The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)
| The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) | |
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| The entrance to The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) | |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Land | Adventureland |
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| Attraction type | Musical Revue |
| Theme | Polynesia |
| Opening date | April 5, 1998 |
| Closing date | January 12, 2011 |
| Hosted by | Iago and Zazu |
| Ride duration | 10:00 minutes |
| Audio-Animatronics | 153 |
| Previously Known As | Tropical Serenade (1971-1997) |
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The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) was an attraction in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom.
Attraction History
When the original Enchanted Tiki Room opened in Disneyland on June 23, 1969, it was a technological marvel. Introducing the Audio Animatronic technology to audiences, Disney's newest technological breakthrough proved to be a smash hit. Riding the wave of the post-war tiki craze, the Enchanted Tiki Room thrilled guests with its 17 minute tropical revue. Based on its success in Disneyland, the Enchanted Tiki Room was chosen for inclusion in Disney's second park The Magic Kingdom. The attraction opened on the park's opening day October 1, 1971, under the name Tropical Serenade.
Like its Disneyland counterpart, the Tropical Serenade proved to be extremely popular upon its opening. By the 1990s however, the attraction's popularity had begun to wane. With the luster of the early Audio Animatronic technology gone, and the genre of the attraction from a long gone era, the Tiki Room played to low audiences, who were known to walk out during the show. With this in mind, Disney began to look for a way to update the show.
The new attraction that Imagineering came up with was titled The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) was spearheaded by senior concept designer Jeff Burke and senior concept writer Kevin Rafferty. Talking about the waning popularity of the original show, Burke noted:
It was kind of demoralizing to see guests leave in the middle of the (original) show,” said Burke. “So we wanted to infuse new life into it. We wanted to bring out the Disney magic that current audiences would relate to. People who have seen the show before will wonder ‘What is going on around here?”
In order to draw new audiences into the attraction, Imagineers decided to add the popular characters Zazu (from the Lion King) and Iago (from Aladdin), as the new owners of the Tiki Room. When discussing the premise of the new attraction, Rafferty explained that they wanted:
"A Hollywood style look and feel to it. With Iago and Zazu being the new owners of the Tiki Room. They're vying for position and power"
For the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) the original voice actors for Jose (Wally Boag), Michael (Fulton Burley) and Thurl Ravenscroft (Fritz) were brought back, while Pierre's voice (which had originally performed by Ernie Newton) was rerecorded by Jerry Orbach.
Besides the attraction's two famous new owners, The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management), the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) featured three other new characters. The attraction's preshow as now hosted by two toucan talent agents named Morris (voiced by Phil Hartman) and William (voiced by Don Rickles), who bickered over who had the better clients.
Inside the attraction's main show, in addition to the attraction's familiar cast, Iago and Zazu were joined by Uh-Oa, the Tiki Goddess of Disaster who eventually would put Iago in his place.
The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) opened to guests on April 5, 1998. While the attraction played to full audiences upon its opening, over time attendance once again began to dwindle. While the infusion of popular Disney characters endeared the attraction to a new young audience, many found the attraction's new cynical tone, and the shrill voice of Gilbert Godfried's Iago, offputting.
Despite its limited popularity, the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) continued to run until January 12, 2011, when a small fire broke out in the Tiki Room's attic. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, the sprinkler system had been activated and the attraction's main Iago Audio Animatronic suffered extensive damage. Following the fire, the attraction closed, and its fate seemingly remained up in the air. The damage from the fire combined with the fact that a refurbished Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland had regained its popularity, convinced Disney that the time was right to bring back the original Tropical Serenade. Finally, at the 2011 D23 Expo, Disney announced that a slightly modified version of the original show would be returning.
Attraction Plot
Cast [1]
Morris- Phil Hartman
William- Don Rickles
Iago- Gilbert Gottfried
Zazu- Michael Gough
Uh-oa- Armelia McQueen
Jose- Wally Boag
Michael- Fulton Burley
Fritz- Thurl Ravenscroft
Pierre- Jerry Orbach
