Disney World announces opening date for new Splash Mountain replacement

Walt Disney World has unveiled the opening day for its newest attraction, which will replace the iconic Splash Mountain ride that closed last year.

The new ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, is scheduled to open on June 28 at the Florida resort. This attraction, based on the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog, will open about a year and a half after Splash Mountain closed.

The original attraction featured characters from Song of the South, a film from 1946 based on stories written by Joel Chandler Harris. His stories are told via the narration of the fictional character Uncle Remus, with the portrayal of the character receiving criticism for how the character speaks in a stereotypical Southern black vernacular.

In announcing the closure of Splash Mountain in late 2022, Disney described the retheming of this attraction as “of particular importance today.”

“The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year,” a Disney statement reads.

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Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is also scheduled to open in Disneyland, located in California, later this year.

Splash Mountain opened on Oct. 2, 1992, and was a fan favorite for many Disney parks attendees. Prior to its closure, the ride reached a wait time of almost four hours in January 2023.