Disney has announced that Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World and Disneyland will become Tiana's Bayou Adventure in 2024 and will bring a bit of The Princess and the Frog magic with it into the theme parks.
As announced during ESSENCE Fest, guests will be able to visit Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park in Florida and Disneyland Park in California, and it promises to "pay tribute to the rich culture and history of New Orleans community."
"Walt Disney Imagineers have been frequent travelers to Louisiana while conducting extensive research to ensure Tiana’s Bayou Adventure preserves the heart and soul of the city that inspired Princess Tiana’s story," Disney Parks Blog writes. "From exploring the French Market and the bayou, to consulting with academics, chefs, musicians and cultural institutions, Imagineers have received inspiration from all over the region and learned from local experts along the way."
“In many ways, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a love letter to New Orleans," Charita Carter, executive producer of relevancy activations at Walt Disney Imagineering, said. "Like the musical city that inspired this attraction, Tiana’s second act is about a community working in harmony to achieve something extraordinary. She reminds us of an immutable truth we can all relate to: ‘if you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way.’ And that’s a melody we can all sing along to!”
The new attraction will also be a "celebration of Black joy as we bring Tiana's story to its roots" and Disney is proud to be "advancing the storyline of Princess Tiana at our parks."
Tiana's Bayou Adventure was first announced in 2020 and will pick up right where the events of the film left off. Guests will join Princess Tiana, Naveen, and Louis the jazz-loving alligator as they get ready to host a Mardi Gras celebration where "everyone is welcome." There will also be apperances by familiar faces and original music inspired by songs from the film.
Splash Mountain first debuted at Disneyland in 1989 before arriving in Tokyo Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in 1992. The ride is based of the 1946 Disney film Song of the South, which Disney has chosen not to release on Disney+ as it is "not appropriate in today's world."
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.