Disney Parks has shared a TikTok of Princess Tiana sharing her new outfit, which will be featured on the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. Watch the video below.
While Tiana will be depicted in audio-animatronic form on the ride, she will presumably appear in this outfit elsewhere in the parks.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure picks up after the events of “The Princess and the Frog.” In 1927, Tiana founded the Tiana’s Foods co-ops, which is located in a salt mine, where cultivators grow crops along the waters. During Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Tiana and alligator Louis venture into the bayou to find animal friends. They’re preparing a special Mardi Gras celebration for the people of New Orleans.
The scene depicted in the above concept art is “the thrilling moment you first drop into the bayou and encounter some friends both new and familiar.” Louis and a band of animals will be playing zydeco music, a blend of rhythm and blues that was created in Louisiana. The band of animal friends includes an otter, a rabbit, a raccoon, a beaver, and a turtle playing instruments made from natural bayou elements.
The ride will feature 17 new characters, including Prince Naveen’s younger brother, Ralphie. The Splash Mountain track will remain, but the attraction will get new set dressing and audio-animatronics. There will be multiple Tiana audio-animatronics, and she will have a new adventuring outfit.
The exterior landscaping is being made to look more like the Louisiana bayou.
The queue and attraction music is being arranged by award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard, who will mix classic songs from the movie with New Orleans classics and original compositions. The scent of beignets is also set to be pumped throughout the queue.
Some of the original cast will be providing their voices to the attraction, including Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Bruno Campos (Naveen), Michael Leon Wooley (Louis), and Jennifer Lewis (Mama Odie). Concept art shows Mama Odie in the crow’s nest of her crashed ship home, with bottle lights hanging around her.
The suit was filed in 2019 in Los Angeles County Superior Court by law firm Andrus Anderson LLP on behalf of Cast Members LaRonda Rasmussen and Karen Moore. The law firm’s pay gap attorney, Lori E. Andrus, said in a statement at the time:
“As Disney nears its 100th year in existence, it needs to catch up with the times. The gender pay gap addressed by this lawsuit is all too familiar, and women are fed up with being treated as cheap labor. We hope that this lawsuit will shed some light on the pay discrimination that Disney is subjecting its hard-working female employees to. It is only fair to demand equal pay for equal work.”
The suit has been delayed due to COVID-19, a judge’s retirement, and other factors. But the two women and their attorneys (including Andrus, Joseph M. Sellers, and Christine E. Webber of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll) are now asking California Judge Elihu M. Berle to turn the lawsuit into a class-action suit, Deadline reports.
Here is a section of the filing (which Deadline shared in full here):
Disney systematically pays women in California less than men. This pay disparity is not based on legitimate factors, it is based on sex, with a less than one in one billion chance it occurred in the absence of discrimination. The class as a whole was thus deprived of over $150 million in wages. Disney violated the Fair Employment & Housing Act (“FEHA”) because its common practices caused a disparate impact on women. It also violated California’s Equal Pay Act (“EPA”), which does not require Plaintiffs to identify the cause of the disparities, because it pays women less for substantially similar jobs. Accordingly, Plaintiffs seek certification of a class of non-union, female employees in California, below the level of Vice President, challenging sex discrimination in compensation at Disney on or after April 1, 2015.
Only as a class can the women at Disney address wage gaps and receive effective injunctive and monetary remedies. Injunctive relief to address systematic disparities is unattainable through individual actions as the scope of relief would be limited to the scope of the violation shown, and an individual plaintiff would not obtain the breadth of discovery of a class. And many class members are unlikely to bring individual actions.
The filing also calls out Disney CEO Bob Iger directly:
In addition to controlling Disney’s organization into segments, the CEO exercises direct control over many aspects of employment, including by directing the return to in-person work, establishing a hiring freeze, imposing travel restrictions, and, most recently, requiring layoffs.
Much of the filing is redacted because of the inclusion of corporate documents.
Andrus told Deadline, “We are pleased to be taking the next step in this important litigation. As our experts explain, women who work for Disney face a persistent gender wage gap. Over the last eight years, that has added up to more than $150 million in stolen wages.”
If Judge Berle classifies the suit as a class action at the proposed November 15 hearing, and if the plaintiffs win their case, Disney could be forced to pay $300 million (double the $150 million) under the state’s Equal Pay Act. The judge could add more damages and sanctions on top of that, as well.
Of course, Disney disagrees about the pay gap. Shawna M. Swanson, Associate General Counsel and head of Disney’s employment law function, said, “The plaintiffs’ assertions about an alleged pay gap between women and men are simply false, which we will demonstrate through the litigation.”
Disney previously tried to have the lawsuit dismissed by claiming the apparent discrepancies noticed by Rasmussen and Moore were “an assortment of individual claims, based on highly individualized allegations.”
A 2017 pay-equity study conducted by Disney has been allowed into the case an shows the average wage discrepancy is 2.5% less pay for women than men since 2017.
“There are 12,511 women employed at Disney in Covered Positions in the Class Period, for an average of 4.38 years,” economics professor David Neumark from the University of California, Irvine said in a report. “Thus, the estimated pay penalty implies cumulative underpayment of covered women in the Class Period of approximately $151.6 million.” Neumark did not analyze “bonuses and long-term incentive pay.”
The class action filing does not include employees of Hulu, ESPN, 21st Century, FX, Pixar, National Geographic, or Bamtech.
In celebration of the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the famed archeologist is now making appearances in Adventureland at Disneyland. We followed Dr. Henry Jones Jr. around Adventureland for a spell, watching him interact with guests and take note of some of the artifacts that can be found throughout the land. […]
The Cinderella Castle moat at Magic Kingdom has been completely refilled with water. The moat immediately around the castle was drained back in April to make way for construction vehicles that were used to remove 50th anniversary decorations.
Cinderella Castle Moat
Dams kept water in sections of the moat far from the castle, but this space was needed for construction vehicles.
A duck has already returned to the waters — going for a swim near some freshly dropped trash.
A dam is actually still in place near Liberty Square.
The moat is 30-feet wide and as deep as 7 feet in places. It surrounds Cinderella Castle and is filled with 3 million gallons of water. It is also home to a variety of fish, turtles, and other aquatic life. The moat was built in 1971, the same year that Magic Kingdom opened.
“The World’s Most Magical Celebration” wrapped up in March, and now Walt Disney World is celebrating Disney 100 Years of Wonder.
Disney’s 100 Years of Wonder
Disney’s 100 Years of Wonder (or Disney100 for short) is being celebrated across the world at Disney Parks and Resorts.
Disneyland Resort is offering the “Celebrating Disney100 at the Disneyland Resort” guided tour, including a walk through both parks, the drawing experience at Animation Academy, a digital download of a photo taken in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, a Disney100 snack, reserved viewing for the Magic Happens parade, and a limited-edition pin.
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is hosting Disney100: The Exhibition, honoring The Walt Disney Company’s centennial. The exhibit includes a lifelike Walt Disney hologram. Disney100: The Exhibition will remain at The Franklin Institute through August 27 and in Munich through September 3. The North American installation will then tour cities such as Chicago and Kansas City, while the European installation will visit London and then other Europe and Asia destinations through 2028.
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Alan Arkin, an Oscar-winning actor with a body of work that spans seven decades, died June 29 at his home in Carlsbad, CA. He was 89. His Early Life Alan Wolf Arkin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 26, 1934, the son of David I. Arkin, a painter and writer, and his wife,… Read More »Oscar-Winner Alan Arkin Passes at 89
Steve Rogers can do it all day, but Rogers: The Musical had a cap of 30 minutes. This fact is even mentioned in the show’s opening number. But, the production masterfully finds a way to give you everything you need in the time allotted — even if you wish the fun could last a bit longer. […]
“Rogers: The Musical” has debuted at Disney California Adventure and is using a virtual queue system via the Disneyland app.
Rogers: The Musical Virtual Queue
The show will be performed several times per day, Tuesday through Saturday, most weeks from June 30 through August 31. The virtual queue is not required, but highly recommended, similar to “World of Color – ONE.”
If you’re worried about using the virtual queue or waiting in a standby line, the Premium Viewing Experience with guaranteed seating is also available for $29.
Show times are 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m, and 5:30 p.m. Each day the show is being performed, distribution for the virtual queue will open at 10:30 a.m. for the first two shows (12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.).
Virtual queue distribution will open again at 2:00 p.m. PT for the last two shows (4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.).
The virtual queue is available in the same section of the Disneyland app as the “World of Color – ONE” virtual queue.
You can open the virtual queue page before 10:30 a.m. and refresh it until you are able to join the queue. You are not able to select a preferred show time.
As per usual with virtual queues, you will confirm your party and then join the queue. The app will show you what show time you have been selected for. We had a virtual queue for the 12:30 p.m. show.
Virtual queue “tickets” will show up in the app. The app will send you a notification when the physical queue is ready to open, 30-45 minutes before the show begins. You must return at least 10 minutes before show time (so by 12:20 p.m. for us).
If the virtual queue reaches capacity, you can check in at the Hyperion Theater before a performance for walk-up viewing options.
We were back at Hyperion Theater and in the virtual queue “line” (more of a crowd) about an hour before show time.
Virtual queue guests are let into the theater after Premium Viewing Experience guests.
Rogers: The Musical
Here is an official description of this new musical experience:
Exploring universal themes of heroism, romance and self-discovery, “Rogers: The Musical” is an exhilarating and heartfelt experience for Super Hero fans, theater enthusiasts and families alike. Avengers aficionados will appreciate creative interpretations of iconic objects and moments from Steve’s journey, while theater fans will love the eclectic array of musical styles in the score and the show’s original choreography.
“Rogers: The Musical” at Disney California Adventure park is inspired by the fictional Broadway musical theater sequence featured in the first episode of the Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” This new musical project will come to life through the creativity of Disney Live Entertainment in partnership with book writer Hunter Bell, star and book writer of the Tony Award-nominated “[title of show],” and will feature five all-new songs with music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Lennertz and lyrics by Jordan Peterson, Christopher Lennertz and Alex Karukas. Plus, fan-favorites songs “Save The City” from the Disney+ series “Hawkeye” (written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman), and “Star Spangled Man” from the film “Captain America: The First Avenger” (written by Alan Menken and David Zippel).
For more Disneyland Resort news and info, follow Disneyland News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news worldwide, visit WDWNT.
Yelena Belova is returning for her very own series this November! In “White Widow #1,” writer Sarah Gailey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eat the Rich) joins forces with Alessandro Miracolo (Obi-Wan, Yoda) for a groundbreaking new chapter in the life of one of Marvel’s most enigmatic antiheroes. Superspy. Rogue agent. Shadow of the Black Widow. […]
Is there a chill in the air, like a house full of ghosts is lingering nearby? That’s probably because shopDisney is about to introduce their Haunted Mansion Classic Collection! Fans of the beloved attraction will have the chance to shop an assortment of new and returning styles for the home all themed to the Haunted […]
Princess Tiana is dressed for a bayou adventure! #DisneyxEssence #DisneyParks #TianasBayouAdventure #PrincessandtheFrog #NewOrleans
