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Credit: Inside the MagicDemolition is underway at Magic Kingdom Park.
If you’re visiting “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” you’ll be sure to visit Disney World’s world-class theme parks, which include Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Disney World Guests are treated to immersive experiences, amazing attractions, and magical entertainment offerings that aren’t available anywhere else.
While Disney World Guests are looking for iconic attractions, like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, “it’s a small world”, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Space Mountain. If you’re looking to ride Splash Mountain, however, you’ll be out of luck.
Splash Mountain has taken Disney Park Guests on a gentle drift through a colorful Southern bayou along with happy-go-lucky Br’er Rabbit as he looks for his “laughing place,” as Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox are in hot pursuit of the wayward hare. On the ride, you glide by over 100 adorable Audio-Animatronics geese, frogs, raccoons, possums, bees, alligators and other down-home critters as they sing classic Disney ditties, including “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and “Ev’rybody’s Got a Laughing Place.”
Recently, Twitter account @bioreconstruct shared aerial photos of Splash Mountain, which will be rethemed to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Princess and the Frog) and is expected to open in Magic Kingdom Park in 2024.
Aerial look at scaffolding at Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Two boom cranes are lowered behind the attraction, at right, and are hidden from view by guests. 📸Feb 17 pic.twitter.com/7wMvhU0wwk
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) March 18, 2023
As we can see in the photo, demolition is steadily underway, and it will be interesting to see how much of the attraction will be closed before its reimagining takes place.
With Splash Mountain gone, Walt Disney World Resort will be down to two “classic” mountain attractions at Magic Kingdom: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. The water ride in Disneyland will also be closing down permanently, but a date has not yet been revealed.
But, that’s not all that’s happening at Magic Kingdom.
The latest on Magic Kingdom’s expansion plans
The original voices of Princess Naveen (Bruno Campos), Louis the Alligator (Michael Leon Wooley), Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), and Princess Tiana (Noni Rose) will return for the attraction. Notably, Dr. Facilier (Keith David) was excluded from the lineup.
When Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’ll join Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis during Mardi Gras season as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind celebration for the people of New Orleans.
“This attraction is going to be gorgeous at night,” said Charita Carter, Executive Producer of Relevancy Activations at Walt Disney Imagineering. “Fans will meet all-new, original characters as Tiana realizes she’s missing one key ingredient for a recipe!”
But, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure isn’t the only attraction being planned for the future.
Disney has teased an expansion coming “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” Encanto, Coco, and Disney Villains have all been rumored as potential IPs to be tagged in the future at the Disney Park, and it would seem like it’s only a matter of time before an expansion announcement officially comes forward.
What do you think of the demolition taking place at Magic Kingdom? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!