Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom is almost there. With less than one month to go until the reimagined ride’s official opening on June 28, 2024, construction on the reimagined ride is now finished. Not only that, but Walt Disney World has shared a first-look inside the attraction via ride-through video.
This is the longest and most spoiler-heavy sneak peek at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to date. The biggest update before this was the First Look at Imagineering’s Innovative Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This featured a look at Audio Animatronics of Mama Odie, Louis the Alligator, Eudora, Charlotte, Ralphie, Prince Naveen, Byhalia the Beaver, and Princess Tiana in person and they are incredible.
Well, now we have footage of those impressive Audio Animatronics actually installed inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, so we can see how they look in the refreshed and brand-new show scenes. Together with the first critter crew, second critter crew, and the third critter crew of musicians, these characters bring to life Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
This on-ride video from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure comes via the second episode of the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube series, which takes viewers behind-the-scenes of how music is created for Disney attractions and entertainment including at the finale of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, featuring the new original song “Special Spice.”
Watch the “We Call It Imagineering: Soundscapes” video for yourself here:
The Soundscapes episode isn’t merely marketing for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. It delves into the history of music in the parks, starting with how Walt Disney understood the power of music and what it could convey. When he established Walt Disney Imagineering to help build Disneyland, Walt brought his filmmakers on board, envisioning the parks as immersive versions of his films.
The Imagineers’ approach to music is deliberate and meticulous, and has stood the test of time as a result. This attention to detail is evident in the work of songwriters like the Sherman Brothers, who were among the first songwriters for Disneyland attractions, creating classics like “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” and “It’s A Small World (After All),” which debuted at the 1964 New York World’s Fair and has been an earworm ever since.
The illustrious careers of the Sherman Brothers continue to be remembered and revered by generations of fans, and with the passing of Richard last weekend, the release of Soundscapes this week offers a lovely tribute to the Disney Legends.
Turning to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, there’s an extensive and (fair-warning) spoiler-heavy look inside the attraction starting at 16:16 of the “Soundscapes” episode. I’m not posting screenshots here because I’m pretty anti-spoiler…and because I stopped watching the video myself once it became clear there would be major spoilers.
With a new story, there was a need for new music to go along with it. Imagineers worked with Grammy-winner, PJ Morton, in New Orleans to score a lyrical love letter to the city for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. These recording sessions resulted in both new renditions of favorite tunes from the film and an all-new, original song, “Special Spice” with vocals by Anika Noni Rose, the original voice of Princess Tiana and Disney Legend.
This is a new chapter for Tiana as she grows her business and as a thank you to her community for their support, she’s throwing a party during Mardi Gras season. When it turns out there’s been a mix up in the preparations and she’s missing a band, Tiana invites us on a journey through the bayou discovering both friends familiar and anew for this last ingredient: musical critters. (Not literally–Tiana is not catching and cooking adorable animals in this attraction.)
After the thrilling drop, you’ll soon approach Tiana and friends at her mansion, where Louis conducts a jazz band filled with all the critters we met on our journey. They play “Special Spice” along with Prince Naveen playing his ukulele and Prince Ralphie the drums. We’ve discovered the “Special Spice” making this joyful, one-of-a-kind celebration complete is you. The melody continues as we approach Mama Odie, who acknowledges that this party wouldn’t be what it is without you.
As we near the attraction’s opening on June 28, 2024 at Magic Kingdom, PJ recently stopped by to hear his song alongside the Imagineering project team. “Seeing my song on the ride for the very first time was mind blowing to me,” recounted PJ. “It’s surreal to be in this world after a long time writing this song and finally seeing it in action, it’s a dream come true.”
Not only does the latest episode of “We Call It Imagineering” feature a sneak peek of this catchy song, but the full version of “Special Spice” will also release on Walt Disney Records this Friday, May 31, 2024 across all streaming platforms.
Before even boarding the attraction, you’ll hear a radio program on a New Orleans station playing authentic jazz versions of familiar songs, including “Down in New Orleans,” “Ma Belle Evangeline” and more from “The Princess and the Frog”! Listen closely, you might catch the radio host sharing an important message to listeners, Tiana needs help finding musicians for her big party tonight.
Terence Blanchard, a featured musician in “The Princess and the Frog,” seven-time Grammy-winner and twice-Oscar nominated composer, helmed the music in the attraction’s queue. This is just one of the many ways Imagineers have leaned into local New Orleans voices to tell Tiana’s story — both artists are natives to this musical city.
“We really wanted to showcase New Orleans music, give people who are going to be in the queue line an experience of being in New Orleans,” shared Terence. “It will hopefully create a lasting memory and a relationship with the city.”
The Chase family is another center stone of the city and provided inspiration for “The Princess and the Frog.” Singer Leah Chase Jr. and daughter of Chef Leah Chase who was one of the inspirations of Tiana, sings “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans.”
In other Tiana’s Bayou Adventure news, Walt Disney World has taken down the construction walls from in front of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, revealing the attraction marquee out front. This is the first time we’ve seen the signage in real life, but it was first revealed in the attraction model (albeit the Disneyland version) for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure back at the 2022 D23 Expo.
The construction walls coming down and marquee being revealed almost a month in advance are not particularly surprising. Although Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t officially open until June 28, there are pretty much non-stop previews between now and then. In just a few days, previews for Cast Members begin in early June.
Following that, there are previews for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, D23 Gold Members, and more Cast Members. Magic Kingdom park reservations for the Annual Passholder preview dates filled up fast, but as we explain in How to Register for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Preview Dates (STILL OPEN!), you can still ‘register’ for the previews (hence the parenthetical in the title).
With these previews starting soon, we wouldn’t be surprised if Walt Disney World releases even more footage soon. It’s expected that Cast Members will be allowed to take photos and video on the ride (and even if they weren’t, something would inevitably leak once one of their guests “accidentally” broke the rules), so the floodgates on footage are opening next week one way or the other. It probably makes sense for Disney to get out ahead of that and release official video that isn’t shot like a found footage horror movie.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the ride-through footage of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World? Surprised by the quality and quantity of Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Excited for the new-look ride? How much ‘inspiration’ from the former Splash Mountain are you expecting to appear in the reimagined version? Agree or disagree with our assessment of the attraction? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
