PHOTOS & VIDEO: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Model Reveals Reimagined Splash Mountain
A model of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure reveals the reimagined ride replacing Splash Mountain at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. This post shares photos and video from this detailed model, along with additional new details we now know about the overhauled attraction coming to the parks in 2024.
If you’re looking for all of the latest news about this ride, see Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ride at Walt Disney World & Disneyland: Everything We Know. That’s regularly updated with new concept art, construction progress, info about characters, Audio Animatronics, music, scents, and more.
As previously shared, the reimagined ride will be named Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and will bring guests into the world of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film The Princess and the Frog. According to the company, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California by Late 2024. However, we have our doubts about both versions making this deadline…
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will pick up this story after the final kiss, and 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. During this celebration, guests will hear original music inspired by songs from the film. Tiana is leading the way and guests will be able to encounter old friends and make new ones along the way as well.
If you’re looking for more current info about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as of 2023, see the above ‘Everything We Know’ post. Walt Disney Imagineering has revealed a lot more in the months since this model debuted on the show floor at the D23 Expo.
With that said, here are our photos of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure model, which show quite a bit about the reimagined ride:
Finally, here’s a video shot by Sarah that puts all of the above photos into better context:
Phew, that’s a lot to digest. There’s a ton of detail in this model, and I’m not sure I’ve done it justice. Given that there are two days left in the D23 Expo, I’ll probably return to this model many, many times, so if there’s anything else you’d like to see in better detail, please let me know and I’ll try to take additional photos.
Above all else, it’s nice to finally see something real and tangible for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The model and its surrounding placards reveal a few new details about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. First, you might notice a few reference to something called “Tiana’s Foods.” In particular, there’s the tiara-topped water tower emblazoned with that logo.
Tiana’s Foods is an employee-owned community food co-op established by Tiana in 1927. She establishes Tiana’s Foods as a follow-up on the success of Tiana’s Palace Restaurant.
According to the backstory, the co-op is housed inside the aging salt mine within the former Splash Mountain with growers planting crops along the waterway that flows around the famed mountain peak.
During the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, logs ascend through a mill house built into the side of the mountain.
At the top of that famed peak, you might notice bottles strung from the ceiling.
According to Disney’s backstory, magical lighting effects triggered by the film’s voodoo priestess Mama Odie will fill the hilltop cavern with glowing colors just before riders descend the log ride’s dramatic drop.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will feature Audio Animatronics, including Princess Tiana. It will also introduce 16 new characters; it’s unclear whether these are all-new, or recycled Audio Animatronics from Splash Mountain that can be repurposed (again) for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Musical critters seen in the show scenes of the reimagined ride will include an otter audio-animatronic playing a fiddle made from a tin can, tree bark, and fishing line. I think I speak for everyone when I say that Walt Disney World and (especially) Disneyland have a serious otter shortage. Otter Grotto just isn’t cutting it!
With that said, my initial impression of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure model is that’s it?!
One of the things that I thought was cool about the original concept art was that it used the existing tree as a jumping off point for something even bigger, with an impaled boat perched atop the tree a la the Miss Tilly at Typhoon Lagoon. In this model, that’s all gone and there’s no real personality to the peak.
To the contrary, it appears as if Imagineering is trying to minimize the mountain. This is unfortunate but understandable. One of the most common refrains we’ve heard from fans is that “there are no mountains in New Orleans.”
Personally, this never bothered me. Disney always plays fast and loose with theme and topography, and real world places are always romanticized. My ideal version of the real New Orleans would most certainly have a big tree with a boat stuck in it–just like it’d have pillaging pirates and haunted homes–so why shouldn’t the Disney version?!
Then again, I’m not a stickler for thematic purity. It’s certainly important, but it’s okay to break the rules when something just works or achieves the right aesthetic, atmosphere, or other important goals. Look no further than the Matterhorn towering over Sleeping Beauty Castle with both adjacent to a small street in the Midwest. All of that should be thematically jarring on paper, but it is not in practice.
Same idea here, I think. Beyond thematic integrity, fun experiences and eye-catching visuals are also important. The original design would’ve delivered on the latter front much better than a design that’s more accurate to the real world landscape of New Orleans.
Ultimately, I’ll withhold judgment until seeing it in person, and perhaps it’s one of those situations where I’m so familiar with the iconic Chickapin Hill that anything else would be jarring. Change sometimes takes time to accept–it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve started ambivalent towards the new-look of something in the parks (or downright hostile) and warmed to it over time. And to be clear, I don’t actively dislike the “mountain” of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, I’m just indifferent to it. There’s nothing iconic or memorable about its shape or landscape for me.
With that said, what’s inside is what really counts (my grandma was right again, I guess). I’m still cautiously optimistic about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, even after seeing the model. Imagineering and the company as a whole undoubtedly realize that the reimagining of Splash Mountain must be ambitious. Both the movie inspiring it and the beloved attraction deserve the very best creative talent, budget, time, and all other resources. Disney is cognizant of the fact that the Splash Mountain reimagining is going to be under a microscope, from fans in favor of it and against it, as well as mainstream audiences. I remain hopeful that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure delivers an exceptional experience that effectively silences critics and wins over skeptics.
If you are planning a Walt Disney World or Disneyland trip to visit New Orleans or the Bayou, check out our planning resources! The best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide or Disneyland Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
YOUR THOUGHTS…
What do you think of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure model? Disappointed that it doesn’t have the big tree and impaled boat, or happy that it’s more “thematically accurate” to real world New Orleans? Does this exceed your expectations, or were you expecting more? 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.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride takes place during the 1927 Mississippi river flood disaster and was underwhelming.
To the Disney Tourist Blog. I have researched 1927 and while there was indeed a New Orleans 1927 Madi Gras parade as seen in the old silent film archive on youtube. There was also a Mississippi river flood disaster which took 500 lives and displaced over 600,000 people stranded on the Levee. It was not a fun ride knowing that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride takes place during the 1927 flood disaster which I find very disrespectful to the past 500 flood victims 98 years ago. Disneyland and Disney World needs to honor the 500 victims of the 1927 flood disaster and play actual 1927 songs by Vernon Dalhart, Al Jolson, Sippie Wallace, Laura Smith, Bessie Smith, Elders McIntorsh & Edwards and play the 1927 flood songs they made. Also they should remove the Salt Mine jokes which aren’t funny since there’s been salt mine accidents and people mistreated in the salt mine in the past especially African Americans.
Anyways, I’ve been on the ride and it was underwhelming and boring. No real story, no conflict, they didn’t have Tiana in her blue dress, also Mama Odie doesn’t sing Dig a Little Deeper with the Spoonbill birds. Also the songs “When We’re Human” and “Friends on the Other Side” with the Disney villain Dr. Facilier, shadow spirits, spooky masks and dolls is missing. Also missing characters from The Princess and the Frog 2009 film are Lawrence, Reggie, Darnell, and Two Fingers who has a deformed hand. I’m very disappointed they left out a character with disabilities like Two Fingers. Also Tiana’s boss Buford isn’t on the ride and neither are the 2 Fenner Brothers. Also the bayou birds like dancing Spoonbill birds, Crane, Heron and other alligators aren’t on the ride. Also the beautiful lady butterflies dancing with Naveen as a frog is missing from the ride. Also the song Special Spice is too hard for me to sing. I don’t really like tabasco sauce that much. There’s so much dark space and the drop off is very lame and boring and I had to bring 2 action figures of Lawrence and Dr. Facilier and sing “Friends on the Other Side at the Drop off.
This is the most forgettable Disneyland Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride I’ve ever been on, I’d much rather ride the spinning teacups instead and then go on Grizzly River Run and Pirates of the Carribean instead. In the meantime I’m no longer riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and will skip it on my future Disneyland and Disney World trips. I hope they fix Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with more animal animatronics like Spoonbill birds and lady butterflies, otherwise I will ignore this forgettable ride and will instead watch The Princess and the Frog 2009 film and read the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure little golden book instead and maybe wait for a second retheme ride like The Rescuers Devils Bayou Splash or The Emperor’s New Splash in the next few decades.
I liked Splash Mountain because my father read me Uncle Remus stories ss a child. I also liked the rustic mountain look. water splashing and fun drop. I understand why they wanted to get away from that story, so I don’t mind that they changed it. I thought the Tiana movie was fascinating, mezmerizing, magical and heroic. Voodoo doesn’t offend me.The ride revision makes sense, but it is no where near as exciting as it could have been. It needs more magical special effects, heroic action and faster movement. I think children who saw the movie will like seeing the familiar characters and an animal band. But I’m going to skip it until the newness wears off and I can see it with less than a 20 minute line.
My problem with it is whole the concept of planting crops near a salt mine. The story is far fetched and not grounded in any realism. I’m a horticulturalist and studied plant science and materials extensively. I’ve also gone on design research trips to Louisiana. Never in about 20 years have I encountered 1. A mountain in LA 2. Crops growing near a salt mine. Salt and produce are two very different industries. They cannot be combined into one concept. I spotted corn in that model. Do the imagineers understand where and how corn is actually grown? You need lots of flat land people! Few plants can actually tolerate salty or swampy conditions. Certainly not ones found in a farming co-op. Where in the world did that story come about? If it was the salt mine is a magical portal to storytelling about a bayou, ala Pirates of Caribbean and maybe a TARDIS, that is one thing. But don’t stick things to the outside that clearly don’t make sense. The story they’ve created is a failure. 1927 is also coming really close to the Great Depression and sad collapse of Tiana’s empire. Not so magical.
You forgot to mention that in April 1927, there was a great Mississippi river flood disaster from “Memphis down in New Orleans” as Laura Smith sang in the Mississippi River blues 1927 song. Sippie Wallace also sang the 1927 flood song that’s in my YouTube video Tiana’s Bayou Adventure 1927 flood. And New Orleans was flooded on April 15th 1927 and saved on April 29th by blowing up the levee and flooding st Bernard town. I hope Disneyland and Disney world address the 1927 flood issue. because every time I see Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Disney ride. I’m reminded of the great Mississippi river flood. I would rather have a ride revision the princess and the frog splash Bayou with Dr facilier, Lawrence, spoonbill birds, lady butterflies featured in the ride.
well it look like the same ride with a slightly different theme. I would have liked to see something different, getting away from the log making more of a track based ride. I rarely even went on splash mountain because I don’t feel like walking around soaked or bringing a change of clothes. I know that was the point of the ride but since they got Grizzly River Run there was no reason to have two wet rides, it’s not a water park. Oh well.
Haha, seriously? Getting soaked on Splash was incredibly rare. Kali River Rapids, on the other hand…
This whole thing is still stupid. Disney squandered a great opportunity to build a new Deep South/bayou-themed land at MK with a NEW attraction and a new signature restaurant, something MK desperately needs. Creole/Cajun food would be awesome.
I am hoping the pitch drop will be modified for it is too steep for kids and a turn off for some parents.
What about the water it looks like it’s gonna shine stick out more?
Well that’s not gonna happen. It cost $36M to build Splash at MK in 1992 and might cost that much more to make such a huge modification. Okay that’s an exaggeration but you get the picture.
My biggest concern with the ride is the same as my concern with the movie: Voodoo. If we can admit Song of the South was offensively racially, why is glorification of “white magic” voodoo any better? As a resident of Baton Rouge, LA I find this offensive, just as I find the whole movie offensive. I love the character Disney created with Tiana – we have dolls, dresses, and other merch but we don’t allow the movie to be played in our home because of the way Voodoo is portrayed. In our corner of the world Voodoo is not just a funny mythology, it’s an actively practiced religion with real world cultural influences. Disney may think they are being culturally sensitive here but they are drastically missing the mark for residents of south Louisiana and other areas where Voodoo is openly practiced as religion.
Ooh, maybe they’ll have a mini St. Louis Cemetery No 1 with a replica of Marie Laveaux’s tomb… Not sure where you got ‘white magic’ from, because of voodoo’s blending of Catholic notes?
Pretty weak. The “magic” of the Disney experience ended in the late 80’s. Since then, there is little in the way of true innovation or something that will make someone think “that is incredible”. Once upon a time audio animatronics were exotic. Now I see a class of audio animatronics rivaling what’s at Disney sold every Halloween in Home Depot. All that said, this just looks like a rebranding of Splash Mountain rather than something innovative. Too bad.
Yeah, even model Tiana’s Bayou Adventure the one model of old flume boats is still looks as Song of the South Splash Mountain, but making real change for like Minecraft metaverse image video Disney art concept shows for Disneyland park as well that they are also probably getting rid of all of old Disneyland log flumes and replace the new flume into 2 seaters wider log flume boats and restretch the road and tracks to make good enough room for new wider flume boats to even comfort guests sit and comfort their sitting and makes people’s butt crampless to have new wider 2 seaters flume boats for Disneyland park Anaheim while building construction soon and split out of Critter Country and relocate into New Orleans Square instead once comes up in 2024.
Support more to SIGN & SHARE this petition to support Disney to change old 1 seaters row boats to change into NEW wider 2 seaters flume boats for Disneyland
Keep Sign & Share this petition link below and promote this link as well and positive comment too?
https://www.change.org/disneylandanaheimsidebysideflumeboatreplacedfromoldflumeforprincessandthefrogaswell
Len Testa noted that adding this will strongly clash with the “Frontier” theme, but I guess it’s clear that this is really driven by politics. If they wanted to move away from Song of the South a data-driven company would have gone with a character from a movie that made more money…Chapek is a train wreck but Eiger never saw a social trend that he didn’t jump on–paper straws, removing plastic bags, room checks, Pirates Red, removing the sale of toy guns, changing Jasmine’s outfit, editing Splash on Disney+. The merits of all of those changes can be debated but it is very clear that they were driven by Eiger’s social ear listening to what his friends said in California. There is room for Tiana in lots of places , Tom has pointed out many, New Orleans Square at Disneyland makes a lot of sense, but this is not one of them.
There is nothing wrong with Splash Mountain. No reason to “fix it”.
I’m still getting acclimated to the fact that my favorite Magic Kingdom ride is changing. However, rarely have I been disappointed with Disney’s final version of a new ride or venue. Have faith
I hope you are right but judging by the changes they made to attractions in EPCOT I’ve never had any confidence in the changing of any attractions by Disney ever since.
I personally think this looks very generic. The only thing that you would know this is called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is the sign at the front of the ride. This has no personality at all and it looks like they just really half a**ed this just to get it to D23. The concept art really looked promising and this is a huge disappointment. Generic mountains with a water tower with Tiana’s name on it. It’s time for new leadership at Disney Imagineering. I sure hope they don’t screw up the inside of the mountain.
Random Thoughts:
– They could have just changed the music from Song of the South to whatever and be done with it.
– Does this new theme mean the ride is no longer part of Disneyland’s mountain range?
– At least they didn’t make it a Star Wars themed ride (Chewbacca Mountain).
I’m intrigued by this design. I think it is going to be great. I like that it has multiple tiers and layers, giving a sense of depth and perspective. I don’t mind that it is no longer a mountain, instead it looks like a deep landscape. My hunch is that looking up at the chute will feel like more like a rushing river coming at you than a drop off a mountain, which makes more sense. And last but not least, the interior at the top with the glowing bottles will probably look amazing.
Well put, Alex!