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On Saturday, The Walt Disney Company made a long-awaited announcement about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, coming soon to Disneyland Resort. The news came during the fan-favorite “Disney Experiences” panel at D23 Expo 2024, live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort on June 28, 2024. The Central Florida Disney park closed its version of Splash Mountain months earlier than Disneyland Resort, so the Frontierland retheme was far ahead of the Critter Country from the beginning.
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Walt Disney Imagineering long promised that Disneyland Park guests would go down to the Bayou by the end of 2024 but didn’t provide an exact opening date for the log flume ride. That changed on Saturday.
Credit: Disney
Chairman of Disney Experiences Josh D’Amaro announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open at Disneyland Park on November 15, 2024. Alongside the grand opening of the Splash Mountain retheme, the Critter Country area of Disneyland Park will be “closed” and reopen as the renamed “Bayou Country.”
The Walt Disney Company shared this official attraction poster featuring the new Bayou Country name:
Credit: Disney
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure follows Princess Tiana (Anika Noni-Rose), Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), and Louis (Michael Leon-Wooley) as they gather a band for a celebration of New Orleans culture. Some animatronic scenes and other ride elements at Disneyland Park are said to be different than the Magic Kingdom Park version, but Walt Disney Imagineers have provided few details.
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Bayou Country is also home to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, Pooh Corner, and the newly-rethemed Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree restaurant. The Disney Park land will also feature two merchandise locations inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009): Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club.
Credit: Disney
Disney Parks Blog teased that some parts of Bayou Country may open earlier than November 15, but fans shouldn’t expect to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure until that date. It’s unclear if the log flume ride will require a Virtual Queue like its Walt Disney World Resort counterpart.
The announcement comes days after guests noticed that Magic Kingdom Park has revitalized part of the defunct Splash Mountain. An original song from the widely banned Song of the South (1946), “Everybody Has A Laughing Place,” was overheard playing at the theme park’s entrance.
Some fans thought the change could indicate that The Walt Disney Company planned to reverse its erasure of the racist film from its theme parks. But Saturday’s announcement proves that Walt Disney Imagineering is pushing full steam ahead.
What do you think will be different about Disneyland Resort’s version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure compared to Walt Disney World Resort’s? In the comments, share your predictions with us.
