It's confirmed they didn't include the antagonist because of voodoo. They didn't want to offend anyone since it's an actual religion. They even refer to mama as doing "magic" instead of voodoo on the ride.
No antagonist or force acting against the protagonists is such a terrible overlook. For a ride that is naturally more thrilling with big drops, not having any kind of suspense before the final drop just makes everything seem pointless. Bring the Dr back and have him do Vodoo on you for the old laughing place area then have him right before the final drop. Maybe create a new villian that practices Vodoo who is trying to ruin the party because of what happened to the Dr in the film, there has to be something bad in the ride!
The midsection needed to be Dr. Facilier as some sort of demon coming back from the other side to shrink you, and then he loses once you get to the main drop.
Dr Facilier's shadow should have popped up in the ride. I agree with others that the tension should build up going up the hill with a reprise of friends of the other side playing. The shadow could then disappear/dissolve when you go down the big drop and enter back into the sunlight. The potential was severely missed on this ride. Also they should have kept the music the same and animatronics in place in the "how do you do" opening section. It would still work and be a nice call back to the original ride.
Absolutely. This version is objectively good (it would be hard to make it bad with such a great set up to begin with.) But the idea of Brer Rabbit foolishly going to the Laughing Place and ignoring the risk of Brer Fox and Brer Bear really drove the tension of the original ride and made for great build up to the final drop. The new version is nice but it lacks tension. It feels like a friendly tour of the swamp that just happens to have drops. If it followed the events of the film then escaping Dr Facilier could have driven the tension. It would be cool to have the ghosts beckoning you on the final lift as he casts one final spell (or something to that effect.) Again, it's still very good and way better than most log flumes because of the set design, length and theming. But there isn't much that drives the attraction along. It feels like leaving out Dr Facilier was Disney going out of its way to make the attraction less interesting.
A demon coming to get you? Wtf? This is Disney. What’s with all of the story line crap? There is no story for Pirates, Space Mountain and there wasn’t really one for Splash.
@@Thomas-xy4sh you're going to be quite surprised when you ride Mr Toad's Wild Ride some day. Also, there is a story for both Splash Mountain and Pirates. It's a bit more loose for pirates but the pirates ransacking the town certainly drives the tension of the ride. For Splash Mountain, the tension came from Brer Rabbit going to the laughing place and ignoring the risk of being captured and eaten. TBA is cool but nothing pushes the story along.
@@porcelainthunder2213the negative connotation is that an elderly black man is smiling, happy and singing to his heart’s content. Can’t have that is 2024. It’s sad really when you think about it.
I rode this last week and while the ride overall is ‘decent’, the animatronics are awesome(when working), the music is fun, and the set pieces are decent. That being said, the whole shrinking down part is POINTLESS. I was just like you guys on the ride…like WHY are we shrinking down? And then on the lift, ooh…BIG again! Why? It makes no sense. The ride is clearly missing the ‘suspenseful’ climax it needs. Not putting Dr Facilier in this ride was a huge miss.
Best part of Princess and the Frog is and will always be Dr Facilier, arguably one of Disney's last non-twist villains. They should have included him in the ride as the antagonist, no questions asked. It would be nostalgic in itself - a time when Disney movies were more mature and villains were given the space to show the fullness of their twisted personalities.
Here's my idea for a better ride. Tiana and Naveen are getting ready for Mardi Gras . When Louis tells them that if they want to see a real Mardi Gras party. They should come with him into the bayou. When they get there, they find that every critter is playing a musical instrument. They're enjoying the music, when suddenly Mama Odie's snake, Juju appears and he tells them Mamas Odie is in danger. When we arrive, we see Mama Odie fighting with Dr. Facilier's. Whose trying to steal Mama Odie's powers to come back from the other side. As we go up the final lift hill, we see Odie and Facilier locked in a duel and just as she's about to banish Facilier back to the other side, he tries to drag us down with him. But Mama Odie saves us at the last minute. The ride ends with the critter and human musicians partying through New Orleans and Tiana, Naveen and Louis waving goodbye.
Splash Mountain was probably my favorite ride of ALL TIME, like I would honestly prefer it over coasters that I’ve been on. So when I heard that it was closing being rethemed, I was a little bit skeptical and a little worried. And just from looking from the POV‘s my worries became true. I’m not saying that it’s a bad ride, hell the animatronics are probably some of the best Disney’s put out in recent time, but the absence of a story and a villain (which made the old splash mountain so much fun to ride in my opinion) is what holds this ride back from being good for me. Am I upset that Disney decided to retheme the ride, No. Did they do a good job at making it as good as its predecessor, No. Am I giving it a 5-6/10, Yes
I never had a sentimental attachment to the original theming or story. It was all about the drop since it was the first ride with a big drop that I've ever been on. So I'm fine with the retheme. The ride is gonna be very popular since it's the only wet water ride in the park during the FL heat.
I think it’s better than splash Mountain, because it doesn’t cling to the racist history of Disney. The old ride being heavily inspired by song of the South just made the Magic Kingdom feel less welcoming and I can’t overlook that. It’s even more infuriating that Disney didn’t put enough work into making the ride have a good story because now all the people that didn’t want this specifically because it’s an “infiltration” of black characters in their white Disney experience feel justified in their opinions because other people dislike the ride for more legitimate reasons.
@@MyInsanityPersonafiedlol good! then they can continue to lose annual revenue to Universal as they continue to drop the ball on numerous projects and not listen to fans!
@@RealSwiggs yeah but Disney is immortal. No matter how bad they are people have been brainwashed into thinking they’re the best thing ever. Their parks and films.
@@Matt.Thureson I will always make this comparison that disney's fanbase is like taylor swift's. It's loyal, worldwide, multigenerational, and massive. Universal will not break the hold disney has over its fans to where they will stop going to disney and go to universal more.
There are so many more components that can fail on a log flume versus a dry attraction. I would argue it’s actually the hardest type of ride to maintain especially when there are so many animatronics and over a dozen block sections. I don’t get your complaint.
@@TestingTesting-tl7pz Kinda? There's a lot more structural stuff that can go wrong, but in most cases fewer mechanical or electrical systems even compared to a roller coaster.
Tiana is an underraed Disney Princess...I mention in my dissertation that she is the most positive of all the Disney Princesses and I see that her ride was given a huge disservice...Tiana deserves better and I am Latina btw...also the story is not flowing right and it makes me sad...I guess there is a new curse on Splash Mountain
They decided to set the ride after the events of the film. I think they thought that would give them room for new ideas and creative thinking. But unfortunately it just meant that the ride didn't have any tension to move the story along. It ought to have included Dr Facilier. I also think it was a pretty disingenuous pander by Disney to claim that Tiana's company is an employee owed co-op. I mean, who is giving Disney credit for pretending to care about workers sharing in profits?
@@zacg_ yes I know. I really feel like Facilier should’ve been apart of the ride. I get Disney wanted to try something different here it just feels incomplete. lol your last part about Disney not caring about their workers made me laugh 😂
I’ve been WAITING for y’all’s review to come out and I love the fact that you guys keep it so honest. Love the points everyone made shout out to the other two in the video let’s see more of them! SARAH you are such a delight to watch, you’re an amazing singer and both you and Taylor are a joy to have on my phone. 🎉 can’t wait to experience this for myself, but will always miss Splash 😅
Rides dont need confusing stories just make them fun. Swing n a miss. The call to action was dumb. We dont need to help tiana do anything. Just let us listen to music on the ride. The animatronics should sing instead of talk "oh boy they can play!" Lol
In fact, that's how I felt about Splash Mountain. I could listen to the bluegrass instrumentals of "How Do You Do?" that scored the opening outdoor section of the ride all day.
@@samuelberry9665 lol you must not pay attention much. The whole reason why that ride was destroyed was because they wanted to eliminate Disney’s uncle Remus, and turn it into a ride for the black community. DEI is 10000% the reason it was changed lol.
@@samuelberry9665 There's no such thing as a "woke" Trump supporter. People that support Trump are not "woke" and people that are "woke" do not support Trump.
To be honest I’m surprised Disney didn’t open a history book when designing that cue. Like I’m shocked at how bad it is. But I’m the random history nerd/coaster enthusiast so I think about this kind of stuff too much. I’ve already been told most people won’t see what I see but it’s sad to see this crap get into the ride.
This is the basic b*!t%h of rides now. It's okay I guess, for a regional park.....not for Disney World where they charge you to park so they can charge you to stay so they can charge you to get in so they can charge you to be eligible to skip lines so they can charge you per line skip for the rides that matter.....
I would give it a 5.5/10, needs a better plot, less empty space, memorable songs, more animatronics and variety, new and interesting characters, more suspense and a villain, a mission for the rider, more immersion, etc. Splash Mountain will always be better, though!
We didn't mind the empty space as it was pretty on par with the quieter moments on Splash Mountain. The music in our opinion was fine as well. But to each their own!
As someone from New Orleans, I’m really happy that the Princess and the Frog has a ride but I do wish there was more of a thrilling story or like, a build-up like before, but I do love how fluid the animatronics look. Can’t wait to ride it
Welp, gonna miss Sarah in these videos now that she's going off on her solo singing career. Please don't forget us, Sarah. Amazing voice lol Great stuff, guys. Appreciate the thoughtful reviews, as always.
This is the biggest spit in the face for representation of Louisiana, our culture, and the movie. Jesus this is sad. The original pirates of the Caribbean was based off Louisiana and one of my ancestors. This ride looks like no one that worked on it even went to the state or googled. It looks like its filled with plants from hobby lobby.
@@chelseylightell2870 New Orleans isn't the bayou region where she is getting her friends from. Louisiana's Southern region doesn't have red dirt. It's not hard to paint the redish brown dark brown. If they can't even do that. It proves they don't know anything about this state.
I remember when this ride was announced people were already up in arms about it. I remember thinking about how great splash mountain was, but that it had also been there for years. I honestly did think it was time for something new. The movie that it was based on is also perceived to be racist. 😒 In today’s culture, there is seemingly no greater sin. Honesty I think it’s annoying. Hearing the new ride would be based on Princess and the Frog, I thought that sounded awesome! I thought it would make a great ride. I don’t understand how Disney could miss the mark like this. Not having “are you ready,” before the first drop is such a missed opportunity. I think fans of the movie will be all too aware of it, and this ride will age like milk.
Im excited for the one at disneyland as the splash mountain version in disneyland never really got updated and when things broke they just removed them. It had a lot of dead space. It was my all time favorite ride at disneyland but i could never understand why they didnt add anything or fix things when they were broken. It is nice to know most of it will be new instead of a mishmass of old animatronics from America sings. I do wish Dr facilier was in it, but hey DISNEY here is your haloween overlay idea, just add Dr Facilier and shadow monsters from the drop where the rider become small. Dr Facilier made a deal with the shadow people to bring as many souls as he can to bargin for his. When riders get to the last drop have "Are you ready" playing and before the last drop mama Odie saves you and the shadow man gets dragged down by the shadows as you get pushed aside.
Well it was "racist" because it was based on Song of the South so it had to go so Disney could boost their ESG score so they can get more money from venture capital
@@TheLewistownTrainspotter8102 It makes sense to retheme an old ride like that to something modern and familiar to current gen guests. However, the execution of the retheme is subjective to the guests.
I just don't like the pandering. There was nothing racist about Splash Mountain. Update it if you want, no problem, but that whole thing was lame. I don't like that lazy internet activism kind of stuff that hyper focuses on stuff that doesn't actually matter, let alone even true. I also despise this requirement that EVERY ride at Disney has to have an IP attached to it now. I grew up with the ride and it was always my favorite, so I'm not sure how I'll feel about it once I ride it. I'll eventually ride it, but I just can't tolerate the Disney experience these days. Last 2 times and it's just been too busy, too expensive, and too long of waits for everything I actually want to do. It looked good in the video though.
I don't get the take about IP for this ride. Splash Mountain WAS an IP-based ride! It was based on a movie that Disney refuses to sell or stream, whose initial 1946 theatrical release was protested by civil rights groups at the time. Critics loved the main star, who was a black man working on a plantation, but the actor wasn't allowed at the premiere because black people weren't allowed in the theater. It's okay to feel sad about something from your childhood going away, and it's also okay to be disappointed in the tech issues for what seems to be an ever-stingier Disney. But Song of the South needed to go.
Splash mountain was based on a racist movie, which it then tried to sanitise. It was even criticised way back when it opened, just cuz it was finally changed in the age of the internet doesn’t mean it’s „internet activism“. Who are you to say this stuff doesn’t matter lol. Plus of course it’s based on a Disney property, it’s the Disney park, splash mountain was also based on a Disney property but somehow you didn’t seem to mind that, wonder why
@@sophiekohls5359 I didn't mind it because like everyone else, I didn't actually directly relate Splash Mountain to it's old timey film it drew inspiration from. That sure, maybe had some racist implications within it. A product of it's time. The ride wasn't that, though. I guarantee you a majority of people never even realized it was IP based. It was long outdated and not relevant by that time. I have as much right to think it doesn't matter as those people think it does. It's not like I'm acting like a supreme deity with final decision on all matters. Just giving my opinion. I call it lazy internet activism because it's random people with no direct affect ever being had on them, a vocal minority, hating on something that's irrelevant to day to day life. Like, no one ever rode Splash Mountain and got off and thought "that was racist." It never bothered anyone but a super, super tiny minority who's always on the prowl to be offended were able to project their opinion louder than their numbers would imply, via the internet. All without ever lifting more than a finger. It's a non-issue blown up by a vocal minority that distracts while ignoring real racism. Like I said, lazy internet activism. Just like dropping ice water on your head to support cancer research is lazy internet activism. You get it out of your system, feel good about yourself, then forget about it because it never affected you to begin with. I just don't like corporations or people pandering to a vocal minority. I appreciate the subtle implication I'm a racist because I didn't mind the old theme, though. Classic.
@@sophiekohls5359they only changed it due to pressure let’s be honest. The way Disney was reactive to the whole thing instead of proactive could be the reason they’ve been hammered in the general public.
Well said. Imagine taking a classic ride and making it worse to satisfy a bunch of people who will likely never ride it while pissing off the people who grew up riding it. Disney in a nutshell.
The ride will theme better at Disneyland. In California, New Orleans Square has an increased Tianna presence. The French Market Restaurant has been renamed Tianna’s Palace and now has a steamboat theme. Next to that is The Haunted Mansion which flows into the Tianna ride
The main difference with this ride is the lack of visual gags, rule number 1 for a dark ride, but Disney don’t know their behind from their elbow currently it seems. A few Disney legends have explained that you can only go so far trying to verbally tell a story in a ride, your focus isn’t as concentrated as it would be when watching a film.
I think making it a sequel instead of having the ride based on the actual movie seems like a limitation and a bad executive decision. There is no reason for them to not just base it on the movies like the other rides in Fantasy land. I think it was a financial limitation but it’s really too bad. That being said the Animatronics are really cool but there are far fewer than they were before so there’s more dead space between each scene.
What’s your take on it though. The new ending scene looks great! And this is definitely something I’d have to see in person before I jump to conclusions.
@@Mochichu-w6b Definitely! It's a hard call since it's an old classic ride that was beloved and would still continue to be if it wasn't rethemed. I just think that they may have under-delivered the original concept art and images that were released.
Other than the Dr. John track, this does not sound very New Orleans Jazz or Cajun. The animatronics aren’t reliable, the screens aren’t always timed properly, the story makes no sense, and the arms on the characters flail wildly…so unrealistic. Given the messes at EPCOT, can’t imagineering build anything anymore?
This ride needs to be shut down until they get the issues straightened out technically. I'm not going to even address the other issues with this attraction as it is today. It's highly unprofessional to let these previews continue with such poor show. If you can even get a complete ride through at all.
They are safely making the typical normie comment... "It was the right decision to get rid of Splash Mtn" No it wasn't, it was absolutely a very stupid decision.
tbh tiana as an IP is just not a good fit whatsoever to replace splash i loved splash mountain i would even go so far as to say it was the most fun themed themepark ride i have ever seen and riden ( only disney land unfortunately) it always had a good vibe high energy music and felt alive. just seeing this makes me so sad. if they had to retheme it they could have easily used something more fitting maybe zoomania ? they even could have kept some of the OG animatronics make it a fun persuit with nick and judy 🤷♂would fit critter country and frontierland 100 times more but now WDW is stuck with this horrible piece of garbage. sorry not sorry tiana is boring af
Be happy you hadn’t seen the movie beforehand. The best character and song are not in the attraction, would’ve been perfect for the climb and last drop
I thought you guys had much higher standards. This ride is a clear downgrade to Splash Mountain, it missed all the magic that came from the original imagineers. This ride was made in a rush because Disney wants to cancel everything related to Song of the South.
This is the equivalent of Coney Island tearing down Cyclone and replacing it with a SLC. It's absolutely a travesty to get rid of arguably the most popular ride in the park. I'm never going to Disney again, because they care too much about woke ultra left wing politics more than entertaining their guests. I can't wait until Epic Universe opens!
@overbanked don't know what my name has to do with anything but okay. Also I don't think this ride deserves the hate it gets it looks like a fun ride but it won't matter to the whiners on the internet.
Disney’s ruining their animated films with their live-action remakes, and now they’re ruining their rides with the re-themes that just feels unnecessary.
Tiana's belongs in a dark ride like Winnie the Pooh. Not inside Splash Mountain. And yes, I just said this theming doesn't belong in Splash Mountain, as I will never call it TBA- It's always splash for me.
@@thecinematicmind I think a lot of people generally have a pretty negative impression on it so far. They took a masterpiece composed of red clay riverbanks, and converted it into a giant pile of moss. That's Bob Chapek for ya though, lol.
Agree. Bad fit to put Tiana in a thrill ride. Silver Dollar City does period theming better than this 2024 Disney effort. When does Iger and most of Disney upper management EVER get canned for their neglect of the US parks?!
@@SlackerWannaB Disney did one of their masterpiece attractions awfully dirty. Iger is pretty upset he has to deal with the negative reception of guests, all from Chapek's decisions.
@@SlackerWannaB Yeah, you look at the amount of effort put into the new Fire In the Hole and you can tell that Silver Dollar City made a point of making sure the things guests loved about the original attraction were recreated and improved on for the new one (like how when you have the encounter with the train, you now see the full locomotive as opposed to just its headlight).
I mean it looks technically impressive but also I guess too sanitized. Like theres no suspense or good story, its like management just said "Put this IP on the ride! Oh and we can't have anything too controversial or frightening, that'll hurt our profits". Classic out of touch executive stuff, which just hurts the overall ride and guest experience. Like I feel like this was just done because the top brass see IP as easy cash, and because they likely didn't want Splash mountain around due to its ties to the controversial Song of the South movie, even if that ride progressed far beyond those ties into its own more original thing. Like the new animatronics and such are great but I can't help but feel like this is a downgrade. Especially considering how Splash mountain by this point had become an iconic stable of all the parks it was in, on par with stuff like Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. The kind of ride that stays as a constant top attraction, and that families will ride and parents will bring their kids on the same way they went on with their parents when they were kids. Disney have already shut themselves in the foot many times in recent years and decimated a lot of customur trust, especially in the parks, and I fear that this is another step in that same direction.
They got rid of splash mountain for a ride that makes no sense and half of the time only says “hurry up! Let’s get to the party!” I DONT WANNA BE AT THE PARTY I WANT TO BE ON SPLASH MOUNTAIN
The ride is good I liked but it the thing that makes this ride seems slightly underwhelming is because it has to live up to the expectations of splash mountain which was a classic and nostalgic ride that we all grew up on and loved. Which is very hard for another modern ride to replicate
This looks so ordinary in comparison to Splash Mountain. I understand why Disney decided to move away from the original theme but man, this ride deserves so much better.
space mountain is extremely simple and clear- you are going to space. pirates- you are watching pirates ravage a town. it's different when you have characters with a dialogue giving you a call to action and it's hard to understand. there didn't need to be a "help us do this" type of storyline
The lack of conflict and danger is what throws me off so much. Many of Disney's best rides include danger and fear. Think of stuff like Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, and Expedition Everest. The great thing about these rides is that they have a lot of buildup and storytelling before they throw you into the heat of danger. This ride lacks that so much. It's so disappointing they decided to pussyfoot out on this one.
It feels like they wanted to make it more of a family ride a la Frozen, while recycling all the thrill elements...which gives me vibes of that other time they tried watering down a more thrilling attractions for teens and adults to make it pander to an audience it wasn't intended to (Stitch's Great Escape).
