Another update from Disney’s Splash Mountain Princess and the Frog revision has surfaced, this time the news is the inclusion of a special name. Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana herself, has announced that she is working with the creative team to update the infamous log flume ride! We also have an anticipated release date, which Rose talks about with Live with Kelly and Ryan below.
Chances are the release date was an accidental flub, since Disney has not made an official announcement on the opening as of yet. According to Entertainment Weekly, the company is planning on sharing more details on the project during the Essence Festival of Culture, a New Orleans festival that runs from June 30th through July 30th. An appropriate platform for the New Orleans set movie.
Dreams do come true in New Orleans!
Disney first announced the re-theming of the beloved log flume back in 2020. The ride itself was first opened in 1989 and themed on the infamous 1946 film Song of the South, which was re-releasing in theaters at the time. The ride had guests relive the stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear in dark ride segments before engaging in a thrilling drop into Brer Rabbit’s famous briar patch. Song of the South has since gone down in ugly Disney history, the film has never received any home media release in the United States due to the controversial way that it handles its themes of race and glorification of the deep south. Despite this, the ride has gone on to become one of the park’s most beloved attractions.
According to Rose, she plans on continuing the narrative of Tiana with the ride. This won’t be a simple re-telling of the 2009 movie The Princess and the Frog. The ride will instead feature a brand new story, where Tiana is planning a Mardi Gras celebration with Prince Naveen (reprised by Bruno Campos) and Louis the alligator (reprised by Michael-Leon Wooley). Guests will travel with the characters through the bright swamps, partying along with music inspired by the soundtrack of the film. The climax will be a giant party filled with old friends from the movie.
Along with the ride, Tiana’s story will also continue in the upcoming Disney+ original series, Tiana. The show will follow the newly crowned princess as she heads off on a new adventure to Naveen’s homeland of Maldonia. But sadly, you can take the girl out of New Orleans, but you can’t take New Orleans out of the girl.
Along with utilizing assets from a movie Disney would rather forget, another reason for the re-theming of the ride is from another refurbishing happening in the parks. Jungle Cruise recently got a much needed update, which removed “negative depictions” of the indigenous people that guests were able to view. Disney is no stranger to buffing out outdated features in its attractions, such as the changes to Pirates of the Caribbean from a few years back. Utilizing The Princess and the Frog for Splash Mountain is a great way to utilize the beloved movie and keep most of the southern themes of the Brer Rabbit ride and animatronics. Plus, who doesn’t want to see more of Tiana and her friends?
