WATCH: We rode Disney’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Walt Disney World will celebrate the opening of its newest attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, June 28 at Magic Kingdom.

The ride, a reimagined version of the shuttered Splash Mountain, is inspired by the film, “The Princess and the Frog.” And instead of whisking riders into the events of the film itself, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure tells a new story that takes place after the events of the movie.

And while riders certainly will enjoy floating along the bayou on their way to a Nawlins Mardi Gras celebration, they may not realize the lengths to which Imagineers went to make the ride as authentic as possible.

“Tiana is everybody’s princess,” Walt Disney Imagineering Executive Creative Producer-VP Charita Carter said. “She comes from a real place in America. She wasn’t born into royalty. She has a working mom. She has military ties. And there is so much about her life that is relatable.”

The character was inspired by Leah Chase, known as the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” and her legendary New Orleans restaurant, Dooky Chase. Disney Imagineers worked closely with the Chase family to create the new ride.

“Tiana would not be possible if it were not for Leah Chase,” Walt Disney Imagineering Vice President of Creative Development Carmen Smith said. “She was a dreamer and a doer, a working mom … who followed her dream to run a restaurant. She and her husband, Dooky, ran Dooky Chase in New Orleans, but it wasn’t just a restaurant. It was a gathering place that inspired so many. Multiple U.S. presidents dined there. So did Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall (and) Ray Charles. … While Leah and Dooky are gone, their legacy lives on through the future generations who are a huge part of this project. Their children were our guides, her life and her community. We even made her daughter, Stella Chase, an honorary Imagineer.”

And that’s not all. The Chases’ daughter, vocalist Leah Chase Kamata, can be heard singing, “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans,” on the radio broadcast playing in the queue. And the ride’s new merchandise shop will stock Chase family cookbooks. It also will be the only place outside of New Orleans to offer four Dooky Chase signature spices.

“The whole family is in this,” Smith said. “We are so blessed to have them with us.” 

The ride also features 19 new characters and a new song, “Special Spice,” written by New Orleans Grammy Award-winning musician and producer P.J. Morton and performed by Anika Noni Rose, who played Princess Tiana in the original film. 

In the end, Disney officials hope the ride replicates authentically the sounds, sights and spirit of New Orleans.

“We, at Disney, have incredibly high standards for ourselves, and we want to make sure our guests feel … that they are invited to this party Tiana is hosting,” Walt Disney Imagineering Principal Show Mechanical Engineer Karin Hanson said. “That means we have people — everything from planners and schedulers all the way over to mechanical engineers, finishers and painters — it’s literally hundreds of people all having to work at the top of their games to make sure it is the level of perfection that we are hoping to give to our guests.”

Hanson has been working on the project for about four years.

“It’s absolute incredible to be able to get to this point in one of our projects and see our guests enjoying the fruits of our labor,” she said. “I’m really excited to start seeing people enjoying feeling like they’re connecting with the characters, feeling like they’re enjoying a whole new story. I can’t wait to share it with the public.”

In addition to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new animated series, “Tiana,” will be coming to Disney Plus.