Disney has just announced that they will be retheming Splash Mountain to Princess and the Frog. The attraction has been in the works for over a year, according to Disney.
The theme is inspired by an all-time favorite animated Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.” We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.
Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new “land” added to Disneyland park, so it feels natural to link the story and the incredible music of “The Princess and the Frog” to our parks.
The voice of Princess Tiana and Tony Award-winning actress, Anika Noni Rose, shared, “It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Mardi Gras celebration we’ve been waiting for, and I’m here for it!”
The approach to retheming or “plussing” attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.
Charita Carter, the senior creative producer leading the project at Walt Disney Imagineering shared, “Like Princess Tiana, I believe that courage and love are the key ingredients for wonderful adventures. I am delighted to be a part of bringing this fun-filled experience to our guests.”
For Imagineers, change is rooted in a tradition set by Walt Disney who encouraged new innovations, new ideas, new scenes and current storytelling. And the experiences they create can be enjoyed by guests who visit our parks from all over the world.
As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!
Are you kidding me?
No
Steamboats carried cotton and slaves I guess they have to go too!!!
What will the outside concept change to? (There are no mountains in the bayou.)
Would have rather had Mulan.
But let’s be honest. No one went on it for the theme. They went on it for the drop
I rather have a Zootopia retheme
I know the ride itself didn’t include the racist stereotypes of the film it was based on, but I think this is a win/win for Disney. Replaces a theme with a troublesome history with something that fits nicely into New Orleans Square. Princess and the Frog is nothing if not atmospheric, and the theme will easily translate to the existing infrastructure.
More politically correct nonsense.
How will this fit in with Frontier Land?
And Frozen ever after took 2 years – so this should take at least 5!
The WHOLE ride needs to be redone, inside and out.
Look at the whole outside, its all a Briar Patch.
Its going to take forever and look cheap when its done.
And one more Dumb stuff – One of my favorite rides gone for the sake of politically correctness!
How about they change the Disney name also? I mean Walt grew up in a period that was not really inclusive
More pandering. Ridiculous.
Everyone in the comments complaining and crying about them changing this should be ashamed of themselves. Song of the south inforced racist stereotypes, and EVEN then the ride is incredibly outdated. Do you all have racism so ingrained that changing this ride to something unproblematic is really that much of an issue. I get it’s a beloved ride, but it will literally just be an enhanced version of the ride once Disney is done with it. if the black princess really bothers you then don’t come to Disney anymore. there is only going to be more diversity from here on out, as that’s the climate of the world we live in. Get over it or you’ll die upset about it.