Tiana's Bayou Adventure opening date set for Walt Disney World
Tiana's Bayou Adventure replaces Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
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Disney is asking guests to "drop on in" this summer after officially announcing the opening date of Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World.
The ride, which was formerly Splash Mountain, will begin taking guests on a "musical adventure" at Orlando's Magic Kingdom on June 28, Disney announced Sunday.
The new attraction features "dozens of Audio-Animatronics figures, a foot-tapping soundtrack, and a celebration where everyone’s welcome," according to a press release.
Princess Tiana from the 2009 "Princess and the Frog" movie will be joined by characters Mama Odie, Louis and "adorable critters" playing musical instruments.
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Disney announced over the weekend that Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom will open June 28, 2024. (Disney Parks)
"Their spirited stylings will turn the bayou into a party with Zydeco, Rara, and Afro-Cuban music authentic to the region of New Orleans," Disney said.
Florida-based cast members, annual passholders and eligible Disney Vacation Club members will get to ride the new attraction first. Information regarding previews will start coming out on Tuesday.
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The ride attaction poster for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, coming to Walt Disney World this summer. (Disney Parks)
Disney has been keeping fans very involved in the reimagination process of the ride while posting updates on the Disney Parks Blog. Disney's fanatics have been filming ride tests of the logs taking their 50-foot drop.
Splash Mountain broke a Walt Disney World record on its final day of operation in January 2023. Fans waited a staggering 220 minutes – nearly four hours – to take one more ride, according to Thrill Data, which monitors wait times at theme parks.
Guests enjoy Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on Dec. 7, 2022, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The popular attraction opened in 1992 and closed permanently on Jan. 23, 2023, to be repurposed as Tiana's Bayou Adventure. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The famed water ride, which features a steep drop, came under fire on social media because it features characters and music from "Song of the South," a 1946 animated film that has been accused of employing racist tropes about the post-Civil War South.
Despite backlash, the ride that opened in 1992 was one of Disney’s most recognized landmarks for decades.
Construction continues at Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on Feb. 16, 2024, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Disneyland Park in California is also getting its own version of Tiana's Bayou Adventure later this year, although an exact opening date has not yet been announced.
Fox News' Brian Flood and David Ruiz contributed to this report.