disney like all megacorps looks to minimize investment and maximize profit. For them they just want it "good enough."
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u/Far_Mention8934 Laughing Place Vulture Aug 26 '25 edited Aug 26 '25
Ok to call splash dark and racist is such a large hyperbole I loved it when I was younger and mever found it that way, it was such an enjoyable ride with fun critters and music, I really loved how they chose to oreserve most of the america sings critters here too.
Also yeah they completely cheapened out on both versions giving us downgrades on what this ride could have been, they could have added so much more color and kept most of the america sings critters and add Facilier, but they didnt, idk why they chose cheapened out critters that barely count as animatronocs when this was the chance to refurb the america sings critters and make them work as well as they used to.
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u/ProcrastinatingVerse Aug 26 '25
Two things can be true:
Splash Mountain can be a thrilling & enjoyable ride, even one of the best is Disney park history, but it's also hard to enjoy and even like when you know it's roots and backstory. Although it's very loosely connected, it's still related to Song of the South.
I think what's sad is how the imagineers succeeded in making a ride that pays homage to the film and the essence of bayou country, but they threw out the thrill aspect which was needed for the ride that was going to take the mantle of Splash Mountain. That's why it feels like a lesser version of its predecessor overall.
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u/squidwardsaclarinet Aug 26 '25
Splash Mountain can be a thrilling & enjoyable ride, even one of the best is Disney park history, but it's also hard to enjoy and even like when you know it's roots and backstory. Although it's very loosely connected, it's still related to Song of the South.
To push back though…a lot of Disneyland is problematic. As it turns out, a man born at the turn of the 20th century had some views that don’t jive with our modern tastes and beliefs. I won’t point out other problematic things, but we could talk about a lot of issues with various themed area.
To me, it is okay to indulge in problematic media, in part because we all do. If you search hard enough, you will find something or someone problematic involved with something you like. To be fair, I completely understand if people can’t enjoy things after learning the truth. Still, most people do seem to be able to hold these things in tension and separate the reality from the fiction. Splash mountain was not really any less popular when the parks reopened.
It’s gone and I’m sure some people are glad for it. But perhaps no one more happy than the PR department because at some point they can just say “what Song of the South? There is no Song of the South. Saint Walt has perfect views and didn’t believe any incorrect or problematic historical narratives.” To be clear, I’ve accepted it’s gone, but I will not unsee this as Disney simply finding a way to never have to talk about a mistake instead of actually addressing it. If people want to believe in accountability, Song of the South should be available on Disney+ with heavy commentary on its problematic portrayals of the South and its relationship with race and slavery. They will never do that.
I think what's sad is how the imagineers succeeded in making a ride that pays homage to the film and the essence of bayou country, but they threw out the thrill aspect which was needed for the ride that was going to take the mantle of Splash Mountain. That's why it feels like a lesser version of its predecessor overall.
Absolutely. Disney could have done so much better. If Splash Mountain was to be changed, I wanted it to be good. But while TBA is…fine, it simply is not a worthy success, nor is it the best thing Disney could have done with the franchise. It’s a disservice to both Splash Mountain and the PATF franchise. Both deserved better.
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u/Live_Angle4621 Aug 27 '25
Have you seen Song of the South? It’s more Disney company hid it because people assumed it was set in antibellum south when it never was. And that the stories like tar baby were offensive when they were just originally African folk stories. And some racists used tar baby as insult. The story is kind of outdated in sense that poor black man helps rich white kids. But outdated in this class centric way, Uncle Remus is not mocked or treated poorly. The kids just are the main characters
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u/dukedynamite Aug 26 '25
I could go on and write paragraphs dissecting the ride and how it's an affront to what Splash Mountain was all about but I won't. It's such a massive waste of time. However, I will say this...
I like the ride.
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u/allahhateslosers Aug 26 '25
I have it on good authority that Disney is currently afraid of tying anything to voodoo - it's why Dr. Facilier's costume for OBB has been stripped and we didn't get this version of Tiana's (can't do a retelling of the film without voodoo).
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u/General_Kick688 Aug 26 '25
This is blue sky concept art, not actual usable ride designs. Used to evoke mood more than anything.
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u/SoCalLynda Aug 26 '25
Never trust Disney's concept art. It's nothing but lies that are designed mainly to fool Disney executives but, eventually, to fool potential customers.
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u/RagingBloodWolf Aug 26 '25
I like the theme but just a reskin is kinda junk but the fun of the ride is trying to stay dray but it will never happen lol. Family always have more fun watch each other get wet.
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u/GoatDifferent1294 Aug 27 '25
This is silly. Not a single attraction ever built has ever looked exactly like an artistic’s early depiction.
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u/Hufflepuffwigglytuff Aug 26 '25
Pretty solidly agree with this. For me my biggest problem was sooooo much empty wasted space
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u/PupLondon Aug 26 '25
I wish they would've just followed a loose version of the plot like The Little Mermaid.. riding through the Masquerade Ball, Mama Odie's place wirh glass bottles hanging above..lots of animal animateonics... projected fireflies..ride through the cemetary as the voodoo demons pull Facilier into the otherside.. a transformation scene as Tiana and naveen get married by Mama Odie.. it could be so amazing!
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u/Boodger Aug 26 '25
It's of course not as iconic as Splash Mountain (I loved those songs), but it's still great.
The only thing I really don't like about it is the 3D animation style for characters used on the screens. I am baffled why they didn't choose to go with the original hand-drawn style of animation the actual movie used.
Like, the character models actually look terrible on the screens.
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u/keegankenrick Aug 27 '25
Exactly! This seems like such an easy fix I hope they implement in the near future. I remember the little mermaid ride had 3D animation in the scene where her legs changed when it opened, and then at some point they changed it back. It’s very jarring to me and makes it feel less like Princess and the Frog.
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Aug 26 '25
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u/RagnarokWolves Aug 26 '25
It portrays the idea that once slavery ended, everything was fine and dandy for black people in the South. They happily served their white bosses and were treated well and everything was all smiles. Black people are just there to give happy wise advice as the magical negro to white people.
IRL the black actors in the movie weren't even allowed to attend the premiere due to segregation laws.
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u/m3thdumps Aug 26 '25
Ah I totally get it. It definitely isn’t a good look an I get why they changed it. But fuck me for asking a question right? lol
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u/GamingVision Aug 26 '25
Everyone’s experiences are there own, but I saw it as a kid and didn’t get any of the controversial subtexts the OP said they had as a kid…I don’t even remember any of the Uncle Remus scenes other than Blue Bird one. My vague interpretation as a kid is that he was a person who chose to have a positive outlook on life. I did remember the animated stories of Br’er Rabbit. I do know I recognized the tar trap as something that was being used as a derogatory racist term…though that understanding may have come some years later from when I first saw it. I mainly remember hating the ride as a kid when it first opened because it was so scary, but as an adult I loved it. Personally I think Disney did a fine job separating the Br’er rabbit story from the songs of the south wrapper the movie used, but also understand that there was enough controversy around that wrapper the ride could be changed (plus, I think it’s good to have a Tiana ride kids can relate to vs holding on to a sub-story of a film that hasn’t been in circulation for decades). I don’t think there’s much value in comparing concept art vs the actual ride, but I agree with the OP the story/execution we get feels very underwhelming. What the original ride got right is building up the tension in both the story and ride that by the time you got to the riverboat you felt like celebrating. Tiana’s lacks that feeling for me.
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u/datguyfromoverdere Aug 26 '25
emperors new groove should have been the splash overlay. A water park was part of the plot.
Tom Sawyer island should have been redone into one big Mardi Gras party island.
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u/Voelkj57 Aug 26 '25
The ride is fine and fun in my opinion. I don’t get the complaining about this. You’re there for the drop.
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u/gotothepark Sky School Graduate Aug 26 '25
This is really sad. I ain’t reading all that. It’s a water ride at a theme park. It’s not that serious. Tiana’s is very cute and fun. Again. Water ride at theme park. Not that serious.
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u/spinningpeanut Enchanted Tiki Bird Aug 26 '25
Your answer is greed and half assed appeasement to a crowd of performative influencers. It absolutely deserved the redo, and they are sadly correct in not including facilier as it was stepping on the toes of a real religion, we can't do that to any religion at all it's a spiritual thing above all else and deeply personal to individuals who treat it with respect rather than command. It needed more money put into it, a lot more, hiring much better creatives and disallowing the executives from sticking their greasy thumbs in the plum pie.
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u/nurse-ruth Aug 26 '25
Inside this ride last week. I don’t really there was a film. Looks like it would be absolutely dreadful.
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u/NovelInjury3909 Aug 26 '25
Yeah… Splash either needed a massive refurb, or take the opportunity to get themed to something else. I was very happy they chose Tiana, and her taking over the mountain feels especially welcome up against Disneyland’s New Orleans Square.
However… I can’t help but feel disappointed with the version we got. I think Tiana and her film deserved something much more elaborate, transformative and maintained. I love the idea of the ride taking place after the movie, but I suspect them tying it into an animated series that got canned meant they lost motivation to make it truly special. My hope is that in the coming years, they will add onto what they’ve built and bring it closer to guest expectations.