Tiana ride: New characters, fresh tune, return of the splash
Walt Disney World’s newest attraction features playful animatronics, a snappy soundtrack, a dramatic finale and the strong possibility of getting wet. Those are the basics of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom theme park, the ride currently in previews before its official debut on June 28.
Those traits were also present in Splash Mountain, the log ride that Disney has morphed into an attraction based on characters from the 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog.”
“For so many years, people were sending me messages — like I had some power — asking me when this was going to happen, and I couldn’t say anything. All I could do was hope with them,” said Anika Noni Rose, the actress who gave voice to Tiana in the film.
“So to finally be at this place, to be able to unveil this, which we’ve been hoping for for so long, it is really wonderful,” she said. “It keeps Tiana and her legacy alive in a really different way.”
Members of the media tried out the ride Monday. Disney World cast members have also been offered previews, and annual passholders will board soon ahead of the official opening date.
The ride system and track of the river are the same as the Splash Mountain incarnation, but the scenery inside is completely made over. It’s dark and swampy but begins with a stretch through a vegetable garden. Then, riders encounter the first animatronic, Tiana, midway up a hill.
The storyline revolves around a party being thrown by the princess and the need to fill out a band, a task assigned to (animatronic) Louis, the trumpet-playing alligator. Along the way, there are several characters that were not in the “Frog” film. The attraction is set in the year after when the movie takes place.
“Essentially, it’s the continuation of Tiana’s story, and along with that comes some new characters,” said Ivan Chan, senior project manager with Walt Disney Imagineering. “It gave us at Imagineering an opportunity to design brand new characters that we could bring to our guests, something that’s been very rare for us to do.”
Three of these instrument-toting characters already have plush figures for sale at the park. Magic Kingdom is the only place to see these characters, Chan said, although Disneyland in California will get its own version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure later this year.
The new ride’s storyline takes a twist as Mama Odie casts a spell that shrinks riders down to the size of a frog, and in that stretch, there are a series of musical amphibians before the spell is reversed. That leads to the attraction’s trademark 50-foot drop out into the open air of Magic Kingdom that ends in a splash, of course.
From the outside, the attraction is dramatically greener looking, and Imagineers worked to make it look less mountainous since Louisiana, where “The Princess and the Frog” is set, is flat territory. The idea now is that this spot is a salt mine mound.
“We used a lot of our toolbox of tricks, even reverse forced perspective, to bring the scale of the mountain down,” said Dustin Eshenoder, a production designer with Walt Disney Imagineering.
“We added those lovely cypress trees in the bayou and the water tower, of course, to kind of draw focus and give the presence more to the front of the lagoon section and kind of minimize the mountain and make it a little more natural,” he said.
“We think that Tiana fits beautifully in Frontierland because she was a successful entrepreneur,” said Sarah Riles, vice president for Magic Kingdom. “She’s like the vision, the trailblazer, which is what Frontierland is all about. And it brings great energy to this corner of the park.”
Songs from the film are heard during the bulk of the ride, but Disney commissioned New Orleans musician PJ Morton to write something for the finale, the party scene at Tiana and Prince Naveen’s mansion. Riders hear his “Special Spice,” which was recorded by Rose for the attraction.
“Disney is all about dreams … and this is truly a dream come true for me, wanting to write songs for Disney as a kid,” Morton said. “Then, on top of that, I get to represent home. … I’m just overwhelmed.”
Morton and Rose performed “Special Spice” live Monday during a media session touting developments at Disney World. Among the fresh facts shared:
? The revamped Country Bear Jamboree show will debut July 17. Singer Emily Ann Roberts performed “Try Everything,” a song for the Trixie character, during the informational session.
? Behind the scenes video of The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure was shown. The future attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will use motion-capture technology, feature a larger-than-life Ursula, live performers, puppetry and something called “digital puppets.” An opening date has not been announced.
? The session included a recorded message from Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences. He teased news to be released at the D23 Expo in August: “Walt Disney World is going to see even more fantastic stories come to life over the next decade.”
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