Tiana’s Bayou: New attraction coming to Disneyland

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Get ready for an adventure in the Big Easy. A new attraction coming to Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom will transport guests to the magical place of New Orleans.

The Disney Company on Friday unveiled plans for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, a new ride based on the hit movie The Princess and the Frog. The new ride is set to open in 2024 at California's Disneyland Park and Florida's Magic Kingdom.

According to Disney, the ride will take guests on a musical adventure through the bayou with Princess Tiana, Naveen and the jazz-loving alligator Louis as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration. Guests will encounter familiar faces, make new friends and enjoy original music inspired from the film as they explore the next chapter of Tiana’s story.

The new attraction will replace Splash Mountain. In 2020, Splash Mountain was trending on Twitter as people called for the ride to be re-themed because of its connection to the film ‘Song of the South’, which has been the subject of much controversy as many critics have described the film's portrayal of African Americans as racist and offensive.

In a blog post Disney said, "with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year."

The name of the new attraction was announced Friday during ESSENCE Fest in New Orleans.

"In many ways, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a love letter to New Orleans. Like the musical city that inspired this attraction, Tiana’s second act is about a community working in harmony to achieve something extraordinary. She reminds us of an immutable truth we can all relate to," said Charita Carter, executive producer of relevancy activations at Walt Disney Imagineering.