I just returned from a week in Tokyo. I will take their "Splash Mountain" over Tiana's any day!!. Oriental Land Company,...PLEASE PROTECT the last "Splash Mountain" on Earth at all cost!!!
I'm totally fine with the Tiana re-theme as it's my second favorite Disney movie...but I really hate the loss of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah and How Do You Do in all aspects.
I just wish it was a simple retelling of the movie because the plot of TBA just felt very bland. Especially when the build up to the drop is gone, where this would had been the perfect spot for Dr. Facilier’s demise. Also really disappointing how Disney wants to bury anything related to Splash Mountain.
Completely agree. Being a kid of the late 2000’s, princess and the frog was one of my favorites and it’s cool to see this years later, and done in a way that actually shows money was spent on the project. What sucks is I wish that there’s a world where those classic songs that I associate with the parks can remain.
Why won’t you talk about the fact that there are only 8 full motion animatronics in this ride. The rest are all limited motion like naveen or Tiana in the rah rah band scene or the girl in the pink dress. Or 1-2 motion like the critter band. They literally wiggle back and forth.
Tiana's doesn't fit well mainly because of the lack of Marc Davis and the classic imagineering storytelling. it's a real important part of what made attractions respectable.
Tom doesn’t agree with what everyone else knows. What a shock. Stop being a shill. I miss the old Tom who understood story telling. Now dead zones are story telling….. Classic Disney fashion wasn’t in splash…….what?!?!?!
I’m visually impaired, so it’s normal for my family to give me front seats for the best viewing. We did the Disneyland Splash with my brothers-in-law also in the log 10 years ago. We got off and one of them thank me for “taking one for the team.” I was soaked.😂😂😂
I'm not so much upset about the ride being turned into Tiana, but I feel like with all the time they had and all the money they had it could have and should have been a big improvement. I feel like it didn't change in any major way and was a waste of time. Disneyland is too packed, super outdated, and has terrible ride capacity. Also, I am upset they are just sticking things wherever they feel like. There is so many pressing issues with Disneyland, Splash was the least of the worries. I know it had to go, but why did it go when there are whole areas in need of severe attention.
@ if you look around Disneyland the first area that needs serious attention is Tomorrowland in my opinion. 6 rides not including the monorail and train, but the entire theatre area by Space Mountain is empty with nothing in it, but it takes up massive space and can absorb at least 100 people minimum or be turned into an attraction just something that doesn’t waste the giant space. Innoventions building that is two stories of space and could house an entire space mountain or something similar in size is dormant and has been for far too long, just more unused dead space. PeopleMover is gone, but the giant cement pillars and space station loading area sit rotting and decaying for a ride that is known to absorb people at Magic Kingdom. At least remove it and use the space more efficiently. Autopia is extremely outdated and has terrible capacity and requires more cast members than any other ride besides Nemo and Rise. Once again, fix or toss and use the space. Small cars aren’t futuristic. There are more areas that need work, but just the amount of wasted capacity, manpower, and dead space in TomorrowLand is ridiculous.
More interesting than Splash Mountain? More cohesive storyline-wise than Splash Mountain? Better catchy tunes than Splash Mountain? No, no, & NO I rode it...I dont ever need or want to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure ever again. A colossal waste of my time, my money, as well as Disney's time and money.
Tom, I'm 54, born, raised, and living the life as a DL local. I'm also a bit larger than you, and still okay with single seating. Then again, I grew up with Splash Mountain, so I grew into it. So my POV might be a little biased. As for getting wet, while I avoided that during the coldest portions of winter, most days the weather is warm enough to enjoy a good drenching (especially during the heat of summer days and nights). Maybe it's a SoCal thing. Other than that, you're pretty much on the mark with your fairly objective review.... 😀 And yes, I enjoyed the ride. It's not a perfect one, but it did improve upon the original. I do miss Splash, but Tiana's is a fitting replacement for generations to enjoy.
I appreciate you handling this with respect for all. Keep up the good work Tom! Headed back to WDW on Saturday. Just went during Halloween. Tiana’s is the goal this trip.
Love the WDW ride. My only gripe is that there is no setup to the story in the queue. They could have had the radio announcer stating that Tiana is having a party and we all all invited but she’s still looking for a band to perform at the party and that she needs our help to find one. When we see Tiana for the first time in the lift hill her dialog leaves the impression that we are already supposed to know that we’re looking for the band.
You can get drenched on Rattlesnakes rapids at Lagoon in Utah. They got a waterfall at the end that basically gets the whole boat. If you like wet socks that's your ride lol
Well perhaps they are saving Facilier for another attraction when Villains Land opens! If this is the case, then having an "Are you ready?" moment in two attractions would be redundant; yes?
It finally came out that Dr. Facilier wasn’t in the ride because he also is “problematic” since Voodoo is a real religion that is practiced in parts of the world, Disney has decided he too is now a racist stereotype. Even though they still have the walk around character in the park.
From a local... what you do is incorporate your bathing suit into your outfit, with maybe a planned change of clothes. Line your backpack with a drybag or the budget alternative... a garbage bag. I'll be there in a few weeks and these will be my preparations, along with flip flops to put on for the ride and maybe a travel towel. And I hear there is much more water than before! Immediately after the ride, decide if you want to head for a restroom to dry off and change. In the summer all this is much less important, given the heat and low humidity, just try not to ride it too close to sunset if you don't want to be wet when the sun goes down. If it's a hot enough day, it probably won't matter and you can still be dry by the time the park closes. Great review!
As always, enjoyed your review and insight! I grew up going to DL - America Sings was my childhood, so when it closed and then everybody appeared in Splash I was thrilled. I'm sad Splash is gone, even though I am super impressed by the animatronics in Tiana's. Hopefully Splash will live on in Tokyo at the "Disneyland museum"!
You get just as wet on Grizzly River Run. For a while the geysers actually came up and hit the cars and you were literally soaked to the skin. You also started getting wetter on the DL version when they didn’t let little kids in front anymore. When I was younger the weight could be in the back with smaller children in the front. Now an adult needs to be in the front so the logs re more front heavy.
We just did it in September and I can confirm... soaked to the skin. By chance, we had a room at grand Californian to change. It was planned this way 😂. I never came out of grizzly without being soaked.
Tom, speaking from one Large Man to another, Duluth Trading Company, they have a line of clothing including pants that will dry in minutes. I have worn them on classic Splash Mountain and was dry by the time I was sitting down in my next ride. Trust me, it will work.
This just makes me excited for my next DW trip to go ride Tiana! Loved seeing the videos posted for both versions. I am going in with the open mind when I go to ride.
I was patiently waiting for Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway to somehow be negatively incorporated into this and I was not disappointed. (and I completely agree)
Of course people compare Tiana to Splash Mountain, because Tiana replaced it. It's an obvious step down, period. People are allowed to dislike it for that reason alone.
Pirates of the Caribbean is the pinnacle of “show” at Disneyland. In the auction scene there are 30+ chickens that move! I love to re-ride and find new things to grab my attention. Could use more of that with Tiana’s, but the ride is still as good as Splash was. The final Tiana scene is supreme.
I bring two outfits to Disneyland when I go. Regular park day clothes for one, the other, a swimsuit and flip flops and a t-shirt. This way I can hit all the water rides during the hottest parts of the day and have something to change into afterwards. Love the lockers at the picnic area btw...
I’m okay with them changing the attraction it’s just the way it was announced at the time is what bothers me. Imagineers saying that they worked on this project 2 years prior to announcement looked like Chapek told them to say that. Of course I know that it does take time from concept to reality but like I said, when they announced it just felt off you know…
Although I enjoy the ride and I think the music in Tiana's is very good, it doesn't hold a candle to the iconic songs in Splash Mountain that were the glue that held the ride together, even in the lulls between action. Nobody's coming out of Tiana's humming whatever that last song was where Zip A Dee Doo Dah will (happily) be in your head for the rest of the day. Apologies if Tom touched on this in the video and I missed it.
There's not a lot of falls and streams in East Africa either but they're making a Lion King "Splash". I would imagine they don't really care about this aspect.
Great review, Tom! As a Disneyland local who remembers seeing the big mound of dirt that became Splash Mountain and being in awe as a child, I think a big part of my Disney nerdiness started on that visit. But, it was time to move on and imagineering did a wonderful job with the characters, story and music. I think that the connection between Haunted Mansion and Bayou Country was so easy for Disneyland. I believe that Disneyland execs may have had this in mind prior to 2020, but the awful circumstances of that summer helped catapult this change to fruition. Either way, I am happy that they did Tiana and the bayou friends right with the care and love they put into the attraction. My main miss of the attraction is not having Dr. Facilier. Just like you pointed out, I will always love and associate Zip-a-Dee-do-dah with the Disney company.
Tom, I think over time, Disney should consider adding “Marc Davis” moments into the Florida version of Tiana’s. Yes, there is more dead space and it could be better utilized. Couldn’t there be a Two Fingers, Reggie, and Darnell vignette? Could Prince Naveen be hunting for Tiana in the bayou or maybe he could be showing Prince Ralphie the bayou. I’m not trying to Imagineer here just offering examples. I’m just saying, the attraction could be filled out a little more. For me, the biggest disappointment is no Dr. Facilier. I realize he’s dead but couldn’t he come back from the other side with his friends? Should he be one shrinking us to frog size and not Mama Odie?
Even the logs at The Magic Kingdom are badly designed. Because of the lap bars they added later on for Splash Mountain, they are bad for tall people. I can't fit in them well at all
I don’t mind if that they built new ride. I just don’t like the reasons why they changed it. Splash Mountain was a good ride. It was a popular ride and it didn’t need to be taken away. You could’ve had whatever her name is adventure and possibly use the Navi River adventure Ride set up so won’t be exactly like splash Mountain. I don’t care what anybody says. It was a PC move. It was a BS move and splash Mountain should’ve stayed. again, I don’t mind them building another attraction and that’s what they should’ve did.
Grew up with floridas Mountain. Got to ride DL’s before it closed and I kinda LOVED how different the ride system was. Sat row 1 most of those rides. The ridiculous waves and being drenched was the main part of the fun. I love them both… but I’ll always gladly take Row 1 any day. Even if it meant my purse was filled with water.
I rode Splash at DL several times with full boat. I NEVER got soaked - only slightly wet in the front seat! That is UNTIL my last ride a few weeks before it closed. There were only 2 of us in the boat & we were literally sitting in WATER to our hips in the log! NEVER had that before. I Sat 1.5 hours in the bathroom waiting for hubby to get me a change of clothes from the hotel off property via tram. This AZ girl was cold in this May Eve and used walls around the reatroom to block the wind. Dl NEEDS a dryer like DCA has!! When I go, I'm taking rain gear and silocone shoe covers & and a change of clothes just in case.
Universal’s Ripsaw Falls was the wettest I ever got on any ride in my life, but that’s the part of the point. It was great, I thought it was hilarious just how unavoidably soaked you will get on that ride. 😅
Splash's music is far superior, especially the final scene. We went on Tiana in July. We rode it once and had no interest in riding it again, though we were at disney world for 14 days (UK ticket). Once was more than enough.
@@WDWNTsimple earworm type songs are better on rides for everybody, even people who don’t speak English. Doesn’t mean you are wrong about the complex or better orchestrated songs. Nothing can stop us now and zipadee get stuck in my head every time I go to the parks after riding their rides. I enjoy that feeling.
I think to Tom's Point Winnie the Pooh not belonging makes sense but what I think makes even more or less sense is Davy Crockett canoes in Bayou country LOL
The last time I rode Splash Mountain I didn’t want to get wet and I sat in the 5th seat. My body stayed 100% dry. But my face… well it was like someone took a large cup of water and threw it directly into my face. I have no idea how that worked.
16:27 I will argue that in both Splash and Pirates, the atmosphere set up the premise for the upcoming adventure in a "different world". While with tiana's you are already in "their world", so the breaks actually disrupt the storytelling. 37:58 Don't worry, I'm negative about both, more for cosmic rewind, one of disney's worst.
To be honest, the Florida version it’s pretty big so there’s lots of empty scenes, the Disneyland version is a little better but it goes by too fast. Don’t get me wrong I do love Tiana and want her to get her own ride. I don’t think Splash Mountain was the best choice for her ride. Sure, Splash Mountain was based on animated shorts from a divisive film but what does Disney know because they keep on making Disney Star Wars Announcements that nobody actually cares about because they either discriminate, destroyed, or cause death to characters people actually cared about. There is a few things that you forgot sometimes people just want to get on that they don’t look around and on the ride the only two references that are basically noticeable are the stuck stump and the party scene at the end, which to be fair kind of is lackluster when pretty much every scene is a party. I haven’t been on it yet but what I’ve seen online it just doesn’t look quite right. Even with the few well made animatronics which when it doesn’t work or has awkward pauses it looks weird and the animatronic critters barely have any life in them that they more look like stuff animals than real new characters. To be honest, it doesn’t matter what any reviewer thinks, it matters what the majority of people think and riding it once doesn’t actually count as it being popular, riding it multiple times actually will which is pretty much a shame because can only use one lightning lane per ride which if the standby line is pretty long will probably prevent people going on it multiple times. People will ride it if it’s new but will not ride it if they don’t like it. Doesn’t matter what Disney or the Disney influencers thinks, it’s the people’s opinions that matter which I think they don’t understand what the people wants. If there is a possibility that I could ride Tiana to find out, but what I’ve seen the animatronics feel more toylike compared to a full motion of Splash Mountain.
I have never gotten so soaked after riding Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Universal Orlando. This is one I won’t ride against because of how drenched you can get. They even have drying units, that you pay for, to blow dry yourself. But I agree that Disneyland Tiana’s ride will get you wet.
When the Jurassic Park ride at USH first opened (when I worked there so I rode it almost as many times as I rode Back to the Future) I was in the front a couple of times and I would describe how wet I got as being comparable to Splash Mountain but they didn't even give you themed zip-loc bags!
I think the Knotts rapids ride use to have a few literal water falls that would just pour water into the rafts. Dripping wet was the default setting apparently.
Reason why my teenage daughter is never going back to Universal: she went on a band trip, and got thoroughly soaked on some ride. Others enjoyed it. She did not.
When it came to the water rides I'd have some flip flops to change into, because you're right that ride is where socks go to get ruined!😂I'd even go in swim trunks if I knew I was riding water rides that day and a fresh change of clothes in my backpack. (sealable bag for the wet clothes) A lot to deal with, yeah! But when it's 90 degrees or more out it was ok to be wet with sandals for a while and the best kept secret is going on Winnie the pooh right after Splash to get airdried by all the wind effects.🤣They always top off the flume for summer so that no one was safe. I thought that all water flumes did that until I went to other theme parks and thought I "got lucky". Last secret, if you're in the front seat sometimes you can duck your head down and have the wave miss you and hit the person in the second seat. They won't be happy....but you'll be dry. Not your shoes or feet though, there's no saving them.
What isn’t said though is that Tokyo Splash mountain is better than either Tiana’s here in the states hands down, it is great the Disneyland version is better but WDW version is beyond busted….it is a disgrace in its current form, in the months since it has opened and all the rides I have done everything has only worked once, there are so many issues with that ride you can barely hear any of the on ride audio from mama odie on the WDW version but it seems they fixed that on the Disneyland version, it seems the best version will be Disneyland version they should have left WDW one alone as that is a dumpster fire right now
Great review! Also, the only time I rode Splash Mountain at Disneyland, sat in the second seat (my brother sat in the first) we got soaking wet! The water literally drowned our lower half 😂 a mood killer to be honest but fun.
Rode for first time this past weekend at WDW. Its good, not over the top great. The part I cannot get over when on it, I live in Bayou country south of Houston, and we don't have mountains for 200 miles. The fact the ride is a bayou themed ride centered on mountains just seemed strange. Its all I could think about when on the ride. That said, loved the old theme, dont hate the new theme. Its a good ride, just not great.
If I recall correctly, he consulted with NAACP to avoid certain references (i.e. the tar baby scene) - However, NAACP was always opposed to the Song of the South property; they vehemently opposed to film upon its release, so I’m sure they weren’t thrilled about the attraction but merely advised on how to remove the problematic elements since Disney was moving forward with Splash anyways.
Tony Baxter even said that they liked the Splash Mountain characters’ dialect and that was because it was more than just a Eurocentric voice. Some perceive that dialect as offensive, but that was not what the NAACP was feeling when he was making the attraction. However, they absolutely hated the live action scenes.
@@Miqbtn There was always some level controversy around it, but it was quite mild back then. The film actually had success when released in theaters. SOTS was last released in 1986. The ride opened in 1989, and the others did in 1992. Saying that almost nobody knew what it was based on was just not true. There are plenty forums from the 2000’s and 2010’s around Splash Mountain and its SOTS connection. People just didn’t cry and lose their dignity until 2020 when all went woke. As Tony Baxter said: “We are overboard on these kinds of sensitivities today.” I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Baxter.
FYI: Splash fans wouldn’t be quite so crabby if they only changed one and if Disney didn’t go out of their way to remove everything even remotely related to the ride and characters from the parks. Find us annoying all you want, it’s not for no reason.
As someone who has only been to Disneyland, the intro has already helped me understand some of the Florida reaction. Other than the log I had no idea there was a substantive difference.
Something some people still don't understand is that even if Tiana had gotten her own ride Splash Mountain would STILL have been replaced. It wasn't about giving Tiana a ride, it was about getting rid of Splash.
My issue is that it's too wordy. Not that I have an aversion to reading, but good storytelling is 'showing not telling' and this ride and queue feels overly reliant on text and signs
& years earlier, disney`s ex-s removed the Great State of Mississippi State Flag from American Exhibit in "epoc" that was the 1st removal of cultural response !
We have plenty of mountains and real trees in Arizona (it’s not all desert and cacti), Splash Mountain with its red/orange color matched perfectly with the famous Sedona area. Too bad some people think animals are racist. 🐰🦊🐻😢
How much is disney paying you to be a schill? No one had a problem with a ride that was based on African folklore disney just wanted to make more money off of merchandise
Never went on Splash Mountain, but I am loving all the vids of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (especially the animatronics of Tiana 💚). I want to go on it myself someday
Tiana’s is a straight to vhs sequel film at best. Was just on Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo and it made me cry. Tiana’s changed the characters, didn’t have the best songs from the film, no sense of danger. It just feels so boring to me. The movie is fantastic and in my top 5 Disney films. When I ride a ride, I shouldn’t be thinking how it could have been better the whole time.
"you don't know what wet is". Ok, give me a comparison to how wet you get on Disneyland's Splash/Tiana vs Universal Islands of Adventure's Popeye's and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges please? Because you're basically soaked head to toe on both that and Dudley's. I would think Dudley's is the same reason as Disneyland's because of the single line, tight space, log vehicles, which are also just as uncomfortable and i will NEVER ride Dudley's again because of that... but I love Popeye's and how soaked you get 🤣 My opinion of the two versions is that Disneyland's is much better paced due to the smaller size. Yes there is themeing throughout WDW's is there, but there's nothing really happening, and with the slower pace, and the animatronic scenes spread out and in spurts instead of spaced better, that's why it feels so dead, like it's lacking something. It was clear that it was designed for DLR, then shoved into WDW as best as it could. I don't know how to explain it, Tom... I don't dislike it at all, but I wish there was something more for WDW's. I hope that makes sense. Everything in there is gorgeous. I just wish it worked more consistently in Florida...
I think it would have made more sense to make it a Muppet ride where everyone's traveling to Kermit's swamp. They could even have had Fozzie dangling from a tree as a tribute to Bre'r Bear.
WDW News. Tom, the large empty rooms on both " Cosmic Rewind" and "Tron" look like the entrance to an London Underground Station just before the train arrives at the platform. Tiana's, everybody seems to say that the flume has more water in it than it did when it was "Splash" is that correct I wonder? Cheers, Chris Perry.
I just returned from a week in Tokyo. I will take their "Splash Mountain" over Tiana's any day!!. Oriental Land Company,...PLEASE PROTECT the last "Splash Mountain" on Earth at all cost!!!
I'm totally fine with the Tiana re-theme as it's my second favorite Disney movie...but I really hate the loss of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah and How Do You Do in all aspects.
I just wish it was a simple retelling of the movie because the plot of TBA just felt very bland. Especially when the build up to the drop is gone, where this would had been the perfect spot for Dr. Facilier’s demise. Also really disappointing how Disney wants to bury anything related to Splash Mountain.
Completely agree. Being a kid of the late 2000’s, princess and the frog was one of my favorites and it’s cool to see this years later, and done in a way that actually shows money was spent on the project. What sucks is I wish that there’s a world where those classic songs that I associate with the parks can remain.
Zip a dee doo Dah should be on the entrance loop or something. It would make the lifetime fans happy and the newcomers wouldn't know any different
It’s not better than Splash - just no way. It’s alright, but Tiana’s still needs improvements.
Like what lol
Why won’t you talk about the fact that there are only 8 full motion animatronics in this ride. The rest are all limited motion like naveen or Tiana in the rah rah band scene or the girl in the pink dress. Or 1-2 motion like the critter band. They literally wiggle back and forth.
How many full motion figures were on Splash? A lot of them were pretty limited too. Does the beaver playing a reed need to be Elsa?
Tiana's doesn't fit well mainly because of the lack of Marc Davis and the classic imagineering storytelling. it's a real important part of what made attractions respectable.
I guess nothing since he died is good then?
I think the bunny memorial sad scene in California was the best version. The creepiness of the hill with the vultures in Disneyland is unmatched
Tom doesn’t agree with what everyone else knows. What a shock. Stop being a shill.
I miss the old Tom who understood story telling. Now dead zones are story telling…..
Classic Disney fashion wasn’t in splash…….what?!?!?!
hes just a liberal contrarian that lives in the state of convenience
Not everyone shares your opinion, please accept that
A lot of Disney fans have complained about getting wet and the single file seating. I think it feels more authentic
I don't know how they can complain about that, then why are you on the ride then?
@@RakoonCDyou can say the same about it being Tiana all together. Why ride it if your already gonna complain about it 🤷🏽🤷🏽
@@gdilla4452 I don't know, people don't complain when they're coasters.
Also you can hate ride. People already do it with Cosmic Rewind.
I’m visually impaired, so it’s normal for my family to give me front seats for the best viewing. We did the Disneyland Splash with my brothers-in-law also in the log 10 years ago. We got off and one of them thank me for “taking one for the team.” I was soaked.😂😂😂
I'm not so much upset about the ride being turned into Tiana, but I feel like with all the time they had and all the money they had it could have and should have been a big improvement. I feel like it didn't change in any major way and was a waste of time. Disneyland is too packed, super outdated, and has terrible ride capacity. Also, I am upset they are just sticking things wherever they feel like.
There is so many pressing issues with Disneyland, Splash was the least of the worries. I know it had to go, but why did it go when there are whole areas in need of severe attention.
What are some examples of what could be fixed? Honestly curious.
@ if you look around Disneyland the first area that needs serious attention is Tomorrowland in my opinion. 6 rides not including the monorail and train, but the entire theatre area by Space Mountain is empty with nothing in it, but it takes up massive space and can absorb at least 100 people minimum or be turned into an attraction just something that doesn’t waste the giant space.
Innoventions building that is two stories of space and could house an entire space mountain or something similar in size is dormant and has been for far too long, just more unused dead space.
PeopleMover is gone, but the giant cement pillars and space station loading area sit rotting and decaying for a ride that is known to absorb people at Magic Kingdom. At least remove it and use the space more efficiently.
Autopia is extremely outdated and has terrible capacity and requires more cast members than any other ride besides Nemo and Rise. Once again, fix or toss and use the space. Small cars aren’t futuristic.
There are more areas that need work, but just the amount of wasted capacity, manpower, and dead space in TomorrowLand is ridiculous.
More interesting than Splash Mountain?
More cohesive storyline-wise than Splash Mountain?
Better catchy tunes than Splash Mountain?
No, no, & NO
I rode it...I dont ever need or want to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure ever again.
A colossal waste of my time, my money, as well as Disney's time and money.
💯 %
All of the Brers at Disneyland are retrofits that is why they look "odd" I personally love them
Tom, I'm 54, born, raised, and living the life as a DL local. I'm also a bit larger than you, and still okay with single seating. Then again, I grew up with Splash Mountain, so I grew into it. So my POV might be a little biased.
As for getting wet, while I avoided that during the coldest portions of winter, most days the weather is warm enough to enjoy a good drenching (especially during the heat of summer days and nights). Maybe it's a SoCal thing.
Other than that, you're pretty much on the mark with your fairly objective review.... 😀
And yes, I enjoyed the ride. It's not a perfect one, but it did improve upon the original. I do miss Splash, but Tiana's is a fitting replacement for generations to enjoy.
I appreciate you handling this with respect for all. Keep up the good work Tom! Headed back to WDW on Saturday. Just went during Halloween. Tiana’s is the goal this trip.
Bob Iger = "This is really boring"
Yup. Very dull.
Love the WDW ride. My only gripe is that there is no setup to the story in the queue. They could have had the radio announcer stating that Tiana is having a party and we all all invited but she’s still looking for a band to perform at the party and that she needs our help to find one. When we see Tiana for the first time in the lift hill her dialog leaves the impression that we are already supposed to know that we’re looking for the band.
You can get drenched on Rattlesnakes rapids at Lagoon in Utah. They got a waterfall at the end that basically gets the whole boat. If you like wet socks that's your ride lol
Splash Mountain oh how I miss you 😢
No Dr Facilier is a huge mistake. And i don't wanna hear that "hes dead" because so are 12 of the 13 villains that will inhabit villains land.
Well perhaps they are saving Facilier for another attraction when Villains Land opens! If this is the case, then having an "Are you ready?" moment in two attractions would be redundant; yes?
@@ThePharaohBearThey didn't mention Dr facilier was going to be in Villains Land during D23 so red flags
But villian's land doesn't exist in the context of a world in which they are dead
It finally came out that Dr. Facilier wasn’t in the ride because he also is “problematic” since Voodoo is a real religion that is practiced in parts of the world, Disney has decided he too is now a racist stereotype. Even though they still have the walk around character in the park.
@@KhurtKhave669 It's so dumb Disney treating him like this. He's one of the best modern villains created.
"The Universal & Splash Mountain fans are coming for me now...because I applied logic. Oh no." LOL.
From a local... what you do is incorporate your bathing suit into your outfit, with maybe a planned change of clothes. Line your backpack with a drybag or the budget alternative... a garbage bag. I'll be there in a few weeks and these will be my preparations, along with flip flops to put on for the ride and maybe a travel towel. And I hear there is much more water than before! Immediately after the ride, decide if you want to head for a restroom to dry off and change. In the summer all this is much less important, given the heat and low humidity, just try not to ride it too close to sunset if you don't want to be wet when the sun goes down. If it's a hot enough day, it probably won't matter and you can still be dry by the time the park closes. Great review!
Zip a Dee doo dah is truly a loss, separating it from its context, it’s quintessential Disney
As always, enjoyed your review and insight! I grew up going to DL - America Sings was my childhood, so when it closed and then everybody appeared in Splash I was thrilled. I'm sad Splash is gone, even though I am super impressed by the animatronics in Tiana's. Hopefully Splash will live on in Tokyo at the "Disneyland museum"!
You get just as wet on Grizzly River Run. For a while the geysers actually came up and hit the cars and you were literally soaked to the skin. You also started getting wetter on the DL version when they didn’t let little kids in front anymore. When I was younger the weight could be in the back with smaller children in the front. Now an adult needs to be in the front so the logs re more front heavy.
We just did it in September and I can confirm... soaked to the skin. By chance, we had a room at grand Californian to change. It was planned this way 😂. I never came out of grizzly without being soaked.
Tom, speaking from one Large Man to another, Duluth Trading Company, they have a line of clothing including pants that will dry in minutes. I have worn them on classic Splash Mountain and was dry by the time I was sitting down in my next ride. Trust me, it will work.
It’s ugly
That’s all i’m gonna say
Someone get Tom some waders to wear so he can fully enjoy this ride! 😂
This just makes me excited for my next DW trip to go ride Tiana! Loved seeing the videos posted for both versions. I am going in with the open mind when I go to ride.
I was patiently waiting for Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway to somehow be negatively incorporated into this and I was not disappointed. (and I completely agree)
Am I the only one who remembers the original seating for Splash Mountain at Disneyland? It was way better than it is now 💯💯💯
Nope, you’re not alone… 😉
Yep. They remodeled those boats and ruined the seats
You mean when it was totally open and didn’t have sections??
Of course people compare Tiana to Splash Mountain, because Tiana replaced it. It's an obvious step down, period. People are allowed to dislike it for that reason alone.
You can dislike whatever you want
Pirates of the Caribbean is the pinnacle of “show” at Disneyland. In the auction scene there are 30+ chickens that move! I love to re-ride and find new things to grab my attention. Could use more of that with Tiana’s, but the ride is still as good as Splash was. The final Tiana scene is supreme.
I bring two outfits to Disneyland when I go. Regular park day clothes for one, the other, a swimsuit and flip flops and a t-shirt. This way I can hit all the water rides during the hottest parts of the day and have something to change into afterwards. Love the lockers at the picnic area btw...
I’m okay with them changing the attraction it’s just the way it was announced at the time is what bothers me. Imagineers saying that they worked on this project 2 years prior to announcement looked like Chapek told them to say that. Of course I know that it does take time from concept to reality but like I said, when they announced it just felt off you know…
Although I enjoy the ride and I think the music in Tiana's is very good, it doesn't hold a candle to the iconic songs in Splash Mountain that were the glue that held the ride together, even in the lulls between action. Nobody's coming out of Tiana's humming whatever that last song was where Zip A Dee Doo Dah will (happily) be in your head for the rest of the day. Apologies if Tom touched on this in the video and I missed it.
My biggest problem is the concept. Where in "bayou country" can you get a drop of more than a few inches behind a fallen log in a stream or something?
There's not a lot of falls and streams in East Africa either but they're making a Lion King "Splash". I would imagine they don't really care about this aspect.
Great review, Tom! As a Disneyland local who remembers seeing the big mound of dirt that became Splash Mountain and being in awe as a child, I think a big part of my Disney nerdiness started on that visit. But, it was time to move on and imagineering did a wonderful
job with the characters, story and music. I think that the connection between Haunted Mansion and Bayou Country was so easy for Disneyland. I believe that Disneyland execs may have had this in mind prior to 2020, but the awful circumstances of that summer helped catapult this change to fruition. Either way, I am happy that they did Tiana and the bayou friends right with the care and love they put into the attraction. My main miss of the attraction is not having Dr. Facilier. Just like you pointed out, I will always love and associate Zip-a-Dee-do-dah with the Disney company.
Tom, I think over time, Disney should consider adding “Marc Davis” moments into the Florida version of Tiana’s. Yes, there is more dead space and it could be better utilized. Couldn’t there be a Two Fingers, Reggie, and Darnell vignette? Could Prince Naveen be hunting for Tiana in the bayou or maybe he could be showing Prince Ralphie the bayou. I’m not trying to Imagineer here just offering examples. I’m just saying, the attraction could be filled out a little more. For me, the biggest disappointment is no Dr. Facilier. I realize he’s dead but couldn’t he come back from the other side with his friends? Should he be one shrinking us to frog size and not Mama Odie?
Even the logs at The Magic Kingdom are badly designed. Because of the lap bars they added later on for Splash Mountain, they are bad for tall people. I can't fit in them well at all
Good to know Tom will hence forth begin going on TBA in a full latex body suit, american horror story style, to prevent getting wet
thank you, tom, for this
53:25 waders. You need Tiana themed waders. Gumboots(rain boots) built into waterproof pants. Put them over your clothes.
they took the parks most popular ride and made it the parks least most popular ride
This comment is blatantly wrong on so many levels
@@ttttttttttttttttttt22t2t But it isn't.
@@kevinlee7678 It is more popular now!
@@ttttttttttttttttttt22t2t by what metrics ?
@@AJolls PLEASE. By what metrics do you believe it is now the LEAST most popular ride in the park? lol
I don’t mind if that they built new ride. I just don’t like the reasons why they changed it. Splash Mountain was a good ride. It was a popular ride and it didn’t need to be taken away. You could’ve had whatever her name is adventure and possibly use the Navi River adventure Ride set up so won’t be exactly like splash Mountain. I don’t care what anybody says. It was a PC move. It was a BS move and splash Mountain should’ve stayed. again, I don’t mind them building another attraction and that’s what they should’ve did.
Grew up with floridas Mountain. Got to ride DL’s before it closed and I kinda LOVED how different the ride system was. Sat row 1 most of those rides. The ridiculous waves and being drenched was the main part of the fun. I love them both… but I’ll always gladly take Row 1 any day. Even if it meant my purse was filled with water.
Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges at Islands of Adventure is probably the worst for the amount you get drenched.
Fun Fact: Song of the South was filmed in Arizona!
When I always rode Disneyland Splash Mountain I always took my shoes and socks off lol
I rode Splash at DL several times with full boat. I NEVER got soaked - only slightly wet in the front seat!
That is UNTIL my last ride a few weeks before it closed. There were only 2 of us in the boat & we were literally sitting in WATER to our hips in the log! NEVER had that before. I Sat 1.5 hours in the bathroom waiting for hubby to get me a change of clothes from the hotel off property via tram. This AZ girl was cold in this May Eve and used walls around the reatroom to block the wind. Dl NEEDS a dryer like DCA has!! When I go, I'm taking rain gear and silocone shoe covers & and a change of clothes just in case.
Universal’s Ripsaw Falls was the wettest I ever got on any ride in my life, but that’s the part of the point. It was great, I thought it was hilarious just how unavoidably soaked you will get on that ride. 😅
I'm glad you like the attraction. How much swamp-aide do you drink prior because it certainly wasn't Kool-aid. 😅
Splash's music is far superior, especially the final scene. We went on Tiana in July. We rode it once and had no interest in riding it again, though we were at disney world for 14 days (UK ticket). Once was more than enough.
Splash’s music was superior to the work of Dr. John and Randy Newman? Do you guys hear yourselves sometimes?
@@WDWNTsimple earworm type songs are better on rides for everybody, even people who don’t speak English. Doesn’t mean you are wrong about the complex or better orchestrated songs. Nothing can stop us now and zipadee get stuck in my head every time I go to the parks after riding their rides. I enjoy that feeling.
I think to Tom's Point Winnie the Pooh not belonging makes sense but what I think makes even more or less sense is Davy Crockett canoes in Bayou country LOL
The last time I rode Splash Mountain I didn’t want to get wet and I sat in the 5th seat. My body stayed 100% dry. But my face… well it was like someone took a large cup of water and threw it directly into my face. I have no idea how that worked.
16:27 I will argue that in both Splash and Pirates, the atmosphere set up the premise for the upcoming adventure in a "different world". While with tiana's you are already in "their world", so the breaks actually disrupt the storytelling.
37:58 Don't worry, I'm negative about both, more for cosmic rewind, one of disney's worst.
To be honest, the Florida version it’s pretty big so there’s lots of empty scenes, the Disneyland version is a little better but it goes by too fast. Don’t get me wrong I do love Tiana and want her to get her own ride. I don’t think Splash Mountain was the best choice for her ride. Sure, Splash Mountain was based on animated shorts from a divisive film but what does Disney know because they keep on making Disney Star Wars Announcements that nobody actually cares about because they either discriminate, destroyed, or cause death to characters people actually cared about. There is a few things that you forgot sometimes people just want to get on that they don’t look around and on the ride the only two references that are basically noticeable are the stuck stump and the party scene at the end, which to be fair kind of is lackluster when pretty much every scene is a party. I haven’t been on it yet but what I’ve seen online it just doesn’t look quite right. Even with the few well made animatronics which when it doesn’t work or has awkward pauses it looks weird and the animatronic critters barely have any life in them that they more look like stuff animals than real new characters. To be honest, it doesn’t matter what any reviewer thinks, it matters what the majority of people think and riding it once doesn’t actually count as it being popular, riding it multiple times actually will which is pretty much a shame because can only use one lightning lane per ride which if the standby line is pretty long will probably prevent people going on it multiple times. People will ride it if it’s new but will not ride it if they don’t like it. Doesn’t matter what Disney or the Disney influencers thinks, it’s the people’s opinions that matter which I think they don’t understand what the people wants. If there is a possibility that I could ride Tiana to find out, but what I’ve seen the animatronics feel more toylike compared to a full motion of Splash Mountain.
I have never gotten so soaked after riding Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Universal Orlando. This is one I won’t ride against because of how drenched you can get. They even have drying units, that you pay for, to blow dry yourself. But I agree that Disneyland Tiana’s ride will get you wet.
When I was little I LOVED America Sings.
We can't stop here......this is BAYOU COUNTRY!!!!!
When the Jurassic Park ride at USH first opened (when I worked there so I rode it almost as many times as I rode Back to the Future) I was in the front a couple of times and I would describe how wet I got as being comparable to Splash Mountain but they didn't even give you themed zip-loc bags!
I think the Knotts rapids ride use to have a few literal water falls that would just pour water into the rafts. Dripping wet was the default setting apparently.
Reason why my teenage daughter is never going back to Universal: she went on a band trip, and got thoroughly soaked on some ride. Others enjoyed it. She did not.
When it came to the water rides I'd have some flip flops to change into, because you're right that ride is where socks go to get ruined!😂I'd even go in swim trunks if I knew I was riding water rides that day and a fresh change of clothes in my backpack. (sealable bag for the wet clothes) A lot to deal with, yeah! But when it's 90 degrees or more out it was ok to be wet with sandals for a while and the best kept secret is going on Winnie the pooh right after Splash to get airdried by all the wind effects.🤣They always top off the flume for summer so that no one was safe. I thought that all water flumes did that until I went to other theme parks and thought I "got lucky". Last secret, if you're in the front seat sometimes you can duck your head down and have the wave miss you and hit the person in the second seat. They won't be happy....but you'll be dry. Not your shoes or feet though, there's no saving them.
I do think Tiana's in general should have had a villain, that drop sequence is so good for a villainous moment
What isn’t said though is that Tokyo Splash mountain is better than either Tiana’s here in the states hands down, it is great the Disneyland version is better but WDW version is beyond busted….it is a disgrace in its current form, in the months since it has opened and all the rides I have done everything has only worked once, there are so many issues with that ride you can barely hear any of the on ride audio from mama odie on the WDW version but it seems they fixed that on the Disneyland version, it seems the best version will be Disneyland version they should have left WDW one alone as that is a dumpster fire right now
Now introducing… PONCHO PANTS!
Great review! Also, the only time I rode Splash Mountain at Disneyland, sat in the second seat (my brother sat in the first) we got soaking wet! The water literally drowned our lower half 😂 a mood killer to be honest but fun.
I can smell the rage bait from a mile away
I think you just smell the people raging
I only miss splash mountain for the name it worked with Big thunder mountain and Space mountain
Blutos water ride at universal got me insanely soaked. Sounds like the cali splash mountain was like that.
Rode for first time this past weekend at WDW. Its good, not over the top great. The part I cannot get over when on it, I live in Bayou country south of Houston, and we don't have mountains for 200 miles. The fact the ride is a bayou themed ride centered on mountains just seemed strange. Its all I could think about when on the ride. That said, loved the old theme, dont hate the new theme. Its a good ride, just not great.
Oh boy, I can see the comments now…
Didn’t Tony Baxter clear Splash Mountain with the NAACP
If I recall correctly, he consulted with NAACP to avoid certain references (i.e. the tar baby scene) - However, NAACP was always opposed to the Song of the South property; they vehemently opposed to film upon its release, so I’m sure they weren’t thrilled about the attraction but merely advised on how to remove the problematic elements since Disney was moving forward with Splash anyways.
Tony Baxter even said that they liked the Splash Mountain characters’ dialect and that was because it was more than just a Eurocentric voice. Some perceive that dialect as offensive, but that was not what the NAACP was feeling when he was making the attraction. However, they absolutely hated the live action scenes.
@@BudoDave76 exactly that Disney or anyone else lien to mention.
@@ColtonMyers1Tony Baxter said that when the film was rerelease in the 80s there was no controversy around it.
@@Miqbtn There was always some level controversy around it, but it was quite mild back then. The film actually had success when released in theaters. SOTS was last released in 1986. The ride opened in 1989, and the others did in 1992. Saying that almost nobody knew what it was based on was just not true. There are plenty forums from the 2000’s and 2010’s around Splash Mountain and its SOTS connection. People just didn’t cry and lose their dignity until 2020 when all went woke. As Tony Baxter said: “We are overboard on these kinds of sensitivities today.” I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Baxter.
Thank you for the review. Unless you’re doing online Disneyland, you can always go ride the incredicoaster and dry off in DCA.
The retheme was completely uncalled for and unnecessary, but the new ride will someday make a fine addition to Defunctland.
FYI: Splash fans wouldn’t be quite so crabby if they only changed one and if Disney didn’t go out of their way to remove everything even remotely related to the ride and characters from the parks. Find us annoying all you want, it’s not for no reason.
As someone who has only been to Disneyland, the intro has already helped me understand some of the Florida reaction. Other than the log I had no idea there was a substantive difference.
I was gonna say the same thing!
Something some people still don't understand is that even if Tiana had gotten her own ride Splash Mountain would STILL have been replaced. It wasn't about giving Tiana a ride, it was about getting rid of Splash.
Yeah, and it’s BS that they wanted to get rid of it.
14:44 It would be really cool if they re-themed Pooh to a Country Bear dark ride!
My issue is that it's too wordy. Not that I have an aversion to reading, but good storytelling is 'showing not telling' and this ride and queue feels overly reliant on text and signs
It’s not reliant, you could just not read and still get the story. The point is that if you look, there’s MORE story there.
& years earlier, disney`s ex-s removed the Great State of Mississippi State Flag from American Exhibit in "epoc" that was the 1st removal of cultural response !
25:19 what crate? Do you have a pic? I would love to see!
i love this ride.
We have plenty of mountains and real trees in Arizona (it’s not all desert and cacti), Splash Mountain with its red/orange color matched perfectly with the famous Sedona area. Too bad some people think animals are racist. 🐰🦊🐻😢
How much is disney paying you to be a schill? No one had a problem with a ride that was based on African folklore disney just wanted to make more money off of merchandise
Song of the South isn’t based on African folklore, it’s based on a white Southern man’s interpretation of it, and it was always controversial
Never went on Splash Mountain, but I am loving all the vids of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (especially the animatronics of Tiana 💚). I want to go on it myself someday
Tiana’s is a straight to vhs sequel film at best. Was just on Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo and it made me cry. Tiana’s changed the characters, didn’t have the best songs from the film, no sense of danger. It just feels so boring to me. The movie is fantastic and in my top 5 Disney films. When I ride a ride, I shouldn’t be thinking how it could have been better the whole time.
Great review Tom!
"you don't know what wet is". Ok, give me a comparison to how wet you get on Disneyland's Splash/Tiana vs Universal Islands of Adventure's Popeye's and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges please? Because you're basically soaked head to toe on both that and Dudley's. I would think Dudley's is the same reason as Disneyland's because of the single line, tight space, log vehicles, which are also just as uncomfortable and i will NEVER ride Dudley's again because of that... but I love Popeye's and how soaked you get 🤣 My opinion of the two versions is that Disneyland's is much better paced due to the smaller size. Yes there is themeing throughout WDW's is there, but there's nothing really happening, and with the slower pace, and the animatronic scenes spread out and in spurts instead of spaced better, that's why it feels so dead, like it's lacking something. It was clear that it was designed for DLR, then shoved into WDW as best as it could. I don't know how to explain it, Tom... I don't dislike it at all, but I wish there was something more for WDW's. I hope that makes sense. Everything in there is gorgeous. I just wish it worked more consistently in Florida...
Once again, Land > World. Texas no mountains per se. Thank you for the review.
Sad how WDW lost its splash mountain to just get a worse Tiana version instead.
Not to mention our splash mountain was better as well 😭
@@WrigglyShark Amen
I think it would have made more sense to make it a Muppet ride where everyone's traveling to Kermit's swamp. They could even have had Fozzie dangling from a tree as a tribute to Bre'r Bear.
@@CinnamonGrrlErin1 Any log flume theme, with singing and talking animals + memorable music, is superior to a princess story with humans.
42:19 Mondo! He’s the best.
Them cats sure can play. Them cats can play. Boy them cats can play.
WDW News. Tom, the large empty rooms on both " Cosmic Rewind" and "Tron" look like the entrance to an London Underground Station just before the train arrives at the platform. Tiana's, everybody seems to say that the flume has more water in it than it did when it was "Splash" is that correct I wonder? Cheers, Chris Perry.
6:09 I think that was due to the early soundtracks including Pinocchio being owned by another company so they would have had to pay to use that song
58 minutes of my life I will never get back . . . sigh.
Getting drenched is one of the reasons I much prefer the DL version 😅 - the dry off process isn’t *that* bad
I still like the Disneyland splash mountain personally, but it is real darn close.
MM Runaway is REALLY BAD! worst transition award has to go to that Daisy ballroom dance scene 🤦♀️
14:45 Country Bear jazz jamboree