Magic Kingdom Park guests were met with an unsettling sight inside the park’s newest ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. What should have been a delightful journey through the bayou took a dramatic turn when a character animatronic appeared visibly damaged, leading to concern among Walt Disney World Resort guests.
Shocking Animatronic Malfunction Stuns Guests
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially debuted at Magic Kingdom Park in June 2024, replacing Splash Mountain’s Song of the South (1946) theme with The Princess and the Frog (2009). Despite the excitement surrounding its launch, the ride has been plagued by technical malfunctions, extended closures, and issues with its state-of-the-art audio-animatronics.
Now, footage shared on TikTok by @brandon.paints.the.parks reveals Louis the alligator, one of the ride’s most prominent figures, in a deteriorating state. The fabric covering the character animatronic’s throat appears torn, exposing internal mechanisms in a way that some Disney Park guests found unsettling.
@brandon.paints.the.parks Still rode it twice 🤙🏽🤙🏽🐊
Character With “Throat Slit” Alarms Disney Park Guests
“Tiana’s is coming apart at the seams, literally,” the TikToker explained. “At least, this first giant Louis animatronic is literally ripping. Its throat is slit, highly visible, and like I said, it’s kind of the first thing you see once you go inside of the mountain.”
While Disney Park animatronics have experienced mechanical failures in the past, the graphic nature of this tear immediately drew reactions from fans and critics alike. With Louis being a key character in the ride, the unsettling imagery quickly became a talking point among Disney Parks fans.
Ride Disruptions Continue With Emergency Alert
In addition to the animatronic damage, guests riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure reported another concerning issue—a blaring emergency alert sounded throughout their experience inside the attraction. Further problems arose as the guest noticed the Mama Odie animatronic’s mouth wasn’t moving.
The TikTok user expressed frustration over the ride’s repeated malfunctions, stating: “I understand a lot of these animatronics have been struggling with their timing and with working at all. I do not hate Tiana’s; I actually love it. But not a great look for the haters.”
Fans Clash Over Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s Struggles
Since Disney announced Splash Mountain’s transformation, the attraction has faced mixed reactions from longtime fans. This latest issue has only fueled further debate about whether the ride was rushed into operation too soon.
Social media users were quick to react to the video. Some criticized Walt Disney Imagineers, saying the ride’s technical troubles should have been resolved before opening.
“This always happens when they don’t give the rides proper time to open,” said @deadskullzzyt.
“Splash Mountain was known for this cause it was old, this is bad that a very new ride is doing this,” @phoebe9554 wrote.
Some fans even used this moment to argue for Splash Mountain’s return.
“Splash Mountain’s animatronics worked so much better,” @jay_mk_marvel claimed.
“Bring back splash mountain!” @meadows_creative replied.
However, not everyone saw this as a unique problem. Some fans pointed out that Splash Mountain’s animatronics also frequently broke down.
“The log ride always had problems, retheme or not there’s always something going on,” @lillianvaladezxo argued.
“It [was] a great ride but I can admit it had problems,” added @pinkpineapple46. “Lighting, animatronics, etc.”
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen on a ride at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Let Disney Dining know in the comments!
PETA should protest about this lmao.
Let’s look for the Good at Disney and stop crying about things that we choose to complain about. If you are always looking for problems then stay home where I’m sure you have plenty.
I rode Tianna’s in December, and was not impressed. Disney should repair the things that have been neglected for so long and take care of what they have. People spend a fortune to enjoy the ‘magic’ which keeps fading on my last 3 trips! Universal did it right. 3 new hotels built =a new theme park.