By: ShaCamree Gowdy 

Disneyland might truly be “The Happiest Place on Earth.” 

The company announced in June 2020 that Splash Mountain would be re-themed to represent Princess Tiana and her pals’ story, which you are sure to remember if you’ve watched “The Princess and the Frog.” 

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Picking up after the final kiss, Disney said in a release that the ride follows Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical odyssey as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance, which includes some of the film’s stunning music. 

The film is set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou, so it’s no surprise it will end with “the ultimate Mardi Gras party, because if Tiana is throwing a party, it’s the ultimate party,” said Charita Carter, the senior creative producer leading the project at Walt Disney Imagineering, per USA Today’s Eve Chen.

“Tiana actually invites us, as the guest, to go on an adventure with her in the bayou, and the fun thing about it is we, as the guests, we are active participants in this adventure,” Carter added. “So, she acknowledges us, and just being the witty person that she is, she takes us through this amazing journey where we get to discover not only characters that we know and love from the film, but [have] an opportunity to be introduced to some new characters.” 

The attraction will combine visual effects to create a seamless immersive environment, as well as cutting-edge audio animatronic figures that to truly “change the game” in terms of storytelling, per Chen. 

Characters from the controversial 1946 film “The Song of the South,” set during Reconstruction, previously appeared on Splash Mountain. It was widely criticized for depicting Black people in racist and unpleasant ways, as well as for establishing a misleading narrative about 19th century Southern culture. 

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“While the ride is considered a beloved classic, it’s history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes from the 1946 film Song of the South,” Alex O said in a Change.org petition. 

It’s unknown at this time when guests will be able to enjoy the fun-filled experience, but at least we know it’s underway.