Mark your calendars folks, Splash Mountain will be closing SOON in Disney World!
Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain is set to be completely reimagined as a Princess and the Frog attraction. We’ve already seen some concept art of what some scenes in the new ride will look like, and learned about some of the characters coming to the ride. But if you’ve been wondering just when Splash Mountain will close to be transformed, we’ve FINALLY got an answer!
Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World) will be CLOSING on January 23rd, 2023. To be clear, the ride’s last operating day will be January 22nd, it will then be CLOSED starting January 23rd. The ride will be unavailable for a while as it gets its new theme. The ride is set to reopen as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in late 2024. No exact reopening date has been announced yet.
Model of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the 2022 D23 Expo
Keep in mind that Splash Mountain in Disneyland will also be closing at some point in the future and will be transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and will reopen in late 2024. Disney has not, however, announced when Splash Mountain will be closing in Disneyland for this transformation. An update is set to be shared later.
©Disney
Those who LOVED the cast of the Princess and the Frog movie will be thrilled to know that many members of the original cast will be returning to voice their characters for this attraction. Specifically, Bruno Campos will return as Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley will once again voice Louis, Jenifer Lewis will be back as Mama Odie, and Anika Noni Rose will be voicing Princess Tiana again.
They’re Coming Back!
In Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, we’ll be taken back to the year 1927, where Tiana is hosting a party for the people of New Orleans. But she’s missing a very special ingredient and she needs our help to find it.
The backstory of #TianasBayouAdventure coming soon! 🐸#D23Expo2022 pic.twitter.com/h9pDVDVGnN
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 11, 2022
Tiana!
Here’s a peek at what the ride will look like in the dark…
WOW!
…and a look at the mist element coming to the ride.
A new mist element coming to #TianasBayouAdventure 😶🌫️🐸💦 #D23Expo2022 pic.twitter.com/hJvOVtlBGA
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 11, 2022
THE BIG DROP — Attraction Model
From the plants to other details, we’ve got a FULL breakdown of the model and special elements the ride could include here.
Louis? Is that you?
For more details on the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride, check out our posts below:
- Take a look at the clue we found that construction would begin soon
- See our page full of details about the ride
- Learn about the new friends coming to the ride
- Get full details about Tiana’s new look
- Get an INSIDE look at the ride
- Check out some of the art inspiring the ride
- Get another look at the colorful concept art for the ride
We’ll be on the lookout for more updates! Stay tuned for all the latest Disney news.
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Will you be visiting Splash Mountain before it closes? Let us know in the comments!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. We were invited by Disney to attend their media event regarding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
I see how the theming fits in Disneyland. It is right next to New Orleans Square. But this theme does not fit in Magic Kingdom with the attraction being in Frontierland. Not understanding why they could not come up with some sort of western theme for MK.
When the Enchanted Tiki Room was re-imagined “under new management,” it bombed and was restored. I predict the same future for Splash Mountain.
We’re not interested in this ride. The theming is contrived and doesn’t fit in WDW. The movie was cute, but not great. We will get our water ride fix at Universal and SeaWorld.
I know traditionally the refurb happens in January, but when you have announced the end of a 50th anniversary celebration for March why would you choose to permanently close an icon of the park two months before that date. Seems like poor business sense for Josh D’Amaro.
I hope that while Splash Mountain is shut down for the theme change, they also use this opportunity to replace track/gears/wheels/etc. as the ride itself has been breaking down.
@Thomas Welch, I doubt it. Not after the huge amount of time and money it’s going to take to transform this ride. It’s not just adding a few new animatronics and a new sign outside. It will be here to stay.
Sorry, @Thomas Welsh, I doubt it. Not after the huge amount of time and money it’s going to take to transform this ride. It’s not just adding a few new animatronics and a new sign outside. It will be here to stay.
very sad
Just rode Splash Mountain today for the last time. Hard to imagine all those people I saw standing on line today being absorbed by other rides or attractions when Splash was so popular. To be replaced by ugly walls?
Got to ride it one last time, last week with the family. Been riding it since I was a kid, and our kids grew up riding it. The ride was wonderful as usual but also filled with a bit of sadness knowing it would be our last time.
So sad.
Agree with Traci…great Theming for Disneyland…maybe Pocahontas for DisneyWorld(I keep thinking of the “Just Around the Riverbend” song for it).
I took a gamble booking my trip early January knowing it will be my last chance to go on my favourite ride, I’m so glad I get to go on splash mountain one last time and super excited about the re theme, it is needed as it is so dated, just don’t know how it will fit in the park.
Tim’s Pocahontas theme is an excellent idea. Fits right in at Frontierland. It may be too late, but this idea should be considered. “Sometimes the right path is not always the easiest.”
I loved Splash Mountain, but I am excited about this change. When I rode this for the last time in November, I enjoyed the Song of the South theme as I have plush from the movie, but personally I think Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be a lot better. I watched this movie, and loved it. I never watched the Song of the South movie. This new ride will not be racist, and will stay have that iconic 50 foot drop at the end, as well as the other drops earlier in the ride. Nothing to be upset about