Disney World’s iconic Splash Mountain attraction closed Monday, January 24 and will be replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, featuring the company’s first African-American princess and keeping its 50-foot drop
The iconic Disneyland amusement parks attraction Splash Mountain has officially closed.
The 30-year log flume ride has been the subject of much controversy since Splash Mountain opened in 1992 at Disneyland in Florida.
It is set in a southern swamp, based on the 1946 film “Song Of The South”.
The decision to close the attraction was due to its racist stereotypes and portrayal of African-Americans in the post-Civil War South.
Song Of The South is a mix of action film, cartoon and music, featuring an old African-American plantation worker named Uncle Remus.
The movie is best known for the song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.
The Disney attraction consisted of a boat ride through different scenarios during which visitors met characters called Brer Bear, Fox and Rabbit (bear, fox and rabbit).
Its famous feature is a 50 foot drop at Briar Patch.
These types of animals and the huge drop will continue to be part of the new and improved attraction.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2020: “Since I’ve been CEO, I’ve felt that ‘Song of the South,’ even with a disclaimer, was simply not appropriate in today’s world.”
The new ride is a fitting replacement as The Princess And The Frog features Disney’s first African-American princess.
Groups such as the NAACP protested the initial release of the film.
The movie is not available to the millions of subscribers to the company’s Disney Plus streaming service.
A Change.org petition calling for the recasting stated: “While the ride is considered a beloved classic, its story and plot are steeped in extremely problematic racist stereotypes from the 1946 film Song of the South.”
The petition went on to say that while the story of the trip was not an exact version of the film’s plot, the characters, songs, and locations were the main features of the trip.
He added that Disney had removed Song Of The South from its library and called for “all traces of this racist film” to be removed and Splash Mountain become a Princess And The Frog-themed ride.
Disney removed Song Of The South from its theme park background music, including the Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah song.
This comes as part of a franchise-wide movement at Disneyland to combat racism.
Jungle Cruise was also upgraded and rebranded after facing criticism for what was reported as “negative portrayals of natives.”
The company also revamped its The Pirates Of The Caribbean attraction to better represent women.
The film follows a young boy who moves to the American South and meets Uncle Remus, who is the fictional title character of a series of African-American folktales.
Uncle Remus tells the boy stories about Brer Rabbit, a trickster who uses his wits.
The Adventures Of Brer Rabbit would become a book, a play, and a movie inspired by the Uncle Remus stories.
Disney officials are recasting the ride based on The Princess and the Frog, a 2009 Disney film with an African-American female lead.
The company said: “The new concept is inclusive, one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
The Princess and the Frog stars Anika Noni Rose, who plays the role of a 1920s New Orleans aspiring chef who kisses a prince who has been turned into a frog.
Disney wrote in a blog post: “Tiana is a brave and empowered modern woman who follows 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.”
The attraction officially closes on Monday, January 24, 2023.
Splash Mountain was part of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. It has been in Frontierland, across from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for 30 years. Closure dates for the attraction at Disneyland California have not yet been announced.
The replacement ride in Florida and California is scheduled to open in late 2024.
The Disney website states that the ride will be renamed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Splash Mountain is also part of Tokyo Disneyland.