Disney to provide more on Splash Mountain transformation next month

Did Anika Noni Rose, the actress who gave voice to Princess Tiana, let slip when the new “The Princess and the Frog” re-theming of Splash Mountain take place?

Maybe. But Disney isn’t confirming – or denying it – just yet.

Rose was visiting Thursday morning with “Live With Kelly & Ryan” when she said this: “They are making a ride. It’ll be out in 2024,” Rose said. “I’ve been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we wanted to be, what we wanted to do. But if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground and you’d never see me again.”

Disney has previously announced that Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Disney World will be re-themed to “The Princess and the Frog” but has not announced any timeline.

It’s not known if Rose is actually talking about the re-theming or another attraction, but since the re-theming was first announced in June 2020, there has been a lot of anticipation.

After Rose made the statement, Disney came out and announced the timing has not been determined for the attraction and that it would share more details during Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July.

The Essence Festival of Culture is taking place June 30 through July 3. Disney is listed as the official entertainment sponsor for the festival.

Providing an update at the festival is appropriate since Tiana is base on famed New Orleans chef Leah Chase, who with her husband Edgar “Dooky” Chase, Jr. owns Dooky Chase Restaurant in the Treme neighborhood.

Here is what we do know about the re-theming:

The attraction will take place after the final kiss as Naveen and Louis join Tiana on a trip through the bayou. Guests on the boats will be active participants. During the journey guests will discover not only the characters from the film but be introduced to some new characters. In addition to a new storyline, there will be a significant upgrade in the technology used for the attraction, Disney has previously said.