Credit: Disney Parks BlogThere are exciting things coming for Princess Tiana.
The New Orleans princess is finally getting an attraction in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, taking over Splash Mountain. Construction for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is currently underway at Walt Disney World with no set closing date yet set for Splash Mountain at Disneyland. The opening of the attraction at both Parks is set for late 2024, although it’s unclear if they will open at the same time.
Along with the announcement of the new ride, Tiana is also scheduled to feature in her own series on Disney+ as a sequel spinoff from the 2009 film. The original announcement for the show was released back in 2020 and originally was rumored to have a 2022 premiere date, although there had been no set date or detailed information given. However, a recent update to the Disney Animation website has created some buzz among fans. The show, which would feature Anika Noni Rose returning as Tiana, has changed its expected release entirely.
Walt Disney Animation has removed the release date of ‘TIANA’ (TV series) from their site.
It originally said 2023, then it was changed to 2024, and now it says “soon.” pic.twitter.com/FsMJ3MpAjZ
— Disney Animation Promos (@DisneyAPromos) March 15, 2023
Recently, the release date had been changed to say “Coming to Disney+ in 2024,” but now it simply says “Coming [soon to] Disney+.” It’s possible that the 2024 release was a slip-up, and has been corrected to a vague “coming soon” announcement, considering the attraction is also set for a 2024 opening. It would be a great way to create excitement for the ride, by releasing the series to Disney+ right around the same time, creating a new storyline for fans to follow and even creating a new generation of Tiana fans, considering the film came out over a decade ago. However, online reactions to the change have been mixed, with one Twitter user saying “as long as its guaranteed 2D animation, they can take as long as they need,” and another user claiming, “Calling it now; it’s being changed from an original series to just a glorified tie into the new Bayou ride coming to the parks.”
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was first unveiled in 2022, which makes it highly likely that the series has been pushed back to correlate with the ride’s opening. Whether it will change its story to tie in with the attraction remains to be seen. Moana was also originally expected to receive a show on Disney+, with a possible 2024 debut. With a new area coming to EPCOT featuring characters from Moana, it’s possible there will be more information revealed about the series’ development as well.