Alright, who else is excited for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to open?

The Princess and the Frog-themed ride is currently under construction in Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. So far, we’ve gotten a pretty vague opening timeline (sometime in 2024), but some great sneak peeks as to what we can expect. Now, though, we’ve gotten one heck of a sneak peek, filled to the brim with details, and we’re so excited to share it.

First, let’s get into some backstory! Disney has shared that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will pick up where Princess and the Frog leaves off. They stated that the ride will will pick up “after the final kiss, and [riders can] join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.” 

To be more specific, the ride takes place when Tiana is living out her dream of having her very own restaurant! Yep, Tiana’s Palace! Tiana is hosting the Mardi Gras celebration, and she realizes that one important ingredient is missing. So, WE (as riders) get to tag along with Tiana on her journey throughout the bayou. Together, we’ll get everything she needs to make Mardi Gras a success at her new restaurant.

We were anxious to learn more details on how Disney plans to make this story come to life, especially since we don’t have a second movie to help us paint a clear picture. Now, though, we have some of the details pertaining to how Disney plans to do just that!

NOLA.com was able to chat with Disney Imagineer Ted Robledo. They even got to go on a tour of the attraction, which makes us incredibly jealous, but that’s beside the point. They reported that several Tiana audio-animatronics will be used throughout the ride! Disney uses these animatronics to convey stories to viewers in a more life-like, immersive way. It’ll be like Tiana is actually talking to us and taking us along on this journey.

We know what you’re thinking. You’re picturing those terrifying animatronics of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff in Frozen Ever After in EPCOT. Have no fear, my friends. The advanced animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are ✨ STATE OF THE ART✨ , and are said to be like the ones used in Frozen Ever After in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Yep! The good animatronics! Just to show you the difference, the animatronics used in EPCOT’s version of Frozen Ever After have projected faces on a moving body. It doesn’t look as realistic, and a lot of folks find it a bit creepy.

That’s not all, though. There will also be an animatronic for Louis, the jazz-playin’ alligator that we all love. (If you don’t love him, we have questions. First one: Why?) We heard about this a while ago, but we thought he deserved some extra hype. Not only will we see Louis, but we’ll also see more animatronics that will represent what Robledo called “the critters.” There will be some swamp animals to make up a band!

Right now, it’s reported that cutouts are being used throughout the ride as placeholders for the animatronics. This is so the construction inside the ride can be based off of the positioning of the character, even before the animatronic has arrived. (Storytelling! Art! Imagineering!)

The news on the animatronics isn’t the only exciting detail we got, though.

Robledo shared that another thing the Imagineers are focusing on is the use of a New Orleans soundscape, which will make visitors feel like they’re actually there. Just outside the barn area in the queue, there will be PA speakers (Grease style, in the words of Robledo). These will play “reimagined New Orleans classics performed by an assortment of local musicians gathered by multiple Grammy winner Terence Blanchard.” Plus, as we previously learned, there’ll be the sweet smell of beignets drifting through the air to just add to the effects.

Speaking of New Orleans, Robledo touches on the importance of adding art and culture from the city to make the ride come to life. He said, “The city as a place is as important as a character. The story reacts to the place. We’re starting to hint at that in the queue, to try to craft that love letter to New Orleans in every way possible.”

Robledo shared that up until you enter the main part of the ride itself (aboard your flume), it’ll largely resemble Splash Mountain. The queue and loading area are very similar to Splash as far as the path goes. The track is also the same. You’ll board the same log flumes that appeared in Splash Mountain, too! This isn’t where the nods end, though. The interior architecture of Splash Mountain — like the rocks and the boulders — still remain. Robledo told NOLA that more additions have been and would continue to be added to reference Splash Mountain, including a pair of stone arches spanning the flume.

Don’t worry, though. It seems that the new theming will still be there in all its glory! Robledo assures us that Tiana’s story begins as soon as you enter the courtyard at the start of the queue. It seems that the start of the story, where Tiana has her own restaurant, will be clearly portrayed. There are currently cranes bringing in pallets of crates that say “Tiana’s Foods.” Oh, and one of the biggest additions that has been made to the queue itself is the addition of the giant yellow mural on the barn. Robledo said the barn will house the main offices for Tiana’s Foods. Is that a clue for what we’ll see once we’re INSIDE that part of the queue? 👀

Let’s move on to the even better part… the ride itself! After a “brief outdoor float marked by a few not-so-intense drops,” riders will be on their merry way to New Orleans! And yes. The BIG drop will still be there. You’ll still plummet five stories and get absolutely soaked along the way! (Well, unless you’re super talented at ducking.) Now, you might be wondering, “Why the heck is there a mountain in Louisiana?” Well, the Tiana’s Foods complex has a large salt dome. That’s what the “mountain” is!

Once you’re off on your flume is when the nitty gritty part of the story begins, though. Robledo shared that every single bit of Splash Mountain’s faux vegetation had been replaced with foliage native to Louisiana. From cypress trees to Spanish moss, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will make you feel totally immersed in the bayou. This is where you’ll see the Tiana animatronics, as well as Louis and the critter band. From Robledo’s comments, it seems that an animatronic will be there around nearly every bend — guiding you along in the story.

We HAVE to talk more about this big drop, though. After all, that’s the best part of the ride, yes? Well, Robledo shared that the tree trunk that once sat atop Splash Mountain had to be removed. This was supposedly to allow for more real estate to “fit the added show magic.” He says the rest is a surprise, which just makes us SUPER excited. Like, we just KNOW it’s gonna be good.

We have a feeling it’s gonna be quite the celebration, too. We saw some lanterns being hung at the peak of the drop in early January. Looks like a party to us! It seems like the internal work is almost there!

“I’ll just say it’s got a lot to do with magic. It’s a magical moment that happens down there,” Robledo said about the part after the drop. He wouldn’t give any other details. 👀

Wow! We can’t wait to see these exciting details in person, and we can’t wait for this ride to be completed. We think it’s gonna be amazing. We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along so that you never miss a thing. 

Looking for more on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Click here! 

What do you think of this animatronic news? Let us know in the comments!