Yesterday, we saw crew members cutting into the Splash Mountain tree at Magic Kingdom. Today, the top of the tree is gone. Although the tree was originally part of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure concept art, it was later revealed that it would be removed as the ride’s backstory was altered.
Splash Mountain Tree
At least a few feet have been cut from the top of the tree. It’s no longer clearly visible above the top level of scaffolding.
Several crew members were on the scaffolding this morning, cutting off more of the tree.
In addition to the giant tree at the mountain’s highest point, other trees on the mountain are expected to be removed.
The tree can’t be removed all at once, so crew members are progressively shaving it away. A hole was cut into the mountain façade near the roots of the tree, presumably to make removal easier.
Scaffolding covers much of the Splash Mountain façade now as it is transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
More Splash Mountain Construction
More crew members were on the side of the mountain, near the ride track.
We couldn’t see an exact project they were working on, but we could see another small hole cut into the façade — visible in the above photo next to the crew member on the left.
A giant hole was cut into the center of the mountain a few weeks ago. A new grid of wire has been installed in the hole. This acts as a base for the shape of the faux rockwork.
A giant crane is on-site and was pointing straight up into the sky this morning.
The tarp has been pulled back from the rockwork that was cut away on the ground near the Frontierland bridge.
We also saw new wire framework down here, over some of the steel supports.
The track down here was also recently repainted.
From the Walt Disney World Railroad train station, we can see more construction on the side of the mountain.
Crew members were securing some scaffolding.
Looking down into the queue, tarps have been placed over the giant piles of dirt we saw yesterday.
The dirt comes from the excavated ground within the Splash Mountain barn. We saw crew members digging yesterday.
Various construction materials are throughout the crew, but there is no other major construction happening here right now.
Today, the barn doorway was blocked by wood and red net fencing.
Blue net fencing surrounds the dirt piles.
Splash Mountain closed permanently in January at Walt Disney World. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to replace the attraction at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland in 2024. Read our complete history of Splash Mountain for a look back at the classic log flume ride.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes place after the events of “The Princess and the Frog.” Tiana’s Foods is an employee-owned community food co-op established by Tiana in 1927, following the success of her restaurant, Tiana’s Palace. The co-op is housed inside a salt mine, with growers planting crops along the old Splash Mountain waterway. Guests will ascend through a mill house built into the side of the mountain.
The attraction will follow Tiana venturing into the bayou to find animal friends. She’s hosting a party for the people of New Orleans, but it’s missing a special ingredient. Some of the original cast will be providing their voices to the attraction, including Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Bruno Campos (Naveen), Michael Leon Wooley (Louis), and Jennifer Lewis (Mama Odie).
Read more details about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure:
- Logo for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Revealed
- First Look at Tiana’s New Outfit for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Model at D23 Expo 2022 Shows Removal of Iconic Splash Mountain Tree
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Backstory and More Information Revealed at D23 Expo 2022
- More Details Revealed for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Story, Original Cast Returning
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