Legendary Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter and creator of Splash Mountain comments on its transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure

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Tiana's Bayou Adventure construction - April 10 2023

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Posted: Wednesday April 12, 2023 1:30pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Update 7:00-pm April 12 - The comments by Tony Baxter referenced in the LA Times article were from 2020, and are not new.

In an article by the Los Angeles Times, legendary Walt Disney Imagineer and creator of Splash Mountain Tony Baxter comments on the ride's transformation into Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept model - D23 Expo exhibit

Baxter told the LA Times, "When Splash Mountain came to life over 30 years ago, the wave of Disney Animation that started with 'The Little Mermaid' had not yet begun. New stories would give us characters, music and wonderful places that now reside in the hearts of audiences everywhere. Following conversations with Imagineering's leaders about the new attraction's scope and resources, I had a great sense of reassurance — the attraction will be one to be proud of ... bringing to life places, characters and music from the animated classic 'The Princess and the Frog.'" You can read more at the LA Times.

The comments come alongside news today that Splash Mountain will close at Disneyland on May 30, and the unveiling of more details about Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure concept art - April 2023

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EagleScout6105 hours ago

Today marks two years since Billy (the ghost of SM) was told to "Be nice to Tiana". Yeeeahh, I don't think he's been very nice to Tiana

GhostHost10006 hours ago

Unreal. Tickets go up. Attraction availability and park hours go down

Tha Realest6 hours ago

Like Nemo and Friends, it is preemptively closing down low-demand attractions to save money on staffing.

EagleScout61016 hours ago

I'm suprised they didn't do a closure this winter. I get it's new but I think it could have benefited from a couple weeks down so they can figure out what's wrong with the ride.

ToTBellHop17 hours ago

I suspect its wait times will rise once it gets back over 80 degrees. By next January, I’m sure it’ll close for refurbishment like it used to.

SingleRider17 hours ago

Not in the current 40-something-degree weather.

gerarar17 hours ago

The afternoon 1pm VQ drop has been lasting the entire day through park close, which indicates not enough people are joining that drop to get a BG. The BG call average speeds up towards the end of the day too, progressing from 5mins/BG to 2-3mins/BG. Also, reportedly if you do get a BG in the later hours of the day, your callback is around 10-15 mins. Just seems like there's not overall enough demand for the ride currently. It should be off its VQ by now tbh.

EagleScout61017 hours ago

Is it not pulling enough people to warrant being open late?

DCBaker17 hours ago

Interestingly enough, according to the Walt Disney World website, Tiana's is scheduled to close early at 6pm on the following weekday dates: January: 23, 27, 28, 29 (there is an early close at 4:30 on Jan. 30 due to an early closure at MK) February: 3, 5, 6 No early closures scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.

gerarar18 hours ago

Ah just saw the other thread about the cold weather advisory today. That explains it.

Jedi1418 hours ago

Maybe the cold. I think it was in the 40s today.

ToTBellHop18 hours ago

Because it’s cold?

gerarar18 hours ago

Any idea why TBA closed early today at 6pm? The VQ hasn't called any BGs since around 5pm today – thought it was due to downtime but the rides hours show a 6pm close today. The afternoon 1pm drop also stayed open until the ride closed for the day. That side of the park must really be empty and quiet with BTMR and TBA closed tonight.

Brer Oswald1 day ago

It would still suck to lose the stellar soundtrack and cohesive plot, but it still would have been a solid attraction. It would not have been hard to make this into a 7 or 8 out of 10.