I used to like water rides when I was younger. I remember going to parks in the summer getting soaked on a rapids ride or the log flume was fun but as I have gotten older I rarely go on them anymore. I don’t like to spend my day in the park walking around in wet clothes. Well, I can say now that I will suck it up and get wet from now on when I am at the Magic Kingdom because Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is an absolute joy of an attraction.
Joy is a noun. It can be Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness. Joy is what I felt riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. First off let’s just talk about the set design. Pictures and videos do not do justice to how colorful and beautiful this attraction is. The entire attraction just pops compared to the previous attraction. As you leave the station when you finally are “Goin’ down the bayou” and all through the attraction so many colors stand out. And the fireflies, the effect is simple but it’s so magical. From just simple lights to shadows to full-blown animation, the fireflies are one of the many highlights of the attraction. You can see the care that was made into the design of each scene and setting. Beautiful is one of the easiest ways to describe the look of this attraction.
The music is truly the heart of this attraction. The new versions of songs from “The Princess and the Frog” such as “Almost There,” “Down in New Orleans,” “Gonna Take You There,” and “Dig a Little Deeper” work so well in the attraction. The new song “Special Spice” which was created for the finale is catchy you will catch yourself humming it long after you leave the attraction along with the original songs from the film. The music truly sets the scene in every part of the attraction.
The story is simple and easy to follow. I love that we have an original story with this attraction. That it wasn’t another “book report” attraction. Tiana is having a party and everyone is invited and she has tasked Louis with finding a band for the party. He is looking high and low to find the band. It is a simple story told on the ride with all the back story told throughout the queue and through radio broadcasts in the queue. I like that the Imagineers kept the story simple, and easy to follow and it is a fun journey you go on through the attraction to the finale.
The technology used on this attraction is impressive. The audio animatronics are some of the most impressive I have ever seen and there are so many of them. When Tiana speaks not just her mouth moves but her lips and cheeks move with amazing life-like fluidity. Same for Mama Odie. Even the simple AA’s of the different critters are way more fluid than older AA’s of their kind. Also, this attraction may have the best use of screens I have ever seen in an attraction. They are used in a way to blend in with the scenery and in service of the story.
All of this comes together in the finale as we make it to Tiana and Naveen’s for the party. The finale is just an audio and visual overload as Tiana and the band perform “Special Spice” with many characters from the movie from Naveen to Charlotte and Eudora and more welcoming you to the party. It is so beautiful and fun and I wish we moved slower so I could take it all in more. It truly is magical. Before we get to the station we get one last visit by Mama Odie before we make it back to the station with the music buzzing in my head as I exited.
One of the things that stands out to me is the love the Imagineers, artists, and everyone who worked on it put into this attraction. It truly is a love letter to New Orleans and its art, culture, and music. You feel it in the joy, fun, and happiness this attraction brings. This felt like a classic attraction. As much as we have had some groundbreaking attractions lately such as Rise of the Resistance this one feels like one of the classic Disney attractions. Having a modern attraction with this many animatronics being used to tell the story made me feel like a kid again and just made the attraction feel more real and alive.
Going from the kid who used to love to ride the log flume and get wet to the adult who didn’t want to ride a water ride because ugh, who wants to walk around the park wet all day? This big kid can’t wait to ride this attraction over and over again, no matter how wet he gets, to see all the detail and love put into this beautiful attraction and experience the joy, fun, and happiness that I have gotten on every ride so far on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney has created an attraction that is so beautiful for Princess Tiana and for all the people to whom she and her story mean so much. I simply can’t wait to be “Goin’ down the bayou” again and again.
Barry joined Thrillgeek in 2016. He has been a journalist for over 20 years. He is one of the co-hosts of the Thrillgeek Podcast, Editor and Digital Content Coordinator here at Thrillgeek. When he is not going to the theme parks, traveling with his wife, Cyn or playing with their dogs. He is playing drums, going to concerts, trying some of the amazing food or enjoying many of the amazing performing arts we have in Orlando.