Back in 2020 — while Disney Parks were closed because of COVID — Disney shocked and upset Guests when they announced that one of the most iconic rides in both the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park would be closing. Splash Mountain, Disney said, would be shutting down for an extended time to receive a Princess and the Frog retheme. After three years of waiting for the day to come, Splash Mountain officially shut down at the Magic Kingdom on January 23, 2023, much to the dismay of loyal fans.
Two years after The Princess and the Frog retheme was announced, Disney shared that the new attraction would be called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Since the retheme was announced, Disney has slowly been leaking details of the attraction and what can be expected. However, now that construction at the Magic Kingdom is underway, Disney is sharing more than they ever have!
Here’s some brand-new information on the storyline the attraction will follow, courtesy of Disney Parks Blog:
One of the most exciting parts of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is that we’re going to see where Tiana’s life has taken her following the success of Tiana’s Palace, a restaurant she had dreamed of owning and worked so hard to make come true.
Walt Disney Imagineering is creating an original, next chapter story for Tiana. Within the attraction queue, guests will discover that she continues to grow her business with Tiana’s Foods – an employee-owned cooperative. Combining her talents with those of the local community, Tiana has transformed an aging salt mine and built a beloved brand.
The endeavor began when Tiana purchased the salt mine and the area surrounding the large salt dome it operated from. With the help of her mother Eudora, Naveen, Louis and fellow owners of the cooperative, Tiana revived the old salt mine and the surrounding land, growing a wide array of vegetables, herbs and spices for her recipes…
Tiana wants to give a big thanks to her family and friends and the entire community for all the support they’ve given her by throwing an amazing party during Mardi Gras season. When it turns out there’s been a bit of a mix–up with the party preparations, Tiana invites us to meet her at Tiana’s Foods to help with the missing ingredient for the party.
Prior to this, we knew that Guests will head down to the bayou to help Princess Tiana find the “secret ingredient” that she is missing to help make her party one to remember. And while there will be a number of characters popping up that Guests will recognize from the first movie, it seems that Dr. Facilier will not be a part of the attraction — a missed opportunity according to many.
At this time, Splash Mountain at Disneyland Resort remains open. Disney has not yet announced a closing date for the attraction.