Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Splash Mountain replacement, opening soon at Disney World Florida

Almost there, it's almost there. The grand opening date for the new "Tiana's Bayou Adventure" attraction, which replaced the classic Splash Mountain ride, was finally announced Sunday night on "American Idol."

Right after Jenifer Lewis — the voice of Mama Odie from the Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog" — and Terance Blanchard performed a rollicking version of "Dig a Little Deeper" for Disney Songbook Night, with a full New Orleans-style jazz band complete with Louis the alligator on trumpet, host Ryan Seacrest joined them to announce some exciting news.

"The new attraction 'Tiana's Bayou Adventure' will be opening at Walt Disney World in Florida June 28," he said, to applause. "Inspired by 'The Princess and the Frog.' So bring our crew and join Princess Tiana and friends on a thrilling adventure in the bayou where anything can happen."

The attraction also will be opening at Disneyland in California later this year, he said.

What is 'Tiana's Bayou Adventure'?

The new attraction is based on the animated Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog" where a New Orleans girl in the 1920s named Tiana gets caught up in a wild chase of magic, parties, princes and powerful voodoo practitioners when all she wants to do is open a restaurant. The setting takes place after the event of the movie.

"Join Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis on their journey through a shimmering bayou as they prepare for a spirited celebration during Mardi Gras season," Disney's site said about the ride. "Along the way, you’ll see familiar faces and make new friends as you’re brought into the next chapter of Tiana’s inspiring story."

While waiting for the ride, guests will learn about Tiana's efforts to give back to her community through a food co-op as they enjoy the wafting scent of fresh beignets. Then it's off along the bayou to enjoy Zydeco, Rara, and Afro-Cuban music and see some familiar animatronic faces and some new friends as Tiana prepares to throw a big Mardi Gras party.

You must be 40" high or taller to ride the attraction.

Will I get wet on Tiana's Bayou Adventure?

Probably!

"Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will also feature original music and some familiar tunes from the beloved movie, and so much more … including an incredibly thrilling 50-foot drop!" said Sarah Riles, Magic Kingdom Park Vice President, in a blog post about the attraction.

When is 'Tiana's Bayou Adventure' opening at Disney World?

'Tiana's Bayou Adventure' is opening on Friday, June 28, 2024.

Where is 'Tiana's Bayou Adventure' in Disney World?

'Tiana's Bayou Adventure' is replacing the Splash Mountain log flume ride in Frontierland.

Why did Disney replace Splash Mountain?

Disney announced in 2020 that one of its classic rides, Splash Mountain, was going to be closed and reworked into an attraction based on the entertainment giant's first Black princess, Tiana.

Splash Mountain and its Br'er Rabbit theme was based on the 1946 Disney film "Song of the South," which critics said glorified plantation life and glossed over the horrors of slavery. James Basket, who won an Oscar for his role as Uncle Remus, an elderly Black man who told stories depicted in colorful animations, did not attend the film's Atlanta premiere because Black people were forced to sit separately in the theater's balcony.

Disney has not publicly connected the change to the controversy over the movie, although a Change.org petition that year called for a change. The company just said the move had already been in the works, although when Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked at a shareholders meeting that year if "Song of the South" was going to be added to Disney+ he said, "I've felt, as long as I've been CEO, that 'Song of the South' was – even with a disclaimer – was just not appropriate in today's world."

"Song of the South" was never released on home video in the U.S. and is not included in Disney+.

In 2021, controversy over the controversy erupted when a loyal Disney fan's guest column in the Orlando Sentinel bemoaned the company's change in values and the alterations to park attractions that have been criticized as racist such as Splash Mountain and the Jungle Cruise, which was criticized for its depictions of indigenous peoples. The column went viral and triggered a nationwide response.

"I love Disney World, but wokeness is ruining the experience," Jonathan VanBoskerck wrote. "The next time I ride Jungle Cruise I will not be thinking about the gloriously entertaining puns of the skippers, I will be thinking about Disney’s political agenda. That’s a mood killer."

VanBoskerck said he also was concerned about Disney's announcement that the company was adding inclusion as one of its core principles, allowing gender-neutral hairstyles and costuming for cast members, and providing adaptive costumes to accommodate employees in wheelchairs.

Reaction to his column was mixed but passionate, with some people supporting him and complaining about wokeness but most criticizing him for wanting to embrace the idealized, mythological antebellum South.

Meanwhile, Disney went on to wage a two-year war with Gov. Ron DeSantis over the then-Disney CEO's public objections to the state's "Parental Rights in Education" bill banning instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, which critics referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" law. DeSantis lashed out in return, hammering the company as a bastion of wokeness in campaign speeches and moving to strip the company's 55-year-old self-governing status and put it under the control of a DeSantis-appointed board. After months of lawsuits and failed appeals the war was called off and the lawsuits dropped, for now.

Eve Chen, USA TODAY, contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tiana's Bayou Adventure to open at Disney World in Orlando Florida