It is not daily that we get a brand new Disney experience, not to mention a glance into the internal workings of the theme park’s Imagineers crew. The highest-secret division is liable for creating immersive experiences rooted in storytelling, artwork, science, and, in fact, pioneering know-how. For that reason, Imagineers are very tight-lipped about their upcoming tasks. So, Disney followers had been shocked when the corporate unveiled its latest experience sooner than anticipated—and much more stunned by the landslide of hateful remarks at what’s alleged to be essentially the most extremely anticipated attraction of the yr.
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Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Walt Disney’s World Magic Kingdom will not be open to parkgoers till later this month, however the Disney Parks social media crew determined to present followers a digital sneak peek. On June 1, the corporate’s YouTube channel dropped a video titled “FULL Experience POV: Tiana’s Bayou Journey | Walt Disney World.”
As followers may need guessed, the long-awaited attraction is impressed by the 2009 movie The Princess and the Frog. Not like the animated flick, the experience would not contain speaking, kissing frogs or the evil witch Physician Facilier. As an alternative, passengers are taken on a experience by the bayou to assist Tiana discover the right Mardi Gras music for her yard backyard celebration.
The evolution of Tiana’s Bayou Journey has been a growing story since 2020. Some followers might recall that it was created to exchange the controversial Splash Mountain log experience at each Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
In Might 2023, Deadline reported that Splash Mountain could be closed indefinitely following criticism for “racist and stereotyping associated to its roots within the 1946 Disney movie Track of the South.” The film has been underneath scrutiny for “its racist depictions of Black folks and for romanticizing the period [Civil War],” defined Forbes.
Individuals have been voicing their disdain in direction of Splash Mountain for years, however tensions rose amid the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. Throughout a 2020 shareholders assembly, Disney’s chief govt Bob Iger stated that “Track of the South, even with a disclaimer, was simply not acceptable in as we speak’s world.”
Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that Splash Mountain could be reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Journey, a nod to Disney’s first film that includes a Black princess. However now that the experience is nearly right here, followers nonetheless aren’t excited to get in line, although for some completely different causes.
“A multimillion-dollar Disney experience that appears…..boring? I by no means thought I’d see it,” one individual wrote within the YouTube feedback.
“This experience represents every thing improper with trendy Disney,” one other remarked.
In the meantime, others are calling out Disney for straying from the film’s unique plot. “There wasn’t a single imagineer that stated hey, possibly we simply base this on the precise film?” requested one consumer.
“Disney spent a lot on the animatronics they forgot to spend cash on growing a very good story,” wrote a 3rd.
“This video is so boring, I can not even think about why they thought it could be a good suggestion. And the animatronics with the awkward arm motions…This retheme goes to go down as one of many biggest theme park blunders,” one stated.
“Whelp, about the one advantage of this experience goes to be quick traces,” wrote one reviewer. “There’s a zero re-rideability issue as a result of there isn’t a story line to advertise emotional connection or something visually beautiful.”
They added: “Disgrace on you, Disney!”
