Disney Announces Closing Date for Splash Mountain
Disney World will close Splash Mountain in early 2023 to prepare for its transformation.
Disney World is preparing to close Splash Mountain, which has been a fixture at the park since its opening in 1992.
Splash Mountain will close on January 23, 2023, to begin its transformation from a ride inspired by a problematic film into Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The revamped attraction is takes inspiration from New Orleans culture and the 2009 Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog.
The new ride, announced in 2020, tells a story that picks up where the animated film left off. "You’ll join Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis during Mardi Gras season as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind celebration for the people of New Orleans," the Disney Parks blog shared in an update of what the attraction will include.
Disney World announced the closing on December 7, less than a week after new concept art for Tiana's Bayou Adventure was shared. The art shows a ride where "fireflies will light up the night and invite you deeper into the bayou."
The "musical adventure" ride will feature voices from the film, including Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Michael Leon Wooley, and Jenifer Lewis. "What you can’t tell from this rendering," the Disney blog says, "is that beautiful zydeco music will fill the air."
Disney World's Splash Mountain will close in January, but no closing date has been announced for the version in Disneyland. Tiana's Bayou Adventure will open in 2024 at both Disney World and Disneyland.