Guests entering the queue for Walt Disney World’s newest attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, might not be anticipating a public history experience. But that’s exactly what they’re getting. From the moment they enter the queue, guests are immersed in a story that explores a fictional cooperative company, Tiana’s Foods, and its 1927 New Orleans setting in ways that can raise powerful questions about America, its history, and its future.

Situated in what is currently the back corner of the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replaced—or rather, reimagined—the ride framework previously belonging to Splash Mountain, a similar water-flume thrill ride based on the 1946 film Song of the South. The film is largely remembered today for its racist caricatures of the post–Civil War South. This is important to note because the symbolism of a ride with a racist backstory being replaced by a ride that celebrates diversity and Black joy...

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