Disneyland's Splash Mountain to close in late May to begin the transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure

MK-fan9 hours ago

The socal 3 day discount ends sep 26, is it safe to say that this opens Friday, sep 27? Seems pretty logical that they wouldn’t offer the attraction during the discount window. I believe they did this with a new attraction in the past, the tickets expired days before mission breakout opened in 2017. They say it’s opening in fall and some people are thinking October but sep 27 falls right in there

Professortango11 day ago

I'd agree that the inclusion of Disney IPs in IASW hurt it, but the iconic facade and topiaries still make the DL version better overall. Even if MK had a better finale. Not all changes are bad and not all bad changes are equal. I do think WDW's HM was a slightly better ride with a slightly worse queue and facade. The queue update, Hitchhiking Ghosts, and Hatbox Ghost placement have all hurt the narrative and made the WDW clearly the lesser in my eyes. But I know people who still like it more because "the queue is so fun." Or because they thought the Hitchhiking Ghosts were "lame" before the update. MK's Splash is more commercial with brighter sets, more traditional seating, atmospheric moments replaced with moments to draw attention in fear guests might get bored. It's not bad, but it just feels like it is less ambitious and undercuts itself to appeal to Ma and Pa Kettle on vacation..

Brer Oswald1 day ago

There are elements about the Disneyland original that I definitely admire/preferred: - The big band soundtrack was more definitive. Arguably the best soundtrack to come out of the company, at least from a theme park perspective - The facade, particularly the tree, was far more iconic, and I prefer how it blended into the rest of that land/corner of the park - Specific vignettes such as the geese opening, the “Rainbow Hollow” laughing place with the bird and fox, and of course the main room of the finale with the Zipadeelady Otherwise, WDW was my much preferred version. The double seated logs were more comfortable. The story was told much better. The Brer animatronics were superior, as well as the Boothill Boys. The quality of most of the sets were also superior. The bluegrass version of the soundtrack was no slouch either. Will be interesting to see the differences between the two TBAs. I figure the storytelling will be nearly as identical as they can make it, but I wonder if there will be any “secondary” scenes unique to either version.

PiratesMansion1 day ago

Splash to me is the one clear example where every time Disney built a ride, it definitively got better. The faster pace of Disneyland's was, for me, always too fast to really get a sense of what was going on; the slower pace of the MK and TDL versions worked to the story's benefit. The latter versions also prove for me that it's not simply the number of AAs that matter; the placement, thought, and integration into the story matter are arguably more important. The DL version had more AAs because of the America Sings connection, sure, but each AA in Florida and Tokyo felt as though it mattered more, rather than getting lost as could sometimes happen on the DL version. To positively connect the latter versions of Splash to the MK (and Tokyo) versions of Pirates, the DL version is of course brilliant, BUT the town scenes at Disneyland are a bit on top of each other. The latter versions changed the pacing so that each individual scene has just a bit of separation from each other, which helps them land better rather than being a bit more jumbled; it's not that the DL versions of the town scenes are bad, but the MK & TDL versions are better paced, much like the latter versions of Splash. By the same logic, WDW's Small World is now definitively inferior because Disneyland ruined the original intent by adding in Disney characters, which must obviously negate every single thing that the DL version of that ride does better.

Professortango12 days ago

Hard disagree. Disneyland's feels like an E-ticket evolution of a Fantasyland Darkride. MK's feels like Pirates was downgraded to a Fantasyland style darkride. I do enjoy MK's sets more. But Take Me Along Gator and Burrow's Lament are great moments that I missed at MK. Laughin' Place starting halfway through the first scene also threw me off. Having characters singing How Do You Do from the bird houses outside threw off the progression of underscore growing into a full musical. Having Blue Bird sing with Brer Rabbit at the end??? Just weird. MK's Splash reminds me of what has happened to MK's Haunted Mansion. Sure, people like it more, but many obsessive fans who nerd out over theme parks as a piece of art (like me) talk about how the queue throws off the progression, Hat Box Ghost's location makes no sense, and the ending is just way too cartoony. DL's Splash was a vibe. It let every scene grow and evolve with the music. MK's is more spoon-feeding and the music changes are more abrupt and lack the nuance. I get why Rex from South Carolina likes it more, but as someone who appreciates that Imagineers were creating art in a new medium, Disneyland's was near perfection for me. I do agree the Brer Terrapin inclusion in the Brer Rabbit scene was dumb. That I will give you.

Ne'er-Do-Well Cad2 days ago

Boo. MK’s Splash was a masterpiece. One of WDI’s greatest achievements. DL’s Splash had more AAs, but MK’s version had impossibly detailed sets and a fully realized story. The flume’s slower pace was ideal because every scene was a feast for the eyes. I can’t think of another attraction at any theme park that so successfully transported guests into a cartoon environment, one that felt truly lived-in and was charming, funny, heartwarming, occasionally menacing -- very much WDI’s own creation too, wisely transcending the source material. It will be missed!

𝕴𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖗972 days ago

Ah but this is where I disagree with you. Here's some key context you removed from the conversation: Producer Guy: We're going to make a new Splash Mountain in Disney World. Writer Guy: Ok great. So just a copy and paste. Producer Guy: No wait, people don't have a clue what's going on at Disneyland. The logs are going so fast they pass by the dimly lit sets and dialogue too quickly for anyone to understand. Plus that Burrow's Lament scene is just weird. What happens to Brer Turtle after he decides to go with Brer Rabbit? Writer Guy: Hmm, you're right. How about this? We focus in on the story and make it abundantly clear what's happening at every moment. So maybe there are fewer show scenes and animatronics (you know, cost overheads) , but at least people will understand the story. We'll just cut out the random things like Brer Turtle abandoning Brer Rabbit and the weird Burrow thing, add a narrator...ooh how about Uncle... Producer Guy: NO! Not him! Make it a frog. Brer Frog. Boom. Ok. So here's the thing, OLC wants this ride too. But they don't want people riding in each other's laps. So we have to make the flume wider to allow two people to sit side-by-side on the log. Also increases capacity . Writer Guy: Well that's perfect. Because the wider flume means the water won't move the logs as quickly. Plenty of time to understand all of the plot, especially with our other adjustments. Producer Guy: And we're going to lighten things up, too! We're not in a cave, we're in a forest! I want to be able to see these animatronics. But since we don't have a Critter Country, where are we going to put this? Writer Guy: Frontierland, but in the same general location as Disneyland. Then we get to keep the Train peekaboo into the finale. Producer Guy: But the music wouldn't fit Frontierland at all! Writer Guy: We have to rerecord most of the songs anyway to get the new dialogue in, so why not just use bluegrass instead of a jazz band? Producer Guy: You're a genius! And I suppose we can change some of the landscaping on the mountain to make it match a little better. Hey, this is going to be pretty good! Writer Guy: Well, at least the people that ride the Florida version first will think so. There might be some people so devoted to the Disneyland version that they'll take issue with some of the changes we've made. Producer Guy: Well, they're wrong. Besides, in about thirty years, our successors (a word which ironically includes the word success) will retheme it to be a sequel to a mostly good movie with a great villain. But they made some fatal mistakes! First they decided to focus on the new business venture of their princess protagonist. And second, they... Writer Guy: Wait, let me guess, they won't include the villain? Is that what you're going to say? No way, they'd never make a boneheaded decision like that. Producer Guy takes out his time-turner. Producer Guy: Want me to show you? … End of Scene

TheCoasterNerd2 days ago

Ah, but rethemes are TIGHT though

Professortango12 days ago

Its fitting as I always found Disneyland's version to be 10x better than MK's version. Producer Guy: So you have a new Disney ride for me? Writer Guy: Yeah, a new version of Splash Mountain. Producer Guy: Oh people love that ride! But we don't really want to spend the money on building all of the animatronics they inherited from American Sings. Writer Guy: We don't have to. I have a great idea. We make the ride longer. And slower. Producer Guy: But with fewer animatronics, won't the scenes feel emptier? Writer Guy: But the ride will be longer. And people like long rides. So this one is longer. Producer Guy: With less to look at? Will we be adding any new songs or sequences for the longer scenes? Writer Guy: No, we will actually be taking some of them away. Producer Guy: So it will be longer, be less thrilling, have fewer animatronics, and we are cutting songs and scenes? Writer Guy: Yeah yeah yeah. Producer Guy: It will be hard to convince folks that this ride is as good as the original. Writer Guy: Super easy. Barely an inconvenience. Since it is in Magic Kingdom, guests are already used to having worse version of Disneyland rides. But, unlike Pirates, this one is....longer. Producer Guy: Alright, I'm convinced. I think the mountain itself is so iconic, that people will be happy just to look up and see that Baxter silhouette knowing that it will be park of Disney's iconic mountain range for all time. News Article: Disney decides to hide the iconic mountain behind moss, removes tree, and takes away "mountain" status to popular attraction.

𝕴𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖗972 days ago

Oh I agree with you. Aside from the aforementioned Martin Luther hat, it looks 10x better than MK's version.

Professortango12 days ago

I hope they don't add any more. I like seeing the moss as an accent, rather than taking over fully.

EagleScout6102 days ago

WDW tested logs empty from Feb - mid March then sent test riders (Imagineers) March - May (3 months) then passholders start in late May/early June before the ride opens. If DL is following that same timeframe, it could very well be: Empty logs from May - June, then test riders July - September, then previews October

tanc3 days ago

February 14th 2024 was when the first log went down in Disney World. Since the DL version is shorter than WDW and presumably has less scenes, I guess that puts my radar on late September (very unlikely), October, or November.

Disney Analyst3 days ago

Better look at the logs sans hood ornament.