Walt Disney World has released some more details surrounding a new ride that will replace an old classic next year.
Last week, park officials announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is based on The Princess and the Frog, will feature multiple enhancements over its predecessor, Splash Mountain, which was first opened in the summer of 1989.
The new ride will “illuminate with a celebration during Mardi Gras season hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Additionally, the movie’s popular character Mama Odie will reprise her role for the ride.
The park released a new rendering that shows Mama Odie joking with guests along their journey on the ride. A “two-hundred-year-old Bayou Fairy Godmother,” Mama Odie will be voiced by actress Jenifer Lewis, who will reprise her voice roll from the movie.
In addition to the matriarch fairy, the ride will feature a brand new cast of original Disney characters with distinct names and personalities, and dozens of audio-animatronics figures. New, original music will also be scored for the ride, and the “alluring scent of beignets” will be pumped through the attraction queue.
Actors who lent their voices to the film will also reprise their roles on the ride, including Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley as Louis, and Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open sometime in late 2024 at Magic Kingdom Park. The Splash Mountain ride, which closed to riders this past January, will officially shut down on May 31, 2023 so that crews may “begin the next phase of development for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” according to the park.