Disney recently announced that Tiana's Bayou Adventure will be opening this summer in Disney World. This ride will be located at the old site of the classic and iconic ride, Splash Mountain. I am still extremely disappointed that Disney decided to remove Splash Mountain from its parks. It has always been my favorite ride in all of Disney World and it is heartbreaking to never be able to ride it again or to be able to take my future children on it.
1) What Happened to Splash Mountain?
In 2020, Disney announced that they would be shutting down Splash Mountain and retheming it to a completely new and different concept. This was caused due to complaints that the ride was based on the 1946 Disney movie "Song of the South." This Disney movie followed a young boy on a plantation in Georgia during the years of slavery in America. The public complained that Song of the South promoted racist stereotypes and glorified plantation life. As such, Disney found it inappropriate to allow Splash Mountain to keep operating in its parks.
For several years after this announcement, Splash Mountain continued operating in Disney parks, and it almost seemed as though Disney had possibly forgotten about the proposed re-theme. However, on January 23, 2023, Splash Mountain operated for the very last time in Disney World. On that day, the line to ride Splash Mountain weaved all the way through Frontierland in Magic Kingdom, and the wait time was over four hours long. It was a very sad day for a lot of avid Disney fans, out of pure nostalgia for the ride. It is a classic ride that has been around for as long as most Disney adults can remember. I was grateful that we visited Magic Kingdom in November, 2022, and were able to ride Splash Mountain several times that trip. The last time we rode it, I was definitely sad knowing it would be my last.
Ever since May 31, 2023, that location has sat as a construction zone, with "excuse our pixie dust" walls. Each visit we've made to Magic Kingdom since, has shown progress to transforming Splash Mountain into Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which will be based on the 2009 Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog. It is my understanding that the new ride will use the same tracks and bones as the old Splash Mountain and will be a very similar experience, except it will feature an entirely new story and animatronics.
The only park holding out and refusing to remove Splash Mountain is Disneyland Tokyo. Disney has strongly urged them to retheme the attraction, but so far, they have declined due to the popularity of the ride in Tokyo. If ever I'm having a strong need to ride Splash Mountain again, at least I know it's possible with a trip to Tokyo!
2) The History Behind Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain first opened in Magic Kingdom at Disney World in 1992. It was modeled after the recently created original Splash Mountain in Disneyland, which opened in 1989. The only area available in Magic Kingdom to place the new ride was in Frontierland, right next to Big Thunder Mountain.
Disney really wanted to add a water ride to its offerings. They tossed around several ideas, and not a lot stuck until one Imagineer had the idea to take the characters from the movie Song of the South and include them into an attraction. The movie was popular at that time and the characters of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear were well known. However, not much had been done with the characters.
The first concept was a log flume ride called Zip-A-Dee River Run. This was clearly based off the famous song Zip-A-Dee Do-Dah. Michael Eisner (CEO of Disney for the majority of the Disney World creation) did not like this name. The imagineers landed on Splash Mountain, to go along with the other "Mountain" attractions sprouting up in Disneyland at the time (Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, and the Matterhorn).
Making history- Splash Mountain was the first attraction based on a movie that was placed outside of Fantasyland. That meant that Disney had to put a lot of thought into how to design the outside of the ride to fit in with the exterior of the likes of Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion. They left the movie specific items like critter animatronics to be used only inside of the attraction. In order to save on costs, a lot of the critter animatronics included in Splash Mountain were repurposed from "America Sings," an old attraction from Disneyland that closed right before Splash Mountain was created.
Splash Mountain ended up being a log flume ride, built into the side of a Southern Mountain. The ride tells the story of Br'er Rabbit as he travels away from home and his dangerous encounters with Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. It was the longest flume ride drop in the world at the time it opened, with a 52 foot drop. The flume ride also had no lap bar when it first opened- there were definitely lower safety standards back then, as compared to modern day.
3) The Ride Experience
Splash Mountain has always been my favorite ride in all of Disney World. It was such a fun and unique experience; from the moment you entered the queue to the moment you deboarded your log flume. It was also one of the longer rides, coming in at 11 minutes long, so it was an entire experience, much more than just a fast drop over the waterfall. The image of Splash Mountain is iconic when looking at it from Frontierland, and immediately makes you think of Magic Kingdom.
You start off the experience by entering the queue, which already features the main stars of the attraction: Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear. There are statues and name signs for these critters for you to look at in the outdoor portions of the queue. There's also fun banjo music piped in both outside and inside, which really put you in a happy mood and ready to enjoy the attraction.
You enter the "mountain" by crossing through an old barn, which is decorated with farming equipment that would have been used in the South. Then, you make your way down an enclosed tunnel, lined with pictures of the Br'er critters, which ultimately leads to the point that you board your log flume. I would strongly encourage sitting in the 3rd row or back, as the front two rows usually get soaked!
After departing the loading dock, you make your way around on your log at a pretty slow pace. Along the way you see Br'er Rabbit and the mischief he is getting into. He is being hunted down by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear but seems to be outsmarting them the majority of the time. All the while, you are being serenaded by the various critters of the mountain, singing the catchy tune- "How do you do?"
The majority of the attraction takes place inside the mountain, but you briefly go outside towards the beginning of the ride, which offers a great vantage point over Magic Kingdom.
Then comes the best part of the entire attraction in my opinion- you enter the Laughin' Place. This feels deep below the mountain, filled with so many different types of critters, rolling around, playing in the water, and laughing. All while signing the "Laughin' Place" song. I love this area. It feels so isolated and its own little world.
After making your way through the Laughin' Place, you start the ascent up to the top of the waterfall and prepare for the big drop that can be seen from the bridge crossing over to Frontierland. From the top of the waterfall, you have an amazing view of the castle right in front of you. You shouldn't get too wet from this drop, unless you are in the front 2 rows. Even if you do get wet, it feels good on a hot day and will dry extremely fast in the Florida heat.
You continue along the path and find a riverboat full of critters singing the catchy tune of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." It is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
The final portion of the ride brings you past Br'er Rabbit relaxing with his friend Mr. Bluebird back at his house. He is quite proud of himself for escaping Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. And just like that the ride is over and you deboard your log. I don't blame you if you immediately got back in line to go again.
If ever you feel the need to imagine yourself on the ride, Spotify has a song that takes you through the entire 11 minute playlist of the ride in real time. It is great!
Just writing this post, definitely reminds me of how much I loved Splash Mountain, and I will always be sad that it no longer exists in Disney World. I personally do not think it was racist at all, but instead was a classic Disney ride that has always gone hand in hand with Magic Kingdom. The theming was prime Imagineering and was done in the days that Disney was exploring just how much they could do with their attractions and animatronics. It had that old school Disney vibe, that never quite goes out of style and was the perfect pairing for Frontierland and Big Thunder Mountain. Without it, that corner of Magic Kingdom will never have the same feel again. Splash Mountain will be greatly missed by many. Farewell Br'er Rabbit!
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