Splash Mountain at Disney Parks to be re-themed to 'The Princess & the Frog'
 

One of Disney Parks most popular rides is getting a dramatic makeover. Splash Mountain, the ride which is based on the controversial film Song of the South which depicts problematic portrayals of the post-Civil War South and racial stereotypes, will now be based on Disney's 2009 animated movie The Princess and the Frog.

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.dis...3840239480.jpg

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...5200701200001C

I knew of the petition and it comes up ever so often. It is unfortunate that Disney actually caved in this time on something that had nothing to do with racial inequity.

The slaves weren't even featured in the ride. Only the animal characters were. That's why I think people are overreacting to this.

Oh, I am well aware. I have seen Defuctland's video on the ride and even went on it myself in my trip to Dineyworld. Zippy Doo Dah and the Brair characters have nothing to do with a grandfatherly figure in Gilded Age South. My sibling owns a copy of the film so I have seen it a long time ago, but the ride itself is pure of any reference of anything that is currently riding controversy.

Should have been the Simpsons

Unfortunate, but Disney has often retired or updated and rebranded attractions in their parks, so I suppose if anything they picked a way to do it that makes the most sense to transition it to.

To be honest I'm suprised that they even still had the ride featuring the animal characters given Disney's reluctance to release the movie.

Song of the South is very...simplistic in it's treatment of race. Like the black characters seem far too happy and content for former slaves but that's just Disney being Disney. Frankly there is far more racist things that Disney have allowed to be released.

Has anyone here ever actually seen Song of the South? The actor, James Baskett, does a wonderful job in it. Is it hard to watch? Oh yeah. In places, it's pretty disgusting and abhorrent, but in other places it's Baskett's performance that really deserves praise. The problem is, the film gets painted as this pro-black slavery, racist film... It is, however Uncle Remus is not a happy and content freed slave in the film as is often described. There's actually a lot of pathos in the movie. Remus doesn't seem terribly thrilled about life. You can tell that Baskett had a hard time with the role but also that he was an amazing actor. I view the film as an interesting historical document, in much the same way Gone With the Wind and Huckleberry Finn are products of their time, or any of those racist, taboo cartoons from the 1930s and 1940s, like Dumbo or the "tar-baby watermelon seed cartoons" released by WB... Even Will Eisner's Ebony White character... They're all... interesting... if problematic (though I'll never begrudge Eisner for Ebony because that character actually provided visibility to black people and was played as quite assertive and intelligent).

I believe Mr. Baskett was the first black actor to receive an Oscar. He died of diabetic complications. I think it's a crime that he isn't remembered more.

The ultimate question is.... Should we let our sense of racial justice limit us from experiencing certain problematic pieces of entertainment? Should they be completely dismissed?

Seeing how Disney is embarrassed of the movie, I doubt anyone will ever see it through official channels, or at least in a properly remastered form.

I think I saw parts of it, as a kid. Some of it definitely seems familiar.

I'm very firmly anti-censorship of just about any kind. And I believe that history is a conversation. When you close doors and put up bricks over certain parts of that conversation, it does nobody any good. If you "have" to run something along with a disclaimer or something, that's one thing and I don't really see much problem with that. But when you start "banning" movies or songs or TV shows or episodes of same, because parts of them make some people "uncomfortable", that hurts everyone.

Like with "Song of the South", what's the ultimate thing people are "afraid" of that makes it so taboo? Are they afraid little kids are going to watch it and "become racist"? That's not how these things work. Sadly, I've watched people go over a lifetime from Absolutely Zero Racism to Actually Pretty Racist over a period of decades, and it's not because of stuff they see on TV, it's because of their own negative experiences and what they choose to take away from those experiences, mixed with stuff their parents put in their heads. But it's not from TV or movies.

From what I understand, a lot of it is because it shows n "idealized" portrayal of a dark time in our history. But I think it's disingenuous to say that something that shows white people and black people getting along with each other during a time of great racial tension that's way in the past is "racist" or dishonest, frankly I think it's dishonest to suggest that they still couldn't and didn't. Lots of people did get along even though it wasn't a "good" situation. But then I'm only going from what I've read, in that I haven't seen the full movie I don't think, because I'm not "allowed" to see the full movie.

I don't know, as a fan of all artistic endeavors from TV to movies to music to everything, I really don't like censorship and locking things away from people because "some people might take a bad message from it". Isn't that how we educate people, by starting those conversations and not hiding from them? Wouldn't it be enough to just say "Things were different then, and here's why it's not like that anymore"? It's all part of the larger conversation.

Then again... doesn't Germany just kind of pretend their own Bad Sh*t never happened, too? I guess that's just how people are, they'd rather not be reminded in any way whatsoever that every single group of people has a "problematic" history. But they all do. I just think it's dishonest to just sweep stuff under the rug and say "Nothing Happened, We Don't Talk About It", nobody learns anything that way.

Andre Meadows AKA Black Nerd shared his reaction to the ride being rethemed to The Princess and the Frog.



Also, Jim Cummings basically confirmed that he will be reprising the role of Ray the Firefly for the ride. The news shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but it's still great to hear this because he gave a fantastic performance in the movie.

https://twitter.com/Jimcummingsacme/...58960673136641

Splash Mountain has been experiencing some technical difficulties these few months.





It's like when Epcot's Maelstrom got re-themed to Frozen. That was obviously done because of the huge popularity of the film.

“Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” has now been removed from music loops at Disneyland.

https://thedisinsider.com/2020/08/26...ntain-retheme/

Now that's progress I can get behind!

The song "Gonna Take You There" is definitely fitting for the people who will be riding the logs. It would also be nice for them to include "Ma Belle Evangeline".

I don't know why, but I think I remember seeing a commercial for the movie as a kid. It was re-released for a final time back in 1986...I think I remember the Zippity Doo Daa part in the commercial...maybe? It's a shame that Disney in general just didn't use the story characters of Brer Rabbit and the other two. I knew they were storybook characters, but didn't know the history behind them. Seems the stories had good morals and it's deeply rooted in African and African American culture. I just learned this recently. Surprised Disney didn't try to find a way to capitalize on that. They should've just done animated shorts based around Brer Rabbit since there were so many stories for it so at least that way, people would know something about the characters outside of a movie that most modern people have never seen and only know the Zippity Doo Daa song came from it.

That aside, I guess the Princess and the Frog is suitable, but isn't that movie just as...off as Song of the South was? I mean, you have the main character getting along with white folks as if Jim Crow laws weren't a thing at all. Song of the South portrayed slaves as going to work during the day and going home at night as if they're working a 9-5 job, but being paid crap wages and happy to stay in that position and on that level since they know their place. Of course I can only go by assumption since I've never seen the movie myself.Okay, this is ridiculous and petty! There's nothing wrong with the song. It's such a fun song and James Baskett deserves the recognition since he's been gypped for so many years anyway because of the movie itself. Sad that he died pretty young, though. Wonder if he would've gotten more roles.

I watch an occasional video from Jon Solo. I thought his coverage of the Brear Rabbit stories were timely.

In Russia we have a saying: "throwing away baby along with the bath water".
This exactly what Disney and other corpoRATions are doing while pandering to mental SJWtards.

In reality, acknowledging that some stuff can be and is problematic would have been sufficient for adult people. But since the core of the complainers are decidedly NOT mentally adult or mentally healthy, for that matter, we have this carpet bombing ****.

This doesn't make sense whatsoever. Black Panther doesn't fit Disneyland at all. It would be much better suited for Disney California Adventure. The Princess and the Frog works because Disneyland has New Orleans Square and Splash Mountain is near it. Wakanda isn't in America at all. Also, it doesn't fit with Frontierland at Disney World's Magic Kingdom either.

Fans Ask for Splash Mountain Retheme to Honor Chadwick Boseman

Disney Parks even said that they were planning the retheme to The Princess and the Frog since 2019.

Splash Mountain to Be Rethemed to ‘Princess and the Frog’!

Well they can insert some tribute to him. I don't have an issue with that.

I, too, am outraged by Disney's plans. Despite Disneyland and Disney World being places of magic and imagination, I refuse to suspend my disbelief enough to allow an unspecified tribute to a character from a fictional country. It's just not realistic.

Now hold my magic wand while I get my picture taken with a 6 foot tall talking duck.

I'd be more upset if Song of the South wasn't boring. Had a genuine curiosity in the film and its a snoozefest.

Rebranding Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy was way worse and that's coming from somebody who really likes GotG

Before Splash Mountain closes, fans can buy some light-up ears to remember the ride.

https://insidethemagic-119e2.kxcdn.c...sf-550x404.jpg

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https://insidethemagic.net/2020/10/s...nnie-ears-cb1/

Disney Parks has announced that they are going to speed up the process of re-theming the ride. If they are then guests at Disney World must have very little time left to go on the ride. Maybe they won't even get to say farewell to it when Disneyland re-opens.

https://thedisinsider.com/2020/11/16...lash-mountain/

Jess Harnell, the voice of Brer Rabbit for Splash Mountain, shared his thoughts on the ride getting a retheme.

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/255...tions-redesign

People should stop giving snowflakes everything they desire.
So what if someone found something offensive about it?

I can find offense in anything if I look hard enough.

Disney doesn't have to retire Song of The South, as it is already irrelevant.
They just want to push some modern merch. Nobody looks to Disneyland as a historical time capsule.

Here's what Carmen Smith, executive creative development and inclusion strategies for Walt Disney Imagineering, had to say about the re-theme.

https://insidethemagic.net/2021/02/d...s-changes-kc1/

A Disney World fan is tired of the park being so woke and retheming rides like 'Splash Mountain'.

I love Disney World, but the wokeness is ruining the experience

Disgruntled Fan Blasts Disney World For Changing Rides, Says Wokeness Is Ruining His Favorite Attractions; Hollywood Responds

The person in this video from Septemeber 2020 thinks that Disney Parks beginning to plan the Splash Mountain retheme to The Princess and the Frog probably didn't happen in 2019 like the press release stated or just after George Floyd's murder. He thinks it's possible that since Disney at first thought The Princess and the Frog was going to be this mega success and start a new renaissance as The Little Mermaid did that this idea was first pitched about a decade ago. However, while the movie did begin a string of critically acclaimed movies for the main animation studio, it wasn't worth putting the money into the idea at the time since the film was not a blockbuster hit like they thought it would be. 5:55 to 6:12

A year after the announcement and we still don't exactly know when 'Splash Mountain' will close or when 'The Princess and the Frog' retheme will re-open. All of the details can be found here in the video.



In short, 'Splash Mountain' at Disneyland will most likely be closing this winter and the new rethemed ride will probably open in the fall of 2023 at the earliest. Things over at Disney World in Florida are a little more complicated. 'Splash Mountain' will probably remain open there for most of the park's 50th anniversary celebration and close in early 2023. The new ride probably won't open until 2024 or 2025.

So apparently it's going to take some time before The Princess and the Frog retheme to Splash Mountain will be done according to Magic Kindom Vice President Melissa Valiquette.

https://wdwnt.com/2021/08/the-prince...ice-president/

Hhahahahahahaha!
Way to show how woke you are Dinsey!

If I didn't know better, I almost could bet that they just want to wait until this woke insanity dies down, so everyone will forget what exactly Disney had promised and they won't need to spend millions to re-theme anything.

Disney Parks have debuted the latest image of the upcoming 'Splash Mountain' retheme to The Princess and the Frog.

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.dis...tygu3hjbr2.jpg

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.dis...tygu3hjbr5.jpg

And here is a video of Disney Imagineers talking about the ride.



https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-and-the-frog/

Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana, says that the ride will open in 2024.

https://insidethemagic.net/2022/06/a...n-opening-kc1/

I’m thinking she means the Disneyland version because a lot of sources say that one is further in development than the one in Disney World.

un-necessary
 

don’t really see the point of replacing well established characters cause a handful of commies are offended by it, that song was catchy! could of just given princess and the frog it’s own unique, original ride instead of some hand-me-down, are black people not good enough for disney to invest in an all new original ride attraction? and what are they gonna do about that big white mountain called matterhorn?

social justice warriors got disney by the balls… sad!

fine, whatever. just hope they don’t decorate the whole park in gay pride stuff for the whole month to “honor” gay pride… little kids don’t need to see that crap.

“everything woke turns to s**t” - DJT

Disney won’t confirm or deny that the ride will open in 2024 at either park. They say that more details will be revealed at the Essence Festival of Culture, which runs from June 30 through July 3.

https://wdwnt.com/2022/06/disney-ref...lash-mountain/

The ride will be titled 'Tiana's Bayou Adventure'. It will open at both Disneyland and Disney World in late 2024.

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.dis...8768767686.jpg



https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-in-late-2024/

so is splash mountain just gonna remain closed until then? i went to disneyland earlier this year and was disappointed to see that splash mountain was closed. dam liberals have to ruin everything

The artists who are working on the ride talked about the artwork that inspired them.



https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...-adventure.htm

The model for the ride has been updated at the D23 Expo. I will try to post the pictures later if I can.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/sp...you-adventure/