Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Walt Disney World is within the house stretch of its transformation earlier than the reimagined experience’s Summer time 2024 opening. Experience testing is now underway and Imagineering has shared extra names and backstories for ultimate spherical of animals within the attraction–the Frog Buddies. This shares their profiles, first appears to be like at a present scene, plus our predictions about when the official opening date for the Magic Kingdom model of TBA shall be introduced.
We love that Disney is creating unique characters for the attraction and giving them backstories and personalities. Partly 1 of this 3 half collection, Disney revealed the primary spherical of Cute Critters Coming to Tiana’s Bayou Journey. That launched followers to Byhalia the Beaver, Gritty the Rabbit, Beau the Opossum, Apollo the Raccoon, Rufus the Turtle, and Timoléon the Otter. Whereas we argued that a few of these have been dangerous names or ought to be switched, that was minor nitpicking.
Partly 2, Disney shared extra Lovely Animals in Tiana’s Bayou Journey. In that spherical, Octavia the Bobcat, Pawpaw the Bobcat, Claude the Louisiana Black Bear, Bernadette the Louisiana Black Bear, Sebastián the Louisiana Black Bear, and Phina the Grey Fox greeted visitors for the primary time. A clever outdated bobcat and a bunch of bears–all winners in my e-book.
The musical tapestry of New Orleans is woven with traditions and voices from all around the world. That first band of critters have been those who who play Zydeco music. The second group performs Rara, a musical custom from Haiti that’s a part of the musical historical past and melting pot of New Orleans. Now it’s time to introduce you to critters who convey the jazzy sounds and sophisticated rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to life within the bayou.
Listed here are the Afro-Cuban critter musicians you’ll uncover on Tiana’s Bayou Journey:
Felipe the Frog – Deep among the many cypress timber, you’ll hear band chief Felipe making musical magic on the piano! Felipe can be the proprietor of an unique bayou evening membership, the place the native fireflies love to bop the evening away to a musical recipe of scorching rhythms and spicy melodies. He’s an old-school household man, particularly to his “household” within the band.
Mayra the Frog – Have you ever ever seen a frog play a flower blossom like a trumpet? You’ll whenever you meet Mayra; you should definitely stick round for one in all her toe-tapping solos. Mayra’s probably the most formidable of the 4 frogs and has been practising her instrument since she was only a tadpole!
Mondo the Frog – Mondo is a pure on the conga drums, which he made as a cheerful accident when his favourite bottle cap obtained caught on his second-favorite acorn. From there, the rhythm in Mondo’s soul took over! He’s very copacetic and accepts what comes, a trait as regular and dependable as his drumbeat.
Isabel the Inexperienced Tree Frog – Studying from Mondo’s instance, Isabel loves getting misplaced within the music taking part in her congas. She’s the youngest member of the group, and there’s nothing she loves greater than “going with the movement” and attending to play drums all evening lengthy!
From Zydeco to Rara to Afro-Cuban jazz, you’ll hear every kind of musical flavors from critters massive and small across the bayou, identical to you’ll strolling the streets of the French Quarter within the Crescent Metropolis.
Not everybody you’ll meet within the attraction is a musician – amongst others are a few amphibious buddies who love to sit down again, calm down and atone for all of the gossip from across the bayou. Gloria and Delores the frogs are finest buddies who love to look at of us as they float in logs down the bayou. Don’t be shocked in the event that they hold their watchful eyes on you as you float by.
Additionally, hold a watch out for Lari the Armadillo. This mischievous fella, whereas quiet in demeanor, appears to at all times present up the place you least count on him to. He has a behavior of “borrowing” issues that aren’t his (though these issues ultimately make it into the correct “paws”).
The very first thing to notice is that these frog buddies don’t look like Audio Animatronics. This implies the minimal Audio Animatronics depend for Tiana’s Bayou Journey stays unchanged from final week at 29 (17 characters, 12 critters–Louis counts as a personality, not a critter).
There’s presumably extra, however these are those which can be presently accounted for. There’s additionally an out of doors probability that a number of the prior critters should not AAs, in order that quantity may drop. As for the frogs, they’re…cute, I suppose? (Is {that a} phrase used to explain frogs?) Mondo is clearly the most effective one.
I’m optimistic concerning the mentioning of different animals that aren’t musicians, too. My hope is that this implies the Swamp Boys–the alligator band from Splash Mountain–are reprised, at the same time as background characters with no musical function within the experience.
Having an enormous supporting forged of critters, musicians and in any other case, along with the superior Audio Animatronics plus the music plus every part concerning the experience that won’t conceivably change just about seals the deal on Tiana’s Bayou Journey for me. I suppose it’s potential the entire doesn’t add as much as the sum of its components, however I doubt it. I’m very optimistic after every part we’ve seen in the previous few weeks!
Talking of which, I’m most likely not alone in that sentiment, as we’ve seen a pointy rise in reader curiosity for Tiana’s Bayou Journey and its opening date. That is unsurprising because the hype cycle has turned constructive with Disney lastly specializing in the attraction and fewer on superfluous stuff. And wow does the within of the attraction look good. At the very least, what we’ve seen to this point. These lovely animals are one massive a part of that, however it’s actually the Audio Animatronics which have followers excited.
In case you missed it, final week we obtained a First Take a look at Imagineering’s Revolutionary Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Journey. There are photographs in that submit, however the most effective appears to be like at these subsequent technology AAs are within the new YouTube collection, We Name it Imagineering. The (glorious) first episode of that focuses on Audio Animatronics outdated and new, with the brand new primarily being those from Tiana’s Bayou Journey.
I had the possibility to go to Imagineering in Glendale final week and see these identical Audio Animatronics in particular person. Staged in that space from the video are Mama Odie, Louis the Alligator, Eudora, Charlotte, Ralphie, Prince Naveen, Byhalia the Beaver, and Princess Tiana. They’re unimaginable. The fluidity and vary of movement and expressiveness of the figures is subsequent degree.
It’s like animated characters leaping from the display into the dimensional world, which I don’t suppose Imagineering managed to attain with Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice or Frozen Ever After. (They did with Automobiles Land and Radiator Springs Racers, however these are a distinct kind of characters.)
Anyway, one of many issues I realized whereas at Imagineering is that all the figures staged there are for the Disneyland model of the attraction, which is a number of weeks to months behind the Magic Kingdom experience. The Walt Disney World set of Audio Animatronics has already been put in. This isn’t to say there’s not nonetheless on-site programming, check & regulate, or different punchlist gadgets that should be accomplished, however the inside of the attraction is just not nonetheless some energetic and unfinished building zone.
I point out all of this as a result of many Walt Disney World followers are questioning why we haven’t gotten an official opening date but…and after we will. In spite of everything, the experience is now being examined with Imagineers driving it and summer season is fast-approaching. Not solely that, however the two most evident dates for making a splashy announcement–the D23 Down in New Orleans occasion and the Annual Shareholders assembly–have each come and gone. So what does that depart us with by way of main ‘occasions’ when it could possibly be introduced?
The following massive date that was simply added to the calendar is the Walt Disney Firm’s subsequent quarterly earnings outcomes on Tuesday, Could 7, 2024. Whereas these calls have more and more develop into instances for dropping massive information, I extremely doubt the opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Journey shall be introduced then. That’s, until one thing has gone incorrect and the experience’s opening has been delayed–and I’ve heard nothing to recommend that’s the case, even when there is perhaps uncertainty about sure issues.
Assuming all remains to be roughly on schedule, that earnings name would solely be a few month earlier than the primary previews of Tiana’s Bayou Journey are anticipated. It’s just a few weeks earlier than Memorial Day, the unofficial begin to the summer season season. Individuals may have already made their journey plans by then (many have already got!), undercutting the near-term advertising and marketing worth of an announcement. The month of Could is just too late for a Tiana’s Bayou Journey opening date.
One other risk is a subsequent We Name it Imagineering video launch later this month. I additionally doubt that. For one factor, I don’t suppose that is going to be a weekly and even biweekly video collection. And I actually don’t suppose the second installment will come so quickly–they’ll need to assess fan response and make changes.
Chopping to the chase, I believe the Tiana’s Bayou Journey opening date goes to be introduced randomly, maybe through a phase on Good Morning America–however possibly simply by a daily ole press launch on some day in mid-April. They’ll most likely share one thing else new alongside it, however I don’t count on to see way more from contained in the experience at this level. (Actually, I don’t need to and don’t suppose it accomplishes something. If the Audio Animatronics alone didn’t promote you on TBA, you’re unsellable.)
That announcement may occur actually any day now. As quickly as tomorrow now that the massive Audio Animatronics reveal has occurred and all the critters have been named, or maybe a few week from now to protect this cadence of releases. The one factor that provides me pause about an announcement subsequent week is that it (roughly) strains up with Midway to Halloween, and I might suppose/hope Disney wouldn’t need these two issues competing throughout the identical information cycle. Nevertheless it’s not unusual for large information dumps the place a number of tales come out abruptly.
In the long run, I count on the opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Journey to be introduced sooner slightly than later. Actually, I figured it already would’ve come by now–and suppose it most likely would have if progress was taking place as easily as potential.
I can also recognize the extent to which this all displays a sure impatience. We went from being skeptical the experience would make its Late 2024 opening (and as an alternative slip into 2025) to being extra assured about 2024 to getting an official Summer time 2024 timeframe. That is the uncommon experience that has had its opening date moved ahead as an alternative of delayed, and we’re nonetheless not-so-patiently wanting extra.
However, with every passing day that Walt Disney World doesn’t announce, the advertising and marketing affect on summer season bookings decreases. (Take into accout, Walt Disney World has a number of aggressive particular gives for July–so it’s not like bookings are already sky-high they usually don’t want to fret about occupancy.)
I don’t have any solutions as to when the official opening of Tiana’s Bayou Journey shall be introduced, however I believe we will safely rule out the Could 7 earnings name–or any date subsequent month–until there are delays. One thing between tomorrow and the following 10 days makes much more sense, even when that does find yourself coinciding with Midway to Halloween. (It will even be completely logical to delay Midway to Halloween; that’s a advertising and marketing occasion to principally generate hype for MNSSHP…however is a lot runway actually wanted? Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration has offered out each single date for the final two years, and there’s no indicators of that slowing down.)
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YOUR THOUGHTS
When are you anticipating Disney to announce a gap date for Tiana’s Bayou Journey? Stunned one hasn’t been launched but? Ideas on the lovable critters coming to Tiana’s Bayou Journey? How a lot of the present attraction (e.g. random musical critter AAs) are you anticipating to look within the reimagined model? Excited for Tiana’s Bayou Journey? Agree or disagree with our assessments about this challenge? Preserve the feedback civil, as this isn’t the place for politically-charged arguing, tradition wars, antagonism, private assaults, or low cost photographs.
