Disney teases Splash Mountain overhaul with new art designs
Finally, Princess of the Frog’s Tiana is getting her due at Disney parks. A panel, including Leah Chase’s daughter, discusses the legacy of the movie and the changes that will be made to Splash Mountain, where Tiana will soon be Princess and the Frog-themed.
In June 2020, Disney announced that the attraction would be redesigned. In Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain is currently based upon a controversial Disney film, Song of the South. This film glorifies slavery and portrays offensively Black characters. The movie was controversial even before it debuted in 1989. Michael Eisner, then CEO of Disney, stated that the film would not be released in America. The Song of the South movie has not been released on home-video, and it isn’t available on Disney Plus. A petition was created on Change.org in June 2020 to change the ride, but Disney claimed that the overhaul had been planned for more than a year.
The attraction has been inactive for a while. This new video provides some additional information as well as talks about Tiana’s character legacy. The ride takes place right after the movie’s events (and thus, feature Tiana as a human and not a frog), where Tiana will lead guests through the bayou as she invites everyone she can to a Mardi Gras celebration. This attraction will welcome back old friends like Prince Naveen and Louis, the trumpet-playing alligator, along with new ones. Immersive scenic illusions will be used, as well as cutting-edge audio-animatronics. The attraction makeover does not have a date yet, but more details can be found on the Disney Parks Blog.
Disney is working on a second attraction, the Princess and the Frog Relaunch. Disney Plus will soon have an animated TV series about Tiana.
