It's been more than two years since Disney Parks announced that Splash Mountain would be closing at Disneyland and Walt Disney World to make way for a new version of the ride based on The Princess and the Frog. Magic Kingdom's version closed down in January, but Disneyland's has remained operational. A reported closing in early May was debunked, but it turns out Splash won't last much longer than that, as the ride is now set to officially close on May 31, meaning the final day of operation will be May 30.
While that's certainly bad news for fans of the current version of the ride, fans of The Princess and the Frog looking forward to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, as the new Splash Mountain will be called, have gotten some great news. Today Disneyland confirmed that Jennifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie in the original film, will reprise her role for the attraction.
Lewis is the newest voice actor from The Princess and the Frog to be confirmed to be reprising their role for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Anika Noni Rose will be back as Tiana herself, of course. In addition, Bruno Campos will be back as Prince Naveen and Michael Leon Wooley will return as the jazz-loving alligator Louis. Disney also confirmed that several other characters from the film, including Tiana's friend Charlotte, her father "Big Daddy" and Tiana's mother Eudora will also appear in the ride. This may mean further voice actors returning, though it's also possible these characters will appear but not speak.
Exactly how Mama Odie will fit into the attraction isn't entirely clear. A new piece of concept art shows Odie on a platform as guests float by in the boats. It's said Odie will appear to joke with guests throughout the attraction and will provide a "special display of her magic."
While Tiana's Bayou Adventure is looking pretty amazing, fans of Splash Mountain, or just log flume rides, will be missing something come May 31. The new version of the ride isn't set to open until late 2024, so it will be well over a year without one of the park's most popular attractions. And that assumes the Disneyland version doesn't end up taking longer than the current schedule, considering it's closing four months after the one at Magic Kingdom.
Disneyland's Splash Mountain closure was likely delayed by the fact that another major attraction, Indiana Jones Adventure, also went down for a significant refurbishment. The two rides are very close to each other, so having them both shut down at the same time would certainly have caused traffic issues in other parts of Disneyland.
By the time Tiana's Bayou Adventure opens there will already have been a significant increase in Princess and the Frog representation at Disneyland. Eudora's Chic Boutique gift shop has already opened near Splash Mountain in New Orleans Square and the French Market restaurant is currently closed, undergoing a transformation to become Tiana's Palace later this year.
