Splash Mountain: Ride's New Name Revealed at Disneyland, Disney World
Disney's Splash Mountain is receiving a long-awaited rebrand. In early July, the company announced an official name change for the popular attraction. Starting in 2024, the ride formerly known as Splash Mountain will feature a name based on The Princess and the Frog.
Splash Mountain will now be known as Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The change will go into effect for the ride in Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and in Disneyland starting in late 2024. Guests will be able to travel throughout the Louisiana bayou alongside Princess Tiana, Naveen, and alligator Louis as the characters prepare to host a Mardi Gras celebration.
Charita Carter, executive producer of relevancy activations at Walt Disney Imagineering, said that Tiana's Bayou Adventure is by and large a "love letter to New Orleans." She continued, "Like the musical city that inspired this attraction, Tiana's second act is about a community working in harmony to achieve something extraordinary. She reminds us of an immutable truth we can all relate to: 'if you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way.' And that's a melody we can all sing along to!"
While Disney has long expressed that The Princess and the Frog would take over Splash Mountain, an official name has not been revealed until recently. In June of 2020, Disney revealed that Princess Tiana and her friends would be featured in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in a major way. Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Tiana in the animated film, released a statement about the news, saying, "It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana's presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us 'The Princess and the Frog' Mardi Gras celebration we've been waiting for, and I'm here for it!"
The company sought to make the change due to the controversial history associated with Splash Mountain, which is based on the movie Song of the South, released in 1946. The film has come under fire for glamorizing life on a Southern Plantation after the Civil War. Although, it does not feature a clear reference to this history. Even though the film has a negative history associated with it, Disney has continued to use the film's Oscar-winning song, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." Now, it appears as though they'll be taking a page from The Princess and the Frog going forward.