Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ride at Disney World & Disneyland: Opening Timeline & Updates
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a new ride replacing Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and New Orleans Square in Disneyland. This shares everything we know so far: opening timeframe, construction progress, concept art, and commentary about the first Princess and the Frog attraction. (Updated March 25, 2024.)
There have been a lot of recent updates about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but we’ll start with the most pressing detail–especially as many of you start to plan 2024 Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacations: the opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. As of right now, the only thing that’s been announced is that the Magic Kingdom version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in Summer 2024, up from Late 2024.
We’d be willing to bet that Disney shares the exact opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during the Walt Disney Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders on April 3, 2024. That’s really the next big event on the horizon, and the company always likes to make some splashy news at these things in addition to ordinary business and Q&A. Plus, the timing is about right if Disney wants the reimagined ride to offer a boost to summer bookings.
The good news is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is coming along quickly. The latest development is that Walt Disney Imagineering project team members have been spotted in the last few days doing test rides of the attraction. This follows the refilling of the flume of the log ride with water and testing of ride vehicles with dummies.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the test ride-throughs with Imagineers is that they have not be wearing hard hats. This may seem insignificant, but what it should mean is that installation of Audio Animatronics and show scenes on the inside has been completed and the attraction has been ‘cleared’ and is no longer an active construction site.
This isn’t to say that work is done. There’s a lot of programming and finishing touches that could need to be done–the ride could still be months away from completion even without ongoing construction. Still, it’s a very positive sign that everything has (mostly likely) been installed and Imagineers are working on little details. That suggests that the project is in the home stretch–it’s exactly what we want to see from an ahead of schedule Summer 2024 opening.
As for the most likely opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, that’s probably going to be dictated by what’s attainable. Unlike other recent attractions that were ‘slow-rolled’ to meet a predetermined deadline, this reimagining is more like a race against the clock. So it may be dictated by what’s possible rather than what’s strategically advantageous.
Whenever there’s anything slated to open in the summer season, between Memorial Day weekend and late June make the most sense. Those are the dates consistent with past precedent. Of the recent additions with summer openings at Walt Disney World, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Pandora – World of Avatar both debuted on May 27; Toy Story Land opened on June 30.
My expectation is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will not officially open Memorial Day weekend. From what we’ve heard, that’s just too early and aggressive for an official opening timeline. Keep in mind that even though ride testing is full steam ahead, work still needs to be done, along with Cast Member training, test & adjust, and more. That always takes more time than fans anticipate.
My prediction of an official opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is June 20, 2024. I think there’s a reasonably strong probability of that being correct within a week. However, that’s just a semi-informed guess based on current progress and past precedent with other attractions at Walt Disney World.
That’s still early enough in summer that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure would debut before crowds really start heating up, and it could be conservative enough to allow for ample AP and other affiliation previews if the ride reimagining is ready before then. (It’s possible those start by Memorial Day, but I’m skeptical.) Regardless, I’m impressed by the Summer 2024 opening season–and Disney’s ability to meet and (thus far) maintain an accelerated timeline. Really puts CommuniCore Hall into perspective!
Note that all of the above applies only to the Magic Kingdom version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Not only did Splash Mountain close a few months later at Disneyland, but it’s our understanding that a few show scene and staging differences were proving to make that reimagining “trickier.” It’s our assumption that the Disneyland version will open later, but we haven’t heard any credible rumors about it in several months. All of the above insight pertains to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World.
My guess is that Disneyland will want Tiana’s Bayou Adventure open by Thanksgiving, but I truly do not know. I’d be really surprised if it opens before October. Southern California does gets cold in the winter months, so having it done sooner would definitely be ideal, but there’s also probably not the same sense of urgency. Most of the excitement will center around the first version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to open, and since it won’t be done for the summer season regardless, it won’t be hugely helpful for park capacity.
One new development is that Disneyland is closing Critter Country temporarily starting May 1, 2024. This is ostensibly for the transformation of two gift shops, but that’s mostly just window-dressing. Closing the land is a bigger deal as a cost-savings and could also be conducive to construction.
One of the very visible developments in looking at the exterior of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom is how green everything is looking. There’s a ton of faux foliage and newly-added trees surrounding the flume, and it looks fantastic. Then there’s the mountain itself, which is covered in a vibrant array of white and pink flowers.
Splash Mountain’s vegetation has been stripped out and replaced with vegetation native to Louisiana. That includes cypress trees, marsh grasses, Spanish moss, and more. This all looks great, and I can’t wait to float through all of this–it should add nicely to the atmosphere.
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. This has been a very fast project by Walt Disney World standards!
Disney has confirmed that there will be 17 original character Audio Animatronics from The Princess and the Frog physically created for the attraction, in addition to those repurposed from Splash Mountain. This will include multiple appearances of Princess Tiana, who will make wardrobe changes throughout the ride, plus other major and recognizable characters from the movie, including Louis the Alligator and Mama Odie.
These brand-new and reimagined Audio-Animatronics figures will bring the invigorating sounds of New Orleans to life. These will be scenes you commonly see in New Orleans: the joie de vivre influencing every movement–including with a band of friendly critters playing joyful Zydeco-style music.
Imagineering shared that it’s creating brand-new characters with distinct names and personalities as part of an expanded Princess and the Frog universe for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Along with this, there will be dozens of entirely new Audio Animatronics figures, including adorable critters with incredible talent, bringing the “diverse flavors of musical gumbo found in New Orleans!”
In addition to the new characters, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will feature the familiar faces from the film such as Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia, and Prince Ralphie. The attraction will also serve up new and original music alongside favorite tunes from Princess and the Frog, as well as the alluring scent of beignets being prepared for the party in the attraction queue.
One of the returning characters who Disney has highlighted is Mama Odie, reprising her role as the catalyst to that magic and joking with guests along the ride after a special display of her magic. The legendary actress Jenifer Lewis, who starred as the voice of Mama Odie, is once again returning to her role for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Additional voice talent from the film reprising their roles include Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley as Louis, and Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana.
Given what Imagineering has announced about Mama Odie, current views of the climactic drop at Magic Kingdom (see above) and the model of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure that’s already been unveiled (see below), it looks like Mama Odie and her display of magic will be the final scene before the attraction’s climactic drop.
On a positive note, we are really reassured by Imagineering’s announcement that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will feature dozens of entirely new Audio Animatronics. I’ve gotta admit that I was getting a little worried about the lack of detail, and was concerned complaints that “it’s going to be all screen-based” might have a degree of validity as Disney continued to focus on sharing details about research trips to New Orleans.
My guess is that “entirely new” actually means some Audio Animatronics will be repurposed from Splash Mountain, and they’ll be reskinned or otherwise refreshed. So not really entirely new–more like somewhat new or reimagined. Still, it’s incredibly promising that the number of Audio Animatronics is in the dozens (plural). That alone bodes really well for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and should put to rest supposed rumors that the attraction would be all screens.
The fast pace of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is reminiscent of what happened with Mission Breakout and Frozen Ever After, two other recent fast-paced ride reimaginings that could be serving as a blueprint for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. With those attractions, everything added was fabricated and staged off-site, and then installed inside the attraction when the time is right.
Suffice to say, Imagineers did a ton of work off-site before Splash Mountain even closed. It’s not like they were waiting for that, and then finally go inside for the first time and start building a bunch of AAs and new scenes with hammers and chisels (or whatever tools are used for making that stuff–I’m not a scientist).
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure recycling a lot of the existing Brer Critter Audio Animatronics makes complete sense–a lot of those Audio Animatronics in Splash Mountain were recycled from America Sings at Disneyland and cloned for Magic Kingdom; they had nothing to do with Splash Mountain’s source material.
Going forward, those AAs are likely be given new life as part of an “expanded universe” for the Princess and the Frog. This makes even more sense now given what we’ve seen of the concept art and the bullet points above about a brand-new cast of original Disney characters with distinct names and personalities, as well as adorable critters with incredible talent. My guess is this means we’ll be getting more extensive backstory about all of the animals that inhabit the attraction, which is fine by me.
As for the advanced new Audio Animatronics, it’s safe to assume that in addition to multiples of Princess Tiana, there will also be Prince Naveen and other characters. Given the emphasis on her, I’d also imagine that Mama Odie right before the drop will be an impressive AA, as will whatever “magic” effect occurs via the bottles. These advanced AAs should be really impressive–better than recent princesses and princes at Walt Disney World, but probably not on the same level as the Na’vi Shaman.
Imagineering has made tremendous strides with Audio Animatronics of animated characters in the last several years. 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.
By contrast, the new Elsa Audio Animatronics for the Arendelle lands and the Belle and Beast AAs that have already debuted at Tokyo Disneyland as part of Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast are amazing. Those are absolutely stunning, and 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 much more gracefully than their counterparts in Frozen Ever After and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
One of the things I loved about Splash Mountain was all of the critters, totally unrelated to the story being told, who inhabited Chickapin Hill. Why were they there? What was their deal? They were not just anonymous animals that spontaneously gathered to watch Brer Rabbit’s attempt kidnapping.
In fact, the alligator band–The Swamp Boys–had a concert poster in the queue. It would’ve been great to know more about these critters, even if wholly immaterial to the attraction itself. While wholly unnecessary, it would’ve been added color, world-building details for the eager fan. (I also vividly recall inspecting all of the birdhouses as a kid, wondering who/what lived inside.) I really hope Tiana’s Bayou Adventure tells more of the story of the expanded universe of these critters.
Here’s everything else we know about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure…
The biggest and most substantive details were revealed last fall at the D23 Expo when Walt Disney Imagineering shared more details about the reimagined ride, including a model showcasing how Splash Mountain would be transformed.
See our Photos & Video of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Model, which offers a comprehensive look at the changes to the mountain’s exterior, queue, and even on-ride details that’ll be added to the attraction as it becomes Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Note that the model is the Disneyland version of the attraction. There are going to be slight differences between the two both outside and inside the attraction, due to the layout of the entrance, queue, and staging of some show scenes. The logs are also different at Disneyland–side by side seating will still exist in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom.
It’s also our understanding that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland will have some details not present in the Walt Disney World version (the opposite is probably also true).
Walt Disney Imagineering has installed the tiara-topped water tower at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. This water tower is the icon of the attraction, and ties in with the Tiana’s Foods backstory about the attraction.
The water tower has a “Tiana’s Foods” painted marquee on the front, which is the name of the employee-owned company that Tiana founded according to the backstory of the ride. On top of the tiara itself there are two stars, which are a reference to Ray and Evangeline.
We’re not super-enthused about the Tiana’s Foods backstory, and are hopeful that Imagineering doesn’t place it front-and-center in the actual attraction. The Tiana’s Foods logos emblazoned on the water tower and all over the construction walls don’t exactly bode well for that, though.
Speaking of which, 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. Within the queue, guests will discover that she continues to grow her business with Tiana’s Foods, which is an employee-owned cooperative. Combining her talents with those of the local community, Tiana has transformed an aging salt mine and built a beloved brand.
Many fans expressed concern or disappointment about this backstory. While it doesn’t get me the least bit excited, I also don’t think it really matters. It sounds like the backstory will be mostly relegated to the queue of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, setting the stage for the action to come. As with other queue backstories, it’s something most guests will probably miss.
One specific that has fans upset is that the pretense of the ride is Tiana inviting us “to help with the missing ingredient for the party.” I could be wrong, but this strikes me as an obvious MacGuffin.
For those who aren’t fans of Alfred Hitchcock or Pulp Fiction (first of all…why not?), a MacGuffin is an seemingly-significant item that advances the plot and motivates the characters, but ends up being irrelevant or unimportant. Muppet Haunted Mansion also uses this device, cleverly calling it The Great MacGuffin.
Personally, I appreciate good world-building and superfluous backstory, with my one condition being that it doesn’t as a substitute for substance and isn’t an attempt to put lipstick on a pig. Around these parts, we call that “The Dino-Rama Rule.” There are so many queues at Walt Disney World that reward astute observers, but are unnecessary to the main attraction experience. I’m expecting something similar with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. But who knows.
Now let’s take a look at what Imagineers have been doing behind the scenes to prepare for the ride reimagining…
Imagineering revealed that they are collaborating with award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard on the music in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Both natives of New Orleans, PJ and Terence will help Disney score a lyrical love letter to the region that first inspired The Princess and the Frog.
Both PJ and Terence are multiple Grammy award-winning musicians; Terence also played all of Louis the Alligator’s trumpet parts in The Princess and the Frog. PJ is writing, arranging and producing the original song for the attraction. He’s performing on and producing the sessions in New Orleans of all-new arrangements of the song, as well as songs from the film that’ll play in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Terence Blanchard is helming music arrangement for the queue in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. He’s working to select songs from the movie, as well as iconic themes from New Orleans. There will be more to share down the road as teams make progress on a new original song composed by PJ Morton and new renditions of fan favorite music from the film.
Prior to this, Disney also revealed a new look for Tiana, with character costume art pictured above.
This is based upon researching prevailing trends of the 1920s and looking through family archives to ensure Tiana’s look was historically accurate and authentic to the character. Tiana was equally at home in the bayou as she was at a banquet, and Imagineers wanted her look to reflect that, and be a compliment to the setting of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Ultimately, that’s our perspective on Splash Mountain being transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I hope Imagineering is given as much time as necessary to produce a high-quality attraction, and not just a quick and superficial redo. Both Splash Mountain and Princess and the Frog deserve better than that. This reimagining NEEDS the very best creative talent, budget, time, and all other resources. I hope Disney is cognizant of the fact that the Splash Mountain reimagining is going to be under a microscope, both from fans and in the mainstream.
If the end result of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure feels rushed, sloppy, or phoned-in, it’s going to attract criticism from a diverse array of people. As the company has been getting a lot of social backlash recently, hopefully they realize the importance of avoiding that for once. Here’s hoping that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure delivers an exceptional experience that effectively silences critics and wins over skeptics.
As for the name…I’m of two minds about that. I was really hoping for “Splash Mountain ~ Voyage of the Log with Princess and the Frog: New Adventures with Princess Tiana!” That was mostly in jest, poking fun at Disney’s comically-long attraction names (although I think incorporating “log” and “frog” into the name would’ve been a solid move).
With that said, I’m pleased that this ride name doesn’t have any punctuation. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is short and sweet, and easy to remember. I personally would’ve preferred “Tiana’s Bayou Blast,” but maybe that sounds too much like a royal flavor of Mountain Dew. (Maybe Tiana’s Bayou Bash?) Regardless, I think a lot of guests will end up calling it Splash Mountain or Tiana’s Mountain or something like that. That’s such an iconic and memorable name, with strong brand recognition. Given that, I’m sort of surprised that name isn’t living on. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how this ride reimagining unfolds. We’ll keep you posted if and when there are more updates!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on the Splash Mountain reimagining? How much of the current attraction (e.g. random musical critter AAs) are you expecting to appear in the reimagined version? Excited for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Expectations regarding the Splash Mountain reimagining timeline? Keep the comments civil, as this is not the place for politically-charged arguing, culture wars, antagonism, personal attacks, or cheap shots. We will be heavy-handed in deleting any comments that cross the line, irrespective of viewpoint. You are not going to change anyone’s mind via the comments section on this blog, nor are you going to change Disney’s priorities. If you wish to shout your outrage into the internet abyss, that’s why Facebook was invented.
Does anyone really go on Splash Mountain for the insides? Its for the end!! Come on, don’t be ridiculous.
Sure I enjoy Zipidy Doo da, thats fun, but its the end. Going down that 45° drop. Fear of levitating out of the log. Getting soaked.
As for Disney caving to the <1%? Thats dumb. Hardly anyone remembers the animated movie Song Of the South that some of the songs come from. Unless you are in your 70's. And that movie was problematic. The ride is not. But
Splash Mountain's insides were old timey, run down and needed a refresh long ago.
No one likes change.!! Especially to things that effect their memories of a good time. Heck, I hated the redo of Pirates by adding Jack Sparrow. They were ruining my memories! I also dread the reskinning of Haunted Mansion into Jack Skelington for holidays every year too.
But every time you go to Disneyland or World, etc, you are making NEW memories. And such will be the case with the retheming of Splash Mtn. We'll all make new memories on the reimagined ride. Because we all really care about the end anyway afterall.
I think this is a superb comment. I do somewhat disagree that the ride is great “just” for the drop at the end; if that were true, any log flume ride would be similarly beloved. And I will miss Zipadee-doo-da, which I think has become an iconic song in its own right. I would venture that most people know that song and think of Disney, even if they have never heard of Song of the South (For comparison’s sake, at this point I think “When You Wish Upon a Star” is more associated with Disney generally, than with Pinocchio, though obviously the latter is still a revered classic.) But those are nitpicks. Your comments about making new memories are dead-on. Change happens, and the “bones” of Splash Mountain will still be there and no reason to believe it won’t still be great, and probably better for many, and possibly all. Does anyone who goes to Disney theme parks have any inherent affection for Avatar? Yet look how amazing that land is, and how loved Flight of Passage. Much as I LOVE Tower of Terror, I can’t say that is based on a nostalgic love of Twilight Zone, which was a little before my time. I STILL love Tower of Terror more than Mission Breakout in Disneyland, but I enjoy the heck out of Mission Breakout too, and am sure there are many many kids already who prefer the latter. Many kids and first time visitors will come to love Tiana’s ride as much as fogeys like me love Splash Mountain, you can bet on it. And I am sure I will love Tiana’s new ride too. Disney has to change with the times ,as we all do. And it always has. We should not make the all too human mistake of thinking that our own childhood memories represent a golden age that should be fixed in time forever,. If that were true, we’d still be living in caves or foraging on the savanna. Thanks for your great comment.
I’m going to refer to it as “Tiana’s Bayou Splash” every time i ride. and hope it catches on.
Wish they would just leave it as is
I can’t imagine my trips to Disney and not riding Splash Mountain
For a year and a half
Hey Tom, regarding your question on depreciation rules, I’m a CPA and financial statement auditor. (Apologies in advance for the length of the post.) Fixed assets aren’t one of my specialities, but I know the basic rules. According to Disney’s published financial statements they depreciate fixed assets on a straight line basis with “attractions, buildings, and improvements” having estimated useful lives over 20-40 years. That means they recognize the cost of an asset in equal installments over the estimated useful life. For example (and I’m making these numbers up, I have no idea what anything costs), if an animatronic costs $200k and Disney thinks it will will last 20 years, they would recognize $10k in depreciation expense each year.
However, they can reevaluate the useful life and change that calculation, which I would imagine they do when they repurpose assets. Using the same example, after 10 years they would have depreciated $100k and still have $100k on the books as an asset, net of depreciation. If Disney repurposed that animatronic, they might conclude the remaining useful life is now 20 years (i.e., 10 more years). They would then depreciate that remaining amount over that 20 years, or $5k per year. They’d also have to depreciate the cost of the refurbishment/repurpose using similar logic. The estimated useful life for the improvement may be the same or shorter than the underlying asset, and probably varies by the situation.
So repurposing may allow them to reduce depreciation expense by stretching out the useful life of the original asset. That being said, since Splash Mountain has been around since the 80s and the animatronics are even older than that, I would imagine they’re pretty depreciated at this point.
A few other nuances include maybe needing to write off a portion of the asset, for example if they have to replace an animatronic’s clothes or whatever, and having the option to use a different depreciation method for tax purposes. For the latter, companies frequently front load the depreciation to reduce their tax expense in the early years. I’m not sure if Disney does this and I’m really not an expert on this, but figured I’d throw it in.
I hope this helps. Also happy to answer anything else related to this if you have other questions on the matter.
Very interesting stuff thank you for this.
Moving Tron from one year to the next will not make a material diff given the amount of fixed assets in the pool. Plus they don’t start depr until the attraction opens – ie it starts generating revenue
I wish they would have made voodoo the major plot device of the ride’s new story, as it was in the movie, and called it Voodoo Mountain.
My vote is for your title which is actually a tad short. Here’s my suggestion.
“Splash Mountain ~ Voyage of the Log with Princess and the Frog: New Adventures with Princess Tiana in the Fog of the Bog!“
PERFECT!!!!
“To be able to join New Orleans in the celebration of Black joy as we bring Tiana’s story to its roots is a full-circle moment I’m so proud to realize.”
I am so happy that the mountains and rocky outcroppings of my native South Louisiana are going to be shared with the world in this brave homage to racial superiority and exceptionalism. All the other joys are inferior and may not be mentioned, as is correct.
Good point.
Silly. “Celebrating Black joy” doesn’t take away from anyone else’s joy! (Except, Perhaps, yours?)
I agree that most people will keep calling the ride Splash Mountain for a long time. My four year old calls the log ride at our local amusement park “Splash Mountain” even though she has never ridden any Disney version. I think it is because the name doesn’t have much to do with the story inside.
I’ll miss the music of Splash Mountain far more than the characters or ride theme. There are ZERO songs from PATF that can compete with “How do you do”, “Laughing Place”, and “Zip a dee doo dah”. Such classics, all.
Aside from the songs, I’ve little doubt the new ride will have better scenes, AA’s, and effects. Splash’s really were quite dated.
I was hoping for “Tiana’s Log Slog through a Bog with a Frog” but whatever, can’t have everything. If it’s ANYTHING like Tiana’s Place on the Wonder, if there is even a WHIFF of that atmosphere, I will be thrilled. I love that place.
Verry very very sad. It’s beyond my imagination that Disney is getting rid of splash mountain. It’s our history. And they are erasing it. They could have easily built this new ride on a new site.
Replacing splash mountain for some weirdos on Twitter says a lot how a company big as Disney can easily be held hostage. When they very well know majority of their fans hate such moves. They are trying to please .0000001% who are always in a triggered state of mind and will never be satisfied.
I agree. Make a whole new ride for “Princess and the Frog”. Keep Splash Mountain as is.
Splash Mountain is your history??? Are you Brer Rabbit???
I hear you. It’s truly amazing to see how easily people can be triggered by content in theme park rides.
It could be argued that your in a “triggered state of mind” as well, getting all worked up over the upgrades to a theme park ride. There are perhaps more important things to worry about? Regardless of the reasons, I think any updates to outdated rides at the parks is a huge plus.
I am surprised they aren’t keeping the word “Mountain” (eg Bayou Mountain). That is a key piece of the MK park brand even among casual visitors (“did you do the mountains?”) and it surprised me they’re letting it go.
I like that – Bayou Mountain. That would have been a perfect name! Why didn’t you suggest that earlier? ha ha. Oh well, I will still wear my “three mountains” t-shirt.
Probably because there are no mountains in Louisiana. Just saying…
I have never heard anyone use the phrase “have you gone on the mountains “.
However keeping it in the name wouldn’t be a bad idea either. “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Mountain”
So very, very sad. Love Splash Mountain and the MUSIC! We will miss it!
I was skeptical about a lot of re-themed rides but they all turned out great. Splash Mountain is perpetually broken and needs a massive overhaul.
I will miss the old Splash Mountain as it holds much nostalgia. But it’s going to be a good makeover I think.
I just disagree with the reason for the overhaul. Once you give into a mob there is no end.
Really wish Disney wasn’t replacing the only ride based on African American folk characters. Oh well, at least we’re getting a nice , safe European fairy tale instead. That’s easier for the rich kids in Twitter to handle. Disney must think one “black” ride is enough for the parks….
Listen to the story of Brer Fox and Brer Brer again. They are stories told to slaves to keep them “in line.” At the beginning of the story Brer Rabbit runs away and then gets caught. So at the ends he decides he’s never running away again. What is the moral of the story it was designed to teach African American slaves? Some forms of racism are more nuanced than others.
Br’er Rabbit is not a story that was told to keep slaves in line. It is actually the opposite. These are folk stories that originated in Africa. They are about a trickster who uses his wits to overcome adversity. The problem with Disney and its customers is that they jump to conclusions without researching or understanding what they are complaining about. PATF takes place in the 1920s in Louisiana. If you do your research, you will find that Louisiana (and the Deep South in general) have a checkered past. Louisiana in the 1920s is no exception.
Angela, it is quite clear that you’ve never actually read the story of Brer Rabbit or know its real origins. He escapes in the end by telling Brer Fox not to throw him into the briar patch because it will kill him (when in actuality he was born and raised in a briar patch). He escapes in the end because of his smarts (and it’s how the ride ends- passengers are dropping or “escaping” into the briar patch). This was an African oral-tradition passed down generations, not told to them by the people trying to keep them “in line.” It’s a story of overcoming hardship through wit rather than brawn. I suggest getting off Twitter and stop listening to people who are trying to sell you an agenda.
I’m all for the retheme (though will miss many elements of the OG version). But it’s unbelievable to me that Disney is willing to give up on the name “Splash Mountain” which has got to be one of the most iconic and evocative attraction names of all time.
Per Wikipedia the ride name has nothing to do with the source material or ride narrative – the original imagineering team “developed the concept of Zip-a-Dee River Run, which would incorporate scenes from Song of the South. The name was later changed to Splash Mountain after then CEO Michael Eisner’s suggestion that the attraction be used to help market the 1984 film Splash.”
I actually think they’ll bring that name back at some point. Likely they’ve announced the new “unsplashed” name as a way to signal the significant extent of the overhaul, knowing that closer to its debut they can reveal they’re incorporating “Splash Mountain” back into the official title to generate goodwill and good PR with the old guard purist crowd.
I’m going to need Splash Mountain to remain as is until past labor day week at Disneyland so we get a chance to say goodbye. I will greatly miss the Zipadeedodah finale.
Tiana has left cakes cooking in the oven while she goes on a Bayou Adventure (TM). She meets many Adorable Bayou Critters (TM) that have gathered together in song, for no specific reason. Something Goes Horribly Wrong and Tiana becomes lost amid threatening other-worldly creatures! Just as things seem the worst, Adorable Bayou Critters show her the way and joviality ensues. But now Tiana must hurry because her cakes will burn and the fastest way home is by going down the waterfall that in no way actually exists in the bayou but ride ops says the drop is necessary! Having survived the waterfall, we learn Naveen has already removed the cakes and the day is saved! Tiana finds an abandoned riverboat the Adorable Bayou Critters have made into a show stage to celebrate saving the cakes (?), even though they have only just learned of this conflict and probably won’t get any of the cakes, anyway. Joviality ensues. Exit to the left.
I wish Disney would leave Splash Mountain alone. Yes, the ride is based on Disney’s adaptation of Br’er Rabbit in Song of the South, but the story of Br’er Rabbit itself is an old story with a rich history that goes back to the 19th century. Maybe Disney should do a little research on the history of Louisiana.
New Orleans is closer to the mythic West than Georgia is, that’s for sure.
More important is the fact that an apostrophe *is* punctation. Until Disney strips the “‘s” off like they did off the resorts and DC, it’s got one!