BREAKING: PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard Collaborating on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Music
Splash Mountain has officially closed in Disney World and Disneyland, and construction has already begun on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
In case you missed it, Splash Mountain is getting a new theme starring The Princess and the Frog‘s Tiana, with a story picking up right after the events of the movie. We’ve been keeping you up-to-date with construction progress on the ride and now we have big news about the music!
Music Legends Collaborating on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Music
Disney announced today that award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard are collaborating on the music for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
Morton and Blanchard are natives of New Orleans with several Grammy Award wins between the two of them, and Blanchard actually played the trumpet parts of Louis the Alligator in The Princess and the Frog!
PJ Morton is writing, arranging, and producing the original song for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and he will also perform on and produce all-new arrangements of the songs in New Orleans sessions, along with a song from The Princess and the Frog within the ride.
Terence Blanchard is helming the music arrangement for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s queue, with songs from The Princess and the Frog as well as themes from New Orleans.
Disney noted that the music for the attraction will “borrow” from different musical styles that either originated in or became permanent fixtures in the city of New Orleans, and new audio-animatronics like Prince Naveen’s brother Ralphie will bring the music to life on the ride.
Disney Imagineers also said that they “made it a priority to represent all aspects of the city’s culture throughout the attraction,” which is why they relied on many New Orlean locals. In fact, they also stopped by Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans, where founder Leah Chase was actually one of the inspirations for Princess Tiana!
Chase’s daughter, Stella Chase Reese, said, “If we have children and grown people coming here because of Tiana, they’re not coming here just because of Tiana’s restaurant and the food, it’s the value, it’s what she meant to them. Dream big and you can make it happen.”
Disney Imagineers also commissioned four pieces of artwork from New Orleans artist Sharika Mahdi, as a way to give their creative process a local’s perspective. The piece you see below “serves as a compilation of Tiana’s story and emphasizes the importance of family, food, and of course, music.”
We can’t wait to see Tiana’s Bayou Adventure open in 2024 in both Disney World and Disneyland. Until then, stay tuned to MickeyBlog for more Disney news!