Last week I went to Walt Disney World. I love theme parks and Disney's are my favourite. There where many things that I loved and some things that weren't so good about my trip. But probably the stand out thing for me this visit was the return of the original Tiki Room Show. You see for the last thirteen harrowing years the Tiki Room at The Magic Kingdom, was nicely put, compromised.
For those of you unfamiliar, The Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland is the first theme park attraction to use Audio Animatronics. with it's catchy tunes and charming character's it has been a fan favourite for years. But then the Nineties happened, and the Tiki Room started to lose it's popularity. The show would play to sparse rooms, and people would even walk out mid show. The powers that be decided to trim the old show by omitting the second musical number, and it worked out, for Disneyland where it's historical importance gave it a free pass. But at Magic Kingdom, it wouldn't be so lucky. The Park operations wanted the show gone, and threats of closure where common rumours. Then Imagineering, the division in charge of making attractions, decided to change the show to "save it". What came in it's place was probably the worst artifact of the cynical 1990s approach to Disney themed attractions. "The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management." In which Iago from "Aladdin" and Zasu from the "Lion King" (don't ask me I don't know "why them" either) take over the Tiki Room and confusion ensues. The show was a mess it was loud abrasive and overall just confusing. My first reaction when I subjected my self to the show was what the fu.... and the faces of every one in the room seemed to say the same. I won't belabour the badness of the attraction, I'm sure it's on YouTube and many tons of virtual ink have been spilled about it over the years in the blogosphere. But needless to say after thirteen years in a "freak accident"* a fire broke out in the attic of the attraction, destroying the Iago animatronic. The attraction remained closed for majority of 2011 leading to rumours of the original shows return. Now if you had told me that sort of a rumour a few years ago, I would have said a more vulgar phrase meaning a bovine excretion, but something happened that gave it credence, Captain EO. For the first time I can ever recall Disney re opened an attraction, that had been replaced.** As the months went on the rumour kept cropping up more and more, until eventually the press release was made.
Now I love the "Enchanted Tiki Room", and the times that I subjected myself to "Under New Management" I loved Magic Kingdoms Room itself. Unlike Disneyland the windows are open top views of "real" plants and beautiful vistas of a tropical volcano. The show is pretty much identical to the Disneyland classic, except for the environment, and the pre show. The Pre Show involves two Audio Animatronic toucans names Clyde and Claude, telling the visitors of their journey through Adventureland, and how stumbling upon the Sunshine Terrace (the Venue of the show's original name) Gave them the ability to speak. It's a fun little show, and the toucans, in "Tiki Room" fashion, have unexplained Southern and British accents. Their story is interrupted by the cast member, who leads us into the show. And what a show, the good old "Tiki Room" never looked this good (okay after the 2005 Disneyland restoration) the birds where perfect the music full, and those windows, they stay amazing especially in "Hawaiian War Chant" where the volcanoes erupt clouds form and lightning bolts across the sky before the famous storm lets out "real" rain. Of course the park and Imagineering had to make adjustments to the show for both logistic and audience concerns. The famous "enchanted fountain" was removed to make way for a show element for the "Under New Management" show as was all of the plumbing, and is thus no longer a part of the show. And also there was still the concern that led to "Under New Management's" existence in the first place. The concern that audiences would not sit through a show that long. So more edits where made, Joining the Offenbach number in deletion are. The sing along portion of "Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing" and a blink and you'll miss it bit of "Hawaiian War Chant". These cuts though blasphemy to the Disneylandian in me seem to work quite well at Disney World. Though Disneyland guests are often willing to sing along (even then I've been in my share of "quiet" Tiki Rooms even there) I've noticed Disney World audiences don't tend to be the sing along types, unless bear led hoedowns are involved, but who can resist that! What now plays in the east coast "Enchanted Tiki Room" is a trim, energetic, fun show. But the most telling aspect is after "New Management" would end with a confused grumpy audience leaving. This show ends with people leaving with a smile.
This leaves me in a bit of a dilema. I actually have to be grateful to "The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management." Because as terrible as that show was and it was terrible, if not for that misguided show the Tiki Room would have most likely been torn out turned into a restaurant, or even worse yet be made into another damned shop. So in a way that group of Imagineers in the mid nineties where right, they did save "The Enchanted Tiki Room" on the east coast, it Just took thirteen years.
* Now I'll take Disney's official stance at face value, but indulge my watched too much X-filesness. One of the most hated attractions in WDW history has a fire which, only destroys elements added to it in the controversial update, happens after thirteen years of operation, on the anniversary of the day of Imagineer extraordinaire Marc Davis' passing away, I'm no conspiracy theorist but I'm just sayin'.
**The Submarines don't count. The Subs with Nemo are cool, but only the conveyance remains of the original ride.
