Disneyland’s Splash Mountain is also closing, with a final date in May

Splash Mountain at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California will close on May 31. The ride, based on the controversial Disney live-action/animation hybrid film Song of the Southwill be renovated and replaced by a new attraction inspired by The Princess and the Frogcalled Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

The Splash Mountain attraction at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida closed as early as January 2023. It will also be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with a planned reopening in 2024.

The new concept for the rides is a Mardi Gras inspired adventure organized by Princess and the Frog characters Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. It will take park visitors on a drive through a bayou, and be makers describe it as a ‘love letter to New Orleans’. On Wednesday, additional information about the ride arrived, including the reveal of a new character: Mama Odie, the 197-year-old voodoo priestess from the film, will appear in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and will be played by Jenifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie in the film.

The original Splash Mountain rides are based on the 1946 Disney movie Song of the South. The film has been criticized present a glorified image of slavery and a reductive rendering of black characters. This renovation has been years in the making: Disney first announced its plans to reinvent the ride in June 2020.