Crews have begun dismantling the fencing of the Splash Mountain queue in Magic Kingdom as the ride is transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Splash Mountain Queue
Horizontal fence posts have been removed, leaving just the vertical supports.
If you look closely, you’ll see some of the posts have blue marks on them, indicating they will also be removed.
We have also seen colored string wrapped around trees that will be removed, but none have been cut down yet.
Some of the first themed elements removed after Splash Mountain permanently closed were the queue’s birdhouses.
Since then, we’ve only seen minor work in the queue, while most construction takes place on the mountain and around the ride flume.
From the Walt Disney World Railroad train, we saw where the old fence posts went — they’re currently stacked near the pile of dirt surrounded by temporary net fencing.
Just like we’ve seen some of the dirt pile be removed from the construction site, the posts will eventually be removed as well.
The pile of dirt is from the ground within the barn’s queue, which was dug up back in April.
More fencing may be dismantled at the front of the queue in the coming days and weeks.
The piles of posts go deep into the queue, and a construction vehicle is parked near the back.
The barn’s interior is blocked from view with curtains.
Other Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Construction
We checked on the bottom of the ride’s flume, but there hasn’t been any significant construction in this area for a few weeks.
A purple string previously tied around this tree was on the ground.
Early on in construction, workers demolished and rebuilt some of the rockwork in this area.
Scaffolding remains in the tunnels beneath the Frontierland bridge.
Scaffolding also covers the mountain and we did see some crew members working on the façade this morning.
They were handling large pieces of plywood.
It looks like some of them may have been working on the faux landscaping on the side of the mountain.
The attraction’s exterior is being made to look more like the bayous of Louisiana, which includes removing trees.
This tree — which also once had birdhouses hanging from its branches — is the only one that remains.
A tower of scaffolding was recently erected seemingly for installation of the Tiana’s Foods water tower but the scaffolding is now gone.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was added to the My Disney Experience map today.
Splash Mountain closed permanently in January 2023 at Magic Kingdom. Check out our photos and video from “the last splash” and read our complete history of Splash Mountain. The ride permanently closed in May at Disneyland.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure picks up after the events of “The Princess and the Frog.” In 1927, Tiana founded the Tiana’s Foods co-ops, which is located in a salt mine, where cultivators grow crops along the waters. During Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Tiana and alligator Louis venture into the bayou to find animal friends. They’re preparing a special Mardi Gras celebration for the people of New Orleans.
The scene depicted in the above concept art is “the thrilling moment you first drop into the bayou and encounter some friends both new and familiar.” Louis and a band of animals will be playing zydeco music, a blend of rhythm and blues that was created in Louisiana. The band of animal friends includes an otter, a rabbit, a raccoon, a beaver, and a turtle playing instruments made from natural bayou elements.
The ride will feature 17 new characters, including Prince Naveen’s younger brother, Ralphie. The Splash Mountain track will remain, but the attraction will get new set dressing and audio-animatronics. There will be multiple Tiana audio-animatronics, and she will have a new adventuring outfit.
The exterior landscaping is being made to look more like the Louisiana bayou and a Tiana’s Foods water tower will be installed.
The queue and attraction music is being arranged by award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard, who will mix classic songs from the movie with New Orleans classics and original compositions. The scent of beignets is also set to be pumped throughout the queue.
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). Concept art shows Mama Odie in the crow’s nest of her crashed ship home, with bottle lights hanging around her.
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