With over 230-minute queues, a dangerous log flume exit, and viles of the attraction’s water stowed by Imagineer Tony Baxter, it’s safe to say Disneyland’s Splash Mountain left a br’ery big impression on its last day at the Park.
As of May 31, 2023, the equally controversial and iconic Disneyland Resort attraction shut down for good. Banished for its racist roots from The Song of the South, Disney fans developed an affinity for the attraction without awareness of the lesser-known film’s background. The wait times exceeded four hours or more, with Guests waiting in their last-ever line through 10:00 p.m., unsure if they would see one last trip to the briar patch.
But when one door closes, another one opens—and it might just let in the smell of freshly-baked beignets.
Related: Four-Hour Wait Times Anticipated for Permanently-Closing Disney Attraction
A Grammy-Winning Addition to the Bayou
While some Guests continue to commemorate the fallen log flume ride, Disney just gave others a reason to rejoice in the sounds of New Orleans. With construction on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure promptly starting as soon as the Splash Mountain ride left for the laughin’ place, updates on the Imagineering behind the ride were released by Disney.
Although Disney enthusiasts have “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” ingrained in their brains, Disney announced musical geniuses behind Tiana’s Bayou Adventure that could rival the household tune.
A team of Walt Disney Imagineers took the plunge down to the Bayou to draw inspiration from the home of The Princess and the Frog—New Orleans—for the creation of the ride. On their latest trip, they brought in award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard to curate the music for Princess Tiana’s latest adventure.
Carmen Smith, Senior Vice President of Creative Development at Disney, shared the news through Disney Parks Blog, stating:
Both PJ and Terence are well decorated across music genres with four-time Grammy-winner PJ recently celebrating six straight years of Grammy nominations as an independent artist and Terence having won seven Grammy awards for his own discography and trumpeting expertise. Terence also played all of Louis the Alligator’s trumpet parts in ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ so you can only imagine how delighted we were that he was returning to work on this project.
Brought to life by an orchestra of animatronic critters, original music will be written, arranged, and produced by PJ Morton while Terence Blanchard, the man behind the jazz-loving alligator Louis, is cooking up Princess Tiana tunes for the ride’s queue.
Blending musical stylings native to Orleans, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a feast for the ears, eyes—and nose. That’s right, Disney confirmed a smell of beignets would flood the riders’ noses while they navigate the whimsical waters of the Bayou. Disney shared a sneak peek of one of the soulful animatronics, a newly-rendered Prince Ralphie, Prince Naveen’s brother in The Princess and the Frog.
In addition to soul-quenching songs from New Orleans, the new attraction will feature designs inspired by New Orleans artist Sharika Mahdi. Like the recipe Guests will help Tiana whip up on the ride, the Imagineers are mixing authentic New Orleans ingredients to share with Disney fans all over the map.
No official date has been released for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure debut in 2024, but the Imagineers are dreaming up an attraction that will make Disney fans want to kiss the cook.
