Disney World Enchanted Tiki Room will re-open in August and return to its roots

More good news in the ongoing saga of the Walt Disney World Tiki Room attraction: it will re-open in August with a copy of the Disneyland show, which is relatively faithful to the original. The Walt Disney World Tiki Room was something of an abomination, having been made over with new animatronics and awful new music and dialog. It caught fire early this year, and there has been lots of informed speculation that the re-opened show would do away with the widely loathed additions and return to its original glory. I grew up sitting on my grandfather's lap at the Tiki Room while he and I sang and whistled together to the songs and laughed at the corny jokes and I couldn't be more pleased to hear that the Tiki Room is going back to it roots.

The "new management" has been let go and the future of the Adventureland landmark is in the wings and wit of José, Fritz, Michael and Pierre - four crooning parrot hosts who ushered in sophisticated Audio-Animatronics technology at California's Disneyland in 1963 at The Enchanted Tiki Room.
In time for fall 2011 vacations, The Enchanted Tiki Room (as the Magic Kingdom attraction now will be called) is being prepared to reflect the show at Disneyland that represents a milestone in Disney theme park entertainment. While Walt Disney's creative team previously had produced movable figures, none had the sophistication of the bird-brained cast of the Tiki Room. José, Fritz, Michael and Pierre produce movements when solenoid coils hidden inside receive signals recorded onto magnetic tape and are regarded as the first "true" Audio-Animatronics figures.

Enchanted Tiki Room set to reopen in Magic Kingdom this August

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adamnvillani

“This is something I’d go to Disneyland for”

It’s already at Disneyland. The original in Anaheim never got the ill-conceived makeover that the one in Florida got. This new restoration is at Disney World in Florida.
Anonymous

This is good news. I had the good luck of being there in 1963 when it opened and it blew my young teenaged mind.
frijole

I was down in the Magic Kingdom last month, and stopped to take a long look at the “Under New Management” sign… hopefully the last time I’ll ever see it. Viva JosÃ©, Fritz, Michael and Pierre!
Anonymous

So happy to hear this! Let’s all sing like the birdies sing…. tweet tweet tweet tweet tweet!

Although I still miss the offenbach number :)
joeentropy

So once again the birds will sing words and the flowers will croon…
emo hex

Is this called “CHANGE BACK”.
adamnvillani

I love how the Disney press release turns them being closed throughout summer vacations into “In time for fall 2011 vacations”.
Anonymous

Cory, It’s a shame you never experienced the “Enchanted Voyage” at King’s Island in Ohio in the 1970′s. It had more magic than you could imagine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxiC46YuQSI
Pope Ratzo

I remember the original. It was a blast to my 6 year old self.

Unfortunately, I cannot give money to Disney, so I’ll never see the new one.
- gobo
  
  Don’t worry, I’ll give money to Disney for you. I’m shameless like that.
  
  I’m thrilled that they’re bringing back the original show, hopefully complete with the outdoor pre-show. Maybe they’ll even move the Dole Whip stand over!
  
  Now if we can just get the original Journey Into Imagination back, the majority of Eisner’s latter-year poor park decisions will be smoothed over…
Sorcerer Mickey

I’m guessing that “relatively faithful” means no Offenbach?
Anonymous

I loved the old show, and was not very impressed with the new one. Kudos to whomever burnt it down. Now, if we could just get the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride back! I also agree that the Journey Into Imagination attraction was goofed up. Not that I hate new things: I loved Alien Encounter! You just can’t change too much at an iconic park.
- Anonymous
  
  Good for you Anon, glad to see I’m not the only one with old school thinking. They should have left the Magic Kingdom alone completely, I think they would do alot better if they had. Yes, alot of it is corny ’70s, but thats what makes it so much fun. 20,000 Leagues, Mr. Toads, If you had Wings, the skyway, and now Snow White’s ride, what is happening to our memories? I do have two thank you’s though, for having the sense to bring back the Main Street Electrical Parade and I am very greatfull they finally got rid of that “under new management” garbage. They say the fire started in the attic at the Gilbert Godfried bird. Maybe uncle Walt was trying to give the imagineers a hint ;). One more note, they never changed the California Tiki room because they are under contract with Dole. Dole stated that as long as they were a sponser, it was to never be altered.
jbristow

So whatever happened to Rosita?
Brainspore

I hope they take all that new Jack Sparrow shit out of the “Pirates” ride at Disneyland next. It feels ridiculously out of place, not least because all the original characters are caricatured depictions of human beings and Jack Sparrow just looks like… Johnny Depp.
- Anonymous
  
  You mean Johnny Depp is not a caricatured depiction of a human being?
Anonymous

Wow, I can still sing the song: “Where the birds sing words and the flowers bloom, in the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!”
djfrantz

This strikes me as hilarious as I JUST finished “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom” like 3 hours ago.
Flying_Monkey

Maybe as someone from the other side of the pond, I just don’t (can’t?) get this, but why does anyone even care?
- Jonathan Badger
  
  Well, Cory is a Canadian who lives in the UK, so it’s not like Disney-philia is just an American thing. Basically, some people are really into Star Trek, others, into Dr. Who. And then there are those who are into Disney. To each their own nerdery, I suppose.
Rich Keller

If I’ve been to the Tiki Room at Disneyland, it was when I was two years old. If the version of the Offenbach is even half as fun as the version I just found, they really ought to include it.

http://www.archive.org/details/BennieKruegerOrch-OffenbachTalesOfHoffmanBarcarolle
radicalbytes

Does “return to its roots” mean go back to being completely racist? Because the Tiki Room is one of the most insanely racist “ogah bogah” attraction at the park – and thats saying something. Sometimes “returning to the roots” of 1970s white America is not such a good idea.
- gobo
  
  Er, what? I think you need to clarify a bit; I can’t imagine what sort of racism you’re reading into the Tiki Room, of all things. There’s a brief moment where one of the birds does a Louis Armstrong impression, but he’s just singing in a low gritty voice. Was that the “insanely racist oogah boogah” bit you’re thinking of?
- Anonymous
  
  “Does “return to its roots” mean go back to being completely racist? Because the Tiki Room is one of the most insanely racist “ogah bogah” attraction at the park ”
  
  How so?
Anonymous

But will there be drinks?
Engage

Good. They can bulldoze that entire “new management” attraction and dump it right next to that stupid EPCOT wand: in the lake at Universal Studios =p
Anonymous

I loved the Tiki Room when I was a kid. And I love how the Disney parks are listening to their customers – bringing back shows by popular demand, keeping the good stuff. They will get my money any day.
BrendanBabbage

Alright! Mmmaybe some good things happen now and again!

This is something I’d go to Disneyland for:-)