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

[DisneyJamieCA]

Yeah. Waited over an hour in line in 1989. I fully understood the theme, but they tried to tone it down to avoid anything other than representations of the animated parts of the movie.

We waited hours during their soft opening!

 

[wenrob]

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.

 

[Kittyblue]

I think it’s a great idea. Tiana is a popular princess and I think the new ride could be really cute.

 

[DisFam95]

Just last week in the car my 14yr old son suggested they do this!!! He said it would be perfect use of the bayou. He loves that movie!

 

[DeniseJH]

Change happens - this is a good one!

 

[tex1989]

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.

 

[chickapin parterre]

I 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.

Davy Crockett canoes come to mind.

 

[bcla]

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.

I don't think they're changing the name. Splash Mountain the name wasn't really specific to Song of the South. And if you miss Mr Toad, then visit California.

Earlier I mentioned the reuse of the animatronics from America Sings. A lot of those characters were not from Song of the South. The figures were just repurposed. It might be interesting trying to figure out where they are. I notice some of the birds, vultures, rabbits, alligators, and possums.

 

[TippyThomas]

Change happens. This is good change in my opinion.

 

[georgina]

Yeah, I just can't muster any outrage over retheming a ride at this time. My reaction is ...whatever, it's fine. Probably a good idea for several reasons. I will be happy to ride it again no matter what the theme.

 

[old lady]

They should make an original ride instead remodel older ones. Look what happened to the Tiki room. I don’t how a log flume would work as a princess ride.

 

[Music City Mama]

I'm going to miss the old Splash Mountain, but if they were going to re-theme it, Princes and the Frog is the perfect choice for this particular ride.

It's a great movie, with GREAT music (my teen boys will still watch this one), and given the controversy surrounding Song of the South (and as a result, the ride) all of these years, I'm completely fine with it.

 

[bcla]

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 saw it in a movie theater during the last (1986) theatrical release. I knew all the songs because they were on Disney compilation albums and the animated segments showed up a lot on various Disney TV programs. My parents also bought me a Disney book with several stories based on various Disney stories including Brer Rabbit ones. Certainly around that time I law saw it, I knew that it was controversial for perhaps romanticizing slavery. I know it took place in the Reconstruction Era south, but there's no escaping that Uncle Remus was a former slave and living on the plantation because he didn't have much choice. They would take care of him even though he couldn't do much manual labor.

It was always controversial, especially the premiere in Atlanta where the black performers weren't allowed in a segregated theater. However, I'm thinking that some didn't like the portrayal of a black kid playing with white kids. Not necessarily as equals (the black kid is barefoot and not well dressed) but definitely where they're kids who frankly couldn't care less.

Once I was playing around at work in our break room with an old set of clips from the original Mickey Mouse Club. They were the daily intros with Mickey Mouse and voiced by Walt himself. One of them had Mickey playing the piano to the tune of Zipadee-Do-Dah. Another had Mickey as a cowboy roping, and saying "Sho 'nuff". One older coworker was a black guy guy originally from Virginia, and he would hum along and when Mickey said that, he said it right back. Those were part of his upbringing and he didn't seem to have much of a problem with the song perhaps the cultural appropriation. But he came from an earlier time. He was born before Loving v. Virgnia. I didn't really ask him much about race relations, but occasionally he'd say something that might give me pause about what life was like for him as a black kid in the south. He ended up moving to California for high school. Said it was much different.

 

[bcla]

I'm going to miss the old Splash Mountain, but if they were going to re-theme it, Princes and the Frog is the perfect choice for this particular ride.

They could have rethemed it to something that wasn't a Song of the South theme. Most of the ride characters were not from Song of the South but repurposed from America Sings. Not sure how different the WDW version is.

 

[chickapin parterre]

They should make an original ride instead remodel older ones. Look what happened to the Tiki room. I don’t how a log flume would work as a princess ride.

Alligators taking us on her journey....I can't wait for the fireflies, could never have courage to reserve a table to watch fireflies across the water and floating plastic rafts float by........

 

[Planogirl]

I'll miss the songs.

 

[hereyago]

I would like that theme if I rode SM.

 

[JimMIA]

As long as they don't change the free-fall...

 

[bcla]

Re-themes are the lazy way out. Especially when a mountain makes zero sense as a setting for a geographically flat area.

It's a fantasy world in the south. Could be anywhere - not just Georgia where Song of the South takes place. Aren't there parts of the south that have lots of hills?

 

[HopperFan]

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.