ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly two years ago, Disney announced plans to transform its Splash Mountain attractions at Disney World and Disneyland into rides inspired by the 2009 animated film, “The Princess and the Frog.”


What You Need To Know

  • Disney plans to revamp Splash Mountain into an attraction inspired by "The Princess and the Frog"

  • Anika Noni Rose, who voiced Tiana in the movie, said Thursday the ride will open in 2024

  • However, Disney wouldn't confirm the timeline and said "timing has not been determined"

​​Since then, Disney has released a few details here and there about the ride’s storyline, but nothing about when it will open. However, Anika Noni Rose, who voiced the character of Tiana in the film, provided the first sense of an opening timeline. During an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” on Thursday, the actor was asked about the upcoming attraction and revealed it will open in 2024.

“They are making a ride, it’ll be out in 2024,” she said. “I’ve been involved in the beginning, just talking about how we want it to be, what we wanted to do. But, if I were to tell you anything else, I would be sucked into the ground and you’d never see me again.”

When reached for comment, Disney representatives wouldn’t confirm the timeline, and instead said the “timing has not been determined” for the ride’s opening. However, officials said the company does plan to share more information next month.

“We look forward to sharing more details during Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July,” the spokesperson said in an email to Spectrum News.

The Princess and the Frog attraction will follow Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen and Louis as they prepare for a Mardi Gras celebration.

Disney previously said it looked at the city of New Orleans for inspiration for the attraction, which will take a different approach with storytelling.

“With this particular project, the way that we are approaching our audio-animatronics figures would be an example of how we are looking to advance the storytelling, and really just kind of change the game,” senior creative producer with Walt Disney Imagineering Charita Carter said in a video released last August.   

Splash Mountain features characters from Disney’s controversial 1946 film, “Song of the South,” which has been criticized for racist depictions of Black people. The film's stories largely come from "The Tales of Uncle Remus," a collection of tales gathered by Julius Lester and Joel Chandler Harris. 

The attraction’s reimagining comes after Disney updated another classic attraction, Jungle Cruise. The park removed “negative depictions” of indigenous people and added inclusive characters.

Disney has not yet said when Splash Mountain will close to make way for the new Princess and the Frog attraction.

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