Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is facing another round of malfunctions, and Disney Parks fans are taking notice. Less than a year after its highly anticipated debut at Walt Disney World Resort, the reimagined Splash Mountain attraction is struggling to maintain full functionality.
Repeated Breakdowns Frustrate Disney Guests
Last month, multiple animatronic figures inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure suffered technical failures, creating an underwhelming experience for guests. A Disney Dining team member documented the issues, capturing photos and videos of four malfunctioning figures during their ride-through, highlighting the attraction’s ongoing maintenance struggles.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially opened in June at Magic Kingdom Park‘s Frontierland and replaced the controversial Song of the South (1946)-inspired Splash Mountain. However, the ride’s launch was plagued by technical difficulties, leading Disney to cancel several cast member and Annual Passholder previews. While Walt Disney Imagineering has resolved some of the ride’s most significant issues, persistent mechanical hiccups continue to frustrate visitors.
Broken Animatronics Raise Questions About Ride Quality
During a visit on January 23, a Disney Dining team member observed four non-functioning animatronics. The first Princess Tiana figure stood motionless as her dialogue played.
Inside the attraction, another Princess Tiana animatronic functioned almost normally…but spoke without moving her mouth.
The grand finale scene also presented issues with yet another Princess Tiana figure.
This audio-animatronic’s mouth and head moved to the music, but her body was stiff.
The troubles didn’t stop there. In the final scene, Mama Odie’s animatronic, meant to be playfully scolding Juju, the snake, for sneaking beignets, failed to perform as intended. She stood motionless as her dialogue played normally.
Guests Expect More From a New Attraction
With Walt Disney World Resort guests required to secure a Virtual Queue or Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservation to experience Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the attraction’s recurring technical difficulties are increasingly frustrating. Many Disney Parks fans believe a ride so new should not be experiencing these types of ongoing breakdowns.
It remains unclear whether these specific animatronic issues have been resolved since Disney Dining’s last visit. A historic cold front in Central Florida during that time may have contributed to the malfunctions, though Disney has not given an official explanation.
Have you ever seen a broken audio-animatronic at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with Disney Dining in the comments.
In the scheme of things, considering the literally thousands of animatronics throughout the parks it’s really admirable that there are not more malfunctions. Certainly if a non working figure or two ruins one’s day, then they’ve failed to enjoy the considerable Disney magic at every turn that well compensates for a non-working figure or two. Plaudits to the hard working team that quickly deals with occasional hiccups each and every day.
No Disney only has really one job and if you want to charge 195.00 per day per park, then no excuses.
Well, since the Walt Disney Company doesn’t actually make these Animatronics anymore this is no surprise. They do have a Research and Design department, but they have the actual figures built by “Garner Holt” (an animatronics company), to save money.
It’s not about reliability anymore.
The kylo ren at the end of rise of the resistance at Hollywood Studios
Although aggravated, I imagine the scene from Charlie and wonka movie when the kids melt
Maybe Disney you should just stop trying to get too big for its britches and leave well enough alone Splash Mountain was perfect just the way it was. The Muppet puppet show is also perfect just the way it is and shouldn’t be touched either. Stop messing with things you ought not to be messing with.
Exactly!! It’s karma for replacing a good ride. Walt is pissed and he’s showing it. They destroyed Splash with this new version just like they destroyed The Haunted Mansion with that Nightmare Before Christmas crap, but at least they are willing to change Haunted Mansion back to its rightful glory every now and then. This Tiana crap is bull. CHANGE IT BACK!
AMEN. Ruined an excellent ride for this.
Maybe it’s a little more boring without functioning animatronics. But even if they are working, it’s just a flume ride, nothing more. One and done.
honestly if you wait the 1hr plus wait or pay god knows what for a whatever lane they are calling it this week, I’d expect it to work. initially it seemed like the ride struggles with the volume of people put through it. the scenes are triggered by the boats and a common issue is sync of the boat going by and when the animatronics actually move. splash mountain just played movements on a loop but remember how long the blue bird sat motionless instead of whistling and dancing like he was supposed to? not a new issue with this ride.
Actually if you go and remove one set of aa and put in the new aa and your told by the money keep the old attraction that had problems up the wazzo wdi had no say… whom i am sure sided w the guests and cms alike whom said fix the ride! We got the same ride back w different aas. Thats the problem! So is the virtual queue that does do anything but leave people pissed w the cms vs waiting in line and figuring it out.
Perhaps if all DEI was abolished within Disney, then Walt Disney’s vision could be appreciated and would work well. Most are quite tired of recent Disney productions, etc.
I feel like all the rides are breaking down constantly. We went a few years ago and everyday multiple rides would break down
It’s really unacceptable to have that any issues. You’d think they’d realize by now people rather have the rides then all these new fancy bells and whistles that sound great on paper but don’t work. It’s definitely one of the reasons we don’t plan on going back. We have been multiple times over the years and the last was very disappointing for many reasons. Go back to the way it was pre-covid or even further back. Bring back the magic.
Cost of being Woke .