Legendary Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter and creator of Splash Mountain comments on its transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure

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Tiana's Bayou Adventure construction - April 10 2023

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Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2023 1:30pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Update 7:00-pm April 12 - The comments by Tony Baxter referenced in the LA Times article were from 2020, and are not new.

In an article by the Los Angeles Times, legendary Walt Disney Imagineer and creator of Splash Mountain Tony Baxter comments on the ride's transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept model - D23 Expo exhibit

Baxter told the LA Times, "When Splash Mountain came to life over 30 years ago, the wave of Disney Animation that started with 'The Little Mermaid' had not yet begun. New stories would give us characters, music and wonderful places that now reside in the hearts of audiences everywhere. Following conversations with Imagineering's leaders about the new attraction's scope and resources, I had a great sense of reassurance — the attraction will be one to be proud of ... bringing to life places, characters and music from the animated classic 'The Princess and the Frog.'" You can read more at the LA Times.

The comments come alongside news today that Splash Mountain will close at Disneyland on May 30, and the unveiling of more details about Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept art - April 2023

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Splashin' Ryan4 minutes ago

I think maybe we finally know this weird bar is for the mist then I guess?

SpectroMan9318 minutes ago

And I think the vast majority of guests will be more preoccupied with the 50 foot drop in front of them than the realization that their two second view became a one second view lol.

Starship82428 minutes ago

Drew the Disney Dude28 minutes ago

A few more photos from this morning. They have installed the Tiana’s Foods "stand" under the train station for the touch points.

Sir_Cliff29 minutes ago

Well, now that we've finished criticising the dialogue in the attraction based on a few words heard out of context, it's time to criticise how a mist effect no-one has experienced ruins the view. I also get people's scepticism about how long this effect is kept working, but can't we wait until it actually stops working and isn't repaired before we start complaining about how it has stopped working and Disney won't repair it?

AndyS29921 hour ago

I actually like the mist idea, except it will be broken within a week and they won't fix it and they'll spin at as a 'opening week limited time magic' activation 😂

harryk1 hour ago

Wonder how much was involved in lack of continuous maintenance through the years. What with the failures of the set pieces due to lack of maintenance how much overflowed to the ride system...

Jambo Dad1 hour ago

Believe it or not salt mist is actually a thing. “The air in the mine, saturated with a salt mist, is very healthy and is the reason why the mine has been used as a healthcare facility since the 19th century.”

Brer Oswald1 hour ago

“Tomorrow for sure”

TTA941 hour ago

We’ll see how it fares after a hurricane lol.

rtmachine1 hour ago

Tomorrow ? it seems like this mist effect will be cool at night but I can't see how it will be the same with the bright Florida sunshine behind it during the day , but I guess we will see soon enough.

HauntedPirate1 hour ago

I watched the video on the main page. The mist is right at the peak of the hill. You're going to get half a second of view before dropping. Presuming it's not affected by the wind.

TheCoasterNerd1 hour ago

Yes

Surferboy5671 hour ago

So if media previews are June 9-10 (roughly a month out) shouldn’t they be announcing the opening soon? Don’t previews typically occur for cast members before media?