Disney has revealed cut-off date for Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World. Additionally, new particulars have been launched in regards to the reimagined experience for each Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. This shares the entire particulars, new idea artwork, and commentary in regards to the situation of the attraction and the turnaround timeline.
As beforehand shared, the reimagined experience will probably be named Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and can deliver company into the world of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ movie “The Princess and the Frog” like by no means earlier than. According to Disney, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland in California in late 2024 (supposedly).
During the D23 Expo in Anaheim earlier this fall, Walt Disney Imagineering shared extra particulars in regards to the reimagined experience, together with a mannequin showcasing how Splash Mountain can be remodeled. See our Photos & Video of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Model, which presents a complete have a look at the modifications to the mountain’s exterior, queue, and even on-ride particulars that’ll be added to the attraction because it turns into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Anyway, let’s dig proper in with the brand new particulars about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney indicated at this time that progress continues on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with Imagineers exhausting at work designing an immersive expertise impressed by the Walt Disney Animation Studios movie “The Princess and the Frog” and the guts and tradition of New Orleans.
Today, Disney shared a primary have a look at a brand new scene and a few of the brand-new characters the corporate is creating particularly for this attraction. In Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’ll be a part of Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis throughout Mardi Gras season as they put together to host a one-of-a-kind celebration for the individuals of New Orleans. This new scene is the thrilling second you first drop into the bayou and encounter some pals each new and acquainted.
As you possibly can see right here, fireflies will gentle up the night time and invite you deeper into the bayou, virtually like they’re waving you ahead. What you possibly can’t inform from this rendering is that lovely zydeco music will fill the air. Zydeco is a particular mix of rhythm and blues that was born in Louisiana, and if you hear it, you’ll really feel such as you’ve actually stepped into Tiana’s world.
Here you’ll discover Louis, who explains the place this superb music is coming from. Tiana made some new pals out right here – a band stuffed with lovable critters, together with an otter, a rabbit, a racoon, a beaver, a turtle and others. The band members sing and play devices product of pure supplies they discovered within the bayou. In the announcement, Disney teased that they “may” have a much bigger function to play on this story.
Like so many musical genres, zydeco brings collectively the sounds and types of many cultures. Imagineering wished that spirit mirrored on this scene (and all through the attraction) so that every one our company really feel welcome to hitch within the celebration.
It’s emblematic of what we’re all the time striving for with our sights – bringing individuals of various backgrounds collectively by way of timeless Disney tales. This new musical journey supplies us with a tune sheet to jot down that idea into actuality. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will take you on a journey impressed by the story and characters from the hit movie, selecting up the place that story left off.
In preparation for this new expertise and the various thrilling updates forward, Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World Resort will probably be closed beginning January 23, 2023. This means the final day to experience this incarnation of the attraction would be the day earlier than that.
Additional details about Splash Mountain at Disneyland Resort will probably be shared at a later date. At current, there’s no motive to consider Disneyland’s Splash Mountain will probably be closing on or earlier than January 23, 2023.
I’m truly barely “surprised” by the cut-off date–and lack thereof–for Disneyland. I assumed for certain they’d shut each coasts as quickly as vacation crowds subside on January 9, 2023.
I assume with the Disney100 celebration kicking off at Disneyland in late January, the calculus is a bit distinction there. Perhaps they’ll wait till Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (and even the remainder of Toontown opens) to alleviate some crowd stress earlier than closing. Still, that places quite a bit of stress on Imagineering with much more restricted time to finish the overhaul.
On a unique be aware, I’ve skilled Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom a number of occasions since summer season, together with yesterday (December 1, 2022). It has been in tough form for some time, but it surely’s on the level that it’s not even present prepared anymore. The present lighting isn’t even on in some scenes, a number of Audio Animatronics are damaged, and the backgrounds simply look soiled and drained.
Walt Disney World has clearly made the choice to not put money into routine upkeep and maintenance with the reimagining proper across the nook…and it exhibits! (The images right here should not from December 2022–I didn’t trouble with images, incorrectly assuming they wouldn’t have relevance.)
Point being, when you haven’t had an opportunity to say your ultimate goodbye to Splash Mountain, maybe that’s a very good factor. The model that exists in your reminiscence is nearly actually the one which exists within the park at this level.
Accordingly, we additionally don’t advocate taking a protracted weekend journey for one final experience except you’re a severe Splash Mountain diehard and gained’t have closure in any other case. (Now, we do advocate visiting for the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, and if that journey occurs to incorporate a experience on Splash Mountain, so be it–however don’t do a visit only for this.)
This brings us to the feasibility of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening in late 2024. Many followers are understandably skeptical, particularly on condition that the cloned TRON Lightcycle Run nonetheless isn’t open and that venture has been in progress for the higher a part of 5 years. Nevertheless, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening in late 2024 is affordable. Maybe. If Disney needs it to be.
Personally, I’m hoping that date slips into 2025, so my commentary beneath is a minimum of partially-colored by that. Reason being, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is probably going going to be round for many years to come back. I’d like for Imagineering to have as a lot time as potential to do it justice. Sacrificing an additional few months for even incremental enhancements to the standard of the brand new experience that’ll be round for years to come back is a worthwhile trade-off, for my part.
One factor that Walt Disney World followers will undoubtedly deliver up when discussing the formidable turnaround time for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is TRON Lightcycle Run and the way lengthy it has taken Disney to construct a curler coaster in an empty warehouse. However, the torpid tempo of TRON Lightcycle run is deliberate.
At first, Disney moved at a snail’s tempo on that to unfold CapEx prices out over a number of fiscal years. Then got here the closure and uncertainty about journey thereafter, which resulted in a pause and gradual restart. If the corporate wished that curler coaster completed 2 and even 3 years in the past, they may’ve made it occur. They didn’t, so it didn’t. At this level, work has accelerated on TRON Lightcycle Run and the timeline has moved ahead. Again, by selection.
The level is that TRON Lightcycle Run is a poor comparability as a result of it’s extended timeline was deliberate from the outset, and never a showcase of how slowly building essentially happens at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. (Just look how a lot sooner they hustle when DVC contracts might be offered!)
There are additionally a slew of current experience reimaginings that showcase simply how rapidly Imagineering can transfer. The greatest examples listed below are Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disney California Adventure and Frozen Ever After at EPCOT.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout took lower than a 12 months in complete, with a lot of the exterior transformation occurring whereas Tower of Terror was nonetheless operational. Once the Hollywood Tower Hotel went vacant, the Collector took up residence in solely 5 months. Without query, that’s the quickest turnaround time for Imagineering in current reminiscence–and the outcomes have been shockingly good.
Converting Maelstrom into Frozen Ever After took a bit extra time, however nonetheless occurred in underneath two years. That attraction is likely to be the higher comparability, as each are boat rides that may require new staging, the alternative of quite a few present scenes, and extra. (I’d be curious to listen to from accountants in regards to the depreciation guidelines for brand spanking new builds v. renovations, as I believe that comes into play with all of those initiatives.)
As a a lot lengthier attraction, reimagining Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will probably be a extra concerned course of than these for Mission Breakout or Frozen Ever After. Still, these illustrate what might be achieved in a pair years or much less.
Our expectation with the Princess and the Frog attraction is that lots of the prevailing Brer Critter Audio Animatronics will probably be reused. That is smart–lots of these Audio Animatronics themselves are recycled from America Sings at Disneyland and had nothing to do with Splash Mountain’s supply materials. Going ahead, they’ll probably be given new life as a part of an “expanded universe” for the Princess and the Frog.
To me, this looks as if a savvy transfer throughout. It’ll enable redevelopment prices and finances to be allotted in direction of different parts of the venture, probably shorten the development timeline, and may blunt a few of the fan outrage. Those ‘supporting player’ musical critters are beloved and themselves completely noncontroversial, in order that looks as if a win throughout.
In addition to these, it’s probably that there will probably be superior Audio Animatronics and scenic illusions based mostly on the roundtable video above. That immediately calls to thoughts Na’vi River Journey at Animal Kingdom, which melds Audio Animatronics and sensible units with screens and different results. Splash Mountain already has dozens of AAs, so it’ll probably keep away from the entire pitfalls that make Na’vi River Journey underwhelming in spots.
This can also be paying homage to each Mission Breakout and Frozen Ever After, which use a mixture of screens and Audio Animatronics.
All of this stuff are fabricated and staged off-site, after which put in contained in the attraction when the time is correct. It’s not like Imagineers have to attend for Splash Mountain to shut, after which go inside and begin constructing a bunch of AAs and screens with hammers and chisels (or no matter instruments are used for making that stuff–I’m not a scientist). In different phrases, building crews don’t want to attend earlier than beginning work on the Princess and the Frog experience. That work has already begun.
Nevertheless, I’m nonetheless considerably skeptical that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in 2024. I’m downright uncertain that it’ll debut by the June 30, 2024 date listed on current building permits. Even although it might make sense to open a log flume experience in the summertime, there’s lots of work to be achieved right here. On high of that, the prevailing Splash Mountain infrastructure may wish extra work than is presently recognized.
Imagineering has had issue with delays in recent times, and there’s potential for extra of that with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure–particularly given the unknowns. It’s potential this venture strikes sooner than anticipated and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens by June 30, 2024. However, if I needed to guess on an earlier or later date, my cash can be on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure slipping into 2025. Of course, all of that is speculative–and being posted earlier than work has even began!
Ultimately, that’s our perspective on the feasibility of this overhaul timeline and closure of Splash Mountain. Personally, I hope Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is delayed into 2025 to present Imagineering a extra time to provide a high-quality attraction, and never only a fast and superficial redo.
Both Splash Mountain and Princess and the Frog deserve higher than that. This reimagining NEEDS the easiest inventive expertise, finances, time, and all different sources. I hope Disney is cognizant of the truth that the Splash Mountain reimagining goes to be underneath a microscope, each from followers and within the mainstream.
If the tip results of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure feels rushed, sloppy, or phoned-in, it’s going to draw criticism from a various array of individuals. As the corporate has been getting lots of social backlash lately, hopefully they understand the significance of avoiding that for as soon as. Here’s hoping that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure delivers an distinctive expertise that successfully silences critics and wins over skeptics.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Splash Mountain closing in late January 2023 at Walt Disney World and on ??? at Disneyland? How a lot of the present attraction (e.g. random musical critter AAs) are you anticipating to seem within the reimagined model? Excited for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Expectations concerning the Splash Mountain reimagining timeline? Think they will end it by late 2024? Keep the feedback civil, as this isn’t the place for politically-charged arguing, tradition wars, antagonism, private assaults, or low-cost photographs. We will probably be heavy-handed in deleting any feedback that cross the road, no matter viewpoint. You should not going to alter anybody’s thoughts through the feedback part on this weblog, nor are you going to alter Disney’s priorities. If you want to shout your outrage into the web abyss, that’s why Facebook was invented.