The new ride, which is titled Tiana's Bayou Adventure, opened on June 28, 2024 at Magic Kingdom and on November 15, 2024 at Disneyland.

[4][5][6][7][8] The plot behind Splash Mountain is a composite of several Uncle Remus stories as taken from the animated segments of the film Song of the South.

It was Dick Nunis (then-president of Walt Disney attractions) who insisted that the Imagineers create a log flume for Disneyland, but the Imagineers were initially unenthusiastic about it, feeling that log flumes were too ordinary a theme park attraction to include in a Disney park.

While trying to solve the issues of including a log flume, bringing people into Bear Country, and reusing the America Sings figures, Baxter thought of Song of the South.

The studio executives saw the Imagineers' plans, and since it was a water attraction, urged them to include Daryl Hannah's mermaid character from Splash in the ride.

At the time of its unveiling, Disney officials stated they would not be expecting criticism for its Song of the South theming due to the ride only including the film's animated characters.

By that time, Splash Mountain, whose budget had risen to $75 million, had become one of the most expensive projects created by Walt Disney Imagineering.

[12] Splash Mountain was originally planned to open in January 1989, but was delayed to mid-February due to technical issues.

Test riders made up of company executives were getting soaked rather than lightly sprayed, so the boats were re-designed to be lighter, hold up to seven passengers instead of eight, and have an underwater scoop to keep too much water from leaking in.

[20] Meanwhile, Tokyo Disneyland received individual lap bars, which makes the height restriction 5 inches shorter than the other two versions.

[21] In June 2020, it was announced that the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom attractions would be re-themed based on the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog.

Disney stated that the development of the project began in 2019, prior to the online petitions that were circulated during the George Floyd protests.

[26] In July 2022, during the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, it was announced that the new ride would be called Tiana's Bayou Adventure, setting an opening date of "late 2024" at both parks.

[4][5] In December 2022, new artwork was unveiled and it was announced that the Magic Kingdom version of Splash Mountain would close on January 23, 2023.

[27] In April 2023, it was announced that Tiana's Bayou Adventure would include new Audio-Animatronics figures, and that the Disneyland version of Splash Mountain would close on May 31, 2023.

The hollow tree stump on top of Splash Mountain is modeled after the exterior of Br'er Fox's lair in Song of the South and is called Chickapin Hill.

The story "Br'er Rabbit Earns a Dollar a Minute" is told in the dark ride segment on the meandering river.

The log descends a 56-foot drop into a briar patch before continuing back into the mountain, where numerous Audio-Animatronic animals sing a climactic chorus of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."

The log departed the loading area and ascended two conveyor-type lifts before floating gently through scenery designed to evoke the feeling of a river.

The mood turned ominous as two mother characters (an opossum and rabbit) sang "Burrow's Lament" as a warning to their respective children.

[citation needed] Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland is very similar to how the Magic Kingdom version of the ride was, with a few exceptions.

The ride's layout is nearly a mirror image of Magic Kingdom's owing to the attraction's location on the opposite side of the river.

After a right turn, logs entered the barn and climbed another lift to the space behind the visible mountain, before floating gently through scenery designed to evoke the feeling of a river.

The logs continued onward past a roadrunner who asked to be taken along to the Laughin' Place, while opossums sang the song from overhead.

At the top of this third lift hill, the log descended the 50-foot (15 m) drop at a 45-degree angle, reached a maximum speed of 40 mph,[30] into a tunnel underneath the Frontierland walkway.

[citation needed] Splash Mountain at Disneyland featured music in a jazzy "big band" meets orchestral style, since the attraction was adjacent to New Orleans Square.

Because the ride was located in Frontierland, the soundtrack featured banjos, harmonicas and the instruments from the Disneyland version, and also because of Florida's proximity to Georgia, where Song of the South is set.

"Burrow's Lament" was the only exception, using an orchestral track with timpani drums originally recorded for the Disneyland version.

In both instances, "Burrow's Lament" is heard as an instrumental track with timpani drums (a take that was originally recorded for Disneyland, but never used), with dramatic orchestra and choir.