Now that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open officially to all guests at Disneyland, I hope that Splash Mountain fans will give this new attraction a chance. Don’t let a love for the old attraction prevent you from trying the new.
In 2020, Disney announced that it would retheme its popular flume rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World to its 2009 animated movie, “The Princess and the Frog.” Any change at theme parks as popular and beloved as Disney’s inevitably meets resistance from fans, and the opposition to this change seemed particularly intense.
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Splash Mountain was a great ride, if you could ignore the racist history attached to its source material. That is a big “if,” however, and an unacceptable condition for a company that portrays itself as the gold standard in hospitality. So Disney made the right call to change the ride.
I suspect that most Splash Mountain fans did not know enough about the history of “Song of the South” to make consciously ignoring that history a question. Yet social media algorithms crave controversy to drive clicks and engagement, so online forums erupted with fans complaining about the change.
I have no sympathy for fans who enjoyed hearing a racist dog whistle in a Disney theme park. But for those who simply enjoyed a fun water ride with cute animal characters and catchy music, I have good news for you. That’s exactly what Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is, too.
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)
Losing a beloved attraction hurts. I get it. Walt Disney World announced last summer that it will be closing Tom Sawyer Island, my favorite Magic Kingdom attraction as a child and the ride I worked on for several summers during college and grad school. Driving a Tom Sawyer Island raft remains one of my favorite Disney memories. While I am grateful that the attraction remains at Disneyland, it’s going to be tough to watch the Tom Sawyer Island I worked on and love so much close forever.
That said, when the new “Cars”-themed attractions open on that space in Walt Disney World’s Frontierland, I cannot imagine not riding them because I am upset about losing Tom Sawyer Island. I hope that a new generation of fans grows up to love riding and working on those Cars rides as I fell in love with Tom Sawyer Island.
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It’s up to Walt Disney Imagineers now to design and deliver a new experience worthy of what came before it. With Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, they have done that.
Disneyland’s installation plays better than the one that debuted in Florida last summer. With a narrower flume, the action takes place closer to you. Each scene flows more briskly into the next, amplifying the joy and excitement of the ride all the way to its end.
If you loved all the good parts of Splash Mountain, you’ll love Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, too. The ride celebrates music, family, food and community, while welcoming Disney’s first Black princess to her new home in the park. It’s the best new attraction I have seen in the country this year and a vindication of Disney’s brave creative decision to try to transform a beloved ride into something better.