Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – All Details on New Princess & the Frog Ride
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is the retheme of the prior Splash Mountain attraction. This attraction is being rethemed at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World with opening dates for both parks in 2024.
This entirely brand new reimagining of the attraction is themed after The Princess and the Frog characters and film. Imagineers along with experts in New Orleans culture have been working hard to create a new version of Splash Mountain to celebrate Tiana. This retheme has been done with extreme care, dedication, and detail by Disney Imagineers on an impressive scale.
Keep reading for all the details on Tiana's Bayou Adventure including storyline, brand new audio-animatronics, music, and opening date info.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Attraction Poster
Walt Disney World has released the attraction poster that will be featured in Walt Disney World. Tiana is wearing her adventure outfit (more on this below!) that will debut for the new ride. The poster features all the new critter animatronics that were previously announced along with Mama Odie and Louis!
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a new version of the Splash Mountain attraction that previously existed at both resorts. The hardware from that attraction remains – the logs, thrilling drops, and spaces throughout the ride. When the new Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction reopens it should deliver the same fun and feeling of adventure of the previous Splash Mountain attraction.
The new attraction will feature a story that picks up where Princess and the Frog ends. It will follow Tiana through the bayou as she locates a necessary ingredient for her big Mardi Gras celebration.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure NEW Stores at Disney World
Walt Disney World has announced the two names of the retail stores coming to Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Critter Co-Cop and Tiana's Bayou General will be located adjacent to the attraction.
Both of these locations will open with Tiana's Bayou Adventure which currently has no opening date at Walt Disney World except for “summer 2024.”
I anticipate as construction finishes up we're going to get an opening date any day now!
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Construction Progress
There has been great progress made on the exterior of Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom, with much of the previous scaffolding removed. There is now a much clearer view of the greenery around the outside of the attraction, as you can see well in the photo below.
Below is a closer look at some of the greenery and floral details you can see on the outside of the ride that look quite beautiful.
As the ride is currently in the process of being tested, you can see this sign below near the waterway.
Here is another angle that gives us a look at the exterior of the attraction:
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Opening Date
Disneyland and Walt Disney World will both have different opening dates since construction on this rides began at different times. Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain attraction closed to begin this retheme at the end of January 2023 while Disneyland's closed on May 30th, 2023. You can see more details on the closing for the Splash Mountain retheme.
Walt Disney World Opening Date
As for Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World has confirmed that the attraction will open this summer at Walt Disney World. See that opening date information here.
Disneyland Opening Date
In the recent calendar of events released by Disneyland for the 2024 year on December 4th 2023, Disneyland has resumed describing an opening date for Tiana's Bayou Adventure taking place in “late 2024” so it appears that this timeline of the latter half of 2024 is the most realistic opening date we can plan for at Disneyland. We discuss here the likely Splash Mountain reopening date to be turned into Tiana's Bayou Adventure for Disneyland.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a water ride and getting it open earlier in the year closer to the summer season will be far better than letting it slip later into the year as the months do get colder. Though that didn't stop them from opening Journey of Water: Inspired By Moana in October. Regardless, I hope we see this opening date of “late 2024” be closer to fall than winter. You can read our full analysis of when Splash Mountain will reopen as Tiana's Bayou Adventure here.
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Tiana's Bayou Adventure Storyline
The storyline for Tiana's Bayou Adventure is an original story for Tiana that begins after the ending of the Princess and the Frog film. This story tells the tale of Tiana's success after opening her own restaurant and the adventures she had after.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure tells a positive story of empowerment as it brings to life Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. Her story brings characters together with her brand Tiana's Foods as it becomes a treasured place to spend time and celebrate diversity. Tiana spends time with the community teaching gardening, cooking and inspires women to run successful businesses.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Ride Queue
The story will begin in the queue for the attraction as it will focus on Tiana's growing business, Tiana's Foods, an employee-owned co-op. Tiana's culinary talents are combined with her love for community as she works to transform an aging salt mine into her own food brand. This part of Tiana's story shows the stage of this adventure as she purchases the salt mine and area around it with the help of her mother Eduora, Naveen, Louis and other co-0p owners. They work together with Tiana to transform the old salt mine and the land by growing vegetables, herbs, and spices.
The aging salt mine also features a boutique farm and teaching kitchen where Tiana's Foods works to create new products with her community including a new line of original hot sauces.
But the most exciting part of this ride queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure? There will be beignet scent pumped throughout the attraction queue!
Terrence Blanchard Creating Score for the Queue
Terrence Blanchard, who previously played all the trumpet parts for Louis the Alligator in The Princess and the Frog, is arranging a brand new score for the queue. Terence, a seven-time Grammy award winner and two-time Academy Award nominee, is working with Disney Imagineering to select and arrange songs from The Princess and the Frog film and classic New Orleans songs for inclusion in the ride queue. The songs will be played in a radio program in the style of the 1920s.
He is also a notable collaborator with Spike Lee and worked on one of my favorite films, Inside Man. Blanchard is also the first African American to have a work premiered at the Met in its 138-year history.
Princess and the Frog Attraction Storyline
Tiana will invite guests to meet her at Tiana's Foods to help find the “miss ingredient” for their Mardi Gras party! Tiana wants to thank her family, friends and community for all their support by throwing a party during Mardi Gras season. But of course, not everything goes to plan and there is one missing ingredient to search for, which is where the guests come in.
When guests arrive in the beignet scented queue, they will see decorations of art from local artists, food being prepared and of course, beignets being loaded into carts for the celebration. (Hence, that beignet smell!) Guests will see all these preparations as they go through the queue to begin their journey into the bayou.
The concept art above shows what guests will see when they first enter the interior of the attraction after that first drop into the ride. This concept art is beautiful and depicts Tiana in her new outfit created just for this new attraction. Disney described the impact of the Zydeco music in this scene as “a special blend of rhythm and blues that was born in Louisiana, and when you hear it, you’ll feel like you’ve truly stepped into Tiana’s world.”
The main conflict of the ride is that guests are helping Tiana find this missing ingredient they need for the Mardi Gras celebration. Turns out this missing ingredient is music which is essential for any Mardi Gras celebration! Guests will encounter a band of brand new Disney characters created just for Tiana's Bayou Adventure as they join Princess Tiana and Louis on a hunt for music for their Mardi Gras celebration.
Princess and the Frog Songs Featured in the Attraction
The music in the attraction will incorporate various music styles and instrumentation connected to New Orleans. This just further adds to the details Disney previously shared about Zydeco music being a part of this new attraction. Zydeco music is a blend of rhythm and blues that originated in Louisiana.
Guests will encounter a band of critters playing a rendition of “Gonna Take You There” from the “Princess and the Frog” film. This Zydeco musical take on this classic song features the fiddle, accordion, washboard, and other instrument voices that guests will enjoy as they float down the river under “dancing fireflies.”
This familiar song is played on makeshift instruments constructed from natural materials and some human-made found objects.
PJ Morton Creating New Original Song
Grammy Award-winning musician and New Orleans native, PJ Morton, is writing and producing an all-original song for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Morton is a Disney fan with early memories of enjoying the music of Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid with his siblings. He shared how much it means to be working on the attraction.
Morton has an incredible set of achievements that should have us all thrilled about the new song. He's earned nineteen career GRAMMY Award nominations and four consecutive years of wins – Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2019, Best R&B Song in 2020, Best Gospel Album in 2021 and Album Of The Year in 2022 (for his contributions to Jon Batiste's We Are).
NEW Audio-Animatronics for Tiana's Bayou Adventure
There is a huge lineup of brand new audio-animatronics coming to Tiana's Bayou Adventure which include more than 17 new characters along with a Louis audio-animatronic and multiple Princess Tiana audio-animatronics.
We do not have confirmation if any of the Splash Mountain Audio-Animatronics are sticking around but some of these older Audio-Animatronics may be past their prime as many were also reused from previous Disney attractions to begin with! Disney has confirmed that these are all “brand new” audio-animatronics created for this attraction with unique new characters with their own personalities and stories.
Disney revealed that Ralphie would join the attraction and would seen playing the drums.
We will also see familiar faces from the film including Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, Mama Odie, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia, and Prince Ralphie.
Disney has confirmed that the voice talents of Jennifer Lewis as Mama Odie, Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley as Louis, and Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana will all be reprising their roles for this attraction.
Princess Tiana Audio-Animatronic
Princess Tiana will be in a brand new outfit for the attraction and you can see the full reveal of this new Princess Tiana audio-animatronic in the TikTok video below that Disney Parks Blog shared.
@disneyparks FIRST LOOK 👀 at one of the new Audio-Animatronics figures coming to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ✨💚 #Disney #DisneyParks #DisneyWorld #Tiana #TianasBayouAdventure #DisneyNews #MardiGras #Technology ♬ original sound – Disney Parks
This is an impressive audio-animatronic and you can see the effort that Imagineers have put into the attraction retheme.
The detail on Tiana is extremely well done here especially when you look closely at her new outfit for the attraction. Below are earlier images released on Tiana's new outfit for the attraction and they did a great job capturing these details.
Guests will still be able to meet Princess Tiana in her royal gown in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It is not clear yet if guests will ever be able to meet Tiana in these adventure clothes.
Tiana will have multiple looks on the attraction beyond just the adventure wear we have seen previewed for the attraction. Ted Robledo, the Executive Creative Director on the project, shared “We are going to see other outfits inside the attraction” in addition to Tiana's adventure wear. During our visit to New Orleans, Disney welcomed Princess Tiana wearing both her princess dress and flapper dress. I think this is another good clue that this look will definitely continue to be seen in the parks and likely also in the attraction. Perhaps this also means there will be a princess dress reveal in the finale scene on the existing Splash Mountain riverboat in the middle of a Mardi Gras celebration.
We will also see multiple versions of Black women’s hair represented in the attraction. Costuming specialists that usually handle the upkeep of the Audio-Animatronics at Walt Disney World had already created a presentation on black hair that made it onto the desk of the Imagineers working on the project. The Imagineers working on Tiana's Bayou Adventure were very impressed and brought those Cast Members in to consult on the project.
Mama Odie Audio-Animatronic
The details for the new Mama Odie audio-animatronic seems as it will be a great example of the talent of Disney Imagineering like we've seen with the Hondo Ohnaka for the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run attraction and the Na'av shaman animatronic seen in Walt Disney World's Pandora.
Princess and the Frog's fabulously eccentric fairy godmother will be a focal point of the ride as she will show off her magic and joke with guests during their adventure. The appearance of Mama Odie has been inspired by the work of Sharika Mahdi, a YAYA Arts Center alumna. Her local New Orleans artwork has been an inspiration for Disney Imagineers. The image above is a part of a four series commission to depict “our wise and whimsical keeper of the bayou,” which be the inspiration for Mama Odie in Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Critter Audio-Animatronic Characters
Below you can find the full character bios and images of the new audio-animatronic musical critters coming to Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Byhalia the Beaver – Byhalia doesn’t just build dams; she helps build musical instruments using natural materials from the bayou. As a strong-willed percussionist, it’s safe to say Byhalia is the heartbeat of the band, as well as a natural designer and engineer.
Rufus the Turtle – Rufus may be a turtle, but he’s quick to jump into rhythm with his harmonica. He’s also the first to join in on new adventures! He’s genuine and sincere but may come across as a little sarcastic at times with his habitual sighing. Rufus loves going on adventures with Apollo.
Apollo the Raccoon – Apollo loves transforming abandoned objects into works of musical art – like his squeezebox. He’s full of energy and storytelling, especially about the objects he finds in the bayou. He’s particularly close with Rufus and appreciates Rufus’ calm demeanor.
Gritty the Rabbit – Always willing to dig a little deeper to help others, Gritty plays the washboard (a found automobile license plate) with a high-energy flair. It’s the perfect instrument for someone who’s often overzealous and digs to relieve her nerves.
Timoléon the Otter – He’s the eldest of the band, but Timoléon’s fiddle-playing is inspired by all the ‘kids’ he spends his time around while in the bayou. When he’s not sawing out a jig, he’s famous for telling stories of days long ago about his explorations of every corner of the bayou.
Beau the Opossum – Seeing limitless possibilities, no one finds more wonder in the bayou and the sounds of zydeco music than Beau. All she knows is beauty, especially her own. You can find her plucking out the low notes with her upright gourd bass, which of course, involves some musical dexterity with her tail.
Here is a look at the the critters who “bring the jazzy sounds and complex rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to life” inside the new attraction.
Felipe the Frog – Deep among the cypress trees, you’ll hear band leader Felipe making musical magic on the piano! Felipe is also the proprietor of an exclusive bayou night club, where the local fireflies love to dance the night away to a musical recipe of hot rhythms and spicy melodies. He’s an old-school family guy, especially to his “family” in the band.
Mayra the Frog – Have you ever seen a frog play a flower blossom like a trumpet? You will when you meet Mayra; be sure to stick around for one of her toe-tapping solos. Mayra’s the most ambitious of the four frogs and has been practicing her instrument since she was just a tadpole!
Mondo the Frog – Mondo is a natural on the conga drums, which he made as a happy accident when his favorite bottle cap got stuck on his second-favorite acorn. From there, the rhythm in Mondo’s soul took over! He’s very copacetic and accepts what comes, a trait as steady and reliable as his drumbeat.
Isabel the Green Tree Frog – Learning from Mondo’s example, Isabel loves getting lost in the music playing her congas. She’s the youngest member of the group, and there’s nothing she loves more than “going with the flow” and getting to play drums all night long!
You can see these new characters in the attraction below:
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Characters
Aside from audio-animatronics, there is going to be a full lineup of other characters integrated in the attraction that are integrated with the use of brand new animation to lighting techniques!
Tiana's Bayou Adventure will feature new animation from Disney Animation Studios that will include some character animation and magical scenic enhancement animation. This may be along the same lines of how we see the scene technology blend nicely with the physical sets in the popular attraction Alice in Wonderland or the recently completed Snow White's Enchanted Wish attraction.
Another of these character moments is the unique method of using the fireflies to lead guests through the ride. Disney is using a unique integration of lighting techniques that will bring flattering fireflies to life as they light the path for guests in the attraction.
We do have confirmation that we will NOT see the original movie villain, Dr. Facilier, in the attraction. This is the only thing that is even slightly disappointing to me but he doesn't really fit with the storyline of the ride so it does make sense.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Exterior Design
The exterior redesign of Splash Mountain into Tiana's Bayou Adventure features a brand new “Tiana's Foods” water tower, colorful mural, weathervanes, and the redesign of the colors in the queue.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Water Tower
See a closer look below at the tiara-topped water tower below that will be the centerpiece of the attraction at both theme parks.
The water tower reads “Employee Owned Tiana's Foods, Est. 1927.”
You can also see the two stars at the top of the tiara representing Ray and Evangeline! Ray, the firey firefly, ends the movie as a star glimmering next to his Evangeline, the name he gives to the wishing star he falls in love with.
On the back of the tower, there is a quote in white lettering that reads, “Never, ever lose sight of what's really important,” a quote from Tiana's father in the movie.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Weathervane
The exterior design of Tiana's Bayou Adventure also includes a hand-built weathervane. The weathervane was designed and built in a traditional blacksmith's shop in New Orleans.
The weathervane was designed by Darryl Reeves, a metalworker 3rd generation master blacksmith and Vietnam Veteran. A release from Disney stated that “you can barely walk two blocks before seeing metalwork by Darryl”. He has worked for over 50 years at his craft designing pieces for the City of New Orleans and for destinations around the world.
Green Foliage Exterior on Tiana's Bayou Adventure
The exterior of the attraction showcases green foliage that sets the stage for the bayou. This exterior really appears transformed with this greenery.
This greenery has really changed the color scheme of the attraction and looks great next to the water tower!
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Mural
In the image above you can see one of the finished murals that was painted on the exterior of the Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction barn at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
Louisiana artist Malaika Favorite created this mural that will decorate the attraction queue with a vibrant look. Disney shared that as they thought about the artwork for the queue they worked on “maintaining the authenticity of Princess Tiana’s experience as a young Black woman striving to achieve her dream in the soulful backdrop of New Orleans”.
Malaika's art currently is shown at the Baton Rouge Gallery. Her artistic talents have been obvious since she was very young. She brings great artwork to the project that is just one of the many authentic pieces being added to the queue and attraction. The mural highlights Tiana’s professional journey and the creation of Tiana’s Foods. The mural reflects the elements of family, friends, food, music, art, and bringing folks together.
The mural is a nice addition for the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction which has the mural painted on the newly yellow barn entrance building for the queue. The barn is largely set off from the rest of Frontierland behind the train station so it shouldn't class too much and instead be a way to bring guests waiting in line further into the story.
For Disneyland, I am having trouble picturing where a mural like this could fit on the exterior of what is currently a very dark brown barn. Perhaps the artwork will be repurposed in some other way within the interior queue.
The vibrancy of the colors of the paintings on the barn line up with what I saw during my modern day trip to New Orleans with Disney. I am curious to see how these authentic murals fits in with the rest of the attractions in the area and the styles of Critter Country and Frontierland. Generally a pop of color in the parks is additive. Seeing anything hand-painted is a welcome addition.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Outside Queue Design
In the outside queue, the wooden fences that were in place for Splash Mountain were replaced with wrought iron purple and gold fences.
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Interior Sneak Peak of Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Walt Disney Imagineering revealed a new look at the interior of Tiana's Bayou Adventure in a prior ABC special. The images don't give away much but demonstrate that they are utilizing physical sets and lots of foliage for the interior.
The cabin design feels similar to the cabin at the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I generally take this as a good sign of what is to come for Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
We should get many more updates on the attraction as we get into 2024.You can see the full (short) video of the segment shared on our Instagram in the embedded post below.
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Tiana's Bayou Adventure Merchandise
Guests will have the opportunity to purchase some of the critters from the attraction like Beau, Apollo and Rufus. These critters will soon be available for purchase as huggable plushies.
This new merchandise will likely be available in the rethemed Tiana's Bayou Adventure merchandise shops in Critter Country at Disneyland along with merchandise shops near the attraction at Walt Disney World.
Disneyland Eudora’s Chic Boutique featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets
This Princess and the Frog themed shop at Disneyland in New Orleans Square features a variety of home goods, apparel, and more. The store is just a few steps down the street from the Blue Bayou restaurant.
The interior design of this store pays homage to the roots of New Orleans Square with its antique features and stained glass lamps overhead.
Disneyland Tiana's Palace Restaurant
The previous French Market has received a complete retheme transforming the New Orleans Square restaurant into a Princess and the Frog theme at Disneyland. The menu itself has also seen a makeover upping the quality of the food to be on par with table service restaurants.
Tiana's Palace is just another step towards further integration of the presence of Princess and the Frog in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. Read our full review of Tiana's Palace at Disneyland.
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I truly appreciate your consistent updates, pictures, and all things related to Disney. Being a passionate DisNerd, I feel like Disney runs in my blood and your email never fails to provide the exact dose of excitement that I need. Thank you so much!
Thank you for following along, Debi! I really appreciate it.
And there’ll be fireflies?