There’s a brand-new ride coming to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort in 2024, and we’re here today to chat about it! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is the headliner attraction of the year on both coasts, bringing the story of The Princess and the Frog to the theme parks in a meaningful way.
This article will serve as your guide to all things Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. It will be updated as we learn more leading up to the ride’s opening, and (hopefully) I’ll be able to actually get to one of the theme parks soon after it opens to give you my first-person perspective. Without further ado, let’s go over everything we know about this ride!
When Will Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Open?
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in the summer of 2024 at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World! In a statement on Disney Parks Blog, it was announced that Disneyland Resort’s version of the ride will open “later in 2024″ in Disneyland Park.
Must-Know Information If You Want To Ride
At both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure can be found at the former location of Splash Mountain. In Walt Disney World, that will be in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, and at Disneyland Resort, that will be in Critter Country at Disneyland Park.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure uses the previous attraction’s show building, track layout, and ride vehicles (think of this being similar to how Maelstrom at EPCOT transformed into Frozen Ever After). So, if you are familiar with Splash Mountain, you already have a good sense of what the feel of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be like.
Riders must be 40″ (102cm) or taller to ride, which was the same height requirement as Splash Mountain. As far as we are aware, no structural changes are being made to the ride, so expect all of the same dips and drops, including the 50-foot one at the end! And, just like Splash Mountain, you can expect to get wet on this attraction! Pack ponchos if you want to keep your clothes dry.
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The Story
As with any Disney attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure continues the story from the 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. The ride takes place after the events of the film, inviting you to step into Tiana’s world in a whole new way.
In short, we meet up with Tiana, who is throwing a huge party during Mardi Gras as a thanks to everyone who has supported her as a business owner. That growth of a business owner has included her landmark restaurant, Tiana’s Palace, developing into Tiana’s Foods, an employee-owned cooperative. Through Tiana’s Foods, a whole new line of products has been developed, including a line of hot sauces!
Along the way, we discover that there has been a mix-up in the party preparations (what’s a Disney ride without a little hiccup that we have to help solve?). We meet up with Tiana at Tiana’s Foods and embark on a journey to help source the missing ingredient. It also sounds like the party preparations are in need need of a band as well, as Disney indicated in a Parks Blog update. Just like Mardi Gras itself, this party is not complete without its food and music, and it sounds like it will be our job to help Tiana pull everything together.
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The Queue
As you approach Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’ll notice striking differences in its facade from its predecessor. That includes a soaring tiara-topped water tower with the Tiana’s Food emblem painted on it. You’ll definitely want to engage all of your senses as you make your way through the queue at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Music will be playing throughout the queue, both featuring familiar songs from The Princess and the Frog as well as themes from New Orleans (more on that in a sec!).
Disney unveiled on social media the Tiana’s Foods delivery truck that guests can spot in the queue:
While waiting in line, be sure to keep your ears open for music playing in the background. An old-timey radio show will fill the area with music, including a rendition of the song “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” made famous in 1947 by Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. This rendition will be sung by Leah Chase Jr., the daughter of Leah Chase, who was the inspiration behind Princess Tiana in The Princess and the Frog.
Don’t hop in line with too much of an appetite because the smell of beignets will be wafting through the ride’s queue! The beignets, of course, are being prepared for Tiana’s special party that she’s throwing for us.
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New Characters and Audio-Animatronic Figures
If you’re a fan of physical set pieces and Audio-Animatronics in your Disney theme park rides, then you’re in luck. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will feature dozens of brand-new animatronic figures! This includes Princess Tiana herself, who will appear several times throughout the ride. In one of those appearances, Tiana will be sporting a new adventure outfit. Disney gave guests a first look at the outfit and the Audio-Animatronic Figure:
Here’s another look at that same Audio-Animatronic Tiana figure in her new adventure outfit:
In the YouTube series called “We Call It Imagineering,” several of the Tiana Audio-Animatronic figures were spotted. Here’s a look at another:
The ride will feature many favorite characters from The Princess and the Frog as Audio-Animatronics. We also know that we’ll be able to spot Mama Odie as a “catalyst to that magic.”
Disney shared a glimpse of the Mama Odie Audio-Animatronic figure in the “We Call It Imagineering” video series:
Disney has shared that, in total, we’ll be able to see many of our favorite characters in the attraction. This includes Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, Mama Odie, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia and Prince Ralphie.
Here’s a sneak peek of one of the Louis Audio-Animatronic figures as seen in the “We Call It Imagineering” video series on YouTube:
In addition, there will be a “brand-new cast of original Disney characters with distinct names and personalities.” Disney revealed a first look at a few of the critters musicians, each with their own name and backstory. According to Disney, this group of Audio-Animatronics will be the “first critter encounter” on our journey, with each member of the band playing a different instrument that make up the traditional Zydeco style of music. The critters’ names are Byhalia, Rufus, Apollo, Gritty, Timoléon, and Beau.
“Further down the bayou,” guests will encounter more critters that be comprised of Rara musicians! According to Disney, Rara is a traditional style of music from Haiti often seen in street processionals and festivals. This ensemble of original characters will comprise of Octavia, Pawpaw, Claude, Bernadette, Sebastian, and Phina. They will also appear in the attraction as Audio-Animatronic figures.
The final batch of musical critters is an ensemble of frogs. These musicians will play the “jazzy sounds and complex rhythms of Afro-Cuban music to life in the bayou.” The frogs name’s are Felipe, Mayra, Mondo, and Isabel.
Disney also provided us with a sneak peek of these musical frogs as they will appear inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure:
Guests will even be able to take a few of these critters home with them, including plush variations of Beau, Apollo and Rufus.
We’ll keep updating this post as we learn more about the new characters and Audio-Animatronic figures that will make their way into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
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The Music and Artistry
Much of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is rooted in the traditions of New Orleans, Louisiana. That extends to the music and artistry in the ride, with award-winning musicians PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard writing a “lyrical love letter to the region.” A new original song will be featured in the ride, as well as new renditions of familiar tunes from The Princess and the Frog. It looks like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be filled with music as one of the themes that weaves the story together.
Terence Blanchard is helming that musical score featured in the ride queue I mentioned earlier. Per Disney, “Just like Tiana’s recipes, the music will combine a medley of instrumental ingredients to cook up something worth savoring.” The ride will also feature what is known as zydeco music, a unique Louisiana-based blend of rhythm and blues.
There are several visual components to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure that add to the authenticity of the attraction. Every component of the ride is tied to New Orleans in some way, including historic Mardi Gras pieces that served as inspiration for the attraction. The artistry that inspired Tiana’s Bayou Adventure continues outside to a custom weathervane handcrafted by Darryl Reeves, a master blacksmith from Louisiana.
From the ride’s queue in Walt Disney World, guests will be able to spot a new mural painted by Louisiana artist Malaika Favorite. If you look carefully at the mural, you’ll notice it depicts Tiana’s journey throughout The Princess and the Frog as well as the opening of her business, Tiana’s Foods.
The mural, according to Favorite, reflects specific themes from movie: family, friends, food, music, art, and bringing folks together. You can spot it ahead of the ride’s opening if you hop aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad!
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The Food
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not the only way that The Princess and the Frog is being incorporated into the Disney theme parks. Last year, Disneyland Park opened a new Quick Service dining location called Tiana’s Palace. The restaurant features classic New Orleans dishes like gumbo, Muffuletta Sandwiches, and Po Boys.
Of course, no Tiana-inspired restaurant would be complete without beignets! The House-filled Beignet at Tiana’s Palace “features a delicious lemon icebox pie filling topped with lemon glaze for the perfect bite.”
Tiana’s Beignets have also found their way to Magic Kingdom Park. As part Celebrate Soulfully, the beignets began appearing on the menu at Westward Ho on February 1, 2024.
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