It isn’t every day
that a brand-new landmark attraction launches at the Happiest Place on Earth. Which
is why, although it is just opening to the public today, the Disneyland Resort hosted
an extraordinary launch party this week for the new Tiana’s
Bayou Adventure with a total takeover of the area along the Rivers of
America, including New Orleans Square and the newly renamed Bayou Country (formerly Critter Country).
On Wednesday
evening, select media members and invited guests flocked to experience this private
evening event, which accurately evoked all the charm and magic of a New Orleans
street party. Fittingly entitled “A Joyful Celebration”, this firefly-festooned
fete came complete with live jazz bands, tap dancers, character encounters and a
smorgasbord of New Orleans-inspired culinary offerings straight from the kitchens
of the Tiana’s
Palace restaurant.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure in Bayou Country at Disneyland, Anaheim, California. (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group/Laurie Baratti)
Participants ate
their fill of Southern specialties inspired by Creole and Cajun cuisine,
prepared with all the love Tiana herself would infuse into her dishes, while
mingling and dancing along to the lively tunes of a second line band, and other
jazz and zydeco performers, and soaking in the twinkling lights and colorful décor
elements that reflected the movie’s 1920s setting. Many had their photos taken at
character encounter locations, where they could meet Tiana and Naveen, Louis,
or Mickey and Minnie dressed in their Mardi Gras finery. And, of course, they
also took the opportunity to be among the first to ride the all-new attraction.
Inspired by Walt
Disney Animation Studios’ 2009 film, “The Princess and the Frog” Tiana’s Bayou
Adventure is a flume ride that sees riders floating along in a hollowed-out log
as they follow the next-chapter story of Princess Tiana’s search for musicians
to play at her Mardi Gras soiree. Along with her trumpet-playing alligator
friend Louis, the young entrepreneur builds a band by hunting for talent among the
musically inclined animal residents of the bayou.
Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group/Laurie Baratti)
The crescendo
moment comes when riders plunge down a thrilling 50-foot drop that is sure to leave
them a bit wetter for the wear, which will come as no surprise, seeing as how
it is housed in the same construction that used to be Splash
Mountain. For the spectacular finale, guests to get to see Tiana’s vibrant
soiree in full swing at the iconic Tiana’s Palace, with familiar faces from the film and
new critter characters all in attendance.
Dozens of highly
advanced audio-animatronic figures populate the ride, including familiar faces
from the film, like Tiana, Naveen, Louis and Mama Odie, as well as at least 19
critters who have distinct names and personalities that help bring the bayou to
life in their own unique ways. Notably, the stars who voiced the movie
characters reprised their roles when it came to creating the new ride, which
ties in with other “Princess and the Frog” storytelling elements throughout New
Orleans Square and Bayou Country, such as Tiana’s Palace restaurant, Eudora’s
Chic Boutique, and the new Louis’ Critter Club and Ray’s Berets shops.
Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group/Laurie Baratti)
As the enchanting event
came to a close, partygoers were treated to a special surprise when the Mark
Twain riverboat paddled out along the Rivers of America with a full contingent
of dancers dressed in their Roaring 20s regalia. Then came the revelation that the
voice of Princess Tiana herself, Anika Noni Rose, was also aboard, as was
Jenifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie in the film. In a moving end to the
evening, the two multi-talented stars sang their hearts out for an enraptured
audience in a spectacular finale punctuated by pyrotechnics.
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