In the summer of 2020, as the racial justice reckoning swept the country, Disney said it would destroy Splash Mountain, a wildly popular flume ride with a racist history.
Some people cheered, saying the move was long overdue: After 31 years at Disneyland in California and 28 at Walt Disney World in Florida, the attraction — with its animals from “Song of the South,” the 1946 radioactive film – had to leave. .
But Disney also suffered a blow. Last year, when Splash Mountain finally closed, someone created a makeshift memorial near its entrance — the kind you see at gruesome crime scenes. Upset fans pushed the water jars away. More than 100,000 fans have signed a petition calling on Disney to reverse its “absurd” decision.
Now, Disney is releasing its replacement for Splash Mountain, which is based on “The Princess and the Frog,” the 2009 animated musical that featured Disney’s first black princess. The light new ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, will open to the public on June 28 at Disney World, with a similar version expected to arrive at Disneyland by the end of the year.
It’s a historic moment for Disney: After 69 years in the theme park business, the company will have an attraction based on a black character. Disney has spent at least $150 million on the bicoastal project, analysts estimate. (A Disney spokesman declined to comment on costs.)
“For young black kids, it’s, of course, a great and amazing way to show representation,” said Anika Noni Rose, who voices Tiana in the film and recorded new lines for the ride, when the project was announced. “For kids who don’t look like Tiana, it’s a way to open their eyes.”
Disney has rebuilt rides in the past, often to howls from the faithful, but this particular overhaul is particularly subtle. In recent years, Disney has found itself embroiled in national debates about diversity and inclusion initiatives, with prominent Republican politicians and conservative media pundits pointing to Disney as an example of corporate political correctness.
The pressure has begun to ease, in part because Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is no longer running for president and has been attacking “Woke Disney” on campaign stops. Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, has also repeatedly stated that he has moved Disney away from agenda-driven content.
Tiana’s Bayou adventure could put Disney back on the cultural battlefield. Or it could provide more evidence that the conversation has progressed.
“Our parks are precious, and our fans care deeply about how they evolve and change — as do we,” Josh D’Amaro, president of Disney’s theme parks, said in an interview. “One thing fans always tell me is, ‘If you change it, you promise to make it even better.’ And I think we kept that promise with Tiana.”
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure uses the same courses as Splash Mountain, and riders still travel in vehicles made to look like hollow logs. But everything else has been redesigned. Instead of a suspenseful story involving Br’er Rabbit being thrown into a patch, the new attraction centers on a Mardi Gras party: Tiana and her friend Louis, a trumpet-playing alligator, are looking for critters to form a band .
Halfway through, jovial Mama Odie, a voodoo queen in “The Princess and the Frog” and now a “Fairy Godmother of the Bayou,” casts a spell, supposedly shrinking the riders to the size of fireflies.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure also has a sharp new catchphrase: “All are welcome.”
While riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with a reporter during a test run, Ted Robledo, the attraction’s executive creative director, pointed out several inclusive touches — decorations in Spanish and French that reflect New Orleans’ multicultural history. a variety of music (jazz, zydeco, blues) playing on the sound system.
“This is a nod to the indigenous people of the area,” Mr. Robledo said, referring to a Choctaw stickball racket in a diorama near the course’s entrance.
“We’re always looking for ways to cast a wider net,” Mr. Robledo said. “With the old property, for various reasons, it was no longer as relevant. Somehow he had run his course.”
“The Princess and the Frog,” about a working-class woman who becomes royalty, was a box office disappointment. Tiana, however, has become critical to Disney. In consumer polls conducted by the company, she ranks No. 2 in popularity — out of the entire Disney character roster — among black women. (Characters from “The Lion King” are No. 1.)
Disney has high hopes for merchandise tied to the new attraction, which expands on the film’s story. (There are two gift shops near its exit.) A Tiana animated series is coming to Disney+ and will continue some of the history created by the ride.
“Tiana is a modern princess that resonates with everyone,” Mr. D’Amaro said. “She was not born into a royal family, but her story of perseverance and pride is timeless. This lasting quality is vital to our park attractions as they must be enjoyed from generation to generation.”
Mr. D’Amaro likened the complaints about the removal of Splash Mountain to a previous situation at the Disneyland Resort. In 2017, Disney closed the popular Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a hotel with malfunctioning elevators, and rebuilt it around Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Fans booed — until they got a chance to drive the replacement.
“It was a controversial decision at the time, but by introducing a modern story with different emotions, we created a completely new experience,” said Mr. D’Amaro, noting that visitor ratings for the rebuilt Tower of Terror have soared.
This month, Disney released a nine-minute video tour of the new Tiana attraction online. As of Monday, it had been viewed 625,000 times, with 10,000 people disapproving it and 38,000 thumbs up. The ride “seems to lack dramatic tension and stakes,” Jim Shull, a retired Disney parks designer, wrote in X, based on the video. A small number of diehards at Splash Mountain nicknamed the new ride Tiana’s Bayou Blunder.
Reaction has been far more positive from those who have ridden the attraction, which is in a soft-opening period.
“I loved it,” Victoria Wade, a social media influencer from Baltimore, told X on Thursday. “I love how this whole attraction adds more to the continuity of Tiana’s story.” He called the ride’s 48 animatronic figures “absolutely incredible.”
Drew Smith, 21, a self-proclaimed Disney “superfan” from Windermere, Florida, talked about his journey during a testing phase. “Splash Mountain has been my absolute favorite attraction since I was a kid and I’m so happy to say that the new ride is just as great,” he said in an interview. “Don’t believe the haters!”
