NEW: Details for Princess and the Frog Re-theme of Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain will soon be re-themed to Princess and the Frog! We have some new details for this attraction. What do you think of the concept art?

Splash Mountain Retheme

Back in June of last year, Disney announced that a major reimagining of Splash Mountain would happen. This attraction, based on the controversial 1946 film “Song Of the South,” has been a fan favorite since it debuted in 1989.

The attraction will begin where the film leaves off; with the final kiss.  We’ll join Princess Tiana and her trumpet playing alligator friend Louis “on a musical adventure.”

Things have been pretty quiet for over a year, but Disney has recently removed the song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the Magic Kingdom welcome show. 

Disney recently shared that this process will take some time, but they are making great progress on music, characters, and stories. You can read that interview HERE.

New Details

With the kick off of World Princess Week, Disney is sharing even more details about what we can expect!

According to Disney Parks Blog, “Tiana is an ambitious and resilient woman, who proves that success comes through a connection to her family and community and has learned to never lose sight of what’s really important – giving back to others through great food and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.

New concept art:

As seen in this latest rendering of the attraction, the story will take place after the final kiss as Naveen and Louis join Tiana on her latest adventure, hosting a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration where everyone is welcome – during which some original music inspired by songs from the film will bring guests into the story. Tiana is leading the way and fans will be able to encounter old friends and make new ones along the way as well!”

In the concept art, you can see Tiana, Naveen, and Louis in their boats traveling along the bayou. It definitely looks like this will be an easy transition with what is currently Splash Mountain with the various scenes and drops.

So far we do not have a timeline for Splash Mountain’s closure.

Drawing Inspiration

Disney headed down to New Orleans to talk with Dooky’s Chase Restaurant founder Leah Chase to discuss Tiana’s impact of the last decade. In case you didn’t know (I didn’t!), Leah Chase is the inspiration for the character Tiana.

“Imagineers often do in-depth research to help inspire their work. In this case, that involved digging deep into the culture of New Orleans to tell a story that’s as authentic to the region as it is to the characters’ stories. From the food, music, art and architecture to the diversity of its people and their traditions, there is much from which to draw inspiration.

The team has done virtual research trips through Zoom and this was their first of many in-person research trips to come and get the story right.” (Disney Parks Blog)

You can watch the video below:

Disney is even donating $50,000 to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), a regional, pre-professional arts training center. It offers students intensive instruction in culinary arts, dance, media arts, classical instrumental music, jazz instrumental music, classical vocal music, drama, musical theatre, theatre design, visual arts and creative writing.

What do you think of the concept art and backstory so far? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.