Disney's recent updates point to a potential early opening for Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Nov 09, 2023 in "Tiana's Bayou Adventure"

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Posted: Thursday November 9, 2023 9:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

It is appearing more and more likely that Tiana's Bayou Adventure may open earlier than its originally announced late 2024 timeframe.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept model - D23 Expo exhibit

When the project to reimagine Splash Mountain into Tiana's Bayou Adventure was initially announced, Disney's messaging consistently suggested a "late 2024" opening.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure construction at Magic Kingdom

The message changed in an update from Carmen Smith, Senior Vice President, Creative Development - Product/Content & Inclusive Strategies, on the official Disney Parks Blog in mid-October, which referred to a "2024" opening.

Another announcement from Disney made during yesterday's Q4 2023 earnings report reiterated the "2024" opening. This mention was even more significant because Tiana's Bayou Adventure was included in a timeline with entries for "2024" and "Late 2024." Tiana's Bayou Adventure was placed in the "2024" list, with the DVC Polynesian Resort project being placed in the "Late 2024" list.

While the recent shift does seem to suggest Tiana's Bayou Adventure may open earlier than initially announced, the 2024 timeline does still give Disney the option of a late 2024 opening if needed.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept model - D23 Expo exhibit

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Bocabear47 minutes ago

no, I guess I didn't...there was nothing memorable about them to me... I was really focused on trying to figure out what sort of entrepreneurial enterprise Tiana would get into after she got her prince and her dream of opening the restaurant...you know, the focus of the entire movie...lol

Brer Oswald1 hour ago

They would have saved a ton of goodwill with fans of the original ride.

EagleScout6101 hour ago

In the weird way, Naveen became the blink and you'll miss him character

Tha Realest1 hour ago

Sadly, the film didn’t do that great, and relying on “blink and you’ll miss them” tertiary characters more than main characters (Naveen, Facilier) was certainly a choice.

Stupido1 hour ago

Somebody didn't pay much attention to the movie them. The turtle is heavily featured in When We're Human, and then again at the end. The Raccoon from the ride (who has an adorable plush) is also directly from the movie. Sure, some of the animals are new for the ride, but their designs fit directly with the world of Princess and the Frog.

PizzaPlanet1 hour ago

I still think it was a missed opportunity to not reuse the side characters from Splash. I’m sure the new critters are cheaper to maintain, but it would’ve gone a long way to improve the “dead space” people are unhappy with

Professortango12 hours ago

Its also because the featured characters from Splash were dynamic. We saw them happy, sad, gleeful, scared, in pain, etc. With Tiana, we see them happily playing an instrument to later see them playing the same instrument with the same exact expression. That communicates to me, as an audience, that there isn't more to know about them. They smile and play that instrument and that's the extent of their character. Which gives me nothing to latch onto.

Tha Realest3 hours ago

Maybe it’s because the former critters weren’t just transparent attempts at creating plush-ready characters to sell merchandise.

Brer Oswald3 hours ago

I know you have. I’m just explaining why people preferred the Splash critters. The Splash critters had a less active role in the plot, but a much more active role in the environment. Hence why they were more engaging and memorable to most people. Everyone remembers the geese, the vultures, the Gator band, the porcupine, the frogs, the chickens, etc.

LittleBuford3 hours ago

I find both sets of critters cute. I’ve already made my preference for Splash clear.

Brer Oswald3 hours ago

The “background” critters in Splash were both more memorable and much cuter. Maybe it’s because there were multiples of the geese, the gators, the vultures, etc. Or maybe it’s because they had singing roles, compared to the TBA critters that just stand there and rock back and forth.

Bocabear6 hours ago

the entire plotline of the ride is terrible... There is precedence with what they did with the Sinbad ride at Tokyo Disney Seas to completely re-write the book and come up with a better attraction...without scrapping the whole thing... Bring back Facilier who drags you to the "Other Side" and then you get rescued by Mama Odie... I thought it was going to be a Bayou tour in one of the posts very early on... Go back to that... Bring in the Villain and a happy ending. let the storyline have some tension and depth...Good conquers evil and a happy ending. Not a bunch of characters I don't know or care about doing a "Where's Waldo" plot with a party at the end filled with off-model characters we can barely recognize.

Brer Panther7 hours ago

Y'know, when they started showing off those animals and talking about their personalities and backstories and stuff, I actually began to think maybe, just maybe, this attraction could be good. Instead, they don't even say anything. Huzzah.

splah15 hours ago

that's a good comparison to looney tunes. The character designs didn't seem "disney" to me and i couldn't really figure out why. I think you especially see it with the fox (looks like sylvester). it has sharp points to the outline. they aren't as approachable as classic disney. if i stretch it further the design reminds me of the terrifying new monkeys in the jungle. there's such a focus on real/authentic that it misses out on the levity and make-believe. (i really don't like the monkeys)