Tiana's Bayou Adventure is an upcoming

log flume A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pre ...

attraction at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

and

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The W ...

in the United States. It is based on

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's 2009 film ''

The Princess and the Frog ''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American Animation, animated musical film, musical fantasy film, fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Anima ...

''. The attraction is scheduled to open in 2024, and will be a redesign of

Splash Mountain Splash Mountain is a log flume at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Magic Kingdom, based on the animated sequences of the 1946 Disney film ''Song of the South''. Although there are variations in the story and features between the three locatio ...

Development

In June 2020, it was announced that the

attraction themed to Disney's 1946 film ''

Song of the South ''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson; produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. ...

'' at

and

, would be re-themed based on the 2009 film ''

''. Disney stated that the development of the project began in 2019, prior to the online petitions that were circulated during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that Disney executives had privately discussed removing the attraction's ''Song of the South'' theme for at least five years, before putting into development a theme based on ''The Princess and the Frog''. The project is being led by Walt Disney Imagineer Senior Creative Producer Charita Carter while Splash Mountain Imagineer

Tony Baxter Tony Wayne Baxter (born February 1, 1947) is the former senior vice president of creative development in Walt Disney Imagineering and was responsible for creating designs and carrying out the construction of attractions all over the world. He anno ...

returned as a creative advisor. In August 2021, new artwork and details for the retheme were revealed. In July 2022, Disney announced that the new ride, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, will open at both parks in late 2024. At the

D23 Expo D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name ''D23'' refers to ''D'' for ''Disney'' and ''23' ...

in September 2022, it was confirmed that

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. S ...

Bruno Campos Bruno Campos () is a Brazilian-American lawyer and former actor, best known for his roles of Dr. Quentin Costa on the award-winning television show ''Nip/Tuck'', the voice of Prince Naveen in the animated film ''The Princess and the Frog'', and ...

Michael-Leon Wooley Michael-Leon Wooley (born March 29, 1971) is an American actor. Wooley was the voice of Louis the Alligator in Disney's Oscar-nominated animated feature film, ''The Princess and the Frog'' and played Judge Grady on the radio station WKTT in Roc ...

, and

Jenifer Lewis Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in films ''Beaches'' (1988) and ''Sister Act'' (1992). Le ...

would be reprising their roles from the film for the ride. In December 2022, new artwork was unveiled and it was announced that the Magic Kingdom version of Splash Mountain would close on January 23, 2023. In April 2023, it was announced that Tiana's Bayou Adventure will include new

Audio-Animatronics Audio-Animatronics (also known as simply Animatronics, and sometimes shortened to AAs) is the registered trademark for a form of robotics animation created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequent ...

figures and that the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain will close on May 31, 2023. Since the setting of Tiana's Bayou Adventure is

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, which is a flat city, the Imagineers have stated that the attraction's elevation is explained by having it take place on a

salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered using ...

, inspired by

Avery Island Avery Island (historically french: Île Petite Anse) is a salt dome best known as the source of Tabasco sauce. Located in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, it is approximately inland from Vermilion Bay, which in turn opens onto the Gulf ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. In addition, the new characters for the ride were designed by Imagineer Laura West, while Eric Goldberg, who animated Louis in the film, was consulted for the character's inclusion. To prepare for the attraction, the Imagineering team took several research trips to Louisiana, visiting locations such as the

French Market The French Market (french: Marché français) is a market and series of commercial buildings spanning six blocks in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as a Native American trading post predating European colonization, the market ...

and

bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

s, consulted with cultural institutions, chefs, academics, musicians, and also experienced

Mardi Gras in New Orleans The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of lent in the Western C ...

. The Imagineers also commissioned New Orleans artist Sharika Mahdi to create four paintings, each with a different theme, to serve as inspiration for the attraction.

Attraction

The attraction is set a year after the events of ''

''. To help her community, Tiana has created an employee-owned

Food cooperative A food cooperative or food co-op is a food distribution outlet organized as a cooperative, rather than a private or public company. Food cooperatives are usually consumer cooperatives, where the decisions regarding the production and distribution of ...

called Tiana's Foods, built on a

that she has purchased. On the day that guests visit, it is

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

season and Tiana is hosting a celebration for the people of New Orleans. She realizes that her celebration is missing a key ingredient and needs the guests' help to find it, as they join her and Louis on a trip to the bayou. In addition, the attraction will include new characters.

Voice Cast

as Tiana *

as Prince Naveen *

as Mama Odie *

as Louis

References

{{The Frog Prince Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Disneyland Magic Kingdom Dark rides New Orleans Square (Disneyland) Frontierland Audio-Animatronic attractions Amusement rides planned to open in 2024 The Princess and the Frog The Frog Prince