Spilling 7 Secrets About Disney’s NEW Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Animatronics

This summer is going to be a big one for Disney World, specifically Magic Kingdom!

If you have a trip planned, prepare for the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! On top of that, Country Bear Jamboree is opening a revamped show and new character experiences will hit the other parks. But if you’re excited about the new Princess and the Frog ride, you’re going to want to keep reading!

We attended a media event at the Walt Disney Imagineering campus where we got to see a bunch of new projects they are working on. One of those is the new Tiana animatronic coming to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! Y’all, these animatronics are SOMETHIN’ ELSE. They’re all hand-animated, so there’s an animator making sure that every expression is as authentic as you’d see it in the movie.

We were able to see a SUPER cool behind-the-scenes look at these animatronics as they were being built in a giant warehouse. We found it particularly interesting that the Imagineers positioned the animatronics in the lab to where they are at the same height as they will be throughout the ride. This is so that they can understand the vantage points from which guests will see them. One of the Tiana animatronics was up on a high platform since she’ll be high up in the ride.

There were several versions of Tiana that were labeled on whiteboards as Tiana 1, Tiana 2, Tiana 3, and so on, that will be placed throughout the ride. Some versions had a hat on, some versions had a jacket on, and some even had her interacting with other animatronics!

One of our favorite features of the ride is that each of the Tianas is wearing a wedding ring!

We also saw animatronics for Eudora wearing a mustard yellow dress and carrying a parasol, Lottie wearing a pink velvet dress, Naveen in his tuxedo, Ralphie playing the drums, and even several versions of Mama Odie.

One version of Mama Odie was in a brand new outfit and wearing MANY strands of beads. We asked what the beads represented, and it turns out that Mama Odie was given the beads by her community because she’s well-respected and honored as a wise woman. (Oh, and you’ll also see JuJu the snake as he tries to steal beignets. Mama Odie will say, “I see you, JuJu!” during this part of the ride!)

In the first episode of the new “We Call It Imagineering” series on YouTube, Disney showed these animatronics in motion. Take a look at the new series here! There’s also a look at the Juju…

…and Charlotte animatronics on the Imagineering Instagram account.

While Disney previously released photos of the Tiana animatronic, there’s nothing quite like seeing it in person.

If you have some catchin’ up to do, the story of the ride picks up during New Orleans’ Carnival season, and Tiana is hosting a Mardi Gras Party for the people of New Orleans — the community that has supported her successful restaurant. But Tiana realizes that the party is “missing a key ingredient” and she needs help finding it…and YOU will join Tiana to help her!

There is no exact opening timeline for the attraction, but Disney World’s version is set to open this summer and Disneyland’s version will open sometime in 2024.

Keep following AllEars for more!

5 Ways the NEW Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ride Will Change Magic Kingdom

Are you excited about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: We were invited by The Walt Disney Company to attend an exclusive Imagineering media event. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

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