Disney has formally confirmed that Tiana’s Palace Restaurant is coming to New Orleans Square in Disneyland forward of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure journey reimagining of Splash Mountain. This publish shares dates, particulars, idea artwork and commentary for the upcoming addition, plus ideas on whether or not one thing related may–or ought to–come to Walt Disney World.
Tiana’s Palace Restaurant would be the second location in New Orleans Square to be given an overhaul impressed by the Princess and the Frog. Last fall, Eudora’s Chic Boutique Featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets arrange store within the former Le Bat en Rouge store. In case you’re unfamiliar with it, that is nestled into the present New Orleans Squares alleyways, close to Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s separated from Splash Mountain by quite a few areas, together with Haunted Mansion.
Honestly, Eudora’s Chic Boutique isn’t actually a lot. If you weren’t actively searching for the small print impressed by the Princess and the Frog, you may miss them completely. There’s a nook of the situation showcasing a interval present scene with a stitching machine, stitching model, and aprons. There are additionally track lyrics and different nods to the film I’m most likely forgetting. It’s very refined and straightforward to overlook.
Eudora’s Chic Boutique Featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets was first revealed on the D23 Expo. During that very same occasion, a mannequin of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Disneyland model) was additionally shared in “Wonderful World of Dreams” Disney Parks sales space. That revealed new particulars in regards to the reimagined journey, and a few of what to anticipate along with the attraction at Disneyland.
At Disneyland, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will turn out to be a part of an expanded New Orleans Square, annexing space from the prevailing Critter Country. According to Disney, this permits for the chance to inform much more of Tiana’s tales. That sales space and the Imagineers in it additionally shared that Tiana’s Palace Restaurant can be coming to Disneyland. Now, we now extra about what form it’ll take and the place it’ll be positioned…
Tiana’s Palace Restaurant will probably be positioned on Orleans Street in Disneyland, changing French Market Restaurant. Disney has not but shared specifics about what sort of eating location it’ll be, simply that Tiana’s Palace Restaurant will not be a personality eating expertise.
Within the peach-colored partitions and fancy inexperienced wrought-iron balconies of Tiana’s Palace Restaurant, you’ll discover elegant fixtures and appointments paying homage to Tiana’s life and friendships. The new Tiana’s Palace may have a lot of the identical pinch of pizzazz and aptitude because the restaurant from the movie, providing genuine New Orleans flavors impressed by Tiana’s pals and adventures on this quick-service type restaurant.
According to Disney, the menu at Tiana’s Palace will increase on most of the present favorites served within the location, discover seasonal flavors and provide New Orleans classics. In all probability, this implies Tiana’s Palace Restaurant will proceed to be a buffeteria-style counter service restaurant.
Tiana’s Palace is certain to be a gathering place for family and friends to get pleasure from nice meals and rejoice collectively, similar to Tiana and her father James dreamed. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what adjustments to perform this.
Disney Imagineers are partnering with Disney Animation artists from the unique movie to deliver this story to life at Disneyland. In reality, the movie designers took inspiration from the outside of the unique French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square when designing Tiana’s Palace for the film, so this can be a long-dreamt homecoming.
To start this work, French Market Restaurant (and Mint Julep Bar) will probably be closed starting February 17, 2023, and can reopen as Tiana’s Palace (alongside Mint Julep Bar with its well-known mint juleps and Mickey beignets) later within the 12 months.
Our Commentary
It was a foregone conclusion that Tiana’s Palace Restaurant can be coming to Disneyland even earlier than Imagineers prematurely spilled the beans on the D23 Expo. Honestly, this most likely ought to’ve occurred a couple of decade in the past when the film first got here out. It has at all times been such a logical match with New Orleans Square.
There undoubtedly would’ve been backlash from Disneyland followers then, simply as I’m positive would be the case now. That’s as a result of New Orleans Square is the top of themed design and among the best theme park lands on the planet. It can be one which has been largely unspoilt since its unique development, that means that characters and Disney mental property for essentially the most half haven’t encroached the land. (Both Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean have turn out to be IP exterior the parks, although!)
Back final fall when Imagineers revealed that Tiana’s Palace Restaurant can be a reimagining of an current eating location at Disneyland, it wasn’t clear whether or not the restaurant would annex extra of Critter Country, or exchange a location in New Orleans Square.
Our wager was that it’d both be Cafe Orleans, a desk service restaurant, or Hungry Bear Restaurant, one other quick-service choice. Although we might’ve been unhappy to see the final remnants of the Country Bears disappear from Disneyland, changing Hungry Bear Restaurant was been the best choice. That’s the extra formidable transfer and fewer controversial route, too.
Our hope was that Disney would go huge, making all of Critter Country a part of New Orleans Square—or a brand new bayou enlargement to it. That would’ve left New Orleans Square thematically intact, whereas additionally tying up free ends, so to talk, and making this a bigger scale enlargement. Disney may’ve even marketed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as a part of a brand new themed bayou space at Disneyland.
Things may come full circle, with Audio Animatronics from Splash Mountain shifting over to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. That may turn out to be a musical revue—New Orleans Sings! or Bayou Critter Jamboree each sound nice to me.
Sadly, that’s not what’s going to occur. Not solely that, however Disneyland isn’t even changing the desk service Cafe Orleans. Instead, they’re utilizing the buffeteria-style French Market as the idea for the reimagined Tiana’s Palace Restaurant. This is unquestionably the trail of least resistance, and the best choice–which is why a turnaround time of lower than one 12 months is possible for this undertaking.
Whatever your expectations are for Tiana’s Palace Restaurant, dial them down. It’s attainable that Disney will intestine French Market to make the inside much less cramped, however I wouldn’t depend on that. More probably, this will probably be similar to the Eudora’s Chic Boutique reimagining–most likely a bit extra formidable than that.
Expect to see new props inside which can be nods to the Princess and the Frog, a brand new marquee, and a facade that evokes the look of Tiana’s Palace from the film. Other than that, I wouldn’t count on to see main substantive adjustments to French Market. My guess is that it’ll proceed to be buffeteria service with the identical inside from a substantive perspective.
Personally, I’m probably not averse to the transfer–however I’m additionally not excited for it. While I feel French Market is a beautiful location, the identical must be true for Tiana’s Palace Restaurant. I can’t think about them being materially totally different from each other. More than the rest, I’m dissatisfied that Disney isn’t going larger. Closing Hungry Bear Restaurant for an 18-month overhaul that creates a brand new desk service restaurant would’ve been nice. That spot is nothing particular, however might be.
By distinction, the change from French Market to Tiana’s Palace Restaurant is more likely to be a lateral transfer. There’s merely far much less potential upside and room for enchancment. On that notice, I’ll reiterate what I’ve written earlier than, which is that Disney actually must swing for the fences with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, as this addition goes to be below a microscope. Opting to clean up French Market with a superficial replace as an alternative of changing Hungry Bear outright will not be proof that the journey reimagining will probably be unambitious, however it’s actually not a constructive sign, both.
While Tiana’s Palace Restaurant will not be at present a part of the plans for Magic Kingdom, we’re nonetheless holding out hope that it’ll be introduced as an addition exterior the park. You may recall {that a} restaurant primarily based on The Princess and the Frog was introduced for Walt Disney World a number of years in the past.
If you don’t bear in mind, that’s most likely as a result of it was very forgettable. It was going to be a mixed-use waterfront restaurant positioned on the shore of Bay Lake at Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. (It was probably going to be a personality breakfast that includes Tiana, Prince Naveen, Louie the Alligator, and Dr. Facilier and a Signature Restaurant for dinner–very similar to Topolino’s Terrace.)
Honestly, it’s most likely for the most effective that restaurant isn’t coming to fruition. Disney by no means launched idea artwork on-line, however what was flashed on-stage on the D23 Expo took actually no visible cues from the film. This leaves the door open for a well-done Tiana’s Place Restaurant at Walt Disney World.
Tiana’s Place Restaurant on Disney Cruise Line is superior, and the idea looks like a slam dunk for Walt Disney World. Even if it doesn’t make sense in Frontierland, hopefully it involves fruition in Florida. Perhaps it might be constructed within the unused eating area that already exists at Port Orleans French Quarter, the place it will really make sense?
Regardless of what’s introduced (or not) for Walt Disney World, it’s not stunning that Disney is doing extra than simply the journey at Disneyland. For the final year-plus, Imagineers have been discussing their analysis journeys to New Orleans.
Last summer season, Imagineers gathered at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans – founder Leah Chase was one of many inspirations for Princess Tiana – to speak about Tiana’s impression over the previous decade and the artistic course of behind the upcoming attraction, together with the expertise Imagineers are utilizing to deliver it to life.
In the ~30 minute roundtable video above, the proprietor of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant is joined by numerous Imagineers and ABC News correspondents.
Generations of the Chase household welcomed Imagineers whereas Chef Dook cooked up a few of their well-known gumbo. The group sat down with Leah’s daughter, Stella Chase Reese who shared that “the two coming together, music and food, brings joy and happiness to all.”
According to Disney, Imagineers are researching New Orleans to inform a narrative that’s as genuine to the area as it’s to the characters’ tales. From the meals, music, artwork and structure to the range of its folks and their traditions, there may be a lot from which to attract inspiration. The workforce has completed digital analysis journeys by Zoom and this was their first of many in-person analysis journeys to get the story proper.
As Charita Carter shared that “in many ways, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a love letter to New Orleans.” Carter continued, “like the musical city that inspired this attraction, Tiana’s second act is about a community working in harmony to achieve something extraordinary. She reminds us of an immutable truth we can all relate to: ‘if you do your best each and every day, good things are sure to come your way.’ And that’s a melody we can all sing along to!”
Ultimately, we’re wanting ahead to seeing the ways in which New Orleans Square expands and evolves at Disneyland to accommodate Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and extra from The Princess and the Frog. There’s loads that Imagineering is ready to do in California that merely isn’t attainable at Walt Disney World by advantage of the reimagined journey being adjoining to New Orleans Square as an alternative of Frontierland.
Personally, I hope that Critter Country goes extinct, changing into a bayou-based addition to New Orleans Square. It can be attention-grabbing to see if Imagineering can pull off a bifurcated land, a lot in the identical method that Port Orleans Riverside Resort has each the white-column mansions of Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou’s quaint backwoods cottages.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Tiana’s Palace Restaurant changing French Market in New Orleans Square? Do you want a complete bayou miniland have been coming to Disneyland together with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Do you agree or disagree with our take that Critter Country must be taken over by Princess and the Frog, and turn out to be the bayou-based subland? Any questions? Hearing your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!