Disney Reveals First Look at ‘Princess and the Frog’ Ride Replacing Splash Mountain
Last summer, Disney announced it would retire it popular Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World and retheme the structures with characters from the recent animated movie The Princess and the Frog. In honor of World Princess Week (which is apparently a thing?), they’ve offered the first major update on the new attraction’s progress, including concept art (seen above) and a detailed description of the ride.
The ride will largely keep the mechanics of Splash Mountain intact, and replace the flume‘s theming and animatronics from the dated Song of the South with material from The Princess and the Frog. According to Disney Parks Blog, “the story will take place after the final kiss as Naveen and Louis join Tiana on her latest adventure, hosting a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration where everyone is welcome – during which some original music inspired by songs from the film will bring guests into the story. Tiana is leading the way and fans will be able to encounter old friends and make new ones along the way as well!”
You can watch a lengthy conversation between Disney Imagineers working on what they call “The Tiana Project” and Stella Chase Reese (the daughter of Leah Chase, whose Dooky Chase’s Restaurant served as one of the inspirations for The Princess and the Frog) below. They don’t offer an opening date for the Tiana ride at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland, or give a timeframe for when Splash Mountain will close in order to allow for construction to begin. If you’re unfamiliar with Song of the South and why it is so controversial, you can read all about it here.