April 8, 2011: Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management

[Werner Weiss]

Iago and Zazu are the new owners of this classic attraction. The obnoxious parrot and the proper hornbill are shaking things up—but you’ll have to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Link to The Enchanted Tiki Room—Under New Management.

Please discuss it here.

UPDATED AUGUST 22, 2011 (due to the opening of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Magic Kingdom Park).

[Disneykin Kid]

Never saw UNM, but it sounds, and I don't usually use this word - horrid. Another misguided attempt to be hip and relevant.

[ttintagel]

I've never met anyone who didn't think UNM was an abomination. It's things like that that make people leery of any updates they make in the parks.

[Werner Weiss]

I've never met anyone who didn't think UNM was an abomination. It's things like that that make people leery of any updates they make in the parks.

The Under New Management piece is probably the most negative thing I've ever run at Yesterland, and deservedly so.

Something does not have to be laugh-out-loud funny to be funny. I'll gladly take clever, witty, or smile-inducing. Unfortunately, Under New Management was none of those things. Cynical and mean-spirited do not equal funny.

I watched an Under New Management video on YouTube a number of times while doing the article. What an awful show. Un-funny and un-Disney. Disjointed and inappropriate for its setting. Other times when I've used YouTube for research, such as when I wrote about Cranium Command at Epcot, it was fun. Not this time.

Actually, I don't think updating the Tiki Room with new material is a bad idea. In fact, with today's technology, they should program a fresh show every three years. But it needs to keep the spirit of Aloha, with the basic elements that made the show a hit in 1963.

And it doesn't need movie characters.

[JiminyCricketFan]

I went to Florida to see the Under New management version. It was jarring.

Walt Disney was an artist at heart. Even though the original Tiki room was to feature new technology, he gave the show beauty with enormous color and soothing music. It was a tropical paradise in a small corner of Disneyland.

I understand wanted to update the Tiki room. The musical accompaniment screams the 1950's to me. But instead of focusing on Walt's themes of beauty, wonder and magic that were in the original show, the new show thought the problem was it did not promote Disney characters enough. Instead of soothing music they had Gilbert Godfrie sing? I cannot think of a more irritating voice. He is a comedian and brought great dimension to his Yago. But I don't want to hear him sing. As to the Lion King character from Africa... Come on this attraction was about the Tropical Islands. Walt was all about transporting you to a different place and time. In the original Tiki room you got a feel of Hawaii for a few minutes. This new show could not transport you to a different place because the characters were so out of place.

I believe with new technology you can make a beautiful and fun new show. But Disney Imagineers have to stick with Walt's goal to entertain and perform the magic of making you feel you have gone to the South Pacific, even if it is for only a few minutes.

[Timekeeper]

The Under New Management piece is probably the most negative thing I've ever run at Yesterland, and deservedly so.

Something does not have to be laugh-out-loud funny to be funny. I'll gladly take clever, witty, or smile-inducing. Unfortunately, Under New Management was none of those things. Cynical and mean-spirited do not equal funny.

I watched an Under New Management video on YouTube a number of times while doing the article. What an awful show. Un-funny and un-Disney. Disjointed and inappropriate for its setting. Other times when I've used YouTube for research, such as when I wrote about Cranium Command at Epcot, it was fun. Not this time.

Actually, I don't think updating the Tiki Room with new material is a bad idea. In fact, with today's technology, they should program a fresh show every three years. But it needs to keep the spirit of Aloha, with the basic elements that made the show a hit in 1963.

And it doesn't need movie characters.

Well, I always thought, if they wanted it as an update, they could have used some music that was in the style of Aloha, like ether Pineapple Princess or For Now For Always from the Original Parent Trap. That way, it's fresh and Unique.


Timekeeper

[kindagoofy]

My wife and I went to WDW in 2000 and were so very sad by not only the UNM disaster, but also the wonderfully kitchy "Imagination" in Epcot with Figment and the Professor had been gutted to some dark sound effects disaster, too. Terribly jarring trip.

[Awe_inspired]

My hope would be that Lasseter wouldn't allow a return to the "hip and edgy" Tiki Room UNM. I wish they would use the opportunity to really update the classic version. Make the AA's stop "clicking." Maybe made it where you wear 3D glasses so that one can see the "sky" above the birds and outside of the windows. The 3D could make it appear that more birds have arrived above the show birds. There could be a lightning storm and other cutting edge effects when they anger the gods. There could be a rotating version of effects for the show. It needs to have the facet of "how did they do that-ness" (like HM) without losing the character-driven charm of the original.

[Dref]

'Well, the orange-headed fledgling is already back in the form of merchandise—wearing mouse ears for some odd reason."

Not so odd, the Orange Bird is a non-Disney character that appears in many other places, by using the mouse ears it ties the merch to the Magic Kingdom and makes it more of a true Disney souvenir.

As for UNM, I saw it and it was not THAT bad! I actually sorta liked it. Did miss the original, though.
If they bring it up back to the original show they should just keep it. A timeless classic like that does not need "refreshing" or "updating" or whatever word you want to use. It's a masterpiece, to change it is as absurd as "updating" the Mona Lisa or the Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Maybe throw in some new effects here and there and of course maintain and update the animatronics ala what Disneyland did, but keep it essentially the same.

[RemainSeatedPlz87]

unm is a big reason why i have never gone to disneyworld...i felt it a slap in the face to walt and i hope to god that the rumors are true and the original show will return!

[BassBone]

One of the biggest issues I had with Under New Management is where the original Tiki Room show treated Polynesian culture with some sort of respect and dignity, the Iago and Zazu Comedy Hour took a big ol' steaming crap on it. I thought Disney in the '90s was supposed to be more culturally sensitive. Another problem I had: The jab at the Hall of Presidents. I don't think the HoP is boring... Why does Disney?

[Choc]

I only saw it once and when we came out all I could think was, "What the hell was that?" To me it seemed like they tried way too hard to be modern like with all the songs and threw in all they could at once to do that.

[DrAlice]

I've never met anyone who didn't think UNM was an abomination. It's things like that that make people leery of any updates they make in the parks.

THIS! My family and I left the show looking at each other confused. My dad said, "What the hell was that?". I replied, "That, sir, was an abomination!".

Abomination. It is the only word that truly describes it. I really hope the rumors of its demise are true.

[ttintagel]

Walt Disney was an artist at heart. Even though the original Tiki room was to feature new technology, he gave the show beauty with enormous color and soothing music. It was a tropical paradise in a small corner of Disneyland.

Confession that makes me look like a big old crazy softie loon, but I don't care:

The DL Tiki Room show actually makes me cry because it's just so happy and beautiful. Real tears of joy. That's the way I remember feeling, seeing the WDW show as a kid.