We are almost there!
Walt Disney Imagineering shared the first look at the Princess Tiana audio-animatronic coming to the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride slated to open Disneyland and Walt Disney World later this year.
The video posted to the Disney Parks‘ TikTok page showcases the figure’s fluid movements and adventure attire.
“The figure is the latest in a line of cutting-edge, all-electric figures debuting around the world at various Disney Parks. The quality and make of the ‘Tiana-matronic’ brings to mind The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo Disneyland and the reimagined version of Frozen Ever After that recently opened at Hong Kong Disneyland,” according to WDW News Today.
Many Disney fans on social media shared their reaction to seeing the figure.
The Princess Tiana audio-animatronic will be joined by figures for Prince Naveen, Louis the alligator, Mama Odie, Eudora, Charlotte, Big Daddy, the King and Queen of Maldonia and Naveen’s younger brother Prince Ralphie in the new ride.
Scott Gustin, a member of the digital team at Nexstar Media Group Inc., pointed out what looks to be the audio-animatronic figure of Eudora, Tiana’s mother, can be seen during the announcement video.
Nexstar Media Group is the parent company of KTLA.
The storyline for “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” will pick up where the 2009 animated feature left off.
“Walt Disney Imagineering is creating an original, next-chapter story for Tiana. Within the attraction queue, guests will discover that she continues to grow her business with Tiana’s Foods – an employee-owned cooperative,” the Disney Parks Blog announced last year.
“Combining her talents with those of the local community, Tiana has transformed an aging salt mine and built a beloved brand.”
The ride is replacing Splash Mountain at both U.S. parks.
In recent years, Splash Mountain has drawn heat since it featured characters and music from the 1946 animated feature “Song of the South,” a movie criticized for its stereotypes of black men and its romanticized view of the post-Civil War South.
Fans called for Disney to redo the theme of Splash Mountain in 2020 amid a racial reckoning across the U.S.
Along with the new ride, Princess Tiana fans can dine at Tiana’s Palace, the restaurant the character fought to open throughout the animated feature, or shop at Eudora’s Chic Boutique at Disneyland.
The ride will open during the summer at Walt Disney World. An opening date for Disneyland’s version of the ride hasn’t been announced.
