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 glad you like. I really mean that... if it's actually true. I have a hunch you have too much too lose with Disney if you don't tow the company line. I give the attraction a B+. In my opinion, Splash was the superior ride in every respect: music, theming, and storytelling.
There are elements that do work nicely, but it's the lack of a proper story foundation tying everything together that kills it for me. Feels like it forgets its supposed to be a thrill ride.
"dooon't gooo iiin there......" completely agree, this is always overlooked when people declare WDW's splash superior to DL's. The DL finale was superior.
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.
@@WDWNTYes, also half the music in TBA is just ripped straight from the film and the context in which songs like “Down in New Orleans” and “Almost There” are played make no sense. Why are we hearing a song about the city of New Orleans when we’re in a random bayou/salt mine?
@@WDWNT Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah won an academy award for best original song. The princess and the frog music was nominated but did not win. In any case, music is entirely subjective. I may adore Beethoven and detest Bach. You may feel the opposite. Both were great composers, but that doesn't mean all will like their music. I like some of the songs from princess and the frog, but definitely not the song in the final scene written specifically for the ride. It's hideous to my ears. I love Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. For me it's a toe tapping, hand clapping crowd pleaser. Doesn't mean it is for you.
@@WDWNT Who was exactly was uncomfortable? Whiny white guiIt Iiberals? *It's been a thing for decades and no one complained* Wanna talk uncomfortable...how about the 85% of the rest of us Disney fans with this nostalgia erasing censorship??
Yes it was. The NAACP were very happy with the ride. They liked the focus on the brer animals and they liked the characters dialect because it was a reflection of their ancestry. They only thing they requested was to leave out Uncle Remus and Tar baby. I don't think the NAACP approved Tiana given they have a salt mine as the queue.
@@Miqbtn the salt mine alone, and the fact they have THREE SIGNS types making jokes about it (that I’ve seen) is kind of proof to me the NAACP wasn’t even asked. I mean, there’s other issues as well, but that was offensive when I first heard of it.
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.
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.
While there may not be a "stream", Avery Island is a salt dome best known as the source of Tabasco sauce. Located in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, it is about three miles inland from Vermilion Bay, which opens onto the Gulf of Mexico. Avery Island is actually a huge dome of rock salt, three miles long and two and a half miles wide. It was created by the upwelling of ancient evaporite (salt) deposits that exist beneath the Mississippi River Delta region. These upwellings are known as "salt domes". Avery Island is one of five salt dome islands that rise above the flat Louisiana Gulf coast. The Five Islands from northwest to southeast are Jefferson Island, Avery Island, Weeks Island, Cote Blanche Island and Belle Isle.
@@ninifish7528 The opening sequence for Lion King includes both Victoria Falls/Mosi oa Tunya and Kilimanjaro back to back, despite both locations being more than 2000 km apart. I'll give it a pass on the basis that the story's setting is a generalized "somewhere in Africa" rather than either of those locations specifically, which also excuses some of the creative liberties with the geography they depict. Song of the South's animated sequences similarly aren't really set anywhere specific, which made adapting the environments to Splash Mountain make sense. On the other hand, Princess and the Frog has a very explicit setting, and the geography they're trying to use makes it incredibly obvious the existing structure was not originally built for that ride.
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.
@@WDWNT You know that ain't what bro is saying. Maybe you should stop accepting gifts from disney and actually acknowledge their failures. It is really sad when people become fearful of criticism. Criticism is where we obtain the best movies, rides, and shows which is by improving on our failures. But I know I am nothing but a hater.
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.
Yeah, this is one massive puff piece from a Disney shill that wants to keep the perks coming. Splash was infinitely better than this rubbish. Why didn't Disney make an animated short with the old Brer characters and the songs and then the ride references that rather than the Song of the South movie that literally nobody seems to have even seen? I used to ride Splash Mountain at the end of the night when there were no queues and just go 4 or 5 times in a row at 11pm! Miss that ride so much!
I could see _some_ things being labeled as improvements (hey, some of the animatronics _are_ a big upgrade...when they don't break down), but claiming the story is better is absolutely _NOT_ one of those things.
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.
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!
@ Tiana’s needs more animatronics in both versions, or at least some smaller effects and static figures in the large gaps. Also, in Disneylands version the laughing place needs more lighting or colors. Maybe some water features like WDW version has.
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.
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.
@@WDWNT even the Brer Rabbit wiggling on the ground laughing at Brer bear once you entered the laughing place had 8-9 movements. 75% of this rides figured are 1-2 movements. The America’s sings animatronics and animatronics in wdw splash were full movement characters. They weren’t Elsa. But they were full movement. These critters which make up 75% of the animatronics on this ride have less movement then spirit Halloween animatronics lol And every one of the animatronics except like again 8 animatronics are full motion. Naveen Charlotte Tiana’s mom Ralph’s and even the 2nd Tiana are not full motion. You’re saying every human character is Elsa. Not even close
Idk I kind of agree about the limited motion. Pretty sure every single animatronic on the riverboat was limited motion. I will say it is disappointing that they’re significantly less electronics. It seems then there were previously.
@@WDWNToh and you never even mentioned the fact that they are frozen until you pull within a foot of them. They are lifeless and it takes you right out of it. The splash animatronics even though they were not as advanced as a few of them in here were constantly moving with a large amount of movement constantly. These are lifeless
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.😂😂😂
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.
They have all of that in the queue. I don’t know if you just didn’t hear enough of the queue but every 5 minutes they discuss the party and on the inside Tiana is announcing story elements.
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.
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'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.
@@LrLawrencium I agree. Tomorrowland definitely needs to be updated....The only saving grace is that we have the best Space Mountain of the 4 I've been to. Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo....Paris is really good, but it's a full minute shorter than Anaheim. I'm sure when Tokyo's reopens it'll be awesome.
@@LeftCoastDrones Tokyo's new layout leaked recently, and it looks like a really strong update that substantially improves on the original ride experience. The fact TBA doesn't have me feeling the same way compared to Splash is definitely a problem. It had big shoes to fill, and clearly comes up short in a lot of ways.
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
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)
I think I am mostly disappointed due to the lack of any edge to the ride. Splash Mountain had an edge and some darkness. This ride in my opinion is beautifully done, it’s just too sterile. It’s an extra gut punch since Princess and the Frog gave us one of the best villains ever they could/ should have used. I like it, and appreciate the recourses that obviously went into it and think Disney deserves recognition for that. I mean it’s the kind of quality and care they should put into every attraction… it’s just not my favorite and I personally liked Splash better.
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?
The handcar was in "America Sings." A rabbit and a fox were using the handcar in the original show. Splash Mountain removed the fox and made the rabbit into Br'er Rabbit.
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.
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...
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yes it was PC definitely. People try to use the excuse that Walt said the place would change on occasion and he was right, but not for the reasons they changed this ride.
My issue was that they replaced Splash (a story-driven thrill ride) with a ride that for some reason wants to pretend it's not thrilling. If that was the case...use a less thrilling ride system to tell the story instead of poorly recycling a thrill ride.
Something that's so insanely cool in Disneyland's that WDW doesn't have is the gorgeous opening bayou scene. So pretty how everything starts glowing as the fireflies fly in and circle around
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.
In Disney World right now. I love Tiana, I love Princess and the Frog. Splash Mountain was also in my top 3 rides. Rode TBA the other day. Broke down on the final lift hill. Up to that point I thought it was incredibly boring, empty, cheap. Doesn’t even look or behave like Tiana? Who is this woman? Went from a priority ride to a last resort. A really awful retheme. Disney cheaped out. Both Tiana and Splash deserved so much better.
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.
@@espo221b Replacing it wouldn't have been as big of a deal if they could actually show the successor is worthy of its legacy. Even from the get go, I didn't see anything that really showed this would be an objectively better experience than before. On the other hand, Space Mountain is another of my favorites, but I'm genuinely cheering on the demolition of the Tokyo version because its successor actually looks like a much better ride.
More accurately, I would say the new version fails because the story lacks thrill (a deliberate design choice), which is a big problem when recycling the ride system of a story-driven thrill ride that was purpose-built around those story beats. In that sense, if TBA was a tamer ride like Mansion or Small World, I wouldn't have an issue with it since the tone would match the ride system better. It's the inherent failure to reincorporate the ride system's thrill elements effectively that makes it terrible as a _thrill_ ride.
@@battybuddy The power of storytelling in Haunted Mansion is less on the specific plot points (because the Mansion is a collection of lots of different backstories) and more of how we see and interact with the environments as the ride progresses. We start with not being able to see any of the ghosts, to seeing apparitions, to joining them with full physical form by the end. It's not based too heavily on just one particular storyline, but an anthology of stories collected in a way that thematically flows (hey, that sounds a lot like how Splash Mountain did its storytelling).
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?!?!?!
@@WDWNT Part of why I'm so critical of this version is _because_ I enjoyed Princess and the Frog, and feel this ride does an otherwise fun movie very little justice.
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
@@WDWNT The entire story is just finding new animal bandmates for Tiana's band. The issue is that this ride fails at both showing and telling. Neither elements are interesting or engaging. It is just extremely basic about a film that is honestly quite charming and full of life. I find it quite pathetic that Disney chose not to implement the Shadow Man, when Disney brings villians back from death in sequels to their own stories all the time. Splash Mountain was an attraction that caught the eye of anyone who saw it. Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a broccoli eye sore that lacks the charm and spectacle of the movie.
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.
EXACTLY!!!! It's ridiculous how these people talk like that, when literally every single thing related to this ride and it's characters we're removed like that, without a single care for it's fans. People wouldn't be this upset if we still had WDW Splash, since Tiana's was supposed to be DL exclusive. Retheming BOTH versions was super unnecessary AND also a waste of money. If only DL got TBA, the ride would've been better than what we got. Splash Mountain should still exist at the MK. This entire situation is a freaking mess and only brought negativity and disrespect to the entire Disney fandom.
@@A_A610In this very video, he feels the need to justify liking the characters: “the Br’er characters I always loved - not for what they stood for cause I had no idea as a child”. Like really?
I want to respectfully disagree about the murals. I think they are gorgeous and it touches my heart how much involvement creatives got from New Orleans from artists to iron workers to display their craft. To me, I think the collaborative efforts to create this ride are truly the embodiment of Tiana’s character. I just think its super special and makes me love this ride even more.
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.
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.
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 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.
It was my first time riding both tianas and runaway railway last week, and i enjoyed runaway railway much more. Yes the faces look weird, i wish they were flat rather than bubbles, but since the projectors are inside think they have to be bubbles. It is a lot of projectors, but its really well done and i also like the use of the transparent screens. To me, tianas really didnt feel much different than splash. Yes the animatronics are higher quality than before and the ending scene was impressive, but there were no surprises, where all of runaway rainway was new to me.
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.
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. 😅
Went on the DL version last week with my 11 year old's. Both gave it a thumbs down compared to Splash Mountain. The music wasn't as catchy. IMO I wish they had put that amount of time and money into fixing up Splash instead.
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
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 loved splash and got engaged in front of it in Florida (because my husband knew how much I loved it ) and I also love Tiana’s . I could not stop smiling and singing on both rides and both give me that feeling that only Disney can give you. ❤I will admit it was harder to follow the story on Tiana’s but I could follow along enough to still enjoy it tremendously.
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.
In my opinion, getting moist from the waist down is not that wet. I can think of two rides that you get drenched from head to toe. Trust me, you don't know wet until you have ridden one of these two rides. You get so wet on these rides, that you might as well dress as if you were going to the beach, wearing your swimsuit underneath your clothes and wearing sandels instead of shoes. While also having a pair of dry clothes and shoes to change into afterwards. Here in Colorado, we have an amusement park called Elitch Gardens. The two water rides I have rode are called Disaster Canyon and Shipwreck Falls. The most you can get wet on Disaster Canyon is up to your shoulders. Shipwreck Falls on the other hand, no matter where you sat nor how full the boat was, everyone is walking off the ride is drenched from head to toe.
I think the new Bayou Country bird is a crane or an egret. Some kind of swamp bird. I agree it looks like it's been there the whole time, I really like it
Part of the price of shunning Song of the South in it's entirety because of the live action content (which should be shunned), is that the Br'er stories are also being shunned, which implies that traditional African American folk tales are not as valid as European fairy tales. Br'er stories have a long history before Disney brought them to the general public.
@@mgailp I’ve found it’s not really worth shunning, it’s, at worst, boring. But you’re right on the money with the Brer stories- it’s really been depressing seeing people who think they know what they’re talking about claim that we can’t have our own folklore anymore.
the fact that this is not universally considered a massive improvement is the entire problem. nobody is saying you shouldn't enjoy it and i won't speak for anyone else but i'd be interested if the conversation was more like "woooah, the new splash mountain is WILD,. it's like night and day. a real showcase of how much technology has advanced in 45 years".
I also love Space Mountain and had mixed feelings with the announcement of Tokyo's closing...but with plans for their updated version getting leaked, I basically had the quoted reaction and thought it was an absolutely worthy upgrade to the existing ride. The issue here is that it does not deliver to the same caliber as its predecessor on multiple fronts, and it's weird to see people trying to make excuses for an inferior replacement.
The Brer rabbit characters were all originally from a very famous English children's book author - Enid Blyton. I read all about the adventures of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, Brer Fox etc as a child in the 1960s
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!!!
Tiana’s is superior
@@sarah2888s - That's fine,...I'm only saying that Tokyo needs to protect their "Splash Mountain", that's all. Let the last one stand.
Tiana's VOODOO movie sickening. Redd the murderous rum running pirate teaching kids Men Just Want Rum.
I'm glad you like. I really mean that... if it's actually true. I have a hunch you have too much too lose with Disney if you don't tow the company line. I give the attraction a B+. In my opinion, Splash was the superior ride in every respect: music, theming, and storytelling.
There are elements that do work nicely, but it's the lack of a proper story foundation tying everything together that kills it for me. Feels like it forgets its supposed to be a thrill ride.
Bob Iger = "This is really boring"
Yup. Very dull.
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
"dooon't gooo iiin there......" completely agree, this is always overlooked when people declare WDW's splash superior to DL's. The DL finale was superior.
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.
@@WDWNTYes, also half the music in TBA is just ripped straight from the film and the context in which songs like “Down in New Orleans” and “Almost There” are played make no sense. Why are we hearing a song about the city of New Orleans when we’re in a random bayou/salt mine?
@@WDWNT Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah won an academy award for best original song. The princess and the frog music was nominated but did not win. In any case, music is entirely subjective. I may adore Beethoven and detest Bach. You may feel the opposite. Both were great composers, but that doesn't mean all will like their music. I like some of the songs from princess and the frog, but definitely not the song in the final scene written specifically for the ride. It's hideous to my ears. I love Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. For me it's a toe tapping, hand clapping crowd pleaser. Doesn't mean it is for you.
@WDWNT it absolutely is superior to TPATF soundtrack. Nothing comes close to the academy award winning and iconic zip-a-dee-doo-da.
Zip a Dee doo dah is truly a loss, separating it from its context, it’s quintessential Disney
Wasn’t Splash Mountain given approval by the NAACP back when it was built?
That doesn’t make people being uncomfortable alright
@@WDWNTwell, nobody WAS uncomfortable for 30 damn years, so I guess that's a non argument.
@@WDWNT
Who was exactly was uncomfortable? Whiny white guiIt Iiberals? *It's been a thing for decades and no one complained*
Wanna talk uncomfortable...how about the 85% of the rest of us Disney fans with this nostalgia erasing censorship??
Yes it was. The NAACP were very happy with the ride. They liked the focus on the brer animals and they liked the characters dialect because it was a reflection of their ancestry. They only thing they requested was to leave out Uncle Remus and Tar baby.
I don't think the NAACP approved Tiana given they have a salt mine as the queue.
@@Miqbtn the salt mine alone, and the fact they have THREE SIGNS types making jokes about it (that I’ve seen) is kind of proof to me the NAACP wasn’t even asked.
I mean, there’s other issues as well, but that was offensive when I first heard of it.
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 you’re second favorite Disney movie?? 😂🤦♂️
"Re theme"
Euphemism. More like erasing Disney history.
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.
Unfortunately, no matter what they do, the ear candy of the zip a dee doo dah music is almost unmatchable
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.
While there may not be a "stream", Avery Island is a salt dome best known as the source of Tabasco sauce. Located in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, it is about three miles inland from Vermilion Bay, which opens onto the Gulf of Mexico. Avery Island is actually a huge dome of rock salt, three miles long and two and a half miles wide. It was created by the upwelling of ancient evaporite (salt) deposits that exist beneath the Mississippi River Delta region. These upwellings are known as "salt domes". Avery Island is one of five salt dome islands that rise above the flat Louisiana Gulf coast. The Five Islands from northwest to southeast are Jefferson Island, Avery Island, Weeks Island, Cote Blanche Island and Belle Isle.
@@ninifish7528 The opening sequence for Lion King includes both Victoria Falls/Mosi oa Tunya and Kilimanjaro back to back, despite both locations being more than 2000 km apart. I'll give it a pass on the basis that the story's setting is a generalized "somewhere in Africa" rather than either of those locations specifically, which also excuses some of the creative liberties with the geography they depict. Song of the South's animated sequences similarly aren't really set anywhere specific, which made adapting the environments to Splash Mountain make sense.
On the other hand, Princess and the Frog has a very explicit setting, and the geography they're trying to use makes it incredibly obvious the existing structure was not originally built for that ride.
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?
@@WDWNT You know that ain't what bro is saying. Maybe you should stop accepting gifts from disney and actually acknowledge their failures. It is really sad when people become fearful of criticism. Criticism is where we obtain the best movies, rides, and shows which is by improving on our failures. But I know I am nothing but a hater.
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.
💯 %
Yeah, this is one massive puff piece from a Disney shill that wants to keep the perks coming. Splash was infinitely better than this rubbish. Why didn't Disney make an animated short with the old Brer characters and the songs and then the ride references that rather than the Song of the South movie that literally nobody seems to have even seen? I used to ride Splash Mountain at the end of the night when there were no queues and just go 4 or 5 times in a row at 11pm! Miss that ride so much!
Yeah they messed up on this one. What a mistake!
I could see _some_ things being labeled as improvements (hey, some of the animatronics _are_ a big upgrade...when they don't break down), but claiming the story is better is absolutely _NOT_ one of those things.
@@Codetapper there WAS a plan for an animated series a while back called Briar Patch Boys or Splash Mountain Gang, and the pitch looked really good.
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
And someone can like it for whatever reason they want.
Tiana’s has poor storytelling but to each his own.
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!
It’s not better than Splash - just no way. It’s alright, but Tiana’s still needs improvements.
Like what lol
@ Tiana’s needs more animatronics in both versions, or at least some smaller effects and static figures in the large gaps. Also, in Disneylands version the laughing place needs more lighting or colors. Maybe some water features like WDW version has.
@@WDWNT "Like what lol" proceeds to sip on a complementary sippy cup.
@@WDWNTa plot for one. Some tension instead of some pointless meandering “let’s take a shortcut”
@@WDWNT- less dead space and secondary animatronic characters that have more range than a standard Home Depot Halloween display?
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.
Your right, zip was a song in the same realm as, when you wish apon a star! Tianas are forgettable!
All of the Brers at Disneyland are retrofits that is why they look "odd" I personally love them
It’s ugly
That’s all i’m gonna say
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?
@@WDWNT even the Brer Rabbit wiggling on the ground laughing at Brer bear once you entered the laughing place had 8-9 movements. 75% of this rides figured are 1-2 movements. The America’s sings animatronics and animatronics in wdw splash were full movement characters. They weren’t Elsa. But they were full movement. These critters which make up 75% of the animatronics on this ride have less movement then spirit Halloween animatronics lol And every one of the animatronics except like again 8 animatronics are full motion. Naveen Charlotte Tiana’s mom Ralph’s and even the 2nd Tiana are not full motion. You’re saying every human character is Elsa. Not even close
@@WDWNTsplash wasn’t spirit Halloween quality at a million dollar price point
Idk I kind of agree about the limited motion. Pretty sure every single animatronic on the riverboat was limited motion. I will say it is disappointing that they’re significantly less electronics. It seems then there were previously.
@@WDWNToh and you never even mentioned the fact that they are frozen until you pull within a foot of them. They are lifeless and it takes you right out of it. The splash animatronics even though they were not as advanced as a few of them in here were constantly moving with a large amount of movement constantly. These are lifeless
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.😂😂😂
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.
They have all of that in the queue. I don’t know if you just didn’t hear enough of the queue but every 5 minutes they discuss the party and on the inside Tiana is announcing story elements.
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.
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'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.
@@LrLawrencium I agree. Tomorrowland definitely needs to be updated....The only saving grace is that we have the best Space Mountain of the 4 I've been to. Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo....Paris is really good, but it's a full minute shorter than Anaheim. I'm sure when Tokyo's reopens it'll be awesome.
@@LeftCoastDrones Tokyo's new layout leaked recently, and it looks like a really strong update that substantially improves on the original ride experience.
The fact TBA doesn't have me feeling the same way compared to Splash is definitely a problem. It had big shoes to fill, and clearly comes up short in a lot of ways.
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 😢
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)
27:00 here it is the moment when Tom tells us the real truth about the Disneyland splash mountain after all these years
I think I am mostly disappointed due to the lack of any edge to the ride. Splash Mountain had an edge and some darkness. This ride in my opinion is beautifully done, it’s just too sterile. It’s an extra gut punch since Princess and the Frog gave us one of the best villains ever they could/ should have used.
I like it, and appreciate the recourses that obviously went into it and think Disney deserves recognition for that. I mean it’s the kind of quality and care they should put into every attraction… it’s just not my favorite and I personally liked Splash better.
It needs some actual thrill in the story to justify being a more exciting ride. Without it, it feels way more empty and soulless.
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?
The handcar was in "America Sings."
A rabbit and a fox were using the handcar in the original show. Splash Mountain removed the fox and made the rabbit into Br'er Rabbit.
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
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.
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...
Fun Fact: Song of the South was filmed in Arizona!
Someone get Tom some waders to wear so he can fully enjoy this ride! 😂
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.
25:19 what crate? Do you have a pic? I would love to see!
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
Splash Mountain had, literally, hundreds of Animatronics characters.
It didn’t have 100 lol
@@WDWNT The Disneyland version had 103.
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.
Homer: I don’t want to look like a weirdo! I’ll just take a muumuu.
Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges at Islands of Adventure is probably the worst for the amount you get drenched.
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.
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
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.
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.
I can smell the rage bait from a mile away
I think you just smell the people raging
@@WDWNT I can smell the shilling from your channel.
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.
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 Disney's best modern villains.
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.
They could have kept all of our old favorite attractions. But that's not how the business works.
Yes it was PC definitely. People try to use the excuse that Walt said the place would change on occasion and he was right, but not for the reasons they changed this ride.
My issue was that they replaced Splash (a story-driven thrill ride) with a ride that for some reason wants to pretend it's not thrilling. If that was the case...use a less thrilling ride system to tell the story instead of poorly recycling a thrill ride.
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
Replaced splash mountain with VOODOO .
Something that's so insanely cool in Disneyland's that WDW doesn't have is the gorgeous opening bayou scene. So pretty how everything starts glowing as the fireflies fly in and circle around
Tom’s rant about getting soaked at Disneyland is on the point. I always go with a total change of clothing.
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.
@WDWNT glad to have seen you at Disneyland while filming your content.
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??
What was changed?
@@funnymanatee There was 3 back rests, 2 people per seat. Now everyone has their own back rest, so the weight is distribution is all wrong.
In Disney World right now. I love Tiana, I love Princess and the Frog. Splash Mountain was also in my top 3 rides.
Rode TBA the other day. Broke down on the final lift hill. Up to that point I thought it was incredibly boring, empty, cheap. Doesn’t even look or behave like Tiana? Who is this woman?
Went from a priority ride to a last resort. A really awful retheme. Disney cheaped out. Both Tiana and Splash deserved so much better.
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.
The problem isn't that it was replaced by Tianna. The problem is that it was replaced.
@@espo221b Replacing it wouldn't have been as big of a deal if they could actually show the successor is worthy of its legacy. Even from the get go, I didn't see anything that really showed this would be an objectively better experience than before.
On the other hand, Space Mountain is another of my favorites, but I'm genuinely cheering on the demolition of the Tokyo version because its successor actually looks like a much better ride.
Without conflict, there is no "story."
Please tell me what the conflict is in The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, or “it’s a small world”
More accurately, I would say the new version fails because the story lacks thrill (a deliberate design choice), which is a big problem when recycling the ride system of a story-driven thrill ride that was purpose-built around those story beats.
In that sense, if TBA was a tamer ride like Mansion or Small World, I wouldn't have an issue with it since the tone would match the ride system better. It's the inherent failure to reincorporate the ride system's thrill elements effectively that makes it terrible as a _thrill_ ride.
@@A_A610 haunted Mansion also has the story that it is a mansion where Constance Hatchaway murdered her husbands.
@@battybuddy The power of storytelling in Haunted Mansion is less on the specific plot points (because the Mansion is a collection of lots of different backstories) and more of how we see and interact with the environments as the ride progresses. We start with not being able to see any of the ghosts, to seeing apparitions, to joining them with full physical form by the end. It's not based too heavily on just one particular storyline, but an anthology of stories collected in a way that thematically flows (hey, that sounds a lot like how Splash Mountain did its storytelling).
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
He's been VERY critical of Disney on other issues. Why isn't he allowed to have an opinion that differs from yours or anyone else's?
lol my comment got deleted and nothing about it was inappropriate
Wouldn’t agreeing with everyone else be being a shill for the audience? Personally, I like listening to people who have different opinions from mine.
Denigrating the Br'er Rabbit folk tales in the way he does is insulting.
Probably no different than you denigrating the work of Walt Disney animation artists who made The Princess and the Frog, but we won’t go there.
@@WDWNT Part of why I'm so critical of this version is _because_ I enjoyed Princess and the Frog, and feel this ride does an otherwise fun movie very little justice.
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.
@@WDWNT The entire story is just finding new animal bandmates for Tiana's band. The issue is that this ride fails at both showing and telling. Neither elements are interesting or engaging. It is just extremely basic about a film that is honestly quite charming and full of life. I find it quite pathetic that Disney chose not to implement the Shadow Man, when Disney brings villians back from death in sequels to their own stories all the time. Splash Mountain was an attraction that caught the eye of anyone who saw it. Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a broccoli eye sore that lacks the charm and spectacle of the movie.
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.
EXACTLY!!!!
It's ridiculous how these people talk like that, when literally every single thing related to this ride and it's characters we're removed like that, without a single care for it's fans.
People wouldn't be this upset if we still had WDW Splash, since Tiana's was supposed to be DL exclusive.
Retheming BOTH versions was super unnecessary AND also a waste of money. If only DL got TBA, the ride would've been better than what we got.
Splash Mountain should still exist at the MK.
This entire situation is a freaking mess and only brought negativity and disrespect to the entire Disney fandom.
Not to mention the gaslighting that liking the ride or characters in any capacity is somehow a moral failing.
@@A_A610In this very video, he feels the need to justify liking the characters: “the Br’er characters I always loved - not for what they stood for cause I had no idea as a child”. Like really?
I want to respectfully disagree about the murals. I think they are gorgeous and it touches my heart how much involvement creatives got from New Orleans from artists to iron workers to display their craft. To me, I think the collaborative efforts to create this ride are truly the embodiment of Tiana’s character. I just think its super special and makes me love this ride even more.
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.
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.
thank you, tom, for this
I do think Tiana's in general should have had a villain, that drop sequence is so good for a villainous moment
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 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.
Great review Tom!
When I always rode Disneyland Splash Mountain I always took my shoes and socks off lol
It was my first time riding both tianas and runaway railway last week, and i enjoyed runaway railway much more. Yes the faces look weird, i wish they were flat rather than bubbles, but since the projectors are inside think they have to be bubbles.
It is a lot of projectors, but its really well done and i also like the use of the transparent screens.
To me, tianas really didnt feel much different than splash. Yes the animatronics are higher quality than before and the ending scene was impressive, but there were no surprises, where all of runaway rainway was new to me.
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.
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. 😅
Went on the DL version last week with my 11 year old's. Both gave it a thumbs down compared to Splash Mountain. The music wasn't as catchy. IMO I wish they had put that amount of time and money into fixing up Splash instead.
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
Thanks! Tom for your honest review written by Disney PR
I still like the Disneyland splash mountain personally, but it is real darn close.
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 loved splash and got engaged in front of it in Florida (because my husband knew how much I loved it ) and I also love Tiana’s . I could not stop smiling and singing on both rides and both give me that feeling that only Disney can give you. ❤I will admit it was harder to follow the story on Tiana’s but I could follow along enough to still enjoy it tremendously.
The retheme was completely uncalled for and unnecessary, but the new ride will someday make a fine addition to Defunctland.
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.
It's not centered on mountains. At all. You're only thinking of mountains because that was the name of the attraction that used to be there.
@ttintagel ther e ain't no hills in bayou country except for overpasses. No rocks either.
That’s why they got a salt mine based on Avery Island. Where black people worked, and where crops don’t grow.
In my opinion, getting moist from the waist down is not that wet. I can think of two rides that you get drenched from head to toe. Trust me, you don't know wet until you have ridden one of these two rides. You get so wet on these rides, that you might as well dress as if you were going to the beach, wearing your swimsuit underneath your clothes and wearing sandels instead of shoes. While also having a pair of dry clothes and shoes to change into afterwards.
Here in Colorado, we have an amusement park called Elitch Gardens. The two water rides I have rode are called Disaster Canyon and Shipwreck Falls. The most you can get wet on Disaster Canyon is up to your shoulders. Shipwreck Falls on the other hand, no matter where you sat nor how full the boat was, everyone is walking off the ride is drenched from head to toe.
Blutos water ride at universal got me insanely soaked. Sounds like the cali splash mountain was like that.
Thank you for the review. Unless you’re doing online Disneyland, you can always go ride the incredicoaster and dry off in DCA.
I only miss splash mountain for the name it worked with Big thunder mountain and Space mountain
I think the new Bayou Country bird is a crane or an egret. Some kind of swamp bird. I agree it looks like it's been there the whole time, I really like it
Went on it a few times hate it more and more everytime it’s not even close to splash.
Part of the price of shunning Song of the South in it's entirety because of the live action content (which should be shunned), is that the Br'er stories are also being shunned, which implies that traditional African American folk tales are not as valid as European fairy tales. Br'er stories have a long history before Disney brought them to the general public.
@@mgailp I’ve found it’s not really worth shunning, it’s, at worst, boring. But you’re right on the money with the Brer stories- it’s really been depressing seeing people who think they know what they’re talking about claim that we can’t have our own folklore anymore.
14:45 Country Bear jazz jamboree
the fact that this is not universally considered a massive improvement is the entire problem. nobody is saying you shouldn't enjoy it and i won't speak for anyone else but i'd be interested if the conversation was more like "woooah, the new splash mountain is WILD,. it's like night and day. a real showcase of how much technology has advanced in 45 years".
I also love Space Mountain and had mixed feelings with the announcement of Tokyo's closing...but with plans for their updated version getting leaked, I basically had the quoted reaction and thought it was an absolutely worthy upgrade to the existing ride.
The issue here is that it does not deliver to the same caliber as its predecessor on multiple fronts, and it's weird to see people trying to make excuses for an inferior replacement.
They destroyed critter country for this.
The Brer rabbit characters were all originally from a very famous English children's book author - Enid Blyton. I read all about the adventures of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, Brer Fox etc as a child in the 1960s
53:25 waders. You need Tiana themed waders. Gumboots(rain boots) built into waterproof pants. Put them over your clothes.
14:44 It would be really cool if they re-themed Pooh to a Country Bear dark ride!