Walt Disney Imagineering has hidden Easter Eggs and sprinkled plenty of surprises throughout the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure log ride at Disneyland if you know where to look for the secret references placed for fans to discover.
Several boatloads of Imagineers boarded Tiana’s Bayou Adventure log ride vehicles to offer a behind-the-magic tour of the new Disneyland attraction via a Disney Parks Blog video.
ALSO SEE: Everything you need to know about Disneyland’s new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure water ride opened to the general public on Nov. 15 following employee and annual passholder previews beginning in October.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure tells an extension of the “Princess and the Frog” story from the 2009 Disney animated film that picks up after the final kiss between Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. The new backstory for Splash Mountain follows Tiana and Louis the trumpet-playing alligator as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance.
Here are eight secrets revealed by the Imagineers who worked on the ride during a behind-the-magic video tour of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Disneyland Magic Key annual passholders take a test ride on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure last month. The revamped ride opened to the general public on Nov. 15. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1) Metal swamp plants
After departing the loading area, riders pass through a bayou filled with realistic-looking swamp plants that are really made out of a specialty metal developed by Imagineering.
“Everything in the lagoon here, these are all made out of metal,” Imagineering principal set decorator Pam Gill said on the video. “A special process that was invented just for exterior foliage at our parks.”
ALSO SEE: Disneyland’s new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is delightful, thrilling and still plenty wet
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during Magic Key annual passholder previews at Disneyland. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/SCNG)
2) Tiana’s custom outfit
Princess Tiana makes her first appearance on the ride’s lift hill where the animatronic in an “adventure outfit” wears a lime jacket with a ruby red scarf, olive pants and brown leather boots.
Tiana’s outfit was custom-made for the attraction, Imagineering installation supervisor Heather Greene said on the video. The jacket embroidery and scarf print were all custom-made, according to Greene.
ALSO SEE: Disneyland fans say Tiana’s Bayou Adventure much wetter than Splash Mountain
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during Magic Key annual passholder previews at Disneyland. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/SCNG)
3) Louis in hiding
Riders get their first hint of Louis rustling in some crops just after the lift hill.
“Coming around the corner here and we’re going to see Louis who’s in the middle of a bunch of shaking okra,” Gill said on the video. “You can hear him.”
Artwork at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a log flume ride based on Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. The ride used to be the Splash Mountain attraction themed to Disney’s 1946 film Song of the South. ..(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
4) Autographed door
Before entering the mountain interior, keen-eyed riders may spot a wood plank door covered in signatures and initials of Imagineers who signed their work of art.
“This is one of my favorites,” Imagineering principal production designer Dan Fazio said on the video. “This door we put up. It has all the cast members who worked on the project. Their names are on it.”
ALSO SEE: Disneyland offers 2 ways to get on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: Virtual queue or Lightning Lane
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Critter Country inside Disneyland opened to the general public on Nov. 15 after weeks of previews for Magic Key annual passholders and Disneyland employees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
5) Glimpse of Tiana’s Palace
Tiana’s Palace restaurant in nearby New Orleans Square is visible as riders navigate a bend in the water ride near the Tiana’s Foods water tower.
“Through here you can see Tiana’s Palace,” Imagineering senior project manager Darcy Accardi said on the video. “It brings all this together. Like our New Orleans/Bayou Country story. I really like that.”
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during Magic Key annual passholder previews at Disneyland. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/SCNG)
6) Louis’ expressive tail
Imagineers worked with Disney animators to time the movement of Louis’ tail to the audio track in a scene where the alligator has his head stuck in a hollow log.
“This is a lot of fun — Louis in the log,” Imagineering show programming senior manager Avi Tuchman said on the video. “Using his tail to express stuff.”
ALSO SEE: Why Disneyland is opening a water ride at the start of the winter holiday season
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during Magic Key annual passholder previews at Disneyland. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/SCNG)
7) Ray and Evangeline together
Ray the firefly spends the movie in love with the Evening Star, a distant twinkling star in the sky he believes is another firefly named Evangeline.
After Ray’s funeral, a second star appears in the sky next to Evangeline — symbolizing the eternal union of the firefly couple.
The twin stars can be seen on the ride glowing in the night sky if you know where to look. The “Don’t Miss” moment near Louis’ log scene is easy to overlook. Watch for the two glowing lights that look a little like the Second Star to the Right from “Peter Pan.”
ALSO SEE: Meet the 19 bayou critters moving into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during Magic Key annual passholder previews at Disneyland. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/SCNG)
8) Dancing fireflies
Riders pass a scene where Mayra the frog plays a trumpet fashioned out of a flower blossom while fireflies appear to dance behind oversize leaves.
“All of these dancing fireflies on the leaves, it’s actually a cool trick,” Imagineering digital executive producer Kirk Bodyfelt said on the video. “We project light on the top but we work really hard to make sure it looks like it’s coming from behind. That’s one of our good tricks.”
Related Articles
Disneyland removes stunt performers from Spider-Man stuntronic show
Deadpool and Wolverine return to Disneyland in ‘naughty’ holiday show
8 best things I ate at Disney Festival of Holidays
Marvel pressures Disneyland to make Avengers Campus ‘bigger’
Disneyland teases Avatar land at D23 Brazil