Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[BlakeW39]

I will echo the complements, keep it up!

I struggle with this...I have gotten in verbal arguments with friends and family about the obvious police brutality and other issues, such as all the confederate monuments that never should have been built in the first place....but goodness Splash Mountain? I get the problematic history but it seems like of all the things for 20k to get up in arms about....that would have been pretty far down the list.

Agreed! By all means of course I support anti-racist progressive ideas. Real issues should be addressed. But Splash Mountain has nothing to do with it! It's not racial and has no racial implications. And as I said before problems exist with the source material of virtually all Disney stories when you get nitpicky like this. Disney's actions here scream exploitation more than empathy in my humble opinion.

 

[N2dru]

black fan of Splash Mountain here. This is not a sacrifice that needs to be made in any way, shape, or form, and has no direct or indirect benefit to anyone but PatF fans, ane even then they'll probably just be disappointed (that is if they didn't already love Splash Mountain, as almost all Disney fans do).

Another Black fan of Disney and Splash Mountain here but I have to respectfully disagree. There is benefit in this by becoming more positively inclusive. Splash Mountain is based on a movie that has been controversial and problematic since its premiere. James Baskett wasn't even allowed to attend the premiere in Atlanta due to segregation. This is bigger than just the PaTF fanbase.

 

[Rescue Ranger]

I feel crazy that I'm both excited and not for this. I'm on both sides, so I'll choose not to be angry. As much as I'll miss it. They can maybe turn the play area into "The Laughing Place" and make it a nice landscaped relaxing spot. A nod to the classic to keep it alive.

THIS, as I look over at my Splash Mountain Funko Pops, among other things

 

[_caleb]

Beautifully said!

The woke police have no rationale, they use bullying as a tactic to make change. You’re someone that is against splash mountain getting removed? You’re a racist. People literally writing that online and shaming people.

As a young black male, what do you think of white people that call others racist for opinions such as that?

I haven’t seen anyone here on these boards call anyone else racist or do any shaming. Maybe I missed it?

 

[MisterPenguin]

You realize that there were white sharecroppers too?

Already addressed in this thread...

I mean, should you be angry that your family was potentially taken advantage of by unfair practices? That's up to you whether you want to be angry or not about.

And yes, I'm sure you did have thousands of white sharecroppers as about 2/3 of them were white. However, if we look at the peak of sharecropping (around 1930), African Americans made up about 1/10 of the population.

Total population (1930): 123.1mil - 9.7% black (11.94mil), 88.7% white (109.19mil)
Sharecroppers (1930): 8.5mil - 3mil black, 5.5mil white

Percentage of population that were sharecroppers (1930): 6.9%
Percentage of white population: 5.04%
Percentage of black population: 25.13%

This means that if you were black, you were nearly 5 times as likely to be a sharecropper. But sure, we can pretend there's not a disparity just because white sharecroppers existed too

 

[J_Carioca]

I get what you're saying. But from a branding standpoint, if there is any discussion at any point about racism within your product, it's a good PR move to change it. And there were discussions about this before the social movements of the last few months.

It's easy for a lot of people to say "this is silly, it's just a ride, it doesn't need to be changed" but with that same sentiment, it really is just a ride and it will be okay that it's changing. Change is hard at times but it really is just a ride.

If it is “just a ride”, then why is it so important to change it? You can’t use the argument that “it’s just a ride” but then be upset that people with a different viewpoint are saying “it’s just a ride, there’s no need to change it”.

 

[orlandogal22]

wE WoN’T bE ReNeWiNg ouR pASsEs

YeS, InDeEd, wE WoN'T bE ReNeWiNg OuR PaSsEs.

But aren't you original with your presentation!

 

[Giss Neric]

I believe Tony will not lead the project but will only be a creative adviser.



Charita will lead this project.

 

[BigDlover]

I always thought a splash mountain movie/remake/reboot would be a great way to correct the situation.

They would never. It would be really insightful and self-reflective for Disney to make a documentary about it, maybe on Disney+. They could interview historians and the people that were involved with the original movie and have an honest discussion about it. But they would never do that either.

 

[davis_unoxx]

I haven’t seen anyone here on these boards call anyone else racist or do any shaming. Maybe I missed it?

I was talking about Twitter

 

[SirNim]

I always thought a splash mountain movie/remake/reboot would be a great way to correct the situation.

They did make a movie/reboot about Splash Mountain. It starred Jim Varney.



And yes I'm being facetious.

 

[donaldtoo]

 

[BigDlover]

If it is “just a ride”, then why is it so important to change it? You can’t use the argument that “it’s just a ride” but then be upset that people with a different viewpoint are saying “it’s just a ride, there’s no need to change it”.

Ask Disney, it wasn't my decision.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

If it is “just a ride”, then why is it so important to change it? You can’t use the argument that “it’s just a ride” but then be upset that people with a different viewpoint are saying “it’s just a ride, there’s no need to change it”.

Anyone who thinks a Disney E-ticket is "just a ride" should skip WDW altogether and not waste their hard earned dollars on such nonsense.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Oh, dear, people who aren't even part of this site are making fun of us? Whatever shall we do.

Please. Twitter and wherever else can spew their nonsense. It means nothing.

Yeah, it beats me why news outlets believe that Twitter represents majority opinions. Some statistics:

About 22 percent of Americans use Twitter.

And roughly 10 percent of those users are responsible for 80 percent of tweets — meaning just 2 percent of Americans are contributing to a majority of the site’s dialogue, the researchers noted.

Twitter doesn’t reflect how most Americans think: study

Twitter really is an echo chamber. A tiny fraction of the site’s users are responsible for the lion’s share of tweets — and they tend to be younger, wealthier and more liberal than the national av…

nypost.com

Nuts to whiny entitled self-righteous Twits. I'd take Uncle Remus' bluebird over Twitter's any day.

 

[WDW Pro]

I believe Tony will not lead the project but will only be a creative adviser.



Charita will lead this project.

View attachment 479441

Tony has had no input and will not have any input. This is a symbolic title / gesture.

 

[lawdogNOLA]

Even if the ride itself isn't inherently racist, the source material absolutely is.

The source material is absolutely racist? The source material is NOT Song of the South. The source material is African-American folktales, many of them stories brought over from Africa and adapted to the new world the slaves found themselves in, with other stories being ones that the slaves adapted from other cultures, including Europe and North America. Some people with Ph.D. at the end of their names think that the Brer Rabbit stories of winning with cleverness represent slaves outsmarting the slave owners and overseers.

Others have said it better: "Aesop and Uncle Remus had taught us that comedy is a disguised form of philosophical instruction; and especially when it allows us to glimpse the animal instincts lying beneath the surface of our civilized affectations."
Ralph Ellison

Song of the South was a vehicle for telling African-American folktales. Splash Mountain went directly to the source material. It was a preservation resource for African-American history, heritage and culture that was seen and experienced by millions of people each year. Now none of those people are going to see that heritage.

An important piece of African-American heritage, culture and history is now going to die. And what replaces it? A movie I like, but one that appropriates a European story.

 

[hokielutz]

Read the thread. Frontierland is already not all "The Frontier" including Song of the South.

Isn’t the Frontier inclusive of all land west of the Mississippi? Both northern and ‘southern’ regions of the United States. ‘The South’ does not only mean the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

 

[comics101]

Walt Disney himself said “Disneyland is not a museum”. He wanted it to change over the years

Walt only improved the parks—his changes were never negative. The current Disney regime? Forgive me if my faith in them is minimal.

 

[KingdomofDreams]

I wasn't going to comment at all. I'm not a frequent poster, although I read the forums frequently. But as a Disney parks fan, this just makes me sad. I honestly don't believe there is anything wrong or offensive about Splash Mountain. It may have been "inspired" by a 70+ yr old movie considered controversial/racist but the ride itself only has make believe animals...a rabbit, a fox, a bear and some crows. I'm all for an attraction that is based on Tiana. It's a very cute film with good music. But there is no need whatsoever to overlay Splash. Or, maybe just do it at Disneyland where there is New Orleans Square and it would fit a bit more thematically? I really hope they rethink their decision about the ride though. It is such a slippery slope. If one looks hard enough for something to be offended by, it can be found anywhere. Just my personal .02