Credit: DisneyOn Wednesday, one of the advanced Tiana’s Bayou Adventure audio-animatronics reportedly experienced an unnerving malfunction in front of Magic Kingdom Park guests. One Walt Disney World Resort guest shared their experience on the Frontierland attraction on social media.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened at Walt Disney World Resort in June 2024, and Disneyland Resort‘s version followed five months later. Characters from The Princess and the Frog (2009) took over the controversial Splash Mountain, taking guests on a musical journey through the New Orleans bayou. Original film cast members Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana), Michael-Leon Wooley (Louis), Jenifer Lewis (Mama Odie), and Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen) reprised their roles for the attraction. Notably, the iconic and villainous Dr. Facilier (voiced by Keith David) was not included in the ride’s storyline.
Magic Kingdom Park’s version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure experienced several operational troubles during its first few weeks, shutting down hours early during multiple Disney cast member and Annual Passholder previews. Even after the ride officially opened, guests reported repeated stops, evacuations from the attraction, and issues with its advanced audio-animatronics.
Now, almost a year after its grand opening, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure operates much more reliably. Still, like any complicated Disney Park attraction, it has occasional issues.
On May 14, Redditor u/rrsafety rode the attraction twice, noticing that the finale’s Princess Tiana animatronic was motionless. “We thought the grand finale was quite underwhelming,” the Disney Park guest wrote. “Some of us were arguing if it was even Tiana at the end standing there singing. LOL. Got back to the room and went to YouTube to realize the star of the show was actually broken for the final number.”
This is hardly the first time this animatronic has broken down–Inside the Magic experienced the same thing during a ride in January.
It’s unclear whether the malfunction was fixed overnight. Regardless, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was welcoming guests when this article was published on Thursday, May 15.
Do you prefer Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or the original Splash Mountain? Share your opinion with Inside the Magic in the comments!