Disney Imagineers speak on New Orleans-inspired ‘Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’ attraction

The upcoming attraction is set to open in Disney World Resort and Disneyland in 2024, replacing the famed Splash Mountain ride at parks.

Get ready for a whole new adventure in Disney Parks! “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” is coming to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland next year, and theGrio traveled to New Orleans for a preview, along with Disney Imagineers, who broke down the inspiration behind the upcoming “The Princess and the Frog” themed attraction.

As theGrio previously reported, Disney is replacing their famed Splash Mountain ride with “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” next year, a change first announced in 2020. Straight from the world of the 2009 classic “The Princess and the Frog,” the coming attraction will take riders directly to the New Orleans bayou, as Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen get ready for a “one-of-a-kind” Mardi Gras celebration.

Last month, Disney Imagineers gathered in the birthplace of “The Princess and the Frog” story: New Orleans. Executive creative producer Charita Carter explained the importance of representation not only in the film but in the “next chapter” story in the ride.

“Tiana is an inspiration because she is Disney’s first African American princess, and she is our first American princess,” Carter said.

As the story continues in the ride, Princess Tiana has opened up Tiana’s Foods, a thriving business set in an old salt mine. While experiencing the attraction, riders will encounter new and familiar faces, all set to that classic “The Princess and the Frog” music.

“We feel that we are creating a love letter to New Orleans,” said Carmen Smith, Disney’s senior vice president and executive of creative development product/content and inclusive strategies. “It’s a tribute to all the great people and communities and the art that is here,” she noted when discussing representing Black history and New Orleans in the ride

“Although Tiana is a character in a story, her culture and the place that she comes from is very real,” Smith added. “We want this attraction to really explore what New Orleans is all about.”

From partnering with the New Orleans Jazz Museum, Sharika Mahdi of YAYA (Young Aspirations Young Artists Inc.) and the Historic New Orleans Collection to tapping PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard for original music for the attraction, the Disney Imagineers left no stone unturned when creating an authentic and powerful love letter to this rich American city.

“Being here and meeting so many different people really helped us better understand what it’s like to live in New Orleans,” said Smith. “We want people from New Orleans to say, ‘Wow, they did their homework.’ And for those who have never been, we want them to book a flight, take a train and come to New Orleans.”

“Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” will officially debut next year at both Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida and at Disneyland in California. 

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