Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has opened at Disney World in Florida. The ride celebrates Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and is located in Magic Kingdom.
Set a year after the events of the film, the new attraction follows Tiana and Naveen as they bring their community together for a Mardi Gras celebration. Riders join Tiana and Louis in search of band members to play at the event.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure features dozens of audio-animatronics figures, a new soundtrack with music from the film and new compositions, and an exhilarating 50-foot drop.
The ride experience begins with an immersive queue with jazz music written by Terence Blanchard.
“We wanted to make sure people have a good time while they’re waiting to get on the ride,” Blanchard said. “But we also wanted to represent the city so that they get a bit of a history lesson just by listening to the music as they’re waiting to go through the adventure.”
One song includes vocals by New Orleans-based chef Leah Chase, who inspired the Tiana character.
“Leah Chase was a dreamer and a doer—a working mom of four who followed her dream to own a restaurant,” said Carmen Smith, executive creative producer of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
During the ride, guests will see incredible scenery and 48 innovative audio-animatronic figures of characters from the film, as well as 19 new musical critters.
50-foot drop and immersive storytelling
“We’re really big on expanding Tiana’s story, and great storytelling is what Imagineering does best,” said Rebecca Clancy, project coordinator at Walt Disney Imagineering.
On the ride’s new audio-animatronics, Clancy said: “The progress Imagineering has made is remarkable. If you look at Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln [a stage show at Disneyland] in 1964, you can see how far we’ve come. It’s been spectacular to see how that team has grown and innovated in that space.”
“Tiana is our inspiration because Tiana is everybody’s princess,” said Charita Carter, the executive creative producer behind Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Innovative audio-animatronics
Several stars from The Princess and the Frog have reprised their roles for the new attraction, including Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie, and Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis.
“It is an amazing thing to have a ride based on something you created,” Rose said.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens later this year at Disneyland in California.
Images courtesy of Disney
