Disney Parks announced that Splash Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, California will be closing beginning May 31 and released conceptual artwork of what its replacement, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, will look like.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be coming to both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, according to a blog post from Disney. The new attraction will be themed around Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog.”
The company made the decision to re-theme Splash Mountain in June 2022 after wide criticism that it promoted “racial stereotypes.”
The ride’s theme was based on Br’er Rabbit’s adventures in the 1946 “Song of the South” film, which has been criticized for how it portrayed plantation life.
The new attraction will include new Audio-Animatronics figures, music from “The Princess and the Frog,” new cast original Disney characters, and more. (Disney)
“I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was – even with a disclaimer – was just not appropriate in today’s world,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said during a March 2020 shareholders meeting.
Disney Parks on Wednesday released its first concept of what the attraction may look like.
“The magic of the bayou is calling, so listen closely because we’re ‘digging a little deeper’ into the experience guests can expect from the future attraction coming to Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The enchantment of the bayou will illuminate with a celebration during Mardi Gras season hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. And today, I’m thrilled to announce that Mama Odie will reprise her role as the catalyst to that magic,” Senior Vice President, Creative Development – Product/Content & Inclusive Strategies Carmen Smith said.
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Views of Splash Mountain are seen at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic in Orlando on July 23, 2020. – “Splash Mountain” rides at Disney theme parks will be rebranded with a film featuring the company’s first black princess, it said on June 25, 2020, after petitions drew attention to the log flume’s racist history. The popular “Splash Mountain” attractions at Disneyland and Disney World are based on the controversial 1946 film “Song of the South” — a movie long accused of peddling racist tropes about the post-Civil War South. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
The new attraction will include new Audio-Animatronics figures, music from “The Princess and the Frog,” new cast original Disney characters, and more.
The blog post says that New Orleans artist Sharika Mahdi “inspired our work on the attraction with a local’s perspective.”
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Guest react to being hit with cool water on Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida on June 1, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
According to Disney Parks, the new attraction will open in 2024.
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf contibuted to this report.
