Disney fans everywhere are anticipating the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on June 28. The ride replaces Splash Mountain, which closed in 2023 after a 28-year-long run in Disney World, according to The New York Times.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is anticipated to arrive in California’s Disneyland by the end of this year.
Why did Disney redo Splash Mountain?
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was announced in 2020 after a series of protests regarding the murder of George Floyd, according to The Associated Press.
Splash Mountain was originally based on a 1946 movie called “Song of the South,” which depicts an “older Black man who works at a plantation and tells fables about talking animals to a white city boy.”
According to The Associated Press, “The film has been criticized for its racist stereotypes.” The ride’s new design is a way for everyone to feel included and welcome.
What will the new ride look like?
USA Today described Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as a “feel-good” ride.
It doesn’t feature any antagonists — such as the movie’s villainous character Dr. Facilier. Guests with little ones who are scared of the dark “should be aware that it gets quite dark for multiple stretches,” says USA Today, “but there’s nothing else to be afraid of.”
Passengers still travel in the familiar “hollowed-out logs,” according to The New York Times. But the storyline and ride design are completely different from Splash Mountain. Tiana and Louis — a fun, music-loving alligator — are on a journey to find “critters to form a band.”
“Halfway through,” says The New York Times, “the jolly Mama Odie, a voodoo queen in ‘The Princess and the Frog’ and now a ‘bayou fairy godmother,’ casts a spell, supposedly shrinking riders to the size of fireflies.”
Is the ride a roller coaster? No, according to USA Today. If guests want to avoid getting wet, they can bring a poncho. But the ride itself isn’t too bumpy.
Disney released a full passenger video ride-through of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which received mixed reviews from Disney fans. Many criticized the lack of a story and “iconic elements of the film,” according to Forbes.
One viewer said, “I’m sorry but there is no coherent story, no suspense or sense of danger, no sense of danger or thrill. I wish that they had added Dr Facilier to the ride, especially for the big drop, it would’ve been so much better. Tiana deserves so much better than this snooze fest!”
“Disney once made a Haunted Mansion with 999 souls. They’ve now created an entire mountain without one,” commented another viewer.
Others think differently. According to The New York Times, one test rider found the ride to be just as great as it was before. Fans might have to wait and experience the ride for themselves before making up their minds.