Disney World Singer Dies Mid-Performance in Front of Guests

A Disney Princess animatronic died in front of dozens of Walt Disney World Resort guests. The incident was one of many ongoing maintenance issues during the preview period for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which officially opens at Magic Kingdom Park on June 28, 2024.

For the last few weeks, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has been open only to Disney cast members, invited media, and select Annual Passholders. In just two days, all Magic Kingdom Park guests can board the attraction via the free Virtual Queue or paid Disney Genie+ (soon to be called “Lightning Lane Multi Pass”).

A large construction wall surrounds Tiana's Bayou Adventure, a mountain with greenery and a rocky hill reminiscent of Splash Mountain visible in the background. — Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the Magic

Throughout the preview period, guests reported numerous errors and breakdowns on the rethemed Splash Mountain. Videos on social media showed first responders evacuating trapped guests. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure closed hours before Magic Kingdom Park on multiple days, canceling hundreds of guests’ scheduled previews.

Kirk (@walruscarp on TikTok) attended an exclusive D23 member preview of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on Saturday, riding the Princess and the Frog (2009)-themed attraction nine times. The Disney Park guest shared this video of everything that went wrong during his time on the New Orleans Bayou:

@walruscarp

4 AWKWARD Moments on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during the D23 Event this Saturday. We got to ride it 9 times and here are 4 of the best times the audio animatronics skipped sensors, froze or broke on the Disney ride at Magic Kingdom. June 28th open is just around the corner. But as a Disney Adult this was so funny. #tianasbayouadventure #tianasbayouadventure2024 #disneyridebreakdown #tianasbayou #disneyridebreaks #disneyworld #disneyride #magickingdom #walruscarp

♬ original sound – Kirk • Theme Park Expert

First, the Mama Odie animatronic at the end of the ride malfunctioned. Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis) stood motionless as her snake, Juju, snuck bites off her beignets.

The next two issues involved different Louis (Michael Leon-Wooley) animatronics. The first was frozen, while the second moved its mouth and danced without its audio cues playing. Guests audibly laughed at the errors.

A jungle scene with animatronic characters. A young boy in explorer attire stands next to a large friendly-looking crocodile and a dog wearing goggles, reminiscent of Tiana's Bayou Adventure. They are surrounded by lush greenery and appear to be part of an enchanting theme park attraction. — Credit: Disney

The last and most unsettling malfunction involved Princess Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), who poses next to Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) during the ride’s finale. The advanced Walt Disney Imagineering animatronic stood motionless as its audio cues continued, with the Disney Princess singing “Special Spice,” the exclusive song written for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Kirk loved his D23 attraction preview experience, malfunctions and all.

“Any real Disney Adult loves these preview moments,” he wrote. “Honestly made the ride funnier & better.”

A group of people on Tiana's Bayou Adventure enter a dark tunnel surrounded by lush, colorful foliage. Ambient lighting adds a magical atmosphere, while a prominent glowing figure above the tunnel appears to be a witch or sorcerer casting a spell. — Credit: Disney

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom Park on June 29. Walt Disney Imagineers are still working hard to transform the Disneyland Park version of Splash Mountain. Disneyland Resort hasn’t announced an exact opening date for the Critter Country log flume ride, but it’s expected to premiere later this year.

Have you ridden or watched a video of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? In the comments, share your thoughts on the Splash Mountain retheme with Inside the Magic.