Splash Mountain to become Princess and the Frog ride

[BrianL]

I expect some. It's not in my top five list. I still would love a Lion King attraction other than a stage show.

Yeah, but at least its the best dang stage show it can be!

 

[Eric Smith]

Problematic pre and post civil rights movement were very different. Look at what Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are going through right now. People were appalled by what they did when they did it, but it wasn’t the outrage that it is now, 20 years later. Is Universal going to close the Jimmy Fallon ride because he did some very racially insensitive things in 2000?

Universal is going to close the Jimmy Fallon ride because it is horrible. It’s about as bad as the Fast and Furious ride. That’s an area that they should just burn down and start over.

 

[Rory607]

So why aren't people upset with Walt Disney himself and asking for the name to be removed, since he obviously produced and approved of such a movie?

As Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better.” This is the difference. We know now that it is not respectful and it can be changed.

 

[RamblingMad]

Universal is going to close the Jimmy Fallon ride because it is horrible. It’s about as bad as the Fast and Furious ride. That’s an area that they should just burn down and start over.

Yep. The Fast and Furious ride is awful. It's only redeeming feature is that it cools you off. I miss Twister.

 

[BrianL]

Yep. The Fast and Furious ride is awful. It's only redeeming feature is that it cools you off. I miss Twister.

I miss GHOSTBUSTERS!

 

[Mit88]

Yep. The Fast and Furious ride is awful. It's only redeeming feature is that it cools you off. I miss Twister.

Well, Twister (the movie) is getting a reboot, and with Jimmy Fallon in hot water...

 

[Disney Bobby]

As Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better.” This is the difference. We know now that it is not respectful and it can be changed.

Of course. I'm not arguing that. If fact, that is my point. How much change?

 

[kleph]

Of course. I'm not arguing that. If fact, that is my point. How much change?

“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”
― Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, from The Leopard

 

[disneyholic family]

And yet lots of people DO love that ride because of the characters.

Let's be honest....a water log ride with a drop is a dime a dozen and I am sure many of us are within a 2 hour drive of one right now. Do you know how often I ride the log ride at the local amusement park. Almost never.

It IS about the characters for many people.

the characters and the music.....

.

 

[The WDW 3]

Why is it that hard to believe?

Because Disney announced every other new thing, change, construction, etc. everything was announced, but this one thing?
Why is it that hard to believe?

 

[RamblingMad]

Well, Twister (the movie) is getting a reboot, and with Jimmy Fallon in hot water...

Twister is great. It’s on Netflix for streaming now. It doesn’t need to get a reboot. But we could get a better ride.

 

[Geoff_M]

I'm sad... and speechless.

 

[JacknSally]

Because Disney announced every other new thing, change, construction, etc. everything was announced, but this one thing?
Why is it that hard to believe?

They constantly work on ideas without telling the public they're working on them, though. Just because they haven't said anything about it before doesn't mean they haven't been working on it.

Personally, I don't think they were necessarily planning to announce a retheme until much later, but with everything going on right now - COVID, FL's case numbers increasing, postponing Disneyland's reopening, WDW's reopening being questioned, low occupancy, the mess of the reservation launch, and yes, the racial issues in the world - they likely figured now was the best time to put this out there.

 

[Lori Duck]

There's no date for it apparently. Personally, I doubt it will get done for the big celebration year. (And as an aside, my 15 yr old son is NOT happy with this change! '"No more princesses!!!")

 

[Lori Duck]

There's no date for it apparently. Personally, I doubt it will get done for the big celebration year. (And as an aside, my 15 yr old son is NOT happy with this change! '"No more princesses!!!")

 

[ChrisM]

It’s real, it’s actual, Disney thinks Splash Mountain isn’t satisfactual...

 

[chasgoose]

Reading through responses elsewhere, both on this site and off, I feel weird being on somewhat the same “side” as some of the people most outraged. Yikes.

I just want a properly done refurb and no screens, scrims, and large blank areas. The recent refurbs don’t fill me with confidence. Then I read those other comments and feel like I need to slowly back into the bushes like Homer Simpson. Those are NOT my people

Don't worry, you are still good people.

That's the thing though, based on Disney's recent track record, it's not racist to be worried that Disney will mess up any refurb and reduce animatronics/fill it with screens (although, given that the DL Splash was in desperate need of refurb anyways, I wouldn't have put it past them to go with that even if they kept the Song of the South theme intact). What is problematic is when people get so stressed out about this change because they are concerned about "slippery slopes" or "cancel culture" or "revising history" or "pandering", or my favorite, "it doesn't fit in with Frontierland" as though a ride based on a movie set in Reconstruction-era Georgia ever fit in with the "Frontierland" theme or that "Critter Country" at DL ever made sense (and no the fact that the color of the exterior of the mountain somewhat tracks BTMRR doesn't make it fit any better). It makes no more sense than complaining about taking down confederate memorials made to honor traitors and remind black people in the South of their place is somehow "erasing history".

While not as egregious as the memorials, the Song of the South itself, and even moreso the book it was based on, are part of a radical revision of history meant to gaslight the world into accepting the "Lost Cause" mythology that diminished the horrors of slavery and the post-war treatment of freed black people and was used to justify and support Jim Crow era state-sponsored terrorism against blacks in the South (not to say that the Song of the South the movie was actively trying to do that or even Victor Fleming when he made Gone With the Wind, but Disney and others were incredibly nonchalant about that reality when they chose to make movies that embraced that false narrative). Based on clips and reading about the movie, there are many moments where the black characters in the Song of the South fondly remember the old days (meaning less than a decade earlier when they were enslaved). The idea that someone's supposed "nostalgia" for a ride is somehow equally important to the discomfort many black people feel on that ride is deeply silly (especially when paired with some of the less charitable reasons for not wanting the theme to change that I mentioned earlier) and Disney is doing the right thing by treating the latter group's concerns more seriously.

That is not to say that if they do a cut rate job/turn it into a projectionpalooza there won't be grounds for criticism (I would be the first in line to complain), but the desire to change the theming is a good one. The DL version is in desperate need of a big refurb (I know the WDW version had a light annual refurb earlier this year, but I'm sure it could still use a more thorough overhaul) regardless of theming. Given Disney's recent history and newfound obsession with projections it wouldn't have surprised me if they junked up such a big refurb even if they had retained the Song of the South theme. Whatever issues we may have with the PaTF overhaul once it is done, could very possibly had happened regardless. Basically, I think it is totally fine to be wary of any major overhaul of a classic ride given Disney's recent track history, but to get mad about the change in the theming alone when the current theming is so problematic is a little much.

 

[The WDW 3]

Regardless of the context, Splash Mountain needed an update.

I thought that adding a princess and the frog theme was a really bad idea. However, the concept art looks great. 1000 times better than the castle paint job.

 

[BrianL]

Don't worry, you are still good people.

That's the thing though, based on Disney's recent track record, it's not racist to be worried that Disney will mess up any refurb and reduce animatronics/fill it with screens (although, given that the DL Splash was in desperate need of refurb anyways, I wouldn't have put it past them to go with that even if they kept the Song of the South theme intact). What is problematic is when people get so stressed out about this change because they are concerned about "slippery slopes" or "cancel culture" or "revising history" or "pandering", or my favorite, "it doesn't fit in with Frontierland" as though a ride based on a movie set in Reconstruction-era Georgia ever fit in with the "Frontierland" theme or that "Critter Country" at DL ever made sense (and no the fact that the color of the exterior of the mountain somewhat tracks BTMRR doesn't make it fit any better). It makes no more sense than complaining about taking down confederate memorials made to honor traitors and remind black people in the South of their place is somehow "erasing history".

I have addressed the Frontierland thing - they did think of this when they made the ride, which is why the DL and MK versions are different. Also, the ride is not set in Georgia - in the movie the story is being told in Georgia. It is different for sure. Making Tiana fit in MK will require more work than I think they will want to do. It can be done, but I won't hold my breath to see it.

 

[princesscinderella]

I think that the change is going to be awesome. I don’t doubt that they have been working on re-theming the DL splash to PatF as it fits perfectly right on the edge of New Orleans Square. As for the argument that the change won’t make it fit in frontier land now, I think that’s a non starter. I am sure they will keep the same structure and visually it will look like the same Frontierland every loves. The briar patch may change to look like a tree canopy, but they aren’t going to paint the mountain salmon color. You don’t know it’s song of the south either from the exterior. The interior story line will change but it will be the same “ride” with all its fun drops we have come to love.

The animatronics have started to look worn and prone to breakdown and the jumping water hasn’t worked the last few times we have gone on it. There are some very beautiful scenes in PatF that I’m sure they will use for inspiration. I will miss pansy, poppy and petunia but I wouldn’t be surprised if the trees and some of the little animals stay as a nod to the original. Splash is my favorite ride and imo the best ride to wait time ratio as we have timed it and it’s a 13 minute ride. There’s a lot of time to tell a great new story.

As for the songs on the right ride now my kids think the little birds when the ride first starts sing “prettty good show us your balls” ... because the soundtrack is just not clear and the phrase “sure as your born” is just not common vernacular. They crack up every time.

The ride has a long refurbish time in February because it’s a lot more work to maintain a water ride so maybe they will have everything ready to go so the new overlay doesn’t take too long. They do an amazing quick turnaround with HM at Disneyland every year. I am looking forward to my favorite ride getting a new story.