Anika Noni Rose Shares When ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Retheme of Splash Mountain Will Open

In 2020, Disney announced that one of the Magic Kingdom’s staple Frontierland attractions would be undergoing e retheme inspired by the story of The Princess and the Frog (2009).

While concept art was released showing Splash Mountain reimagined as the bayou setting showcased in the hit Disney animated film, few additional details have since been shared, including a timeline as to when work will begin on the current attraction, and when the new ride will open.

Today, on Live with Kelly and Ryan, one of the guests featured was Anika Noni Rose, voice of Princess Tiana, who confirmed a very exciting detail about the upcoming Walt Disney World attraction.

On this morning’s show, the voice of Princess Tiana herself confirmed that Disney is working on a new ride inspired by The Princess and the Frog, and that the attraction will open in 2024.

She did not share additional details other than discussing that the ride will be coming to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland to replace Splash Mountain, but fans are sure to be excited to finally have an opening date for the new attraction.

When Disney originally announced the new attraction in 2020, the Tony award-winning actress said,

It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Mardi Gras celebration we’ve been waiting for, and I’m here for it!

The new attraction is led by Charita Carter, senior creative producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, who will work with her colleagues to develop an immersive storyline for the thrill ride picking up where the film left off.

Guests will enter the story after the final kiss seen in the film, where they will then join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure through New Orleans in preparation for their first Mardi Gras performance. The ride will keep the same layout as Splash Mountain, while bringing Guests into the iconic New Orleans setting as seen in the film, with some of the most iconic music and characters from The Princess and the Frog.

The ride’s overlay is likely still in development as it is set to open in 2024 and Disney has not started work on either Splash Mountain attraction in Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom, and a refurbishment date for the attraction is not yet scheduled.

We will keep you updated as we learn more about the new Princess and the Frog attraction as we know more here on DisneyTips.