So long, Splash Mountain. Hello, Tiana’s Palace. Disney doubles down on ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Disney is going all in on Princess Tiana’s story for fans of “The Princess and the Frog.”
Not only will Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replace Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World next year, but days ahead of Splash Mountain’s Jan. 23 closure at Disney World in Florida, Disney has revealed plans for a new Tiana’s Palace restaurant at Disneyland. That’s in addition to Eudora’s Chic Boutique Featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets, a shop themed around the princess and her dressmaker mom which opened at Disneyland last fall.
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Is Tiana’s Palace a real place?
It’s going to be. Disneyland plans to open a real-life Tiana’s Palace restaurant later this year.
“Within its peach-colored walls and fancy green wrought-iron balconies, you’ll find elegant fixtures and appointments reminiscent of Tiana’s life and friendships,” Disney shared on Disney Parks Blog. “The new Tiana’s Palace will have much of the same pinch of pizzazz and flair as the restaurant from the film, offering authentic New Orleans flavors inspired by Tiana’s friends and adventures in this quick-service style restaurant.”
The restaurant will replace French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square. Both French Market Restaurant and Mint Julep Bar will close on Feb. 17 to make way for the transformation, but Mint Julep will reopen later. Opening dates just haven’t been announced.
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How long will Splash Mountain stay open?
The ride’s last day of operation will be Jan. 22 at Disney World. Disneyland’s details are still under wraps.
Guests can check Splash Mountain’s daily availability on both Disney World and DIsneyland’s websites and apps.
There are currently no plans to change Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disney Resort, which is owned by Oriental Land Company who licenses from Disney.
When will Tiana’s Bayou Adventure open?
Disney previously announced the attraction would open at both Disneyland and Disney World in late 2024.
However, fans may not have to wait that long. Disney World told USA TODAY there was no need to say “late” anymore for Florida’s attraction, but simply 2024.
Is Splash Mountain now ‘The Princess and The Frog’?
“This is not a retelling of ‘The Princess and the Frog,’” Ted Robledo, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in December.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set a year after the animated film ends and continues the story, they explained.
Having realized her own dream of opening her own restaurant, Tiana now wants to help her community succeed, too, as guests will learn in the ride’s queue. To do so, she opens Tiana’s Foods, an employee-owned co-op built into a new incarnation of Splash Mountain’s mountain.
What’s happening to Splash Mountain?
The mountain will be reimagined as a salt dome, like one Imagineers visited on Louisiana’s Avery Island during one of their many research trips for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
“It’s a perfect in for us to explain the elevation,” Robledo smiled.
Charita Carter, executive creative producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, stressed the importance of preserving authenticity while giving dimension to Tiana’s world.
“She’s fantastical, but she came from a very real place,” Carter said. She hopes guests from Louisiana will ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and say, “Yeah, this feels right.”
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Will Tiana’s Bayou Adventure have the same characters as the film?
Tiana, Prince Naveen, Louis the alligator and several other characters from “The Princess and the Frog” will star in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and their original voice actors will reprise their roles, according to Carter.
Guests will also meet new friends: an otter, rabbit, raccoon, turtle, beaver and opossum.
Robledo said Imagineers looked for animals that lived in the bayou and imagined what kinds of found objects they might use to make instruments. Music will play a big part in the ride, just like in the film and history of New Orleans.
Why is Splash Mountain closing?
Splash Mountain’s current Br’er Rabbit story is tied to “Song of the South,” a 1946 Disney film, which has been criticized for its idealized portrayal of plantation life.
“I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was – even with a disclaimer – was just not appropriate in today’s world,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said at a March 2020 shareholders meeting.
A petition to change Splash Mountain’s theme went viral the same year and Disney announced plans to do so, noting the change had been in the works since 2019.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Tiana’s Palace eatery announced ahead of Splash Mountain closing
