It’s finally OK to sing “Almost There” when it comes to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the new ride coming to Walt Disney World. The opening day for the log ride, an attraction taking the place of Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom, will be June 28.
Disney announced that during “American Idol” on Sunday night, although news had slipped out earlier in the day via an official Disney website’s online post that was removed.
The short reveal by “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest came after a performance of “Dig a Little Deeper” by Jenifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie in “The Princess and the Frog,” with Terence Blanchard on trumpet. Also on stage: a costumed Louis character from the film.
The announcement did not include information about previews for annual passholders or a soft opening schedule before that date. Previously, Disney had said it would open sometime this summer. There’s another version of the Tiana ride scheduled to open in Disneyland sometime “later this year,” Disney says.
Sarah Riles, vice president of Magic Kingdom, wrote Sunday night on the official Disney Parks Blog that annual passholders, eligible Disney Vacation Club members and Florida-based cast members will get more information about preview opportunities starting May 14.
The “Idol” episode, broadcast on Disney-owned ABC, also included prerecorded segments with the remaining contestants from Disney World and judge Katy Perry in a Cinderella-esque gown.
The storyline of the ride takes place in the years after the events of “The Princess and the Frog,” a Disney animated film released in 2009. The company has released other details such as voice talent — including Lewis — from the film being used, an introduction of elaborate animatronics, some new critter characters that play musical instruments and the fact that Tiana has started an employee-owned business.
The exterior of the Frontierland attraction has been modified to look less mountainous and more like a salt dome befitting the Louisiana landscape. The grounds now also feature a tiara-topped water tower that advertises Tiana’s business.
The Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction was first announced in June 2020. Magic Kingdom’s Splash Mountain closed in January 2023.
Elsewhere in Frontierland, Country Bear Jamboree is receiving an update that will include the modified name of Country Bear Musical Jamboree. The show, which opened with Magic Kingdom in 1971, has been closed since January. It will reopen sometime this summer, Disney says, and it will have reinterpreted Disney tunes presented in various country music genres. A video clip from earlier this year showed the recording of “Bare Necessities.”
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