Today Disney announced Splash Mountain will be receiving an overhaul and complete re-imagining. One of the classic and fan favorite rides at the Disney Parks will be updated for the film The Princess & The Frog. Disney released a tweet this morning and a blog post over at their Disney Parks blog. Disney provided a glimpse of what Disney Imagineers have been working on since last year.
We're thrilled to share Splash Mountain at @Disneyland & @WaltDisneyWorld will be completely reimagined with a new story inspired by an all-time favorite @DisneyAnimation film, “The Princess & The Frog.” Learn about what Imagineers have in development:https://t.co/MWLaZ7dST4 pic.twitter.com/J39tOgxtjv
— Disney Parks News (@DisneyParksNews) June 25, 2020
Splash Mountain is a log flume ride that tells the story of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear. They are characters from the animated portions of the 1946 extremely controversial Disney film Song of the South. Recently Bob Iger, Disney Chairman, said that Song of the South will never be available for purchase again or made to stream on the Disney+ service. The song from the movie Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Original Song. The ride originally opened in 1989 in Disneyland and was opened in Disney World and Tokyo Disney in 1992.
The Princess and The Frog is a 2009 animated Disney movie in which tells the story of Tiana becoming a princess and finding her true love. The details on the re-imagining are that the ride will pick up after the final kiss and will join Princess Tiana and Louis (an alligator) on a musical adventure featuring music from the movie. In their statement Disney noted that: “Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new “land” added to Disneyland park, so it feels natural to link the story and the incredible music of “The Princess and the Frog” to our parks.”
Disney also stated: “The approach to retheming or “plussing” attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
What are your thoughts on the Splash Mountain Overhaul? Do you think it is time for Song of the South’s history to be fully gone from Disney? Let us know in the comments below or on our twitter account.
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