We are, as Tiana would say, almost there. Theme park fans knew that we were set to get a major new E-ticket attraction, the Splash Mountain replacement Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, in 2024 .But Disney World just dropped a bit of a bombshell with the news that rather than opening in “late 2024” as the attraction had been previously dated, the new log flume ride will instead open at Magic Kingdom in Summer 2024.
The official announcement is something of a confirmation of what many had suspected. Splash Mountain closed at Disney World just over a year ago and construction on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure seemed to be going along at a decent pace. Considering that Disney World’s version of the ride had a five-month jump on Disneyland, it seemed likely that both rides were not going to open in “late 2024” as had been announced. Either one was going to open early, or the other was going to open late.
And in a rare case, early is what we’re getting. An exact opening date has not yet been given, but “summer” in theme park parlance can mean as early as May, so we might see the next new attraction at Disney World open Memorial Day Weekend. We can guess that Magic Kingdom will want to open as early as possible to catch as many of the summer tourists as it can. And the return of a cool splash down in the hot Orlando summer will be welcome.
Along with the announcement, Disney Parks released a TikTok showing off the first look at an amazing Tiana animatronic that will be part of the ride. Several animatronic characters, including an animal band, are also expected to appear. Splash Mountain previously had dozens of animatronics, more than any other single attraction in the parks, and it’s wonderful to see that they are not being completely replaced with screens. Tiana looks to be the remarkable same design as the recent Elsa animatronic at Hong Kong Disneyland.
@disneyparks ♬ original sound - Disney Parks
While the animatronic doesn't speak or sing in the video, we know that Anika Noni Rose will be returning to voice Tiana in the ride as she did in the movie. Most of the Princess and the Frog voice cast is set to reprise their roles from the film. Only Keith David's Dr. Facillier is missing, though there are obvious story reasons he may not be appearing. There will also be all new music.
The Tiana’s Bayou Adventure details that we have to tell us the story of the attraction will see guests visiting Tiana’s Foods, the new company she started following the events of The Princess and the Frog. Guests are visiting a salt mine to help Tiana obtain much-needed ingredients for a Mardi Gras celebration.
The Disneyland version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open “later” in 2024.
