Tiana's Bayou Adventure opens officially today at Disneyland. With the ride's debut, the former Critter Country is now Bayou Country, creating a smoother thematic transition from New Orleans Square next door.
The former Splash Mountain's Chick-A-Pin Hill is now a salt mine for Tiana's Foods, an employee-owned company started by Tiana Rogers after the events of "The Princess and the Frog." Tiana and her husband, Prince Naveen, are celebrating their success with a big party for the people of New Orleans, and you're invited.
There's just one thing to do first, though, and that's to find a band. That search will send us into the bayou where we will encounter a new cast of musical critters. Throw in a touch of magic from Mama Odie, and we're ready to celebrate with our new friends.
We first experienced Tiana's Bayou Adventure when it debuted at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in June. [Review: Disney makes a better splash with Tiana's Bayou Adventure.] The Disneyland installation is a tighter edit of the story from Orlando. Disneyland's slightly smaller ride space puts everything closer to you, so characters and settings look bigger. It's all moving faster, too, amplifying the infectious zydeco beat of the ride's soundtrack.
The only exception to this brisker pace in Anaheim is the finale party scene. Orlando finally pushes you through that one, while California lingers for just a couple beats more, allowing you the time you need to appreciate the scene's abundant visual detail. I loved Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World, but I think it's even better at Disneyland.
I understand why so many fans loved Splash Mountain. But I hope that those fans will give Tiana's Bayou Adventure a chance. A all-inclusive celebration of joy, Tiana's Bayou Adventure is my second-favorite ride in the park right now, trailing only the best theme park ride in the world: Star Wars Rise of the Resistance. While Tiana's thematically lacks Rise's grandeur and emotional stakes, it's definitely more fun.
Want to experience the ride online? Here is the queue walkthrough, followed by on-ride highlights with me:
And here is my full on-ride POV video:
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