Guests visiting Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom are sure to notice both something missing and something added to their park guidemaps, almost immediately after the closure of a classic attraction.
What’s Happening:
- Guests at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom are noticing that park guide maps that can be found throughout the park are already switched out, with Splash Mountain missing and a new logo in its place for the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
- Only yesterday, January 22nd, did Splash Mountain close after operating for over 30 years at the Magic Kingdom. Guests showed up in droves to experience the classic attraction one last time, with the standby wait time for the ride averaging at least 2.5 hours throughout the day.
- In 2020, it was announced that Splash Mountain at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be closing to make way for a new experience based on 2009’s The Princess and the Frog from Walt Disney Animation Studios. A specific date was given for Walt Disney World’s closure recently, with an opening date for the new ride in the Florida park to debut in late 2024. There have been no updates at this time regarding Disneyland’s Splash Mountain closing, only that it too will debut in late 2024.
- The new attraction’s story will pick up right where The Princess and the Frog left off. At the end of the film, Princess Tiana realizes her lifelong dream when she opens her restaurant, Tiana’s Palace. The story picks up during Carnival season, when Tiana is hosting a party for the people of New Orleans. She discovers her celebration is missing a key ingredient and needs our help to find it. On Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’ll join Tiana and Louis on a trip to the bayou, where they meet all sorts of unexpected new friends who have a special role to play at the party.
- The attraction will get a whole new look and feel. Plus, Imagineers are blending tried-and-true techniques with the latest technology to make this feel like an entirely new attraction. Additionally, it was announced that talented voices from the film will reprise their roles in the attraction, including Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley as Louis, Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie, and the one and only Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana.
- A model of the Disneyland version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was on display at the Wonderful World of Dreams pavilion on the D23 Expo showfloor in 2022.
- While the new printed, legacy, paper guidemaps already show the removal of Splash Mountain, with the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure logo in its place (as well as the logo for the upcoming TRON: Lightcycle / Run in Tomorrowland), the MyDisneyExperience app has not been updated as of press time, and also clearly shows Splash Mountain, complete with label, and neighboring shops like Splashdown Photo and Briar Patch.
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