Disneyland’s newest attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, has opened with great fanfare. Actress Anika Noni Rose, who lent her voice to Princess Tiana, was a central figure at the opening celebration on November 13.
She expressed a mix of emotions as she welcomed visitors to this much-anticipated addition to the park. Rose, 52, who famously voiced Princess Tiana in the 2009 animated film, praised the new ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, as “absolutely beautiful.”
She and her family experienced the attraction, which replaces Splash Mountain, before its official public opening on November 15, as reported by PEOPLE.
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As for the much-talked about drop at the end of the ride, “I love it,” she said. “I’m a drop girl, a Tower of Terror girl, so I’m all about the drop.”
She’s also all about what this moment means to fans. “What’s remarkable about this is how personal it is,” said Rose, whose voice and likeness helped usher in the world’s first Black Disney princess 15 years ago.
“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. It’s beautiful and remains something that feels very personal and special to me.”
Thinking back 15 years ago, “I have the same type of wonder and excitement. When I first saw the movie, my nephew, who was here today, was with me. He was 19, now he’s 30. My grandmother was with me. It was the last experience that she got to have with me and she knew what was happening in that time period.”
Princess Tiana is making history once more as the first Black Disney princess to have her own attraction at both Disney World and Disneyland.
“It feels like progress is what it feels like,” Rose remarked.
She continued, “It feels like we’re being represented in a more whole and integral way. It’s quite beautiful for the children who will come through here and see themselves or see their friends or loved ones represented in this space.”
Rose is also proud to throw a spotlight on New Orleans, the iconic city central to both the movie and the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride.
“We’re also paying great tribute to New Orleans and their culture,” she said, “which is something more American than I think America is. It is actually a melting pot. This speaks volumes in this particular time period.”
At the opening celebration in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, Rose reunited with her fellow voice actors from the film, including Jenifer Lewis, who voiced Mama Odie. The event featured savory foods and beignets from the new restaurant, Tiana’s Palace.
The celebration concluded with Rose and her fellow voice actors performing songs from the movie’s soundtrack aboard the park’s Mark Twain steamboat.
The set included Rose’s hit “Almost There” and a new song by P.J. Morton, created especially for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
“I feel love and support poured into me as I walk through the streets of Disney,” said Rose, taking it all in. “Somebody yelled to me today, and I’ve heard it a lot in the past few months, they yelled ‘It’s the People’s Princess!’ That is deeply moving to me. I’m very honored by that.”
