Almost there: Disney begins ride testing Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, introduces new critter characters

Disney World is so close to opening Tiana’s Bayou Adventure that fans can already hear snippets of “Dig a Little Deeper” as Imagineers test the new musical water ride.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open over the summer at Magic Kingdom. With some construction walls coming down and signs announcing to guests that crewed ride testing is underway, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this attraction open around the unofficial start of summer at the end of May.

But while we await an official opening date, fans have been excitedly sharing photos and videos from the park.

Recent videos of ride testing show attraction creators sporting safety vests and ponchos as they plunge the ride’s 50-foot grand finale drop. One of the recent riders was Charita Carter, Imagineer and executive creative producer of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Throughout construction, Disney Parks Blog has shared big and small details that bring the attraction to life and set it apart from its Splash Mountain roots. That includes murals, metalwork and the audio-animatronic figure of Princess Tiana guests will meet on the ride.

Recently, Disney introduced the first cast of new characters created for the ride’s story. These new “critter musicians” become some of the stars of Tiana’s celebratory party.

The bayou band comprises Byhalia the beaver, Gritty the rabbit, Beau the opossum, Apollo the raccoon, Rufus the turtle and Timoléon the otter. Together they crank out a Zydeco musical rendition of “Gonna Take You There” from The Princess and the Frog.

Of course, a new Disney attraction means new merch, and plushies of Beau, Apollo and Rufus will be available when the attraction opens.

Set after the events of the 2009 animated film, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure brings back Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, jazz-loving alligator Louis and other characters for a music-filled ride through the bayou as they prepare to host a raucous Mardi Gras party.

Billed as a celebration of 1920s New Orleans, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure features recognizable characters and new ones created just for the ride. All that and new music from Grammy award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard, who played Louis the alligator’s trumpet parts in the film.

The ride was announced in 2020 as a replacement for Splash Mountain, which was open from 1992 to 2023 at Disney World.

A MAJOR milestone for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World, as Walt Disney Imagineering project team members are test riding the attraction for the first time! pic.twitter.com/O17Hz3Duk6

— Drew (@DrewDisneyDude) March 22, 2024

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