Splash Mountain to be reimagined to The Princess and the Frog with Princess Tiana and Louis theme

[superme80]

Why not change the boundaries of Frontierland instead of lamenting that she will be in the middle of it? You know WDW will come up with something. Who knows, maybe they could use that whole piece under the ride (where you exit) and turn it into something New Orleans-ish. And that area between Adventureland and Frontierland could be expanded to add somet N.O. flavor... maybe even retheme Pecos restaurant or build something else near the tracks. And isn't the train station that way? That could be converted to a Louisiana flavor, too.

And for everyone who thought "Tiana deserves something original", were you that upset when the Maelstrom became the new Frozen ride? Should they have dreamed up something original for the sisters, too? Sometimes you have to be pragmatic. There's a space and there a need, so that's what gets re-imagined.

Anyway, who says it will be exactly like Splash, only with different theming inside? It could be a whole different trackline. One thing's for sure, it's a 20 minute ride, so the imagineers will have plenty of space to do Tiana justice.

Honestly I was pretty annoyed. I didn't like the idea of Frozen in EPCOT.

 

[mefordis]

I just had a little bit of puke in my mouth.

 

[robinb]

I don’t mind the change, but I would like to ride it one more time in the original theme. With Covid, I’m not sure if I’ll make it in time.

 

[mummabear]

Older DD’s:
favorite ride
favorite princess
favorite movie
name

We are stoked and can’t wait. I’d love to see Hungry Bear turned into Tiana’s Place.

Fantastic idea

I will miss Splash Mountain but understand and have no issue in the end with the change. But I was upset when we lost Mr Toad's Wild Ride too! I love Tianna and the Princess and the Frog. So I will continue to enjoy the ride and have no problems with the change. As I said I have come to understand change happens, but to that end it does not mean that I can't be a little sad I am losing Splash Mountain.

This sums up my feelings pretty well. Understand and agree with the reason for the change, love Tiana but a little sad that there will be no more Zip A Dee Doo Dah

Splash Mountain the name wasn't really specific to Song of the South

No, it was meant to be called Zip A Dee Doo Dah river run.

Personally, at least for WDW, I think a Pocahontas re-theming of Splash would have fit better. The drop would have fit perfectly with Pocahontas and her canoe going down the waterfall in "Just Around the Riverbend."

I love that idea, logical. But given the feelings around Pocahontas it would be out of the trying pan into the fire.

 

[wenrob]

I don’t mind the change, but I would like to ride it one more time in the original theme. With Covid, I’m not sure if I’ll make it in time.

My DD said the same since we didn’t know it would be our last time riding it as Splash. When they changed ToT to Guardians and Screamin to Incredicoaster we knew it was happening ahead of time. Even though they are technically the same rides as before they really do feel different after the change.

 

[Disneytrippin']

I live in Georgia. I've seen the movie. I love Splash Mountain and I'm all about the change.

The movie is a child's movie, it was very creative for it's time technically, it has great music and it's rated G. It was released in 1946. I do think at the time Disney took great care to make it using the sweetness of the characters in his books. As with any time frame movies are made that would never be made at other time frames. There are lots of current movies that are just as inappropriate but they are usually not geared at children. They are usually highlighting something as bad rather than watering down the story implying all is well and good, when it's not.

I've read different things and I think this was a statement I felt looked at the positive and negative concisely ....

"The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recognizes in Song of the South remarkable artistic merit in the music and in the combination of living actors and the cartoon technique. It regrets, however, that in an effort neither to offend audiences in the north or south, the production helps to perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery. Making use of the beautiful Uncle Remus folklore, Song of the South unfortunately gives the impression of an idyllic master–slave relationship which is a distortion of the facts." ~ Karl F. Cohen in his book Forbidden Animation

Disney Parks are for everyone, and I get there are some other parts that might be slightly iffy, but an attraction full on themed based on a movie that "glorified" slavery ........... time to make the change. This was a reality and we are still trying to heal from that. It would be great if we all could just step back and look at ................. it's just a theme park attraction, themed on books from a dark part of our history and it is hurtful to many. All the singing animals in the ride don't change the story. Edited to add: the animals are also talking in a way that is a very negative stereotype.

I've been reading all over here on the boards .... and I have to say I am disappointed and sad. I don't understand. I could list all the excuses people give for why it should stay, and all the ideas for it that don't involve Tiana?? Can we not look at it is the right thing to do, finally.

Structurally it's actually a great fit and she deserves an attraction. She is popular, as are other characters in the film. I couldn't be more excited to see them in an attraction. Fingers crossed for some great animatronics and Dr. Facilier.

PS: Georgia not only has hills it is the start of the Appalachian Mountains.

Except its surrounded by frontier theming and Bew Orleans is flat.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Except its surrounded by frontier theming and Bew Orleans is flat.

It's actually not a mountain, though, if you look at it. It's supposed to be the underground warren (maybe Braer Rabbit's warren?) unde the big tree that sits on top of the ride. They could re-theme it so it's not a mountain at all or an underground world. I haven't seen the movie, but surely there is something that could be made into a drop off point?

 

[HopperFan]

Except its surrounded by frontier theming and Bew Orleans is flat.

Song of the South ........ surrounded by frontier theming and the South Georgia swamp area is flat.

So it's not a problem for Song of the South, but it's a problem for Princess Tiana.

There are so many things at Disney World that don't work side by side if you want to get literal. Splash Mountain never worked from day one under those guidelines. Nothing about it works with Frontierland, inside or out. But we all use our imagination.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

My daughter’s favorite ride is SM since she was tiny. Her favorite princess is Tiana. Now 16, I asked her how she felt about the change. She loves it, but will miss the music. I hope they incorporate that somewhere. Ironically we cancelled our August trip to DL last week. Now we want to go to ride it before the refurb. Any start date announced?

 

[Colleen27]

I'm going to miss Zipadeedodah. But I think PatF is an excellent fit if they're going to retheme the ride and I love the music from the movie, so I'm excited to see what they do with it too.

I have no problem with re-theming Splash Mountain, but a mountain ride for New Orleans will feel like a copout.

But if the attraction's story has guests riding along at frog-scale, it doesn't take a mountain to have a flume. And as far as whether or not it fits in Frontierland at WDW, "frontier" doesn't only mean wild west - Splash is just across the way from an attraction inspired by Tom Sawyer's adventures on the Mississippi, so shifting it to the bayou hardly seems a stretch.

I just hope this means WDW will get beignets. They were one of my (many) favorite things about DLR! Oh, and maybe Tiana's restaurant - something like French Market at DLR, with jambalaya and live music.

 

[bcla]

My DD said the same since we didn’t know it would be our last time riding it as Splash. When they changed ToT to Guardians and Screamin to Incredicoaster we knew it was happening ahead of time. Even though they are technically the same rides as before they really do feel different after the change.

They did take the loop out of California Screamin' during the conversion. GotG has a completely different ride profile programmed into the ride vehicles. ToT never bounced up and down.

The ride profile of Splash Mountain can't really change unless they redo the flume.

 

[wenrob]

They did take the loop out of California Screamin' during the conversion. GotG has a completely different ride profile programmed into the ride vehicles. ToT never bounced up and down.

The ride profile of Splash Mountain can't really change unless they redo the flume.

What do you mean about the loop? It’s still there.

 

[bcla]

What do you mean about the loop? It’s still there.

Oh. I thought the loop was taken out. I didn't get to ride it since the lines were so long.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I don't think Disney should touch Pocahantas. I think we'd have another petition running if they did. A lot of native Americans do not like the movie depiction of her.

Like everything in society, different people have differing views... And that includes amongst Native Americans. While the movie is full of historical inaccuracies, it also portrays a strong female of color (which was kind of new in the realm of Disney Princesses at the time) who advocates for peace and throwing out racial biases.

And if you want to be fair, PatF is not historically accurate in depicting the racial struggles of the Jim Crow south that it is set in. There are many people who feel the movie underplays the struggles African Americans (especially women) had during the time and feel that having Tiana portrayed as a frog through much of the movie does a disservice to her portrayal of a strong black woman. And then there's the controversy about Naveen's ambiguous representation.

At this point, it doesn't really matter because Disney has made their decision. But there are problematic things with just about any Disney film. While certainly I understand why Splash's theming of Song of the South was too much, if we start arguing against representation (as in more of a presence through rides/attractions) for Pocahontas, then we would need to start looking at every other film. In addition to Pocahontas and PatF, Aladdin, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Jungle Book, Little Mermaid, Lion King, Aristocrats, Lady and the Tramp, and the original Fantasia all contain negative racial stereotypes. The majority of Disney Princess films reinforce outdated gender roles of domesticated, meek women who need a man to rescue them.

 

[SamFaniam]

My daughter’s favorite ride is SM since she was tiny. Her favorite princess is Tiana. Now 16, I asked her how she felt about the change. She loves it, but will miss the music. I hope they incorporate that somewhere. Ironically we cancelled our August trip to DL last week. Now we want to go to ride it before the refurb. Any start date announced?

I mentioned this in the closed thread in the theme parks forum. I think there may very well be a way that they acknowledge the B'rer Rabbit stories somehow. Winnie the Pooh took over Mr. Toads in Disney World, and there is a little nod to Mr. Toad in that attraction. Winnie the Pooh took over the Country Bears at Disneyland and there’s a nod to that attraction on the ride also. Well, actually there are three.

 

[wenrob]

Oh. I thought the loop was taken out. I didn't get to ride it since the lines were so long.

When you finally get a chance, ride it at night. While the ride itself is technically the same, the experience is way more fun.

 

[Hikergirl]

And for everyone who thought "Tiana deserves something original", were you that upset when the Maelstrom became the new Frozen ride? Should they have dreamed up something original for the sisters, too? Sometimes you have to be pragmatic. There's a space and there a need, so that's what gets re-imagined.

Upset? No, it's just a ride.
But, yes thought they should have come up with something original, especially since Frozen's popularity was insane. I can't remember the timing because to be honest I don't follow all the goings on at WDW but instead of Snow White mine train they could have done something Frozen themed.

 

[igrsod]

I don't want to go into all the racial connotations of Song of the South and the fact that Splash Mountain is based on that. I come at it from a different angle. I am 60 years old and if I have learned anything in all those years it is the fact that change is going to happen. Now growing up in the 60's there was a lot of racial tension in the world and since I grew up on what we be considered the "poor" side of the tracks I never really considered all of that. I went to schools that were not segregated and from the 7th till the 9th grade as a white kid I was in the minority. Never bothered me, never thought about it. I knew of the songs from Song of the South and some of the stories but never saw the movie. I loved the songs and the stories and that was it. I grow up and am able to take my kids to Disney and at some point they introduce Splash Mountain and quite frankly it became my favorite ride. Now it will be replaced and that makes me a little sad. I understand that change is inevitable and I understand that the underlying material that the ride is based on is racist and based on slavery and the role of blacks during that time in history. But I also ask this, how many people here have seen Song of the South? If you were to have never seen it or read about the background of it and rode the ride would you or anyone for that matter seen racial undertones?

I will miss Splash Mountain but understand and have no issue in the end with the change. But I was upset when we lost Mr Toad's Wild Ride too! I love Tianna and the Princess and the Frog. So I will continue to enjoy the ride and have no problems with the change. As I said I have come to understand change happens, but to that end it does not mean that I can't be a little sad I am losing Splash Mountain.

To your question, my husband never saw the Song of the South movie, and knew nothing about it prior to riding the ride. When he got off of it, after riding the first time, he pointed out the racial undertones he noticed. I found it interesting, as I had seen Song of the South as a child and didn't see the racial undertones in the ride as readily.
I thought that was quite interesting.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Change is good. I’m excited for it. It’ll be awesome for little brown and black kids to see a ride they can identify with.

 

[igrsod]

To add my two cents (Canadian two cents which is worth even less lol), I'm happy and excited for the change. I love the movie... just rewatched it last night. The music is so fun. The characters are great. I can just imagine what types of scenes they are going to portray from the movie in the ride. The waterfall drop, wouldn't have to be literal at all... it could be a struggle with the shadow figures pulling the characters... or it could be part of the journey to get to Mama Odie. Anyway... it's going to be fun. Change can be great.
I will leave you with my Disney change story. I was at home a few months from our last Disney trip, when the announcement came that Wishes was ending.... AHHHHHH.... that is my favourite thing in all of Disney World. I cry every time I watch it because it is just so touching. My hubby felt bad that it would be gone by the time our next trip rolled around, that he arranged for my daughter and I to do a quick long weekend trip just to see Wishes again one last time (or two). Amazing. Fast forward to the first trip with Happily Ever After... anxious, indifferent were my feelings going into watching the new show... would I like it, would it have the same heart and feeling???? WELL... I loved it... I danced, I oooed and awwwed, I cried (twice.... when Olaf talks and when Tink flies). The change was incredible. Well done Disney.

I'm feeling optimistic they won't screw this new change up.... it will be GREAT!