I Went To The Opening Of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure At Disneyland & It Healed Me

Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. They sell it as such, and even though I know it’s a marketing tagline that was probably brainstormed in a boardroom, every time I descend onto the streets of Disneyland Resorts in Anaheim, California, I buy into the magic. Every time. This trip was no different. For the celebration of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland, Disney brought together Black press from around the world to experience the ride ahead of its opening on November 15, 2024. For so many of us, The Princess and the Frog’s Princess Tiana was an answer to decades of feeling excluded from the Disney Princess cinematic universe. When she stepped on the scene with her New Orleans’ twang and ambitious spirit, Tiana felt like a gift for all of us Black girls who yearned to see ourselves reflected in these fairytales, and like an invitation for all the Black girls who get to grow up in a world with Tiana to dream a little bigger and let their imaginations run wild. 

“Princess Tiana is everybody’s princess,” Charita Carter, Executive Creative Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, said while speaking to press at the Disneyland hotel the morning after the attraction’s opening. In 2022, Carter became the first African-American Woman Executive Producer Of Walt Disney Imagineering, according to Forbes. “She’s an American princess. She’s a relatively modern princess. She hails from a real place, the beautiful city of New Orleans. She wasn’t born to royalty. She has a working mom who has her own shop now. She has family ties to the military. She’s worked hard for her dreams.” Carter went on to explain all the ways in which Tiana is relatable — from her cooking to her perseverance.”She really believes in this universal truth that what lies in us has the potential to make our dreams come true.” 

Carter’s colleague Carmen Smith, also a Black woman and the senior vice president of Executive Creative Development, Content and Inclusive Strategies at Walt Disney Experiences, spoke about how important it was to them to see Tiana’s story come to life. She told us that she knew, even in the early stages of developing the character, that Tiana’s “story had a bigger destiny.” Of course, Princess Tiana was inspired by legendary New Orleans chef Leah Chase also known as the “Queen of Creole Cuisine”. Smith described Chase as “The iconic figure of New Orleans who imbues all of the attributes of kindness, warmth, community, family and a great source of inspiration for all of us.” When Chase was still alive (she died at 96 in 2019), she spoke to Oprah.com about when Disney first approached her to adapt her life into Tiana’s story. “They had a Cinderella, they had a Snow White, they had all types of little white princesses, so I guess the makers thought that it’s about time we show a Black princess,” she said. “And that is the cutest thing, and they have done it in such a beautiful way.”

Chase wasn’t able to see the “tangible, physical and fantastical” way Disneyland is now telling her story with the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but her family is keeping her legacy alive. In a first, her family has allowed Disney to sell its exclusive spice blends from Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans. In order to honor Chase’s legacy properly, the food at Tiana’s Palace had to be on point. And it was. After experiencing Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride (I promise eating after the ride is the correct course of action), we got some gumbo and mac & cheese and it was as delicious as I imagined the food at Tiana’s restaurant would be when I first watched The Princess and the Frog. 

OK, let’s get to the ride. It’s important to note that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes place after the events of The Princess and the Frog. The exhilarating log ride replaces Splash Mountain, which featured characters from Song of the South, the problematic racist 1946 Disney musical. Showcasing Tiana as she prepares to throw a party for Mardi Gras is an important course correction, but it’s also a fitting location for a New Orleans-inspired setting. The ride is gorgeous, complete with artwork by Louisiana artist Malaika Favorite and it also takes you on an immersive journey. 

Princess Tiana is in her element, hosting a soiree, but one thing is missing: the music. As you’re on the log ride, the idea is that you’ve shrunk down to the size of a frog to journey along the bayou to find what Tiana needs. Her boo Prince Naveen is in attendance of course, along with the hilariously musical alligator Louis, the memorable Mama Odie, and new characters who also come along for the ride.  

The music, like in The Princess and the Frog transports you to another place. It was composed by Grammy winners and New Orleans natives Terence Blanchard and P.J. Morton. For most of the ride, it’s a serene, fast-paced, entertaining romp full of stunning visuals and music you’ll want to bop along to. But for the final 50-foot drop (which you’ll definitely need your waterproof rain poncho for), “Special Spice” (performed by the OG voice of Tiana, Anika Noni Rose) is blaring and you’re blasted through a technicolor tunnel while getting soaked as you scream on the way down (just me?). It’s thrilling!  

Rose isn’t the only vocal talent from the film who reprise their roles for the attraction., Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis and Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie are both back. Lewis and Rose even made a surprise appearance at the official opening celebration of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, pulling up in the park’s Mark Twain steamboat and performing live to the delight of everyone in attendance, including me. Rose and Lewis performed songs from the The Princess and the Frog soundtrack including “Almost There,” as well as “Special Spice,’ the new song written by P.J. Morton specifically for the new ride.

As I was looking up at these powerhouse performers singing and dancing on a steamboat in the middle of the park, it wasn’t lost on me that Princess Tiana is now the first Black Disney princess with her own attraction at both Disney World and now Disneyland — as she should be. Even though I was a little older when Tiana debuted (15 years ago!) and I didn’t have her during my most formative years, my nieces do. The older one is 14 and she has never lived in a world without Princess Tiana. I remember watching the movie with her when she was little, and I’ll never forget how her face lit up when she first saw Tiana. My youngest niece is four years old and she hasn’t watched The Princess and the Frog yet. So far, I’ve only been able to show her clips of Tiana singing “Almost There” and she’s already hooked. Singing along to Rose and Lewis while thinking of my nieces, and of little Kathleen who would have loved Tiana so much, healed something inside of me. Little Kathleen may not have had this Disney Princess, but she’s still in there, hoping for a world where she felt like she could belong, and dreaming of a more inclusive future. She is my north star, the reason I do the work I do and put my community first in all creative endeavors. This fleeting moment at Disneyland reminded me of my purpose. 

“People come up to me all the time, telling me what it has meant to them either during their childhood or now as grown ups. It’s very moving,” Rose told People Magazine. “It’s beautiful and remains something that feels very personal and special to me.” 

This is your sign to take your inner child to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland (especially during the holidays!). Whether you’re a Disney adult or not (I swear I’m not), sometimes you just need to connect to that kid in you whose dreams may have been a little simpler and whose imagination ran wild. I promise the magic and wonder of youth is right there, waiting to be tapped into. As Tiana would say, you’re almost there. 

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This article was originally published on refinery29.com.