Four years ago a conversation started around the idea of re-theming Splash Mountain. While I found the idea intriguing and certainly saw the value in removing characters from a ride that came from a film Disney didn’t even want to discuss, I always assumed, as many other people did, based on what we knew about Tiana's Bayou Adventure, that in the end what we would get would simply be “Splash Mountain with Tiana.” There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, that could be a fun ride, but the idea seemingly wouldn't be a revolution, just a new coat of paint.
Yet while the new Disney World attraction is ultimately still the same ride experience as Splash Mountain, the experience has been updated and upgraded enough that it feels like something far different and far newer. I didn’t expect to like Tiana a great deal more than Splash, and yet, I do. It's more than just a remarkable coat of paint with new characters.
Tiana Engages You From The Beginning By Making You Part Of The Story
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, like Splash Mountain before it, is an amalgamation of two types of theme park attractions, the log flume and the dark ride. Most log flume attractions are concise experiences that exist only to experience the drop and get you wet, but Splash and Tiana also give you a story along the way.
The difference is that the story of Splash Mountain, like most classic dark rides, happens around you. The characters engage in the story, and you play the part of a witness, watching events unfold. The biggest change in the new ride? The guest becomes part of the story.
Tiana, in amazing animatronic form, engages with the riders directly, as we all go in search of the band that Tiana needs for the party she's throwing for Mardi Gras. We travel through the bayou to find a collection of musical critters. Then, partway through the attraction, Mama Odie shrinks us down to the size of a frog, and the ride takes on an entirely different feel. We become the size of the new band and hear the music in a new way.
To transform back to our normal size, we must take the plunge from the 50-foot drop. Then we do, and we’re off to Tiana’s party to celebrate. From the beginning, we’ve been part of the story, so the celebration feels like something we’ve earned.
Animatronics Are The Stars, While Screens Enhance The Experience
There is a general opinion among many theme park fans -- an opinion that I feel is wrong -- that animatronics are inherently good and the use of screens is inherently bad. Considering the sheer volume of animatronics that previously existed on Splash Mountain (around 80 of them in the Magic Kingdom version and even more at Disneyland) there was a fear that any re-theme would shrink away from the complex, expensive, and occasionally broken animatronics, in favor of creating characters on screens.
There are screens, and there are fewer animatronics than in the previous version of the ride, but Tiana's Bayou Adventure goes for quality over quantity. The animatronics we see are state-of-the-art, especially compared to the decades-old Splash Mountain characters, and there are plenty of them. The story is told with the animatronics.
Screens are used to enhance the experience of the ride. Most of them simply recreate the night sky, making you feel like the show building you’re in is bigger than it actually is because the screens make it go on forever. In the scene where the guests are “shrunk” we see Tiana and Louis looking at us, and because we are small, they are massive. Every other time we see them they are animatronics, they're only on a screen when a physical character isn't feasible.
The same balance happens in the finale. There certainly are not as many animatronic figures there as Splash Mountain had, but there are still plenty of them, and what there looks so good that having a few extra animals going through static motion is not missed. Screens are used to great effect to make the party even bigger. And then, of course, there’s the music.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s Music Gets You Ready To Party
I found myself smiling from nearly the beginning of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure because it’s hard not to smile when you hear the soundtrack from The Princess and the Frog. The majority of the music is pulled from the movie, but it’s new arrangements and performances, so it feels fresh and new. And songs like “Dig a Little Deeper” instantly get you in a party mood.
The finale party features Anika Noni Rose as Tiana singing P.J. Morton’s original song “Special Spice,” and it fits perfectly with the rest of the soundtrack. The only problem is that, unless there’s a backup of ride vehicles, you’ll want to spend more time in that room listening to the new song than you’ll likely be able to.
Tiana Is Already More Of A “Must Ride” For Me Than Splash Mountain Ever Was
Beyond perhaps the first time I rode Splash Mountain as a kid shortly after it opened, the ride was never on the list of attractions I didn’t want to miss on any given Disney Parks trip. The only time it was ever more of a priority was when the weather was extra hot, and of course that was always when the line was extra long, meaning I usually skipped it anyway. The ride has been closed at Disneyland for its own update the last few times I've been there, and I haven't felt like I missed anything.
I honestly expected Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to be the same way. I expected to enjoy it well enough, but not to feel any particular desire to want to do it again after I got off. And yet, I’m much more interested in Bayou Adventure than I ever was in Splash Mountain. I would like to ride it again, as soon as possible. Maybe it’s just because it’s new, and after it’s been around for a bit I won’t feel the same way, but for now, I’m looking forward to “Goin' Down the Bayou” again one day soon.
