Breaking Down the SURPRISES in the FINALE of Disney’s New Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ride in Magic Kingdom

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has gone from “Almost There” to ACTUALLY HERE.

Since Magic Kingdom’s Splash Mountain ride closed in early 2023, we’ve been watching for updates on the development of the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replacement. We’ve known for a few weeks now that the new attraction will open on June 28th with two ways to ride – via Virtual Queue (which will open at 7AM and 1PM each day) or by booking a Lightning Lane after purchasing Genie+. We know ride previews are coming soon, but now, Disney has SURPRISED us with a FULL official ride-through of the attraction!

On June 1st, Disney dropped a ride-through video of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on their YouTube channel, giving us all a full peek at the new ride, while at the same time revealing a full story synopsis.

SPOILER WARNING AHEAD

Our main focus right now is on the ride’s grand finale AFTER the final drop. The focus of the ride sees us helping Tiana recruit musicians for a celebratory concert, including at one point being shrunk down by Mama Odie to find “tiny” musicians. After we’re brought back to full-size – – by the use of the ride’s final drop naturally – – we arrive at the ride’s finale.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is so fun!

After the final drop, you’ll approach Tiana and her friends at her mansion. Here, Louis conducts a jazz band filled with all the critters we met on our journey. They play “Special Spice” with Prince Naveen on his ukulele and Prince Ralphie on the drums.

©Disney

We LOVE all the small details of the finale sequence. There are the adorable drumming frogs — some of the small creatures we’re tasked with locating — which feel very reminiscent of the musical critters that populated Splash Mountain. We were also happy to see the inclusion of numerous characters from the film, including Charlotte La Bouff and Eudora, as well as just the overall New Orleans feeling of it all.

Look at that band!

The art deco pattern on Tiana’s dress looks particularly stunning.

©Disney

Following the massive concert, there’s a final appearance from Mama Odie (including a tray of beignets)…

Mama Odie

… and just before that, what seems like a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it callback to Tiana and Naveen’s frog forms from the film. We can’t confirm that those frogs are meant to be Tiana and Naveen — they might just be another happy frog couple — but either way, we like this tiny addition!

Are those who we think they are?

Throughout the finale, the band performs the new PJ Morton-penned song “Special Spice”. Morton said of the song, “We knew we wanted a celebration, we knew we wanted something that would welcome people in… Honor what’s been there, but you also have to introduce something new and fresh to it. You have to get lyrics that speak to everyone and speak the right way, so it was a fun process for me as a songwriter.”