Tropical Serenade was a Magic Kingdom opening day original, premiering with the park in 1971. Of course, it was also a copy of the Enchanted Tiki Room that Walt had been so proud of since its Disneyland opening in 1963. For decades, the two unforgettable shows played on.

As the new millennium approached, it's fair to imagine that (grown-up) audiences lost a bit of their astonishment at the sight of the singing birds, as the technologies that powered them became far less mysterious. However, the shows remained every bit as classic and beloved by fans as a reminder of a simpler time, an innovative technology, and a Walt Disney original. Of course, we've learned that that isn't always enough to keep an attraction untouched...

Enchanting edits?

Image: Disney

In the mid-1990s, Disneyland’s original version of the attraction went under the knife for a touch-up that refurbished its sound and lighting, while also cutting out one song to shorten the show’s length from 18 minutes to 14 – much more palatable for the hurried guests and harried children of the 21st century. (That tightened-up version still plays today, inseparable from the historic fantasy park. While some fans might object to the "edited" version, the show is truthfully stronger for it.)

About the same time, Magic Kingdom’s version announced an upcoming closure, as well. After 26 years of serenades, the tikis, flowers, and birds in Magic Kingdom’s Tropical Serenade sang their swan songs on September 1, 1997 as construction walls went up around the Sunshine Pavilion.

In an era before social media, fans speculated on what fate might befall the storied attraction. Would it simply be edited for time like Disneyland’s? Alright, so in retrospect, hoping for a mere tune-up sounds downright naive... But in 1997, it was still possible that the sudden and unapologetic closure of Magic Kingdom's Lost Legend: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was merely an unfortunate anomoly... 

At that time, Disney World had barely begun the "cartoon invasion" we know well today, flattening the Lost Legends: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alien Encounter, If You Had Wings, and The Timekeeper in favor of Winnie the Pooh, Lilo & Stitch, Toy Story 2, and Monsters Inc., respectively.

Image: Disney

Looking back now, it really wouldn’t have been surprising if Tropical Serenade had simply stayed closed for years or forever. If that had been the case, we’d be looking back now, acknowledging it as just another victim of the veritable tidal wave of cop-outs, closures, and cancellations that would crash down on Disney Parks by the early 2000s thanks to Disneyland Paris' dismal opening.

But executives didn't intend to close Tropical Serenade. In fact, it would be an early adopter of the character invasion to come... In an era defined by a mandate from on high that Disney Parks feature marketable and merchandise-friendly characters, it was time for the old, tired Tiki Room to change.

And luckily, Disney had a few birds in their portfolio from a pair of wildly successful films that had defined Disney's 90s Renaissance and were ripe for inclusion in the parks. Just eight months after Tropical Serenade's closure, the Sunshine Pavilion emerged sporting a new marquee.

Image: Disney

The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management opened April 5, 1998. Fans expecting to see an updated or cleaned up show were aghast at what awaited inside.

Under New Management

Settling into the Sunshine Pavilion at the debut of the Tiki Room: Under New Management, you might initially be nervous about the change. The good news is, right from the start you'd likely lose yourself in the classic show once again. After all, it sincerely seems that nothing's changed! A Cast Member begins the show by waking up Jose, who stretches and yawns that his siestas are getting "chorter and chorter." As before, he rouses his three co-hosts – Michael, Pierre, and Fritz – who in turn "wake up the glee club!"

At once, the enchanted chamber is filled with twittering, twirling, and flapping as a host of animatronic birds suddenly come to life all around. Indeed, this Tiki Room "Under New Management" is so far identical to its predecessor in every way! This is a good sign...!

Image: Disney

“Olé, olé! It’s showtime! In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room, in the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room, all the birds sing words and the flowers croon in the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room! Welcome to our tropical hideaway, you lucky people, you! If we weren’t in the show starting right away, we’d be in the audience, too! All together! In the Tiki Tiki–”

As the birds sing the wonderful and timeless tune, you might begin to hear a grating honking sound, like a clown’s horn rasping in the distance. Less than thirty seconds into the attraction’s signature song, something new is happening. As the odd sound grows louder and louder, its origin emerges as Iago – the villainous sidekick from Aladdin – lowers on a central perch. “Stop the music, STOP THE MUSIC!” he shouts, voiced here as in the film by the skilled (but deliberately grating) Gilbert Gottfried. “What is that?! I’m gonna toss my crackers!” he cries as the Tiki birds gasp. “And these people below me? They ain’t gonna like that. Trust me!”

Image: Disney

“Iago!” Our attention is drawn opposite where Zazu, the refined hornbill from The Lion King scolds, lowering on his own perch.

"Well, if it isn't Zero!"

(First, you might be struck by the odd juxtaposition of Iago and Zazu. While, admittedly, they're both birds, their similarities end there. Aladdin and The Lion King, their respective films, exist a world apart and in different continuities. But in the direct-to-video spirit of 1990s Disney Channel cartoons, these two appear to be old friends... er, enemies?)

“Be forewarned, Iago, you cannot toy with the Enchanted Tiki Room.”

Zazu's prohetic warning of the sancticity of the Tiki Room falls on deaf ears. No feathers off Iago’s back, he promptly calls the Tiki birds “bird brains,” announces that he and Zazu have purchased the Tiki Room, and tells the choir that they'd better not get too attached; if they want to keep their jobs, they’ve got to get hip. (This does not bode well...)

Image: Disney

He kicks off a new rendition to the tune of Aladdin’s “Friend Like Me:”

You are boring Tiki birds,
I’m a big cele-birdy.
That’s why I’m gonna go and change your show,
Ain’t it great to have a friend like me? 

Can your tails do this?
Can your wings do that?
Can you bad birds sing
In punk or rap?
Can you rock and roll?
Well, listen here!
It’s a whole new world, so you better get hip
Or your audience will disappear!

As the number closes, the birds tweet and whistle in alarm, and Zazu reminds Iago that the Tiki gods are always listening. Of course, that won’t slow Iago who tells “those Tiki-tacky, Polynesian, pineapple-pickin’, wood-for-brains, moron Tiki gods” off. The lights flash out as thunder rumbles.

Tiki totems around the room come alive, chanting together: “Uh-Oa, Uh-Oa, Uh-Oa-Oa-Oa!” At the center of the room, an ornate planter begins to steam and smoke. The ceremonial bowl is in fact an elaborate headdress on a concealed Tiki goddess: Uh-Oa, goddess of disaster. The seething goddess’ eyes pierce the darkness as she glows in ethereal hues.

Image: Disney

As you might imagine, Uh-Oa has overheard Iago's crushing words and is not pleased. The menacing goddess awakens the angry wooden totems around the room who chant darkly as she sings: "It won’t help to yell, you’re under my spell. Look out, parrot, you’re a dead duck!” With a wave her wand and a sinister, snarling “Aloha!” she sends Iago flying as he disappears in a burst of fog.

The wooden Tikis take over, rapping. Iago reappears burnt to a crisp and on crutches. He proclaims the new Tiki Room under his management a rousing success and decrees, “This place is gonna be a gold mine!” The birds finish off with a high energy conga straight out of The Merrymen’s “Feeling Hot Hot Hot” as guests exit, with Iago famously noting, “Boy I’m tired! I think I’ll head over to the Hall of Presidents and take a nap.”

“Right, off you go!” Zazu encourages, sending Iago away. And you’re likely to feel the same way.

New management, new mess

So, what did you think? It’s the Tiki Room minus the songs you loved (aside from a brief opening cameo, interrupted by the headache-inducing Iago), and with the added benefit of some self-deprecating put-downs, a pretty scary animatronic goddess with a bad temper, and some jokes that likely make this show feel more like a bad leftover of Disney's soggy direct-to-video sequels than a tribute to a timeless and beloved attraction.

The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management might've been a serious misstep, but it didn't last. Would you believe that it came to a fiery end? On the last page, we’ll dissect what happened and what we’ve learned. Read on…