The Princess and the Frog Splash Mountain retheme for Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom finally has a name, Princess and the Frog: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The announcement was made during the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans today.
Disney did not announce when Splash Mountain will close, but Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in late 2024. Tiana’s voice actress Anika Noni Rose accidentally leaked this timeframe a few weeks ago on Live With Kelly & Ryan. The “Tiana Reimagined” panel later today will showcase news of Princess and the Frog, and reveal of Tiana’s new look,” so may have more information about the ride. There could also be information about the new Disney+ series, Tiana.
The reimagined attraction is set to replace Splash Mountain’s ties with Disney’s 1946 animated film Song of the South, which was highly criticized for painting racist depictions of Black people and helped perpetuate “a dangerously glorified picture of slavery.” While Disney has disowned the film in 1986 and has not officially released it on DVD, the ride’s ties to the movie sparked many controversies, with fans even petitioning for the Parks to remove the ride or re-haul it altogether to remove it any connections with Song of the South.
We should expect some additional information on the attraction during Disney’s D23 Expo in September.
