Let’s be clear: Was The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management the worst attraction Disney ever produced? Not at all. Was it a terrible attraction? In a vacuum, maybe not. It was a humorous (if a little too self-referential and instantly-dated) overlay that could’ve added life, energy, and renewed interest to a very old attraction, introducing fresh and well-liked characters from recent animated films and some impressive animatronics along the way.
In other words, we realize that for a generation of ’90s kids, Under New Management was the Tiki Room. It’s the show they knew and loved; the one they remember from their first Disney World trips.
The trouble is, The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management did not exist in a vacuum. It was a replacement of a dearly beloved and historic attraction. The Enchanted Tiki Room was one of few Magic Kingdom attractions Walt actually designed, and in that regard, a tasteless and irrevent overlay full of self-referential humor and fourth-wall-breaking puns was perhaps even more offensive than closing it altogether.
The original is classic, nostalgic, timeless, and sentimental. It doesn’t have the mile-a-minute, modern humor stylings of Under New Management, and that’s precisely the point. Compared to the authentic original from Walt’s time, Iago’s version was crass, pandering, soulless, and (put simply) just not much fun. While it might earn some “yucks” from the kids, it would never be a classic, and anyone who had seen the original would likely leave feeling a little disheartened.
Let’s put it this way: visit the movie theater to see Disney or Pixar’s latest and you’ll be inundated with trailers for upcoming children’s movies. Most can be separated into two categories.
- First, you’ve got movies for now. These animated films often include pop references that’ll be totally unintelligible in five years, “fart jokes,” and feature modern soundtracks from top 40 artists. They’re fly-by-night films that get a laugh from kids, leave parents bored, and quickly burn out. Think of The Angry Birds Movie, Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, The Emoji Movie, Ralph Breaks the Internet, or Home. Will anyone really be talking about these films in five years? Ten? Fifty? Probably not. And don’t misunderstand: Disney is responsible for its fair share of films in this category.
- Separately, you’ve got movies for forever. These films are timeless. No pop culture jabs, dated humor, or top 40 soundtracks required. Think about it: these are the kinds of films that families see together; that 20-somethings run to the theaters for. They’re gripping and emotional. We’ll pass Inside Out, The Little Mermaid, Frozen, Coco, and Finding Nemo to our kids and grandkids just as we were handed Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, The Fox and the Hound, and The Jungle Book from our parents and grandparents.
The Enchanted Tiki Room could play forever. The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management could not. As a temporary overlay that appeared every summer through the ’90s, it might’ve been a forgivable aside. As a permanent replacement for Tropical Serenade, it instantly dated itself, retaining very little of the classic attraction and instead opting for modern jokes and tasteless allusions that, frankly, gave it a death sentence. It wasn’t made to last forever. Good news is, it didn’t!
Schadenfreude
A German word well known for succinctly capturing a feeling that no English word can alone, Schadenfreude is defined as “pleasure derived from another person’s misfortune.” Imagine the driver who blew past you on the freeway later seen pulled over by highway patrol… Maybe you think of it as a sense of justice; that things have been righted in another’s suffering. This dark glee must’ve been what many classic Disney fans felt in early 2011.
On January 12, 2011, a fire broke out in the attic of the Sunshine Pavilion at Magic Kingdom. It’s no telling exactly the extent of the damage, though the “interrupting Iago” figure was reportedly scorched in the blaze. By time firefighters arrived, the building’s fire protection had already doused the flames (and reportedly the animatronics, too, ending in some pretty crippling water damage). The area was evacuated. Adventureland re-opened quickly that evening. The Tiki Room did not.
Fans recoiled at the notion that the birds might be gone forever, even if a total absence might’ve been preferable to the Under New Management edition. The good news was that with Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary fast approaching, executives must’ve felt nostalgic. The fire was an unlikely impetus to try something new in the Tiki Room. Or should we say, something old.
In May – after four months of silence – Imagineers were on hand at D23 (the semiannual Disney convention in Anaheim) to announce that the attraction would re-open late that summer. But that wasn’t all. Better than anyone could’ve hoped, the tone deaf and already-dated 90s overlay would disappear for good, and the attraction would revert to an earlier time. In fact, it would become identical to Disneyland’s version, which never added Iago or Zazu but did go through that brief tidying up years earlier, shaving out a song and improving the infrastructure.
Tropical Serenade would return better than ever, now adopting the name used at Disneyland: Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. Like Disneyland’s refreshed version, it would include re-mastered audio, new lighting, and a classic cast (without any cartoon characters) sporting brighter plumage than ever before.
On August 15, 2011, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room opened at Magic Kingdom, celebrating the steady and easygoing simplicity of mythology and mood of the islands and featuring the full and beloved version of “The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room,” no interruptions. We’re happy to say that the attraction still operates that way today, and if we have any say in it, it will for as long as Magic Kingdom stays open.
Living on…
As you might imagine, official or even “Easter egg” references to Under New Management are few and far between, and the divisive overlay was able to smoothly exit without leaving much of a footprint. But at least one damning piece of evidence remains. In 2015, as part of a grand overhaul of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the hotel gained an impressive bar. Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is a sort of spin-off of Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel in California.
These two sister bars are, put simply, amazing. Besides the show stopping drinks, they’re packed with intricate details that tie them to the continuity of Adventureland and maybe – just maybe – to the incredible cross-continental story of S.E.A.: The Society of Explorers and Adventurers that unites Disney rides, lands, and parks across the globe.
Best of all, when you order a drink, the bar comes alive in response as lights, sounds, and special effects sweep through the room. One of the signature drinks at the Grog Grotto in Florida is the Uh-Oa. Hoisted high above the bar is (you guessed it) the disastrous goddess looming overhead, frozen like a marionette.
If you dare order the flaming Uh-Oa, a storm begins to brew outside as gusting winds and heavy rains fall. As the bartenders lead guests in a chant (“Uh-Oa, Uh-Oa, Uh-Oa-Oa-Oa!”) the Krakatoa volcano seen through the window shades erupts! Lightning flashes to illuminate the goddess above, who begins to glow. Her eyes open in familiar searing red as she cackles…! So even if Uh-Oa no longer haunts the Tiki Room, she can still be found just across the Seven Seas Lagoon in Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.
A sly reference also existed in the beloved and lost Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular that played for more than a decade at Disney California Adventure. During the finale, the Genie teases a “repentant” Iago (“Phew, I’m so glad we got rid of that Jafar character! I’m one of the good guys now!”) by asking Aladdin what should become of “the Tiki room reject.” Even a thousand miles away, the joke landed every time.
Elsewhere
For the ’90s kids who grew up with the Under New Management overlay and still yearn for a more contemporary take on the storied show, you still do have a chance to see another character-infused version of the ’63 classic… if you don’t mind a cross-Pacific flight.
A third Tiki Room opened alongside Tokyo Disneyland in 1983 – 20 years after its debut at Disneyland. In 1999, it underwent a complete facelift to become The Enchanted Tiki Room: Now Playing “Get The Fever!,” a madcap Las Vegas style revue show in a jungle nightclub.
Less than a decade later, the cabaret show changed again, becoming The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha e Komo Mai! U.S. Disney fans are quick to dismiss the use of Stitch (from Disney’s Hawaiian-set Lilo and Stitch) who appears in animatronic form not unlike his appearance in one of Disney’s worst ever attractions and the subject of another in-depth entry, Declassified Disaster: Stitch’s Great Escape. From afar, bloggers demand the return of the original show in Tokyo, too. What they overlook, though, is just how much the Japanese love Stitch and how wild they go for the show.
Any hatred one might have toward the idea of Stitch taking over the untouchable Tiki Room evaporates as Japanese guests flock in, sing along, smile, cheer, and gaze in wonder at the impressive Stitch animatronic, and just like that, you, too, would fall in love with Aloha e Komo Mai… As long as it stays in Tokyo.
Lesson learned?
Will Disney ever try to change the Tiki Room again? Undoubtedly, yes. As tastes change and attractions age, there’s always incentive to try new things, leverage real estate, and keep even beloved rides “fresh” for a new generation. (Who would’ve ever guessed, for example, that Pirates of the Caribbean and “it’s a small world” would both bend to the whims of time? And yet…) Of course, the Tiki Room surviving the 2010s without a Moana overla might signal the attraction’s permanence after all…
For now, we can only be thankful that Imagineers rediscovered the spirit of the Tiki Room. Charming, timeless asides like the Tiki Room and fellow Modern Marvels: The Country Bear Jamboree and Carousel of Progress can be so easy for guests and even fans to overlook. Remember, though, that these storied attractions are part of the larger picture of what makes Walt Disney World different… Attractions like the Enchanted Tiki Room are hallowed ground for Disney Parks fans, and even as times change and generations shift, they ought to stay that.
Put another way, Zazu hit the nail on the head: “Be forewarned, Iago, you cannot toy with the Enchanted Tiki Room.” Lesson learned.
As bird-brained as the Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management may have been, it’s just one of the many Declassified Disasters in our collection. Make the jump there to pick up with another unfortunate tale from the sealed files of Imagineering mistakes.
Thank you so much for reading. Now, it’s your turn to join the story. If you enjoy spending time falling down the “rabbit hole” of Park Lore’s in-depth, ad-free, member-supported stories, consider becoming a Member for as little as $2 / month.
Members can unlock rare concept art in every tale, reveal attraction audio streams in select stories, gain access to over a hundred exclusive articles in our quick-read Extra Features and in-depth Special Features collections, gain exclusive podcast extras, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail! (Plus, y’know, supporting research-based, ad-free, clickbait-free, in-depth theme park writing!)
Did you experience the Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management? What did you think the first time you saw it? Was this ’90s overlay truly a disaster, or was it a much-needed refresh of an aging attraction? What other Disney missteps would you like to read more about in our new Disaster Files series? We can’t wait to hear your stories in the comments below!