By MIKE SCHNEIDERA new attraction starring the first Black Disney princess is opening at the company’s U.S. theme park resorts, and some Disney followers see it as a fitting replacement to a former ride based on a movie that contained racist tropes. The new theme park attraction updates Tiana's storyline from the 2009 animated film, “The Princess and the Frog” and is opening this year in the space previously occupied by Splash Mountain. Tiana's Bayou Adventure keeps Splash Mountain's DNA as a log-flume ride, but it's infused with music, scenery and animatronic characters inspired by the film set in 1920s New Orleans. Disney’s announcement that it would transform its longstanding Splash Mountain ride into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was made in June 2020 following the social justice protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Not everyone is sold on the belief that opening a ride based on Tiana’s story solves Disney’s past problematic racial depictions.

Source: Forbes June 16, 2024 14:23 UTC