Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has been hard at work turning the ride Splash Mountain (which was based on the controversial Disney film Song of the South) into a new ride inspired by The Princess and The Frog. Now, as construction nears completion, some eagle-eyed Disney fans are picking up on the queer side of the new ride’s aesthetic.

The ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, invites park guests to join “Princess Tiana and her friends on an enchanting, musical journey through the bayou as they prepare for a Mardi Gras celebration like no other,” per Disney World’s website. It’s set to open later this year, but park visitors can already see the outside of the ride, including its nighttime lighting set-up. 

After dark, the ride is awash in shades of pink, purple, and blue light. It’s a textbook example of bisexual lighting — aka, using the colors of the bisexual flag, usually in a movie or TV show, to indicate the characters’ sexualities.

Related
The fascinating origin story of “bisexual lighting”

Did Disney intend to turn Tiana’s Bayou Adventure into Tiana’s Bi-you Adventure? No, almost certainly not. But that didn’t stop the X account Gratuitous Theme Parks from pointing out the obvious.

Plenty of folks built on the joke, theorizing which characters from the 2009 film might have called for the bisexual representation (might Princess Tiana and her bestie Lottie have been more than friends?). And of course, the bayou puns write themselves.

Some queer folks even said they were glad for the subtle representation, even if it’s unintentional.

Disney may only be giving its queer fans crumbs of representation, but hey, something’s better than nothing. Now, how about giving Elsa a girlfriend in Frozen 3?

Related
Is Pixar’s Luca finally canonically gay?
Is this ‘Inside Out 2’ character gay?

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock our articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated