The Splash Mountain replacement is already a big hit at Disneyland.
The process for turning Splash Mountain to a Princess and the Frog-themed attraction at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World has been a long one, but the finish line is finally in sight. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom over the summer and its Disneyland counterpart will be dropping the rope in November. Unfortunately, if you were hoping to be there for the opening day of the new attraction, and you don’t already have a ticket, you might be out of luck.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t open in Disneyland until November 15th, but the park is already completely sold out for that day. If you go to purchase passes to the parks, there’s nothing left for Disneyland on November 15th. There are passes left for Disney California Adventure that day, so guests could potentially get a pass to that park and hop over to Disneyland in the afternoon.
We’re more than two months away from the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening, so seeing a sellout for Disneyland that far ahead of time is very promising. There’s clearly an interest in the revamped attraction amongst Disney Parks guests.
The new attraction is taking the place of longtime fan-favorite ride Splash Mountain, which has been in need of an IP upgrade for quite a while. The story of the ride was based on the controversial Song of the South, which not only brought forth plenty of issues, but was also completely disconnected from any current Disney properties. Bringing Princess and the Frog into the mix gives Disney an entire attraction and area of Magic Kingdom dedicated to a very popular princess.
While the ride will be the same mechanically, the story, characters, and music have been completely revamped. The ride now takes guests through a musical journey of a New Orleans bayou, filled with singing and instrument-playing animals.
“After we board our boats and they pass through this beautiful, lush lagoon filled with trees, plants, and flowers of the bayou, of course, we’re going to join Tiana and the jazz-loving alligator and trumpet player Louis on an adventure down the river searching for that essential missing ingredient: musicians,” Ted Robledo, portfolio executive creative director, Walt Disney Imagineering, said during the opening of Disney World’s Bayou Adventure. “Along the way, we’re going to meet bands of critters sharing all of the diverse and rich sounds of New Orleans, playing their own renditions of these Tiana songs. And with the help of Mama Odie’s special magic, we’re going to dig a little deeper in the bayou and find all the musicians we’re looking for as she shrinks us down to the size of a frog for a perspective of the bayou that you could not ever get unless it was with Mama Odie.”
