UPDATE: Disney has announced that the new attraction replacing Splash Mountain will be named Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and that it is expected to open in late 2024.
©Disney
Disney has announced that they will be re-theming an attraction in both Disney World AND Disneyland — Splash Mountain.
Splash Mountain
So far, there has been NO official word on when the Splash Mountain refurbishment might begin. Instead, the ride has continued to operate as normal, with no changes to the scenes or signs of work being done just yet. So, we’re pulling together everything that we know for ya, to see just when the Splash Mountain retheming might begin!
What Exactly is the Splash Mountain Re-Theme?
Before we get into all the details, let’s do a quick refresh on the Splash Mountain re-theme, shall we? Disney will be transforming the attraction from a journey through the brier patch to an adventure with characters from Disney’s Princess and the Frog.
When describing their approach to the changes planned for the projects Disney has said that it “begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about.”
Princess and the Frog attraction Concept Art ©Disney
Well, a fresh new story is exactly what will be unfolding at Splash Mountain! The adventure will pick up just after Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen’s final kiss in the movie and follow Tiana and Louis as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.
Princess Tiana AKA a TRUE princess!
The transformation is being led by Imagineer Charita Carter (who oversaw Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway) and the goal is to have a “new concept [that] is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
Learn MORE About the Splash Mountain Re-Theme HERE!
What Disney Has Said
Now, when it comes to the timeline for this attraction, Disney hasn’t shared any specific dates and details on when exactly they plan to have this project complete, but they have shared some glimmers of information.
For example, when the project was originally announced back in June 2020, Disney shared that, “As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape.”
Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox always getting into trouble
So, “soon” hasn’t come as quickly as we may have thought. There were some signs that previously pointed to the possibility of the Splash Mountain refurbishment beginning sooner than later. A few months after the retheme was announced, Josh D’Amaro (the Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products) said that guest-facing projects (specifically naming the Splash Mountain refurb) would be “expedited.” But that was back in 2020, and as of 2022, no changes to the ride have been made.
Splash Mountain
The words “soon” and “expedited” leave some wiggle room for Disney when it comes to timeline. When the Jungle Cruise refurbishment was announced, soon was VERY soon. Weeks after the initial announcement, major changes began taking place on the ride and we’ve already seen the reimagined version of the ride in Disneyland and Disney World. Yet here we are — YEARS after the Splash Mountain announcement — and Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear are still trying to catch Br’er Rabbit each and every day on the Splash Mountain. Basically, there’s no definitive answer to when construction will start at Splash Mountain from Disney just yet.
Check Out Other Ways that Disney is Making The Parks More Inclusive HERE!
A 2024 Opening?!
In June of 2022, Anika Noni Rose, the actress behind Tiana from The Princess and the Frog appeared on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show and gave an unexpected update on this ride refurbishment! During the interview, Rose said, “They are making a ride — it’ll be out in 2024.”
She continued, “I’ve been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we want it to be, what we want it to do, but, if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground and you’d never see me again.”
Check out part of her interview in the video below!
Early Signs of the Refurb
Right after Disney announced the Splash Mountain retheme in 2020, there were a few signs that construction could begin quickly. The Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day game that could be played at the attraction in the Play Disney Parks app was removed in August 2020, only 4 months after they first launched the game.
Play Disney Parks Screenshot
Plus, one other minor change that has already been made is on Disney’s website — all references to the movie that the ride is currently themed after, Song of the South, have been removed from the description of the attraction. Instead, it now reads, “Drop into a whimsical world filled with classic characters and songs on this thrilling log-flume adventure.”
©Disney
And, over in Disneyland, the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah song was removed from the Downtown Disney background music loop, though the song does still play in the attraction during the final scene.
But those signs have proven to be only preliminary steps as the ride has not yet changed.
Check Out Why You SHOULD Use the Disney Parks Play App in Disney World!
What Work Has Disney Done on the Ride So Far?
When it comes to the work that Disney HAS done on the attraction since the announcement last summer, well…there isn’t much. In 2021, two permits were filed for work on Splash Mountain.
That drop (probably) isn’t going anywhere!
Both permits were filed in February 2021, with one being a building permit filed for the address coded to Splash Mountain and the other being a permit for “Electrical Work.”
They’re not kidding!
The building permit was specifically for work by Disney’s internal construction company (Buena Vista Construction Company) to “Provide labor, material, and/or electrical for construction.” The thing to keep in mind with this permit though is that a very similar permit was filed for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, so this may have just been routine maintenance and had nothing to do with the refurbishment.
POV — you on Splash Mountain!
The other permit for “Electrical Work” was filed by the Walt Disney World Resort for work with Maddox Electric (a company that does regularly scheduled maintenance throughout Disney World often). Normally, we would be on the lookout for permits filed by Disney Imagineering if it is related to an Imagineering project (which the Splash Mountain retheme is), so this permit also likely doesn’t have a direct relation to the refurbishment.
Splash Mountain closed for a month in Disney World for refurbishment in 2022, but reopened without any Princess and the Frog changes.
Click here to watch Splash Mountain be evacuated
So, When Will the Refurb Begin?
So, when will we see some changes start at Splash Mountain in Disney World? Well, the simple answer is that Disney hasn’t shared any official updates on it so it’s all TBD. According to Anika Noni Rose, a 2024 opening could be in the works, but Disney hasn’t confirmed that yet.
Disney’s refurbishment calendar doesn’t appear to show Splash Mountain as being scheduled to close for refurbishment at least through early/mid-August, 2022 (which is as far as we could see on the calendar as of the last update to this post), though they could also choose to keep the ride open while they begin work on the ride. Since the ride track likely won’t be altered at all, this is a possibility.
Even though we don’t know much about when the actual retheme will begin, there are a few factors to keep in mind.
Splash Mountain
Disney World is historically very crowded in the summer with guests traveling when kids are out of school and retreating to the “most magical place on earth.” Even as Disney continues to manage park capacity, we’ve seen the crowds and wait times increasing in the parks, so Disney may be hoping to keep the attraction open throughout the peak time of the year to help disperse crowds.
No FastPass+ here just yet!
Splash Mountain is also a pretty popular ride in Disney World, with lines typically hiking above 45 minutes daily, especially in the summer. So, with the warmest season to be in Florida here (AKA the blistering summer), Disney might want to keep this highly desirable WATER ride open a little longer to give guests a nice break from the heat.
It’s just not as much fun to get wet when it’s cold
Another aspect that could be impacting the timeline for this ride’s refurbishment is the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebrations. At the moment, Disney may be focusing on adding things to the party or maintaining things as the festivities continue rather than taking them away.
They may instead wait for the end of the celebrations to begin work. Though, this would mean that they wouldn’t begin until 2023. At that point, calling the retheming work “fast-tracked” would be kind of silly!
Magic Kingdom
Disney could also just be waiting until the TRON ride construction is done. Both rides are in Magic Kingdom, so Disney may simply want to ensure that they don’t have too much work going on in the park that is guest-facing so that it doesn’t impact their experience.
An official opening date for TRON has not yet been announced, but things do seem to be progressing there.
TRON Construction
All in all, it’s VERY in the dark just exactly what — if anything — is still planned for Splash Mountain’s retheme until Disney shares an official update. Again, a 2024 opening could be in the works according to Anika Noni Rose, but Disney has not yet confirmed that, though more news is set to come at the festival taking place later in 2022.
Disney has announced and then subsequently scrapped announced plans before, so that’s not out of the realm of possibility. At this time though there’s no reason to believe the retheme won’t happen. It’s just really tough pinning down when it could begin! So, we’ll just have to put on our patience hat and keep busy with all our speculation instead!
The Splash Mountain refurbishment likely won’t be complete (umm…or even started?) when you visit Disney World in 2022, but there are still a lot of exciting things to explore and experience in all four theme parks. Check out our video below with ALL the tips you’ll need for your vacation this year!
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As much as I love the ride in its current form, and my wife is really hoping it won’t retheme before our trip in 2022! I can’t help but think an update will be amazing. When you look at the effects and technology on Pandora Na’vi River Journey, I think a Princess and the Frog themed ride down the bayou could be visually amazing.
Disney need to start listening to their true fans who actually visit the parks and spend huge amounts of money on Disney vacations. Leave Splash Mountain as it is. It is consistently voted as one of, if not the, most popular ride in Disney and this is because of the current theming. Give Tiana her own ride or restaurant not a refurbished hand me down
Disney has said outright the retheme will not begin until the 50th Anniversary Celebration is complete. Also this article seems to have forgotten that the retheme work was removed from the 2021 budget due to lack of funds. The design work hasn’t even started and won’t until 2022, if it not pushed back again. Also those two permits were for maintenance and roof repairs, nothing to do with the retheme at all. That’s public knowledge.
Thanks for the input, Rick. I’ll share it with the writer and editor.
Disney is more interested in being PC than listening to their true fan base just like David A said. There’s an old expression. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Here’s a novel concept, Disney, keep what people like and create new rides with characters you want to promote!!
How is turning this into Princess and the Frog making the parks more “inclusive”? Splash Mountain is all about humorous animal characters that everyone can enjoy. There are no human characters whatsoever on the ride. Now they want to turn it into a ride that celebrates black cartoon characters. I don’t feel included, I feel left out.
Splash Mountain is one of my favorite rides. I like the uplifting music especially, Zip A Dee Do Dah. I was a child when I seen Song of the South. What a remember is the kind black gentleman in the picture singing the song. Whenever I was sad as a child I would sing that song to brighten my day. I decided to research the origins of Uncle Remus and found out he was actually a folk hero . He was a fictional character that told stories about Br’er Rabbit and his nemis’ Br’er Bear and Br’ er Fox .They were fables like stories based on verbal stories told by slaves . These stories were stories handed down by their African ancestors . These stories did have some adaptions due to the local critters and the local environment of the south. Some of the stories became extremely popular because they were printed in a newspaper. The story about the journalist who gathered these stories from the slaves is another story all together . He went on to write numerous books about the escapades of Br’er Rabbit. Many stories were not suitable for children and quite graphic. But in short Uncle Remus was a fictional character and hero because his stories of Br’er Rabbit ( the slaves ) and how he always outwitted and made fools his nemis . In the stories these fables were told to the plantation owner’s son . When that child grew up he sent his son to Uncle Remus to listen to the fables. Maybe that is why I don’t see the reason to change the attraction.
That was a very long article to say “We don’t know!”.
I really hope this refurb is done by October of 2022! We love Splash Mountain in its original form (at Disneyland) but we are so EXCITED to see a Princess and the Frog ride! This is our first time going and what better way to start our trip than with a new ride!
Leave Splash Mountainalone, as it is. It is one of, if not the, most popular ride in Disney Worldand this is because of the current theming. Disney made a Theme park free of political influences, His ideas should be honored.
I’m always sad that each time I visit could be my last time to ride splash mountain. My 3 year old wasn’t tall enough on our last disney trip, although he probably wouldn’t remember… I’m pretty nostalgic about him getting a chance to experience it like my other children got to. Always a family favorite must do.
Disneyland already has a ride down the bayou at the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean. It even has frog sounds and a restaurant. Just stick a princess animatronic in there waving to the guests and change the restaurant name from Blue Bayou to Tiana’s Place. Problem solved and Splash Mountain is left alone.
The retheming is just a knee jerk reaction from Disney to be politically correct. There is nothing offensive about this ride whatsoever. It’s actually a very popular ride. If it wasn’t, why is there always a very long wait time for it. I truly believe that the people complaining about it, don’t even go to Disney, they are just pushing an agenda. Disney should start listening to the people who actually go to the parks, and enjoy the rides, rather then the radical few. Just my opinion…
this post said it all and is spot on….. The retheming is just a knee jerk reaction from Disney to be politically correct. There is nothing offensive about this ride whatsoever. It’s actually a very popular ride. If it wasn’t, why is there always a very long wait time for it. I truly believe that the people complaining about it, don’t even go to Disney, they are just pushing an agenda. Disney should start listening to the people who actually go to the parks, and enjoy the rides, rather then the radical few. Just my opinion…
disney needs to get their head out of their…….chapek is ruining these parks.
Leave Splash Mt as it is. Then build the Princess & Frog ride too . That way we can enjoy both!
I simply cannot comprehend a Disney World or Disneyland resort where I never hear the song, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. It’s one of the most iconic Disney songs ever! Are they just going to relegate it to Main Street “elevator” music? No. Keep the ride as is. Create something new and special for Princess Tiana.
They’ve already removed “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah from the background music at all their parks.
We were at the MK yesterday, maybe for the last time ridding Splash Mountain.
Everyone I spoke with including cast members feel they should change Disneyland’s Splash mountain to Princess and the Frog. It makes since isn’t in New Orleans square.
But at WDW MK should stay as is. It’s still on of the most popular rides. Getting rid of it, would be like changing out Peter Pan, which yesterday was at a wait time of 80 minutes all day.