Splash Mountain to be re-themed to ‘Princess and the Frog’
The popular Splash Mountain water flume attraction at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in Disney World will soon be re-themed to the “The Princess and the Frog.”
The ride picks up the story after the final kiss and guests join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.
“It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized!” Anika Noni Ross the voice of Princess Tiana and a Tony Award-winning actress, said. “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 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,” Disney said.
The change comes as fans have pressured Disney to retheme Splash Mountain. The current story is based on the controversial “Song of the South” film released by Disney in 1946. The movie, which includes racist depictions, was re-released in theaters over the years and was played on television, but was never released on home video. It will also never appear on Disney’s streaming service Disney+, executive chairman and former CEO Bob Iger affirmed during a shareholders meeting earlier this 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.”
It has been a year or more since Walt Disney Imagineering “started talking about this particular concept. While we’ve explored many new themes in the past, that’s when we really began to hone in on Princess Tiana’s story. That said, Splash Mountain has been the subject of many conversations through the years. Its brilliant ride platform and landscape create the potential for great storytelling,” Bob Weis, president of Walt Disney Imagineering, told D23.com.
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.
Disney is still evaluating all “project timelines based on the extended closures we’ve experienced due to COVID-19. While several projects, like Avengers Campus—at both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris—are able to surge forward based on where we were in development, there are others that will be picked back up in stages—like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and TRON—and some that are longer-term that we will need more time to assess. We are working with our operations partners now to determine timing for this project to get under way. For now, we know that both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland parks will re-open with the existing Splash Mountain attraction,” Weis said.
