ORLANDO, Fla — Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain, as we now know it, will be closing for good on Jan. 23, 2023.
Parkgoers will get another chance to get back on the thrilling log flume ride, but not until 2024, when it's reimagined as Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
The park announced the closure on Friday as it shared details of "The Princess and the Frog”-inspired revamp.
Disney's design team traveled to New Orleans while researching for the ride "in an effort to remain authentic to the story’s setting," Carmen Smith, the senior vice president of creative development for product/content and inclusive strategies, wrote on the Disney Parks blog.
Smith gave the first look at some of the new characters we can look forward to seeing on the ride, including a jazz-loving alligator named Louis and, of course, Princess Tiana.
Fireflies will guide riders along the journey of Princess Tiana and Louis preparing to throw a Mardi Gras celebration for the people of New Orleans. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will also feature a style of music unique to the lively energy of New Orleans called zydeco, which is described as a "special blend of rhythm and blues."
According to Disney, Tiana's Bayou Adventure won't simply re-tell the story of "The Princess and the Frog" — it will explore a whole new adventure featuring the beloved characters from the animated movie.
The attraction was first announced in 2020, at a time when fans and petitions called for Disney to ditch the "Song of the South" theme the ride currently has, given the 1946 film is widely deemed to be the company's most racist film.
It's not clear when the Splash Mountain ride at California's Disneyland Resort will close, but Tiana's Bayou Adventure is set to debut at both parks in 2024.