During the Disney Parks panel at D23 Expo 2022, they revealed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be replacing Splash Mountain very soon at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Imagineers joined Disney Parks Chariman, Josh D’Amaro, onstage to discuss the new story details for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, coming to Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort in late 2024.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Story
At the end of the film, The Princess and the Frog, Tiana realizes that her lifelong dream is to open Tiana’s Palace. Imagineer Ted Robledo shares, “She’s become this great enterpreneur and community leader. The year is 1927, and to celebrate carnival season, she is hosting a party for the people of New Orleans. But she discovers her celebration is missing a very special ingredient, and she needs our help to go find it.” So ride goers will join Tiana and Louis on a magical trip to the bayou and will meet brand new friends to invite to the party at the new attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The co-op is housed inside a salt mine, with growers planting crops along the old Splash Mountain waterway. Guests will ascend through a mill house built into the side of the mountain. Imagineer Charita Carter shares, “This attraction is going to be gorgeous at night. We are going to use mist like a painter’s canvas to create this amazing sense of aura, which is going to be different than anything you’ve seen in an attraction. It’s something I like to refer to as ‘true bayou magic.’“
And even though Tiana is a character in a story, her culture and the place she comes from are very real. Imagineer Carmen Smith adds, “We want this attraction to be a love letter to New Orleans. It’s important for our guests to feel how we approached this story in an authentic way. If you are from New Orleans, you should feel like you’re coming home. If you’ve never been to New Orleans, this attraction will make you want to go.“
Also I found out that come of the cast from the original movie from The Princess and the Frog will return to give their voices to the attraction which includes Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, Bruno Campos as Naveen, Micheal Leon Wooley as Louis Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie. So much fun!
