Mother Nature’s process of turning craggy mountain ranges into softened, rolling hills takes centuries of wind and water, but Disney has accomplished a major transformation of the once-imposing Splash Mountain peak into the gentler, rolling, low mountains found in Louisiana.

Softened Mountain Peak at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

We’ve been covering the many changes to the queue area at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, as well as the newly revealed mural at Magic Kingdom. The mountain top itself, however, has fundamentally changed. The softened mountain is covered in moss, grass, and it now appears more like the concept model for the exterior that was revealed last year at the D23 expo.

The image above, taken of the model for the Disneyland Attraction, shows the softened mountain peak, the moss-covered new exit for the retheme of Splash Mountain.

At the top of this photo, beyond the scaffolding, you can see the softened mountain taking shape.

The moss has been added to portions of the “bayou” exterior that are completed.

This is the topmost part of the attraction.

The barn in the foreground will receive some moss as well, according to the model image above.

To the left of the softened mountain peak, above the barn, you can see some of the newly-reimagined landscape emerging from scaffolding.

How well do you think the softened mountain design fits with the ride’s theme? Let us know in the comments.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

The “Princess and the Frog”-inspired retheme of Splash Mountain was first announced in 2020, and the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure name was revealed in 2022.

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.

This 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 a vast range of new audio-animatronics. At Destination D23, Disney shared a look at a Louis animatronic.

There will be multiple Tiana audio-animatronics, and she will sport a new adventuring outfit. In June, Disney shared video of a live performer wearing the outfit, suggesting Tiana will appear in her adventuring gear off the attraction, too.

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).

Tiana’s Palace at Disneyland just opened and Tiana debuted another new outfit. Read our review of Tiana’s Palace.

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