The construction walls are up, the permits are in place; now, it’s only a matter of time until the beloved Splash Mountain becomes Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Recently, Disney shared some more artwork for the upcoming ride renovation, but we’re hungry for more details.

That hunger also comes with some apprehension because shutting down a long-standing ride and retheming it could be seen as a quick cash-in. Thankfully, it sounds like Imagineers are putting heart into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, per an article on Yahoo! News.

Carmen Smith, the VP and executive of creative development/content and inclusive strategies (the longest title I’ve ever seen), said, “We feel that we are creating a love letter to New Orleans. It’s a tribute to all the great people and communities and the art that is here.”

The ride, which is obviously focusing on Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, wants to feel genuine to the popular Disney Princess. Smith emphasized that although Tiana is fictional, her background is set in tangible reality, “We want this attraction to really explore what New Orleans is all about.”

New Orleans, its people, and the culture there are very distinct. According to the VP, Imagineering’s goal is to invoke a sense of belonging in guests who hail from that part of the U.S. When people ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure; she wants people to say, “‘Wow, they did their homework.’ And for those who have never been, we want them to book a flight, take a train and come to New Orleans.”

I very much hope the VP with the long job title is sincere. While Splash Mountain may have had its routes in an outdated view of the post-Civil War South, the ride outgrew that shadow and became a much-loved staple of the parks. If we applied sins of the distant past or a shifting moral lens to every ride, there would be very little left within the Disney parks from the past fifty-plus years.

[Source: Yahoo! News]