Disney World Offers First Look Inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure speeds towards completion in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and in Disneyland, entering the home stretch of the transformation. As the reimagining starts to wrap up, one lucky reporter has already gotten a sneak peek inside the attraction.
Mike Scott from NOLA.com was the first reporter to go inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure; you can read his full walk-through report at NOLA.com. Since this is the very first time Walt Disney World has pulled back the curtain on the inside of the attraction, we thought it’d be worth sharing key takeaways from the hardhat tour, led by Ted Robledo, Executive Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering.
The story begins in the Frontierland courtyard that formerly served as a queue area for the Magic Kingdom’s iconic Splash Mountain. The courtyard will also be an overflow line for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but will also set the stage for the ride to come. This begins with the previously-revealed mural designed by Baton Rouge-area artist Malaika Favorite on the side of the Splash Mountain barn.
The first floor of that barn will house the main offices for Tiana’s Foods, the production operation that the movie and ride’s titular character founded after the events of the 2009 film, according to the ride backstory. Last year, Imagineering shared new backstory for the queue of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The set-up to the ride will essentially explain the “next chapter” of the story for Tiana, set after The Princess and the Frog. Combining her talents with those of the local community, Tiana has transformed an aging salt mine and built a beloved brand.
Throughout the barn and queue, background music will play that broadcasts an old-timey radio show featuring reimagined New Orleans classics performed by an assortment of local musicians gathered by multiple Grammy winner Terence Blanchard. Expect something similar to Jungle Cruise or Tower of Terror in this regard; we’d anticipate a mixture of music, advertisements, and other fun gags to keep astute guests’ ears open while waiting in line.
As previously announced, the scent of beignets will waft through the air in the queue of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to further set the scene for the ride to come. There’s also been an intricate metal weather vane crafted by New Orleans master blacksmith Darryl Reeves installed on the ride’s exterior, and other efforts made at authenticity. As is now abundantly clear, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is Imagineering’s love letter to New Orleans.
Once guests pass through the queue area and arrive at the loading area, they’ll find that it largely resembles that of Splash Mountain. The key difference is the addition of cranes hoisting pallets of crates marked Tiana’s Foods, which is one of many indicators that the ride is actually a working food production outfit.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will use the same ride vehicles and system as its predecessor, which was a safe assumption given both the turnaround time and that no track work has been done. Accordingly, the ride layout is exactly the same as before–there’s a brief outdoor section, lifts, and the same bunny hill drops to pacing out the first couple acts of the attractions. Again, we pretty much knew all of this even though it wasn’t confirmed by Disney–making those types of changes would’ve resulted in the project taking another year or longer.
Another thing that the walk-through did reveal is that Splash Mountain’s vegetation has been stripped out and replaced with faux flora native to Louisiana. That includes cypress trees, marsh grasses, Spanish moss, and more.
While I will personally miss the iconic tree stump atop Chick-a-Pin Hill and think it was silly to remove that and convert this to a supposed salt dome to make a “mountain” fit in a New Orleans attraction, I love those cypress trees and the flora on the exterior of the dome. The exterior in Magic Kingdom looks really close to finished form, and I think it looks fantastic.
Inside the first Tiana’s Bayou Adventure show scenes, Robledo indicated that this is where the first of the critters would appear, referencing the new Audio Animatronics (AA) band made up of swamp animals. Rounding a bend, a large Louis the Alligator AA that has yet-to-be-installed comes into view.
Rounding another bend, a similar space for a future Tiana AA appears. Several Tiana Audio Animatronics will appear throughout the ride. Along the way, she will repeatedly address guests directly, seeking their help to find a yet-to-be-named missing element for a Mardi Gras celebration she’s planning. (What do you want to bet that the missing ingredient is love, our dreams, family, friendship or another abstract idea–rather than like tumeric or something?)
Much of the interior ride architecture, such as rockwork and other environments, have been retained from Splash Mountain, but there will also be additions. A pair of stone arches spanning the flume were among those spotted on Robledo’s tour.
During the walkthrough, Robledo hinted there might be a few subtle nods to the old Splash Mountain. This is actually somewhat of a surprise. I figured that Disney would want to distance itself as much as possible from that attraction given the whole reason for replacing it in the first place and wouldn’t officially acknowledge anything to do with Splash Mountain.
In actuality, I’d expect the reimagined ride to contain a ton of subtle and not-so-subtle nods to Splash Mountain, simply by virtue of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure recycling so much from its predecessor. (Does it technically count as a nod to America Sings if it’s not done on purpose, but rather is inherited from that attraction?)
Disney also revealed that the Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be the same high-tech versions used in Hong Kong Disneyland’s recently-opened World of Frozen. It’s good to have confirmation of this, but it’s not really a surprise. The new Elsa Audio Animatronics for Arendelle and Belle and Beast AAs in Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast are amazing. Those perfectly meld old and new technology to create something more true to the animated character models. Those have excellent fluidity and features, and will also age gracefully.
It’s probably fair to say that the projected faces on Frozen Ever After and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train haven’t aged well; those are an example of ambitions outpacing available technology, which was still in an awkward position. Given Imagineering’s output since 2019, our assumption is that the phase of projected face AAs is long over.
Imagineering has made tremendous strides with Audio Animatronics of animated characters in the last several years, and we’d expect the Belle or Elsa style for all new AAs going forward. (That does not mean that Walt Disney World is going to go back and replace the OG Frozen Ever After AAs. We do not expect that anytime soon.)
The tour ended just before Splash Mountain’s Laughin’ Place scene. According to Imagineering, what happens from that point on is a surprise. Pressed by the NOLA report for details, Robledo responded: “I’ll just say it’s got a lot to do with magic. It’s a magical moment that happens down there.”
Okay, commentary time. I’ll start by saying that I’m baffled by Disney’s strategy is for marketing Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. In past articles about the ride, we’ve bemoaned all of the no-news updates from Disney about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which have instead highlighted research trips Imagineers have been taking to New Orleans and a bunch of things irrelevant to the ‘meat’ of the ride itself.
It seems there is a laser focus on attention to detail and authenticity of the attraction. But this is not a World Showcase attraction–it’s in Magic Kingdom. Being a love letter to New Orleans is nice, but it’s not something that the average guest “needs” from a ride in Frontierland. It’s a weird way of trying to generate hype and enthusiasm. What family is going to look at these articles and say, “we can’t wait to book a trip to experience Walt Disney World’s newest ride–it looks so authentic!”
The focus should be on fun. The rest of it is window-dressing, better reserved for niche audiences. In fairness, NOLA.com is sorta that, so my complaint isn’t entirely apt here. I nevertheless think it’s odd that we know so little about the substance of the attraction, but have heard the origin story of a weather vane.
Even after this walk-through, we still don’t know much. Confirmation of the modernized AAs is a good thing, and other minor notes about the queue, background music, and load area are all good to hear. Those are fascinating tidbits, to be sure. I just feel like Disney is a missing an opportunity to showcase even a few second wow-inducing clip of a Mama Odie, Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, or Louis the Alligator Audio Animatronics.
To each their own, but I’m beyond ready for Disney to share something of substance to showcase that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be an excellent attraction with elaborate themed design, details, show scenes, and impressive effects. That’s what’s necessary to instill fans with a sense of excitement about this transformation.
Even if it’s not a photo or video of Audio Animatronics, even new concept art of show scenes would be great. Something offering reassurance that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is going to be high-quality and fun. Authenticity and being a love letter to New Orleans is nice, but it’s icing on the cake for an attraction. Fun is essential and imperative to an attraction.
Otherwise, the big open question is the opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. It’s been a bit since we’ve heard any credible updates, but last we did, they were that the reimagining is fairly far ahead of schedule. This makes complete sense if you spend time in the park watching construction progress. Not only is it moving at a brisk pace, but there are a ton of workers on the site every single day–and often into the night. It’s a very active project, especially as contrasted with the EPCOT overhaul or other recent rides.
Not only that, but Disney has quietly changed the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure from “Late 2024” to just “2024” in a lot of marketing materials. It’s my understanding that this was purposeful, and that this is because the Walt Disney World version could officially open as early as Summer 2024.
Nevertheless, I remain skeptical that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open by Summer 2024. I don’t doubt what I’ve heard that the project is ahead of schedule (or was, when I heard that). Why I’m skeptical is because we’ve been down this road before. It isn’t unprecedented for projects to be ahead of schedule until unanticipated issues arise during the later stages that totally derail things and delay the opening. That has also happened many, many times in the past. In other posts, I’ve used Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance as a prime example–a ride that ended up being delayed by months.
Honestly, I’m starting to wonder whether the same thing has already happened with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. If the ride is still on track for a Summer 2024 opening, it sure seems like we’d have at least an updated season by now. I was surprised when the ABC Christmas Day Parade segment aired, and it was entirely recycled footage that didn’t really do anything to market the ride.
Again, I’ve been perplexed by the approach to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure since the beginning, but it seems to me that–if there were confidence in the Summer 2024 opening season for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disney would have shared it then. That’s the time when families gather and start planning trips for the upcoming year, and there wasn’t really anything new and tangible to “sell” people on Walt Disney World in 2024. The window for booking summer vacations is starting to close, and if Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t get an opening date until March, it’s probably not moving the needle much on June bookings.
The other possibility is that, for some reason, Disney is waiting for Mardi Gras (February 13, 2024) to do its big PR push for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I don’t think that’s a particularly savvy approach, but it’s certainly a synergistic possibility. That seems unlikely to me unless there’s internal hesitation about meeting the summer timeframe, they want to wait until there’s more confidence about an opening season, and it just so happens that clarity comes in early February–in which case, a Mardi Gras announcement checks out. If we get much beyond mid-February and still haven’t heard so much as a season, my bet is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens on October 1, 2024 or later.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Do the details from this walk-through inside the attraction have you more excited about it, or does this not move the needle for you? Excited that dozens of entirely new Audio-Animatronics figures are coming to the attraction? Expectations regarding the TBA opening timeline? Agree or disagree with our assessments about this project? Keep the comments civil, as this is not the place for politically-charged arguing, culture wars, antagonism, personal attacks, or cheap shots.
No, the secret ingredient is chicory, because we are authentic! That, or the ride ends with everyone falling into hell for suggesting she use toad legs. I mean frog legs.
Maybe I missed this but will the ride feature the music and songs from the film?
One of the official posts says that guests will “travel through the bayou to original music inspired by songs from the film as they are brought into the next chapter of Tiana’s story,” which seems to imply it might not have the film’s songs but new music that is more about the New Orleans authenticity.
Given the quote from Ted Robledo about the still-secret “magical moment” I will confidently bet that the missing ingredient will be MAGIC.
That, or turmeric. Can’t go wrong with a little turmeric.
At the end of the day—just as they did with Splash Mountain—guests will ride for the thrill of the drop and the chance of getting splashed (or not). The cute critters and fun music will be a bonus, but few will care much about the backstory of the “secret ingredient,” just as so few did with the tale of Brer Rabbit. This is not to say Imagineering shouldn’t work their brilliant magic and put all these beautiful, authentic details into the attraction. This is, of course, what makes Disney attractions so much better than their counterparts at other theme parks. It’s just to Tom’s point that marketing it from the standpoint of the story and the authenticity of the environment isn’t what actually gets guests on the ride—let alone excited about it in the first place. The final promos should simply show a log full of guests coming over the final drop, raising their arms in delight, and that will be all it takes.
All of your updates on this ride so far have been fascinating and I appreciate the details and thought that has gone into highlighting the cultural connections to New Orleans with this ride. I am totally OK with the ride itself being a surprise!
This ride is the main reason I am really hoping we can visit Disney at Christmas this year (for the first time during that season), I hope it’s open by then! *fingers crossed*
Tom, can’t read the NOLA.com story because of a pay wall
I think you’re being too dismissive about “authenticity”. That attention to detail is what makes many Disney attractions come to life, and is exactly what sets Disney parks apart from every other theme park. It’s the secret sauce behind Expedition Everest, the environment surrounding Radiator Springs Racers (ironic for a cartoon set!), and most famously, New Orleans Square in DLR. It’s what keeps the ride or the land magical when you return for your 3rd or 10th visit. Don’t knock it! 🙂
I don’t mean to be dismissive of it at all. Authenticity can be very important for lands and attractions, giving them texture and depth for future exploration, placemaking, and a ton of other things.
My issue is a focus on authenticity and almost nothing else to actually ‘sell’ the attraction or reassure fans that they’re putting effort (and money!) into the substance. I don’t want the whole thing spoiled–I’d be satisfied with a 30-second clip showing off the Tiana or Louis (etc.) AAs. Or even a couple new pieces of concept art for earlier acts in the attraction.
I’m still optimistic about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but that’s in spite of what they’ve shown so far–not because of it. To each their own, though!
Alex, I think it’s important to remember that, “authenticity”, in this context, refers to being authentic to a fantasy film. Yes, the fantasy is set in a city that has a lot in common with New Orleans, including its name. However, it’s an animated, romanticized, idealized, sanitized version of the real city–it’s not intended to represent the reality of New Orleans, with all its warts and blemishes. Just like the film, the version presented by the attraction will be equally romanticized, just like every “authentic” land, attraction, restaurant, shop, vehicle, and hotel in any theme park. All of it is and ever will be an adaptation of the authentic, designed to accomplish specific objectives.
1.) I wish they would give us a tease, not too much, but a little something! I often feel like things are spoiled in their entirety online, however it is a little concerning that the focus is on the authenticity and not much else. I feel like we are being primed to not expect much by the reiteration of how there will not be much differences here or there and really hope that is not true. This could also be a wonderful tactic to really wow us, which I am hoping!
2.) Would love for Disney to share more info about the Disneyland hopening (typo, but it stays!), as we live in Orange County, CA and we only visit WDW annually. I get that there is a need for focus on FL because that version will obviously open first (the exterior looks more complete in photos from Magic Kingdom than my visit to Disneyland last week, as well as knowing the construction start dates of both mountains).
1) Totally agree. I’m very anti-spoiler, and wouldn’t watch a full ride-through or footage of the Laughing Place and beyond. I’d just like to see something.
2) It’s been a while since I’ve heard anything about the Disneyland version, which doesn’t necessarily mean anything as I have fewer contacts there, but my prior understanding was that Disneyland was going to take longer due to some different staging and other issues. Obviously, it also closed later. I don’t know what, exactly, that means or if it’s still true, but I’d be absolutely shocked to see Disneyland’s version open in Summer 2024. I’m guessing the goal is to have it ready by Christmas, but that’s just a guess–I know nothing beyond what I can see of the exterior…which doesn’t mean much.
Zero chance that this isn’t a downgrade from its predecessor. They’ll likely be a quarter of the number of animatronics that used to be in the ride. Frozen ever after, to me, is one of Disney’s most underwhelming rides because it feels “sparse.” I hope that’s not the case here.
Now I’m really hoping we have to find tumeric.
Given WDW’s recent history of schedules being delayed and stretched out for a variety of reasons, I think the marketing is right on track, *if you still assume a late 2024 to 2025 opening.* If that’s the case, it’s probably too early to get the general public excited about the ride for at least a few months, given not only past rides being opened later than anticipated but the whole brouhaha with “Beyond Big Thunder” and “Dinoland USA Replacements” being pre-announced while still in the Blue Sky phase.
On the other hand, such a theory requires you to assume that the change from “Late 2024” to “2024” is not the schedule moving up but the schedule becoming more uncertain for one reason or another. While certainly possible, that part is not in line with past WDW openings even if the schedule not improving is. (It may come down to whether Disney wants to coordinate DL and WDW openings, so like Tara Hutchison I’m curious what is known/rumored about the west coast version.)
I’m also curious if the vagueness is because they really want to open the attraction on both coasts at the same time. Since this appears to be THE big addition to both parks scheduled for this year, I could see someone in marketing really wanting both to open at once for maximum publicity. Having the staggered Galaxy’s Edge openings definitely dulled the shine on the one that opened second (WDW land opening seemed to have less fanfare than Disneyland, then they switched hype positions when WDW got Rise of the Resistance first).
I’ve made this point several times but I believe it bears repeating – “Not X” is a really bad design goal for an Imagineering project. You need to be working toward something positive.
For example, the primary goal of converting Alien Encounter into Stitch’s Great Escape was to make the attraction “Not Scary” and the result was not exactly beloved.
To me, it feels like Tiana is very similar to recent changes to Pirates and Jungle Cruise – the primary goal is “Not Offensive.” The marketing strategy seems to confirm that. And even if a ride really NEEDS to be “Not Scary” or “Not Offensive,” that alone is insufficient for generating a beloved attraction.
Any idea of how progress is going with the Disneyland version?
Tara, I was in Disneyland last week. And judging only by work that can be seen from the outside, Disneyland’s TBA appears to be about 5-6 weeks behind MK’s. It appears that Imagineering is doing what they did with Rise of the Resistance: using one crew for each work task on both coasts and then moving those crews from coast to coast after they complete a task. (By the way, I just realized that “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” and “To Be Announced” have the same three-letter acronym. Is that a troll?)
I think it’s painfully obvious why the pre-marketing of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is breaking the mold and is focused on authenticity and everything else but the fun and fantasy of the Princess and the Frog IP: it’s being promoted by Disney’s DEI committee, not the marketing department. Every image, every word, and every move is calculated to sidestep accusations of exploiting and appropriating Black New Orleans culture and to highlight the attraction’s hypersensitivity to “the community” to which it caters. It is tiptoeing. Any mainstream appeal the attraction finds is pure sauce on a beignet.
New Orleans was a favorite city of Walt’s, and he insisted that New Orleans Square be as authentic as possible when it opened in 1966. He sent Imagineers to New Orleans to soak up the culture so they could recreate the atmosphere in Disneyland, just like they did for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
I don’t think Walt was accused of doing this because of “DEI”, but rather because he loved the city and wanted people to be able to experience it at his park. You can definitely see the seeds of EPCOT’s World Showcase.
Michael C: My point is not about researching New Orleans or incorporating New Orleans-esque details into the attraction. My point is about how the attraction is being promoted prior to opening.
This may be too cynical, but I am wondering if they know they can open it in June or July, but don’t want to announce it now because they are worried it will cause a lot of people who are considering visiting during the slower spring periods to delay their trips. Actually, whenever then say it will be opening, it might cause cancellation/delays for 8-12 weeks before the opening date.
It might make sense for them to announce it will open in late August and then have a soft opening or early opening to relieve crowd capacity during the peak summer periods?
Even though I have mild nostalgia for Splash Mountain, I never enjoyed the music or plot and the music from Prince and the Frog is really fun…so I’m expecting it to be an upgrade for my family, even if the actual execution isn’t incredible.
They have committed a crime in Florida if they have the smell of beignets in the queue and no intention of actually serving beignets in the Magic Kingdom.
Exactly! When I read that, I envisioned a Cafe du Monde-style window selling beignets right in the middle of the queue. Then I tried to figure out what’s wrong with that idea. 🙂
My thoughts exactly! Please, please, please have a beignets window or food truck as you exit the ride .
My thoughts exactly! Please, please, please have a beignets window or food truck as you exit the ride .
I assume the final drop and finale will remain a mystery until the ride opens, but I hope the drop will “make sense” in some way. I loved that the big drop in Splash was Br’er Rabbit getting thrown into the briar patch.
My feeling is that they haven’t said much about the interior because there won’t be much in the interior. Splash Mt is notorious for being a VERY troubled building, and I bet a lot of money for this project was chewed up by structural repairs and water damage. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole thing began as an effort to finally fix some long standing problems that then morphed into an initiative to get rid of the Song of the South connection entirely. With the exception of the new finale, which they haven’t said anything about, it seems as though we know what most of the ride will already be. I think it’s going to be a lot like Frozen Ever After, where it’s fine if you’re riding it fresh but will feel very empty compared to the previous ride.
I’m not saying that a version of Splash Mt that’s mostly music and atmosphere couldn’t be cool, I’m just saying I bet there’s not a lot in there besides scenery.
When I read, “Rounding a bend”, “rounding another bend”, Pocahontas kept jumping to my mind. I still believe having the ride become Pocahontas would have been a good fit. It’s like Disney is trying to fit a square into a circle placement with Tiana. I have accepted what will come and will look forward to the new re-imagining. But I feel there were better choices to be made. I think having a ride all her(Tiana) own would have been very exciting. Maybe even placing it on Tom Sawyer Island.
The trouble with using Pocahontas is that Disney’s version of that story is fraught with its own genuine controversies and the use of the Native American imagery and culture within the context of a “wild west” area further complicates that even more given all the racial baggage in that genre.