Disney previously announced that Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World would be rethemed to be a The Princess and the Frog-themed ride, and now we’ve got some BIG updates on this reimagined attraction.
Princess and the Frog attraction Concept Art ©Disney
We’ve already seen some concept art, and heard a bit about the characters coming to the rethemed ride, and we got a potential opening date from the voice behind Tiana. Disney also shared that more details about the retheme would be released during ESSENCE Fest, a special festival taking place in New Orleans. We were able to attend ESSENCE Fest and now we’ve got some huge news to share!
During the ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2022, Disney revealed that the NEW name for the reimagined Splash Mountain attraction (once it has been fully rethemed to be themed to The Princess and the Frog) will be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
They also showed some concept art for the design of that name. Looks like it features lots of greens and yellows from the bayou, along with a flower in the center of the “o.”
The New Name!!
But wait…there’s MORE! Disney has also revealed that the rethemed ride is expected to open in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in late 2024!
©Disney
We had previously heard this year mentioned as a possible opening year for the ride but now it’s more official. Of course, keep in mind that construction deadlines and opening dates can change.
Exciting News!
Looking for more details on this ride retheme in general? We’ve got them for you! Here’s what we know so far. Disney will be transforming the Splash Mountain attraction from a journey through the briar patch to an adventure with characters from Disney’s Princess and the Frog.
The ride will pick up right after Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen’s final kiss from the movie. It will then follow Tiana and Louis as they get ready for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.
©Disney
The ride will feature some original music inspired by songs from the movie, a bit of a different look for Tiana, and even some new characters along the way. Also, Disney has also shared that the voice behind Mama Odie will be featured in the rethemed ride! In terms of Tiana’s look, we’re expecting to get more details on that soon.
So far, Disney has said, “Tiana is leading the way and fans will be able to encounter old friends and make new ones along the way as well!” You’ll notice that Tiana is wearing pants, which is “connecting who Tiana was in the movie to who she will be in the future.”
©Disney
UPDATE: Disney has shared a bit more about Tiana’s new look! Costume designer Ida Muldrow from Disney Live Entertainment along with other members of the team talked about their approach to designing Tiana’s new look. Since the story takes place in the 1920s, they looked at the trends of the time. They wanted to make sure her look was historically accurate, while still being authentic to her character.
©Disney
Muldrow shared, “Tiana was equally at home in the bayou as she was at a banquet…We wanted her look to reflect that, and be a compliment to the story’s setting.”
They also worked on developing a unique hairstyle for Tiana. According to Disney, “the team placed emphasis on the versatility of Black women’s hair and its significance to our identity across geographies and generations.”
©Disney
Thus far, Disney has not specified when the existing Splash Mountain rides will be closed to allow for this transformation to take place. But we do expect to get some more information during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture (which is taking place through July 3rd in New Orleans) and at D23 Expo this year.
We’ll be sharing more details about what gets revealed at ESSENCE Fest about this attraction retheme, so stay tuned for more updates on that.
©Disney
You can watch the video below to learn more about the research Imagineering has been doing in New Orleans to prepare for this attraction retheme!
Looking for more BIG Disney news about upcoming attractions or ride changes? Click here to learn about the NEW narration that has made its way over to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover in Disney World, and you can click here to see the new nighttime lighting of the TRON coaster that is blowing our minds!
Cinderella Castle from the PeopleMover!
And check back with us for all the latest Disney news!
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What do you think of the new ride name? Tell us in the comments!
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Why is Disney not listening to fans? The petition to save it has 5 times as many signatures as the one that caused this nightmare. No one wants this. Leave Splash Mountain alone.
I think the re-theming looks really cool! Of course, my brain will probably keep making me call it “Splash Mountain” for a few years out of habit…
This is so unnecessary. The whole theme doesn’t work in Frontier land. It would be better to remake Tom Sawyer Island into a bayou themed area.
Splash Mountain is no more racist than Dumbo. The characters are just animals. Nobody under 50 has seen the movie. It’s just fun music and animals.
I don’t see the need to rename it. The re-theming is fine, but the name is weak. Feels like they spent about five minutes coming up with that one. The name Splash Mountain didn’t have any connection to Song of the South. A new name impacts people talking about the three mountains of the Magic Kingdom…Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain.
Why can’t they keep the name Splash Mountain? It’s still a mountain and there’s still a splash. There’s no reason to change that. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure could be a subtitle. The phrase Splash Mountain isn’t racist. Why get rid of an iconic name?
They can retheme it, and put up all the signs they want, but most will still call it “Splash Mountain”!
BTW I really like Tiana’s hair!
I’m from Louisiana and I think Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is going to be awesome !!!! I’m very excited for it to be up and running in 2024
Per usual, Disney does NOT listen to it’s customer base!!! Just another chink in the armor. Money talks so hopefully they will learn but I won’t hold my breath. My response to their hype on the debacle is, “Whatever!!”
Stop Changing the origionss as l rides!!!!$
Chalk this one I- to Bob Iger. Another iconic attraction bits the dust. The imagineers are really turning out sub-par Disney properties. Every reimagines attraction has not set the bar, or for that matter even met the bar it. Is replacing. I see nothing different t here.
Um . . . there are no mountains in Louisiana. This has got to be the dumbest thing Disney has done since they destroyed the entire Journey into Imagination pavilion. Can’t believe they are doing this.
I’m sad to see Splash go but it’s quite obvious what customers want or like isn’t a priority. So, change it to whatever you want – we’ll still refer to it as Splash. I do like the idea of having a Princess and the Frog attraction, but a “Tiana’s” restaurant would have made more sense.
This is a great change. All people need to be able to see themselves in modern day media and I believe having a ride with a strong, empowered, black woman as the main character will be beneficial to kids and adults alike. Things change and people need to be able to accept that. I’m sure it’ll be really fun still.
I don’t mind the remake, but I actually like a few of these suggestions. Retheming Tom’s island makes much more sense. They could also retheme the ride but keep the name. Oh well. I’m sure everyone will still ride it!
So upsetting they are getting rid of Splash mountain. It’s such a great ride. Should have given Tiana something new of her own. So stupid.
Disney will do whatever it takes to make “everyone” happy. A small percentage of the complainers got their way. That is amazing, but not surprising. They don’t want to loose anyone’s $$$, so they do what will keep
them out of a dispute. These same complainers will always be ” on the lookout” to get changed what they
don’t like. For example: Pirates of the Carribean.