In an interview on Live With Kelly and Ryan, Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog may have revealed when Disney intends to open the revamped Splash Mountain at one or more of its domestic theme parks. During the interview, Rose shared that she is continuing to work with Disney on the character for the attraction. While she didn’t say a lot, she did give an opening window that she believes Disney has as a target for the attraction.
“They are making a ride — it’ll be out in 2024,” Rose said during the interview. “I’ve been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we want it to be, what we want it to do, but, if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground and you’d never see me again.”
Disney, on the other hand, has not officially released an opening date at this time so things could change. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Disney confirmed that “timing has not been determined” for the opening of the attraction. However, Disney says it intends to share more details about the attraction during New Orleans’ Essence Festival of Culture, which runs from June 30 – July 3.
The change for Splash Mountain to become The Princess and the Frog attraction was announced in June of 2022. The new storyline will follow Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) as she plans a Mardi Gras celebration with Naveen (Bruno Campos) and Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley). Throughout the attraction, guests will go on a voyage through colorful canals and hear original music that’s inspired by the movie soundtrack. They will eventually arrive at a party that has familiar faces from the film and also some new characters.
In preparation for the re-imagining of this ride, Disney team members traveled to New Orleans to research and experience the culture of the city and also its history so that they could incorporate it into the new attraction. This includes the look and feel, sounds, and visuals as Disney attempts to recreate the film’s location.
The re-imagining of Splash Mountain to a new attraction based on The Princess and the Frog comes as Disney looks to make its experiences more enjoyable for everyone in every background. Splash Mountain was based on 1946’s Song of the South, which has negative racial stereotypes. The change comes after Disney updated The World Famous Jungle Cruise at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World because of how it negatively depicted the native people. All of these changes come as Disney continues to try and create an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued.
At this time, a specific opening date (or even year) has not officially been announced by The Walt Disney Company. It also isn’t known if both Disneyland and Walt Disney World will see the attraction re-imagined at the same time with the same opening. When announcements are made, DAPS MAGIC will report on them and provide full coverage on the reimagining of this attraction.
