While Tokyo Disneyland doesn’t have a full New Orleans Square land of its own, we do have our own mini-Royal Street in Adventureland of all areas. It’s home to Pirates of the Caribbean, the Blue Bayou Restaurant, several shops… and now a small reference to “The Princess and the Frog” for the first time ever at the park.
“The Princess and the Frog” Decal Installed
The new decal is located on the faux bridge between Party Gras Gifts and Cristal Arts heading towards the restrooms and Theater Orleans.
The art seemingly appeared overnight when Pirates of the Caribbean reopened earlier this month at the park. It features two characters from the film along with a stylized message.
Specifically, we see “Dreams do come true in New Orleans,” which are lyrics from the song “Down in New Orleans” in the 2009 film. The words are set on staffs of sheet music with quarter and eighth notes in various colors dotting the middle sections.
To the left we see Louis the trumpet-playing alligator jamming out to the song.
To the right, Ray the firefly is enjoying the music as well.
Tiana in Tokyo
The appearance of this decal is notable as Tiana and Naveen have never made appearances at Tokyo Disneyland in the 13 years since “The Princess and the Frog” released, nor has any merchandise ever been sold. The film disappointed in Japan when it released in March 2010, barely landing within the top 100 grossing films of the year at around $4.8 million grossed, and character recognition for Tiana and friends is virtually nonexistent outside of Disney fans.
Tokyo Disneyland is most notably the only holdout on retheming Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disneyland and Walt Disney World announced their plans to evict the Br’ers in favor of the bayou in 2020, but Tokyo Disneyland held off. Rumors allege that the Oriental Land Company asked Disney to pay for the overhaul and the company balked, but no confirmation has ever come as to their reasons for keeping the attraction. As of publishing, the Oriental Land Company has not announced any plans for updating Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or any other attraction at Tokyo Disneyland.
Splash Mountain opened October 1, 1992 at Tokyo Disneyland and has remained immensely popular even three decades after its open. The attraction drew 2-3 hour waits even in winter prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and still ranks among the highest waits at the park the entire year round. It’s also one of three attractions at Tokyo Disneyland to utilize the Disney Premier Access paid line skip system, the other two being Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and The Happy Ride with Baymax, both of which opened in September 2020.
How do you feel seeing the first-ever “The Princess and the Frog” representation at the park? Let us know in the comments below!
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