Legendary Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter and creator of Splash Mountain comments on its transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Apr 12, 2023 in "Tiana's Bayou Adventure"

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Tiana's Bayou Adventure construction - April 10 2023

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Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2023 1:30pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Update 7:00-pm April 12 - The comments by Tony Baxter referenced in the LA Times article were from 2020, and are not new.

In an article by the Los Angeles Times, legendary Walt Disney Imagineer and creator of Splash Mountain Tony Baxter comments on the ride's transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept model - D23 Expo exhibit

Baxter told the LA Times, "When Splash Mountain came to life over 30 years ago, the wave of Disney Animation that started with 'The Little Mermaid' had not yet begun. New stories would give us characters, music and wonderful places that now reside in the hearts of audiences everywhere. Following conversations with Imagineering's leaders about the new attraction's scope and resources, I had a great sense of reassurance — the attraction will be one to be proud of ... bringing to life places, characters and music from the animated classic 'The Princess and the Frog.'" You can read more at the LA Times.

The comments come alongside news today that Splash Mountain will close at Disneyland on May 30, and the unveiling of more details about Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept art - April 2023

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Professortango144 minutes ago

Main Street USA in DLR is pretty perfect when everything is open and running.

Smiley/OCD45 minutes ago

Piloted by Olivia Rodrigo…

TrainsOfDisney50 minutes ago

I know this is going more off topic - sorry! But I honestly think the best complete experience - when everything is just right is the Disneyland Main Street USA. When the horse trolleys are running, the steam train is arriving, the dapper dans are singing and a random character strolls by - it’s a complete lived in fantasy / heritage environment that I haven’t seen duplicated elsewhere to that degree. Diagon/ Cars Land is tricky head to head and I haven’t spent as much time in Diagon so it’s harder to say for sure.

Professortango11 hour ago

Meh. Carsland is gorgeous to look at in the right places, but also not too much to see and do. The facade work and obviously Cadilac Range are works of art, but Mater's attraction feels like it is plopped in the middle of the parade route, and the animatronic Mater that was supposed to accompany it was cut. Luigi's has been a flop twice now with the flying saucers being a big bust and then the space reworked into dancing cars which are more fun to watch than ride. And as for watching them, its in a dead little walkway between lands where the Drive-In restaurant was supposed to go. I can literally spend hours in Diagon exploring. I can spend 15 minutes walking down the only street in Carsland and as the merch is more generic, spend a lot less money. The queue for Gringotts is also a gem whereas RSR...its like a less interesting BTMRR queue. Not bad, but more functional that imaginative. I'm not a Potter Head, but Diagon is the best theme park experience I have witnessed. Hogsmede would be 2nd. Granted, I haven't made it to the overseas parks yet.

Trauma1 hour ago

My fault. Nothing Disney has done in Orlando comes close to Potter.

Mike S1 hour ago

I’d say Cars Land is close. Ride wise it’s actually better than Diagon Alley. It used to be around the level of Hogsmeade but then Hogsmeade got Hagrid.

Trauma1 hour ago

Nothing Disney has done comes close to Potter. Maybe blue sky drawings….

Professortango11 hour ago

If Pandora had things to see and do like Harry Potter, I might be more inclined to revisit. I think it was Jenny Nicholson who said it best when she said walking around Pandora feels like walking through a Ghost Town after the natives were all killed. We see pictures of them, we see artwork and evidence that they did exist, but they are all gone. Same with the wildlife. Raptor Encounter isn't my favourite execution, but I feel like Pandora needed some elements like that with Avatar wildlife and Navi. I compare that with Diagon Alley, which has so much to see and experience. There are a few different shows, costumed characters, and interactive elements to explore. The dragon may be frozen, but he's there and breathes fire and it does help. And ultimately, Avatar just isn't as strong as a franchise as HP. The movies make money because its a theme park film with fancy effects, but the movie also feels as hollow as a theme park 3-D film. The characters are thin and the dialogue is servicable at best.

TrainsOfDisney3 hours ago

Not because they want to be! Tony could have led the Splash redesign with Tiana but they wanted a certain imagineer I guess.

JoeCamel3 hours ago

But they are gone (yeah I know about Joe but)

TrainsOfDisney3 hours ago

Current wait is 40 minutes, radiator springs racers is at 75, Incredicoaster at 45. It’s nothing special but it holds its own. Tony and Joe are still alive! Heck Bob Gurr is still alive! It’s always a gamble. The Star Wars franchise certainly stood the test of time, honey I shrunk the kids not so much. Money wise avatar is hard to beat but nobody is booking trips to DAK for it vs. Harry Potter at Universal. I don’t know if Guardians movies will enter classic status or not.

stepjune283 hours ago

I'm going to guess the opening will be June 29. (Just cuz no one has guessed it yet, and it is my daughter's birthday :D ) And I will add that I predict they will announce the opening date on May 7 (complete and total shot in the dark).