4
The Walt Disney Company is continuing to celebrate and incorporate diversity into the Disney Parks, including with the recently announced complete retheme of Splash Mountain into a Princess and the Frog ride.
And next week, we will be getting a first look at the inspiration behind the Splash Mountain retheme!
Related: Disney Imagineer Addresses Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise Changes
After a petition coincidentally made its rounds on the internet, Disney Parks announced last summer that the classic theme park attraction Splash Mountain — which opened in the late ’80s and early ’90s at the California and Florida theme parks — would be rethemed to the 2009 Disney Princess animated movie The Princess and the Frog. Again, this retheme will be taking place at both Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and Disneyland park in Disneyland Resort.
According to Disney, the story’s attraction will pick up after the final kiss in the movie as Guests join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure “featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.”
Related: Disney Rides Are Undergoing Changes: What You Need to Know
When the retheme was first announced, we got a look at the concept art (seen above) for the new The Princess and the Frog theming, but next week, it looks like we will be getting to see even more of what Guests can expect on the new ride!
My News 13 journalist, Ashley Carter, took to Twitter to share that Disney commissioned New Orleans-based artist Sharika Mahdi to create a series of paintings as inspiration for Disney Imagineers for the Splash Mountain retheme into The Princess and the Frog. But the best part is Disney will share a first look at one of the paintings next week:
A tidbit about the Princess and the Frog revamp of Splash Mountain: Disney commissioned New Orleans-based artist Sharika Mahdi to create a series of paintings as inspiration for Imagineeers developing the attraction. Disney will share a first look at a painting on August 23.
A tidbit about the Princess and the Frog revamp of Splash Mountain: Disney commissioned New Orleans-based artist Sharika Mahdi to create a series of paintings as inspiration for Imagineeers developing the attraction. Disney will share a first look at a painting on August 23.
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) August 18, 2021
Related: Will Princess Tiana Be Human or Frog in Splash Mountain?
At this time, we do not have a date as to when Disney will make these changes to Splash Mountain at Disneyland and Disney World, but Melissa Valiquette, Vice President of Magic Kingdom recently stated “When we are reimagining a new attraction or area, this can be a lengthy process”, indicating it could be some time before we see Tiana take over Splash Mountain.
Inside the Magic will keep you updated as we get information.
Are you excited for the revamp of Splash Mountain? Let us know in the comments below.
If you are planning on visiting Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort in the upcoming years, but need help planning your vacation — Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friends over at Academy Travel who will be with you every step of the way. Get started today by clicking here!