Changes
| custom_label_1 = Formally Known As
| custom_value_1 = El Rio Del Tiempo (1982-2008)
|custom_label_2= FastPass Disney Genie +
|custom_value_2= No}}
The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros is an attraction located in the [[Mexico]] pavilion at [[Epcot]].
{{Quotation|"When I started at Walt Disney Imagineering, vice president Tom Fitzgerald had this idea," George Scribner said. "So I said, 'What if it's a concert they're going to perform but Donald gets lost? Jose and Panchito would have to find him through Mexico and that would take us to different places.' Once we got the OK, we went to Mexico to film the live-action footage that would be combined with Eric's animation<ref name= "Wade"> https://www.mouseplanet.com/8216/The_Three_Caballeros_Return </ref>.}}
Overall, the physical sets that had been featured in El Rio Del Tiempo remained mostly intact. In fact, the only set changes to in the attraction took place in the ride's final scene, where the carousel was replaced with an outdoor stage, and . During the addition of refurbishment, a mural in was also added to the load area <ref name= "Wade"/>.
While the El Rio Del Tiempo sets remained in place, new screens were added throughout the attraction, featuring brand new animation of The Three Caballeros. Scribner and art director Eric Goldberg (who animated the characters) wanted this animation to have the same look and feel of the original Three Caballeros animationfilm, including the work done by Ward Kimball and Fred Moore <ref name= "Wade"/>. In addition to the new animation, new live-action scenes were filmed in Mexico, and a new soundtrack was written for the attraction. This soundtrack included not only the song "The Three Caballeros" from the original film, but also a new theme titled "Paso Doble" written by Richard Bellis<ref name= "Wade"/>.
The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros officially opened to guests on April 6, 2007 <ref> https://www.mouseplanet.com/10926/Remembering_the_Magic_El_Rio_del_Tiempo__Gran_Fiesta_Tour_Starring_The_Three_Caballeros </ref>. Furthermore, at this time the [[San Angel Inn]] was expanded into an area that was previously part of El Rio Del Tiempo <Ref name= "epcotbook">The Epcot Explorer's Encyclopedia: A Guide to Walt Disney World's Greatest Theme Park </ref>.
El Rio Del Tiempo began with guests boarding their boats and heading off towards a large Mayan pyramid. The boats then entered ancient ruins. Here, a statue of a Mayan High Priest would come to life and speak to the passing boats. Guests were also told that long ago a great civilization had flourished in Mexico. All around the room, one could see various natives performing different rituals. The first ritual, was an elaborate dance titled "Nature and Science". This dance spoke to the native's understanding of man's relationship with the universe. The second ritual performed was titled "Mathematics and Astronomy". This dance highlighted the advanced understanding that the Mayan people had about these subjects (including their understanding of absolute zero). Finally, the third ritual shown was titled "Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca". This dance spoke of the native's views on the never ending struggle between good and evil, as personified in a battle between the feathered serpent of light and the tiger god of darkness. Before exiting ancient Mexico, guests would see Aztec King Moctezuma II (who would lose his kingdom to Spain) predicting the subjugation of his people.
After passing through ancient times, guests arrived at a scene titled Festival of the Children, which represented Mexico’s period of colonization. In the this scene, Audio Animatronic dolls danced and celebrated, as the narrator told guests that Mexico’s ancient culture still thrived. During the festival, the dolls sang [[Vistas De de Mexico]], a song written by X Atencio and Armando Corral. After exiting the colonization scene, guests entered modern times. Screens in this room featured:
* A parasailing boat by a lakeside resort
* A scuba diver
Following these sights, guests entered a city where two rival merchants attempted to sell their goods. The merchants would follow guests along the river, until the boats reached the attraction's finale. The end of El Rio Del Tiempo featured a large fiesta inside the city. On their left, guests could see marionettes riding a carousel, as fireworks went off in the night sky. The dolls in this room sang [[Fiestas De Fiesta de Mexico]] which carried on until guests reached the unloading area. Before disembarking the narrator would tell guests.
{{Quotation| “Goodbye. We will meet again, until then, may you always be delighted with the beauty of Mexico"}}
At this point in the attraction, guests enter the Festival of the Children scene. Similar to [[it’s a small world]], the scene features various dolls dancing and singing. The Festival of the Children is essentially the same as it was when the ride was known as El Rio Del Tiempo, with the only change to the scene being the addition of a Donald Duck piñata and changes to the scene's soundtrack.
Continuing on, guests enter the next room where they see Donald chasing after a parasailing boat that is driving away with his swimsuit. Overhead, Jose and Panchito leave a smoke message for Donald, which reads, “donde esta Donald?” (where is Donald). Moving forward, guests see that Jose and Panchito are now looking for Donald in a Mexican restaurant. When they ask a waiter if he has seen a duck, the man humorously shows them a roasted duck, causing them to flee(this scene rotates with other gags, and may vary). Meanwhile, across the room, Donald is shown attempting to rock dive, with predictably disastrous results.
As dusk sets on Mexico, Panchito and Jose continue to search for Donald in the air. Unknown to them however, Donald is actually scuba diving below. Exasperated, Jose proclaims that the show is about to start. As guests enter the next room, they see a mariachi band playing as women dance nearby. Jose and Panchito are finally able to find Donald, and although they need to pull him away from the women, the trio is eventually able to make it to their concert. The attraction’s finale then takes place in Mexico City, as fireworks shoot overhead and Jose, Panchito, and Donald perform their signature song, “The Three Caballeros”. After witnessing the concert, guests return to the loading dock.
* Animator Eric Goldberg was responsible for animating the Three Caballeros for the Gran Fiesta Tour <ref> http://www.chuckjones.com/artists/eric-goldberg/ </ref> <ref> http://www.mainstgazette.com/2012/03/el-rio-del-tiempo.html </ref>.
* X Atencio and Armando Corral wrote the music for El Rio Del Tiempo, some of which is reused in the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros <ref> http://www.disboards.com/threads/el-rio-del-tiempo-song-got-the-lyrics.637690/ </ref>.
* In the scene where all of the Audio Animatronic dolls are singing, guests can catch a glimpse of a Donald Duck piñata <ref>https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3445/3268057872_c50253fff1.jpg </ref>.
==References==
