Princess Tiana Gets Her Own Attraction- On Both Coasts!
By now, we have all heard the wonderful news – Princess Tiana is getting her very own ride in the Magic Kingdom and in Disneyland Anaheim! Splash Mountain, which debuted in the Magic Kingdom on July 7th, 1992 and in Disneyland California on July 17th, 1989, will be replaced with a bayou adventure starring princess Tiana, Louis and friends and is meant to take place after her wedding to Prince Naveen. From the water theme to the log vehicles to the perfect combination of sunshiny and ominous tones, this ride track seems to be almost made for this exciting new attraction!
While it’s still in the embryo stages of development, like most Disney ideas, the concept art is breathtaking. Beautiful golds, greens, blues and purples paint the canvas amidst a New Orleans backdrop that gives our hearts all the flutters. In honor of this phenomenal Disney Princess, here are some things you may not have known about Tiana and The Princess and the Frog.
Two Very Unique Princesses
This is perhaps one of my favorite facts about our bayou princess and a real tell regarding the detailed magic that is Disney. The actress who voices Tiana, Anika Noni Rose, made a lighthearted suggestion that Princess Tiana take on a few real life characteristics of the voice actress herself. Those included having dimples and making Tiana left handed! Admittedly, I may not have noticed that Tiana was a lefty, but upon watching the movie after this knowledge, you can’t help but look for it (it’s especially evident in the scene wherein Tiana is attempting to get her loan for Tiana’s Place and is sprinkling powdered sugar on the beignets!). Guess which other powerful princess is left-handed? Everyone’s favorite warrior, Fa Mulan!
Back to the Basics
This may come as a surprise, but The Princess and the Frog is actually the first animated Disney film that was hand drawn since 2004, which was Home on the Range. With the success of Pixar, specifically Toy Story, and its gorgeous CGI, hand drawn films were starting to become a thing of the past. As much as we love that beautiful, almost life-like animation of Woody and Buzz, there is something so magical about breathing life into a hand drawn concept. Returning to the way Walt had originally started the Walt Disney Company all the way back in 1923 is a great homage to one of our favorite Uncle Walt phrases ‘I hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.’ Or in this case, a frog, but the sentiment is still there 😉
The Oldest Disney Princess!
If you tune in regularly to the Celebrations Podcast (if you haven’t yet, what are ya waiting for?), you may remember this tidbit of information on our Disney Princess episode. While still incredibly young, Princess Tiana is actually the oldest Disney princess in the official princess lineup at just 19 years old. The other princesses range from ages 13-18, Rapunzel being the second oldest at 18. She might be the oldest out of her fellow gal pals, but at 19 she is already a strong, ambitious restauranteur with even more dreams on the horizon – she can achieve anything she sets her mind to!
Do as I Say, Not as I Do…
There are many things we want our children to mimic after watching The Princess and the Frog- follow their dreams, maintain lifelong friendships, even wish upon a star! But puckering up to frogs is most definitely not one of them. To be fair, Tiana herself wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of it initially. Nonetheless, in 2009 following the release of the film, roughly fifty kiddos (mostly little girls under the age of 10!) were admitted to their local hospital for smooching frogs in hopes to find their own prince charming… talk about a slimy disappointment!
A Long Time in the Making
Animation takes time, and hand drawn films tend to take even longer. The Princess and the Frog took a total of four years to create, start to finish. We often see our favorite animated movies and assume that it is this instant collaboration, but the truth is, sometimes the animators never even meet the voice actors. It’s a lot of going back to the drawing board, working crazy hours and even some breaks in between to refuel those creative juices! Any artist (visual or otherwise) will tell you that the creative process is a rollercoaster and one that does not produce overnight. I think we can all agree that The Princess and the Frog was well worth the wait!
Disney is making so many changes regarding new park standards, some of which may even affect when we return to the parks. While changes to beloved attractions can take an emotional toll, change and progress is always at the forefront of Disney and something Walt himself admired in the magic he created. The Princess and the Frog is such an important film and giving Tiana a permanent place in the Magic Kingdom is just what the doctor ordered. From the beautiful music and southern ambiance to the zeal that always comes with a new and exciting Disney change, I absolutely cannot wait to take a log ride through the beautiful bayou! Welcome to Frontierland on both coasts, Princess Tiana!
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It is time for a change, I can’t wait. However I am against Disney opening at this time. They should stay closed and finish working on every thing, then open.
I absolutely agree that Princess Tiana needs a permanent place in WDW and that change can be good. However, Splash Mountain was built for that attraction, fits perfectly in Frontierland, and is a beloved family ride that has nothing objectionable in it. The Princess & the Frog deserves its own place, an attraction designed & built just for it. It will stick out like a sore thumb in a land it doesn’t belong in. The closet link to New Orleans is the paddle boat, & since it travels around Tom Sawyer Island, that would be a perfect spot for this new attraction. Attendance there, and popularity & sentiments regarding it, can’t compare to Splash Mountain. Also, the racism connected to the story of Tom Sawyer is very obvious in the book (I have to use it in my classroom), and it’s a story that is still in the mainstream, unlike the movie “Song of the South” . I honestly believe Disney is making a terrible mistake this time. Princess Tiana is worthy of a place all her own.
Dear Disney,
I am a 24-year old female with Asperger’s Syndrome and have been a fan of the parks since I was 9 years old. I have always been amazed by the experiences Disney has provided in their parks and thought that it must be exciting to work on projects like Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, and most of all, Splash Mountain.
Splash Mountain has been one of my favorite Disney attractions since I first started going to Walt Disney World. From the intricate details within the ride itself to the first appearance of Chickapin Hill as you walk into Frontierland, the ride is a magical experience in every way. The combination of the theming, music, characters and thrills make this one of the greatest attractions Disney has ever put out in any of their parks worldwide. The ride is beloved by people from all over the world and has long been considered one of the best the parks have to offer.
Now that that’s been said, let’s get to the Princess and the Frog retheme that was recently announced for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. As someone who’s been obsessed with this ride for a long time and is one of the main reasons for my love of Disney parks to begin with, this news was absolutely devastating to me. It’s not that I disagree with Princess and the Frog having a presence in the parks, but this is completely and utterly the WRONG way to go about including that movie. Tiana deserves her own ride, built from the ground up in a building that was purposefully designed for her story. Splash Mountain as it is is one of the greatest feats of Imagineering, is immensely popular, possibly the most popular ride in the Magic Kingdom, and has always been very well received by the vast majority of park-goers. Redoing the ride with Princess and the Frog would not only upset the many passionate fans of the attraction, it would destroy the feel of the part of the park that it is in, because there’s little things such as standing outside of Pecos Bills watching logs drop down Chicakpin Hill with harmonicas and banjos playing in the background that would just go completely to waste.
To reskin such a popular attraction would not only upset fans of the ride, it’s just a completely misguided decision in all aspects. The Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world and has had issues with capacity in recent years. Splash Mountain, along with the other two mountains in the Magic Kingdom is one of the biggest draws in the park, and while it would probably still be a draw if it was rethemed, it wouldn’t add capacity at all. Plus, the ride was designed to tell a specific story, otherwise, what would the point be of the lavish theming that is located everywhere in the attraction? It’s not something that can just easily be painted over, this is a fully fledged A-list attraction. What this is saying to me is that Princess Tiana is important, but not important enough to warrant spending money to build a brand new attraction for her.
This year has been difficult for many, but this whole thing feels like pandering and completely misses the point of what makes Disney’s best attractions like Splash Mountain so special. The parks nowadays have mostly become about promoting familiar movies instead of providing new experiences and many fans of the Disney parks have not been pleased with this trend. The balance of original experiences to movie-based experiences has been thrown off, and while it may seem like throwing a popular movie into an attraction will be enough to satisfy people, it is a detriment to the experience as a whole. Some people might say that it’s just a ride, you shouldn’t get that upset about it, but aren’t Disney rides supposed to be more than just rides? If your favorite roller coaster at a regular amusement park were to be closed down, you might be bummed, but it’s just a roller coaster at the end of the day. However, Disney’s attractions are experiences that transcend your typical amusement park rides. They bring out emotions and captivate us in numerous ways. To treat a reimagining of a ride as popular as Splash Mountain as something that’s no big deal completely disregards the attachments people everywhere have to these attractions.
Let’s put this another way. Splash Mountain doesn’t have the benefit of familiar characters, but it has endured and captured the hearts of many nonetheless. And there are numerous other attractions that feature completely original characters and don’t need a movie tie-in for them to be popular. Haunted Mansion is another favorite, and if a complete “reimagining” were announced for it, people would be outraged. People have grown attached to the ride as it is, they don’t need to have a popular Disney character inserted in there to appreciate it. The same applies to Splash Mountain, although in this case, it’s not an original property. That brings me to my next point…
Splash Mountain is based off of Song of the South, which is the most controversial Disney movie ever made. However, the ride features nothing that could be considered offensive in itself. If you retheme the ride, people are still going to know the movie exists and that the ride was at one point themed to it thanks to the Internet. It doesn’t change anything. If the company didn’t try to hide it and pretend that it never existed, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation right now. No company is perfect, and while times have changed, Disney needs to just accept the fact that the movie existed, and while it may have been a questionable decision to base a popular ride off such a controversial property, it has been alive and kicking for 30 years now and has become a beloved staple in the Disney parks. Trying to change it to Princess and the Frog in an effort to be inclusive comes across as pandering and disingenuous. It’s not that I disagree with having a Princess and the Frog ride in the parks, but this is not the way the company should be doing it. Expand the parks and create brand new experiences, don’t change something people love. If you were to create a new ride for Princess and the Frog while keeping Splash Mountain as it is, more people would be happy than with the current proposal.
Another important note is that while you could make an argument that the retheme would fit the vibe of the area it’s located in in Disneyland, Magic Kingdom’s Splash Mountain is located in Frontierland and when it was being designed, Imagineers went through the effort to make a ride based in the south fit thematically in Frontierland. I don’t see how a retheme is possible in the MK without drastically hurting the vibe of Frontierland. I’ve seen numerous Disney fans come up with other solutions to incorporating Princess and the Frog that allow Splash Mountain to be left alone. If Disney wants to be the top dog when it comes to amusement park experiences, they’d think of a way to conceptualize a brand new ride experience that does not come at the cost of one of the most popular attractions at any of the parks.
The company should be proud of Splash Mountain and its passionate following. It’s the perfect example of what a Disney attraction should be. It isn’t some minor, unpopular attraction that doesn’t have much of a following, it’s a theme park icon, and to take away such a fantastic piece of Imagineering would be a detriment to the park and one of the biggest mistakes the company could ever make.
I know I have no authority when it comes to the decisions Disney makes, but I want to try as best as I can to make my voice heard. I know things are crazy right now in the world, but this is a terrible idea and really, really needs to be rethought for all the reasons I’ve brought up and more. Prior to this ordeal, I had been thinking about maybe working for Disney one day, but because of this, I’m not so sure anymore and it has seriously put a damper on my view of the company as a whole. The thought of my favorite attraction no longer being there is heartbreaking to me, and I hope someone at Disney that reads this has the gall to speak up and explain why this isn’t right. It’s not the same ride, just with a new theme, Splash Mountain is a unique experience that is more than the sum of its parts. I would think Disney of all people would be able to understand that, but what do I know?
I’m sure the company has to sift through hundreds upon hundreds of emails, questions and complaints, but I’m begging for at least someone to take a good glance at this and not just casually heap it in to the rest of the pile. This is a big deal for so many people, and it’s important for the company to listen.
Sincerely, Kate
I’m interested in how exactly will they tie this theme into the Wild west theme of Frontier Land. To me, it will seem out of place. Granted, I haven’t see the movie and maybe I’m off base here, but I agree with Kate.