The new AA "Uh-Oa" was really creepy in my opinion. I was little when this attraction was open and she scared me to death. I mean, come on. Plunge the room into darkness then bring in smoke, lightning, and a freakish goddess of disaster?! (Nice name btw.) Normally I NEVER say anything bad about Disney attractions since I love them so much, but this is that "not normal" time. I'm glad this show lasted so short then went back to the original sort of. I also believe the Tiki Gods torched the attraction....
It was inevitable that this wouldn't last. Almost all the jokes rely on the fact that you are familiar with the original show. If people were born after it closed, "we've done the same show since 1963" will result in a "what? huh? 63? is this some obscure reference to tiki bars in the 60s?" kind of response. It was also dated when it came out as it pretty much updated the show from 60s to 70s-80s. The few things I liked about it were the advanced tiki goddess (albeit with a dumb name) animatronic at the time it was impressive, and some of the jokes were amusing.
I loved the original show and was nothing less than devastated when I suffered through the abomination the "new management" brought to Walt's favorite attraction! Iago is unbearable, aggressive, annoying and just someone to hate, I had the urge to climb up and rip the AA to pieces. The show had NOTHING to do with Tiki culture any longer, RAP and songs about as Tiki as a polka band ruined a classic attraction and this "plussing" couldn't have been timed worse as in the late nineties the tiki revival was beginning that led to a new wave of tiki bars, shops, restaurants etc. worldwide. They didn't change the show in DL, instead they made a major refurb and when the room opened again it was a major success. According to CMs and guests the WDW-version is one of the least popular attractions (together with SGE). If you don't know the original show (and don't dig into tiki culture) then perhaps you will find it amusing although it still will be aggressive and loud.
Unfortunately the Under New Management edition totally ruined a classic attraction. Not sure what they were thinking, but it's aweful. I'd give the original a 10 out of 10, but the changes made to it put this right down at a 3.
Let me preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of the original Tiki Room and, if you never experienced it, the updated version is probably okay. However, given my bias, I thought this show was awful. The music was lame, the new birds were grating, and the show seemed shorter. It was actually really sad. All of this being said, the effects are still neat and the birds remain pretty fun to watch....So 5/10.
I'm also in agreement with those who think that this was a great update to WDW's aging Tiki Room. I know many people think that this mocks Walt, but I personally don't see it that way. People should be allowed to make fun of themselves and not take themselves too seriously all the time. And after seeing the Extinct Attractions Club DVD about the history of WDW's Tiki Room, it makes me even angrier that most of the unappreciative purists still hate the new Tiki show, since the Imagineers that worked on it (who obviously have a MAJOR amount of love and respect for the original Tiki show) tried so hard to keep the look and feel of the original alive while bringing in new things in an attempt to save the WDW Tiki Room from the chopping block. What most purists don't realize is that the majority of the guests were either falling asleep or getting up and walking out of the theater in the middle of the show when the original was still running at WDW, which was the main reason why they supposedly wanted to get rid of it at first. After all, losing such a classic tradition-enriched attraction altogether for just another shop or restaurant would've been MUCH worse and most likely would've angered the purists even more. The new Tiki show and the old one are both great and it's great that there's different versions of it to see at WDW and DL.
Am I the only one here that actually enjoyed this attraction? Overall I thought the show was very amusing and clever and a fine update to an aging production. In my opinion it really helps to see the original show to get some of the inside jokes (which I happily did at DLR), and then the show is very entertaining. Sure, Iago is very loud and obnoxious, but the twists and songs were very funny and the new AA's (Iago, Zazu, Tiki Goddess) were very realistic and fluid. It just felt really energetic and fun. (Oh, and the preshow was very funny, too.) It's not my absolute favorite attraction in all of WDW, but my family enjoyed it.
I'm in agreement that they needed to update the show. However, I think New Management was a big let down. Not that it wasn't a great idea, Iago and Zazu taking over sounded like it'd be a lot of fun. But the problem is in the execution. See, one of the things that makes audio-animatronic shows from Walt's time more classic is that they all had original tunes -- Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, It's A Small World, Yo Ho A Pirate's Life, etc, even if it's true those attractions contained a lot of non-original songs. New Management features no new songs at all. In fact, if the point of the show, as Iago screams out, is to show the world the Tiki Birds are hip, then why do they belt out only remakes with slightly modified lyrics? On top of that, they're OLD songs. That Buster Poindexter song "Hot, Hot, Hot" was at least 10 yrs old by the time New Management debuted, and the 2 Gloria Estefan songs even older. So much for hip. It just felt like without a new song, they weren't even trying on this one. It just felt cheap. On a better note, I loved the wit of the two agents, Morris and William, from the preshow. Very clever.
This is one bizarre attraction. The pre-show featuring the voices of Phil Hartman (R.I.P.) and Don Rickles is a riot. The attraction itself is unique, and I mean that as a compliment. It's visually interesting, engaging, and contains fun music. Some will say it's too "out there" and others may lament the loss of the original version, but I find this attraction as is to be entertaining.
Great Show!!!! Its amazing the redo they did whit this show INCREDIBLE!
UPDATED VERSION THAT PROBABLY WAS NEEDED BUT I MISS THE OLD ONE . THIS SEEMS TO BE ABOUT HALF AS LONG.A SHOW THAT IS A MUST SEE ONCE BUT NOT SOMETHING TO SEE EVERY TRIP.
This charming attraction in Adventureland was the oldest show in the park, playing to Disney audiences for more than more than 30 years. By the late 1990s, it was due for a change. This show is that change. What's new? Iago and Zazu, feathered stars of Aladdin and the Lion King respectivly are the new owners and take over the show. The new show features new songs more relevant to today's audience and a brand new chatracter: Uh-Oha Tiki godess of Disaster which is one of the greatest animatronics added to the park in many years. Definatly a fun show to see and worth the wait alone to hear stoic Zazu sing "The Conga".
It's out with the old and in with the new. …But the old was much better. Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room opened in 1963 in Disneyland, and renamed to Tropical Serenade to be opened in 1971 at the Magic Kingdom's opening. This was one of Walt's favorite innovations - in fact, it's one of the only attractions which has it's name on it! The show featured four hosts, Pierre, Jose, Michael, and Fritz, and showcased a frenzy of some 225 Tikis, Singing Flowers, and birds - with such classic songs as "Let's all Sing Like the Birdies Sing" and "In the TIki Tiki Tiki Room". Unfortunately, there came a severe disappointment to the original fans in 1998. Iago, (an obnoxious sounding bird from Aladdin), and Zazu, from the Lion King, took over the Tiki Room. I am rating the current attraction, not the original. While I wouldn't mind change, this new versions is way to extreme. The show no longer features an Adventureland feel and is totally out of place - with Rap Songs and even a 50s Disco Ball scene. Not only that, but Iago (who seems to represent the company) blurts out that this attraction (the previous) was a "Tiki-Tacky" waste of space - insulting Walt's first Audio Animatronics endeavour! I loathe the new attraction. It really insults me, and kicks the original fans out. While the show wasn't high in crowds its last years, there were better ways to modify the show and keep it friendly to all audiences. The show has been reduced to about 8 minutes. The original was actually 17. I find the Tiki Room now a waste of my time...and such an attraction so close, and yet so far! Let's hope our main hosts (with lessened roles) can one day host again and bring Walt's wit into his beloved attraction.
This was a nice update to the old show. It adds some new music, but also keep a few classic songs from the old show. The music and lights really added to the show to make it very enjoyable. The only compalaint was that it was a little on the short side. Other than that it was a nice update.