NEWS: Disney Announces New Details for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure; Closing Date for Splash Mountain at Disneyland

Work is underway at Magic Kingdom to transform Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney has released more details about the upcoming attraction. Learn more below.

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Carmen Smith:

The magic of the bayou is calling, so listen closely because we’re “digging a little deeper” into the experience guests can expect from the future attraction coming to Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The enchantment of the bayou will illuminate with a celebration during Mardi Gras season hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. And today, I’m thrilled to announce that Mama Odie will reprise her role as the catalyst to that magic.

As depicted in this newly released rendering, Mama Odie jokes with guests along their journey after a special display of her magic. The two-hundred-year-old Bayou Fairy Godmother, with her eccentric belongings and “seeing eye snake,” Juju, is comically eccentric, yet wise and all-knowing, throughout the adventure. We’re so delighted that legendary actress Jenifer Lewis, who starred as the voice of Mama Odie in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Princess and the Frog,” is once again returning to her role for the attraction.

If Mama Odie is a catalyst to the magic, then Sharika Mahdi is a catalyst to the Imagineers’ creations. This New Orleans artist and YAYA Arts Center alumna has inspired our work on the attraction with a local’s perspective. As we bring our attention to Mama Odie and the important role she plays in Tiana’s story, I’d like to share the latest in a four-part series commissioned to Sharika: a tribute to our wise and whimsical keeper of the bayou.

Notice how the long, flowing brush strokes offer visual cues for the floating journey that lies ahead in Tiana’s premier attraction. Along with “The Princess and the Frog” film, our team continues to use Sharika’s latest piece as inspiration for how Mama Odie will appear throughout the attraction. You may see evidence of this in the resemblance of the images above depicting Mama Odie.

Mama Odie joins a cast of friends – familiar and new – in Princess Tiana’s debut attraction. In December, we shared how a band of newly introduced critters will provide some of the soundtrack to your journey. In February, we shared the backstory behind the water tower that will punctuate the exterior. But what else is in store? Here’s a sample of what to expect from this musical adventure:

• • • • Brand-new cast of original Disney characters with distinct names and personalities
      • Dozens of entirely new Audio-Animatronics figures
      • Adorable critters with incredible talent, bringing the diverse flavors of musical gumbo found in New Orleans!
      • New, original music alongside favorite tunes from the film
      • Do you love beignets as much as Louis? Well, you’re in luck because the alluring scent of beignets being prepared for the party will be part of the attraction queue!
      • Additional talent voices from the film reprising their roles, including Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley as Louis, and the one and only Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana
      • Familiar faces from the film such as Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, Mama Odie, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia and Prince Ralphie

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure builds on the story of Princess Tiana, a character whose pride and perseverance reminds us of a universal truth: within us lies the potential to make our dreams come true. This all-new adventure will bring Disney Parks guests into Princess Tiana’s world like never before when the attraction opens in Disneyland park at Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in 2024.

To make room for this new magic, Splash Mountain at Disneyland park will be closed starting May 31, 2023, so we can begin the next phase of development for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

RELATED ARTICLE: NEWS–Disney Reveals New Storyline for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Splash Mountain has closed at Magic Kingdom, and work is underway to transform the attraction into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney has revealed new storyline details for the upcoming attraction that is set to open in late 2024. Learn more below.

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Kevin Rafferty Jr.:

At a young age, Tiana developed a deep passion for cooking, and began to dream of one day owning her own business. Her father, James, taught her that good food brings folks together. 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.

This multi-faceted enterprise has turned the aging salt mine into a space that has come alive. Complete with a boutique farm and both a working and teaching kitchen, Tiana’s Foods is where Tiana and her colleagues create all sorts of new products that they are bringing to the world, including a line of original hot sauces.

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.

When we arrive, we may see that Tiana spruced up the company’s facilities with vibrant art from local artists. Food for the party is being prepared and beignets are being loaded into crates for the celebration. All kinds of preparations are underway for the journey into the bayou with Tiana, along with new and familiar friends from the animated film.

Picking up where that story left off, Tiana continues bringing people together with Tiana’s Foods, another treasured meeting place to spend time together and celebrate a diverse community. Tiana is also working with cooperative members to teach gardening and cooking to children of all ages, and inspiring other women to run successful businesses as the brand grows nationwide.

Continue following along for updates relating to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, as it makes its way to Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in 2024.