Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens June 28th at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida! The ride will take guests on a musical adventure following the events of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film “The Princess and the Frog.” Guests will meet fan-favorite characters including Prince Naveen, Mama Audi and more, as well as all-new music.
Disney | Olga Thompson
We’re almost there.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s re-themed Splash Mountain will reopen June 28 walt disney Orlando World Resort, Florida. The renovation of the iconic water ride was first announced four years ago. Similar renovations at Disneyland in California are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Featuring characters from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes guests through the swamps of New Orleans as Tiana prepares for a grand Mardi Gras celebration. Don’t worry, drops over 50 feet are still possible.
Riders will be immersed in a musical experience as they ride along the logs to new original music as well as favorite songs from the 2009 animated film. Along the way, riders will see familiar faces like Tiana, Louis and Mama Odie, as well as some small animals from the estuary playing musical instruments.
Transforming Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is part of Disney’s larger strategy to inject relevant, fan-favorite intellectual property into its existing rides and theme parks . It’s part of Disney’s broader effort to invest $60 billion over the next decade to grow its parks business.
The company has redesigned California Adventure’s iconic Tower of Terror to feature characters from Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” transformed the California Scream coaster into an “Incredibles” coaster (also at California Adventure), and replaced Norway’s Maelstrom roller coaster.
Disney often refers to these updates as “plussing,” which is done to make attractions more relevant and enhance the guest experience.
Tiana’s transformation
Splash Mountain has been a major attraction at Disneyland since 1989 and at Disney World since 1992. Now, some park visitors are calling for the cancellation of “Sounds of Water Flower Mountain.” The source material is a 1946 film, and although the ride itself has not been criticized as racist, many consider it to be.
For Disney, retheming Splash Mountain would allow for upgrades to ride elements such as animatronics, tie the ride to popular studio films, and develop a host of new merchandise, food and beverages for guests to enjoy.
Imagineers have developed fully electronic audio animatronics for the ride, including characters like Louis the trumpet-playing alligator from the movie.
Disney revolutionized animatronics decades ago with its hydraulic (or liquid-fueled) and pneumatic (or air-fueled) systems, but Tiana Bayou’s animatronics allow for more refined and precise movements, making them look even more lifelike. Similar animatronics can be seen in Galaxy’s Edge rides Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance.
Walt Disney Imagineering’s audio animatronics preview for the upcoming update to Splash Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
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Some of the animatronics’ internal parts are produced using 3D printing technology, allowing for the use of lighter materials.
The relaunch also includes a new clothing line, themed hot sauces, plush toys and a range of different snacks.
park profit
In 2023, experiences are the best-performing part of Disney’s business, accounting for 36% of the company’s total revenue but 70% of operating income. Meanwhile, Disney’s entertainment division, which includes theater and streaming businesses, accounts for 45% of revenue but only 11% of operating income.
Being able to generate more revenue from the parks has been critical to Chief Executive Bob Iger and Disney’s board of directors in recent years as they try to boost the company’s profitability and improve stock performance.
“I’ve looked at the return on investment in our parks and resorts division during my tenure, and really, it’s been extraordinary,” Iger said at last month’s Moffett Nathanson Media Internet and Communications Conference. “I asked How much do we plan to invest over the next ten years, and I realize that if we believe that we can basically turn things around from a cashless — free cash flow generation perspective, which we’ve done and we’re doing that, then we have Opportunity investing, why not invest in the business with the highest return rate?
Disney has announced that the redesigned Country Bear Musical will open at Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando on July 17. In the new show, twangin’ Bear will perform interpretations of classic Disney songs in different genres of country music, including bluegrass, pop country, Americana and rockabilly.
Additionally, “The Little Mermaid,” a theatrical production inspired by the 1989 film, will premiere later this year.
The company is also developing what it calls a “Blue Sky” ideas for its parks — projects that are still in the early stages of development and may not ultimately see the light of day.
Disney has teased that the Magic Kingdom may be developing an area based on “Coco” or “Phantasmagoria” or both. There’s also talk of creating an area in the Magic Kingdom that would be occupied by Disney villains.
At the company’s investor meeting in April, Iger even revealed the possibility of building an “Avatar” park at Disneyland in California.
If these projects do come to fruition, the price points will be different. The two recent additions of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney World are expected to cost $1 billion each.
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