News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure

[SamusAranX]

There's no exact science to it, but I think it's telling that Song of the South was regarded as problematic from the moment of its release. I find it strange that so many posters here say there are no issues with the film given that critics back in the '40s could spot them.

I don’t say there’s no issues with the film; but the Bre’r characters existed before SoTS, and surely should exist after that. They’re just critters. It’s the storytelling vehicles and or/devices that Disney used and surrounded them with that are what to me can be found offensive.

Let’s ask a hypothetical; let’s say that in SoTS Remus told tales of Steamboat Willie ( Mickey’s ) antics with Goofy and Donald in the laughing place. Is there doubt Disney would reject calls to eliminate rides featuring Mickey, because he happened to be used in unfortunate contextual setting in a film? Would calls to cancel Disney’s most famous character be reasonable? Why do you think Disney went through the trouble of excising every live action SoTS reference, but used the Bre’r characters? Because they’re just that, animal critter characters with no inherent racism or stereotyping. They existed beforehand in old stories, were utilized by Disney in an unfortunate film and setting, and have been used again, not just in SM.

 

[𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇]

Could all be forgiven if Disney were to use the Br'er characters in an all new Disney+ series? Tall Tails with Br'er Rabbit. Stories from Splash Moutain. what have you.

 

[Roger_the_pianist]

The Disney Br'er characters aren't *just* critters, they themselves are racist stereotypes. If you can't see that, it's probably because you don't want to and you have convinced yourself otherwise.

 

[seabreezept813]

Could all be forgiven if Disney were to use the Br'er characters in an all new Disney+ series? Tall Tails with Br'er Rabbit. Stories from Splash Moutain. what have you.

They do so many versions of their other stories, why not? In the live action Aladdin they changed song lyrics to take away negative stereotypes. By “erasing it” it feels like saying the Brer stories hold no value, and that feels like the cheap way to go.

 

[Roger_the_pianist]

Let's say tomorrow Disney+ adds only the animated sequences of Song of the South, kinda like sing along videos in the 80s/90s. It wouldn't go over well.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

They do so many versions of their other stories, why not? In the live action Aladdin they changed song lyrics to take away negative stereotypes. By “erasing it” it feels like saying the Brer stories hold no value, and that feels like the cheap way to go.

They could do a remake of some sort, but the most "problematic" aspect of SotS and its source material for today's Disney is that the movie cannot be fitted into one of their key franchises.

Br'er Rabbit isn't a Princess, or a Marvel superhero, or a Star Wars character so he (like so many other past Disney characters) holds little value to the Disney in 2021.

 

[seabreezept813]

They could do a remake of some sort, but the most "problematic" aspect of SotS and its source material for today's Disney is that the movie cannot be fitted into one of their key franchises.

Br'er Rabbit isn't a Princess, or a Marvel superhero, or a Star Wars character so he (like so many other past Disney characters) holds little value to the Disney in 2021.

Truly .. so sad for a company that was so revolutionary in terms of creativity…and don’t get me wrong with 3 girls we love the princesses, but we also love variety and quality. Splash is the essence of quality at WDW and as many have expressed layovers don’t tend to outdo or match previous quality. Give Tiana something of her own.. she definitely deserves it.

 

[UNCgolf]

Could all be forgiven if Disney were to use the Br'er characters in an all new Disney+ series? Tall Tails with Br'er Rabbit. Stories from Splash Moutain. what have you.

Potentially (depending on how it was handled), but that's never going to happen.

It's much easier for Disney to eliminate it and not have to deal with any backlash.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Give Tiana something of her own.. she definitely deserves it.

The site of the now former NBA Experience would be a great spot to build this:

 

[UNCgolf]

The site of the now former NBA experience would be a great spot to build this:

View attachment 580312

Definitely. I would like to see another TS restaurant go in there.

They don't really have any IP tie ins at Disney Springs, though (at least not to that extent -- Goofy's Candy Company is basically just his name and not something from a movie or anything like that). I think they'd rather build a restaurant like that inside one of the parks or potentially at a resort.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Definitely. I would like to see another TS restaurant go in there.

They don't really have any IP tie ins at Disney Springs, though (at least not to that extent -- Goofy's Candy Company is basically just his name and not something from a movie or anything like that). I think they'd rather build a restaurant like that inside one of the parks or potentially at a resort.

I would support it being added to POFQ, but DS has the space to make it big enough to accommodate the anticipated crowds and best of all you wouldn't need a park ticket to dine there (now that would be "inclusive").

 

[Phil12]

Nobody claims that there is anything racist about Br'er Rabbit, Fox, or Bear.

The Disney Br'er characters aren't *just* critters, they themselves are racist stereotypes. If you can't see that, it's probably because you don't want to and you have convinced yourself otherwise.

 

[UNCgolf]

I would support it being added to POFQ, but DS has the space to make it big enough to accommodate the anticipated crowds and best of all you wouldn't need a park ticket to dine there (now that would be "inclusive").

Oh I agree completely -- but I have a feeling that not needing a park ticket is part of the reason Disney hasn't built anything like that at Disney Springs. Of course you don't need a park ticket to eat at one of the resorts either, but they haven't really built anything at that level of IP at the resorts either.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don’t say there’s no issues with the film; but the Bre’r characters existed before SoTS, and surely should exist after that. They’re just critters. It’s the storytelling vehicles and or/devices that Disney used and surrounded them with that are what to me can be found offensive.

Let’s ask a hypothetical; let’s say that in SoTS Remus told tales of Steamboat Willie ( Mickey’s ) antics with Goofy and Donald in the laughing place. Is there doubt Disney would reject calls to eliminate rides featuring Mickey, because he happened to be used in unfortunate contextual setting in a film? Would calls to cancel Disney’s most famous character be reasonable? Why do you think Disney went through the trouble of excising every live action SoTS reference, but used the Bre’r characters? Because they’re just that, animal critter characters with no inherent racism or stereotyping. They existed beforehand in old stories, were utilized by Disney in an unfortunate film and setting, and have been used again, not just in SM.

The key thing to my mind is that the characters as they appear in the parks are the characters as known from Song of the South. There's just no getting around that. The stories' longer history seems irrelevant to me, just as the content of J. M. Barrie's play has little bearing on whether the Indian scene in Peter Pan's Flight should be changed or not.

I'm not really sure what to make of your hypothetical question. Mickey, Goofy, and Donald were already well established and much loved by the time Song of the South was made; had they (inexplicably) appeared in it, their reputations would not have suffered any lasting damage, because no-one today would associate them to any great degree with the film. (I can say this with reasonable certainty given that Mickey and pals have featured in plenty of problematic content over the years.) The Brer characters, by contrast, entered Disney's stable with and because of Song of the South; they cannot be disassociated from it.

 

[LittleBuford]

The Disney Br'er characters aren't *just* critters, they themselves are racist stereotypes. If you can't see that, it's probably because you don't want to and you have convinced yourself otherwise.

I don't agree. Other posters have said this citing their accents, but African-American Vernacular English is a perfectly valid form of English.

 

[harryk]

Disney should release the SOtS again so that the whole public can see it again and decide if there is a problem.

 

[DisneyDodo]

@Phil12 I stand corrected on the “nobody claims” assertion, but the claim itself is still truly bonkers and wasn’t even included in the petition that seemed to spark this decision (or at least significantly accelerate its announcement).

 

[skypilot2922]

I don't agree. Other posters have said this citing their accents, but African-American Vernacular English is a perfectly valid form of English.

Also called BEV - Black English Vernacular which led to whats now called Ebonics

 

[TikibirdLand]

The Disney Br'er characters aren't *just* critters, they themselves are racist stereotypes. If you can't see that, it's probably because you don't want to and you have convinced yourself otherwise.

Sorry. guess I'm blind to your assertion. Could you please elaborate? I truly want to understand this position...

 

[Mystery1932]

I’ve always loved the idea of Disney having ‘deep cut’ rides. When they use old IP that it just sitting around unused, then it’s suddenly used in a theme park attraction, I love that. Splash Mountain is the epitome of that.

I am also as nostalgic as the next person and I am not personally offended by the use of Song of the South. If it were up to me, the theme stays.

But it’s not up to me and a lot of people do have a problem with it. Plus, the most important thing for me is that Splash Mountain is a premier attraction at the most visited theme park on earth and it was filled with old animatronics 30 years ago when it was built. It desperately needs an overhaul to bring the ride up to the standards of the day.

If a rethemeing of a long ignored ride is what’s required to make Splash Mountain’s ride experience and effects relevant again, so be it.