Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
Those Tales of the Okefenokee animatronics were pretty creepy-looking...
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A Brief and Incomplete History of Splash Mountain
- Thread starter SuddenStorm
- Start date
Another fun little bit- while reworking the attraction prior to open Feiten decided he needed more 'bunny' animatronics to better tell Br'er Rabbit's story. Not wanting to ask for more money- he simply dressed an America Sings animatronic as Br'er Rabbit. And honestly, with the location and lighting and speed that you move past it, you'd honestly never tell while riding it.
Here it is in ride-
Here it is in ride-
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
On a semi-related note, I've heard that some if not all of the Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit animatronics were reskinned animatronics of Sam and Ollie from America Sings. Dunno if there's any truth to that, but it's possible.
This is something I've heard, but only as 'someone once told me' rumors on the internet. I don't think I've seen anyone that actually worked on the ride confirm it. If anyone has more details I'd love to learn if this is true or not.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Ah, yes. The back and forth constantly broken rabbit.
"I'm leavin' home!"
*teeters back and forth on a thing*
chadwpalm
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Sometimes he forgets to release the emergency brake.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Great thread!
I guess the biggest surprise for me is that the ride path doesn't actually cross over itself that much, and in fact hardly does so at all. I had assumed that because the show building appears tiny from the air that both levels were completely on top of each other.
I guess the biggest surprise for me is that the ride path doesn't actually cross over itself that much, and in fact hardly does so at all. I had assumed that because the show building appears tiny from the air that both levels were completely on top of each other.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
First, this is a fabulous thread! Thank you for starting it.
Second, as one of the few folks here old enough to remember America Sings, Presented by Del Monte, I'm pretty sure that railroad handcar animatronic was lifted directly from the Old West scene in America Sings. I distinctly remember a handcar going across the stage operated by a animatronic of some sort, and it was in the desert backdrop of the Old West act from that show. I will now go use the power of the World Wide Web to prove my memory and cognitive abilities are still much sharper than your average Presidential candidate...
EDIT: Found it! It only took me about 30 seconds. It was actually a rabbit animatronic, plus a fox, working that handcar while the geese sang "I've Been Working On The Railroad" during the Old West scene. Here it is...
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Here's some more fun bits about Splash Mountain-
You know those frogs in the How Do Ya Do Segment? Legend has it the vocals for those were provided by Thurl Ravenscroft. It's little touches like that that really helped this ride feel like a classic Disneyland attraction.
Here's an old publicity photo of Tony looking over the model of the attraction-
d
Oh, and here's Tony, Bruce, and John-
Perhaps the biggest mystery of the Mountain? Did Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Turtle let the 'Take Me Along' Hitchhiking Alligator join them on their travels?
You know those frogs in the How Do Ya Do Segment? Legend has it the vocals for those were provided by Thurl Ravenscroft. It's little touches like that that really helped this ride feel like a classic Disneyland attraction.
Here's an old publicity photo of Tony looking over the model of the attraction-
Oh, and here's Tony, Bruce, and John-
Perhaps the biggest mystery of the Mountain? Did Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Turtle let the 'Take Me Along' Hitchhiking Alligator join them on their travels?
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Homemade Imagineering
Well-Known Member
America sings was an amazing attraction imo. The music was the best part, and it all just worked so well. It’s really sad to me how it’s legacy is somewhat tarnished because of the death of Debbie Stone. Even worse, the tragedy could’ve been easily avoidable
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
Has there been an official reason why they made Brer Rabbit grey at WDW, but didn't change any of the other character designs for the Brers?
TP2000
Well-Known Member
America sings was an amazing attraction imo. The music was the best part, and it all just worked so well. It’s really sad to me how it’s legacy is somewhat tarnished because of the death of Debbie Stone. Even worse, the tragedy could’ve been easily avoidable
It was a wonderful show.
If it helps any, I specifically remember going on America Sings many times during the 1970's and 80's. It was one of those rides you just didn't skip, because it never had more than a 4 minute wait and it was a quintessentially Disneyland experience. But also, at the time from the mid 1970's through its closing in the late 80's, I never knew that a hostess had been killed at that ride back in 1974. In the pre-Internet days, you just didn't know that happened unless you opened the Orange County Register the next day in June, 1974.
I only learned of Miss Stone's death over a decade after the show closed, and about 15 years after her death, once I was spending time on the alt.disney.disneyland usenet forums in the late 1990's via my dial-up modem.
When the attraction was operating daily at Disneyland from mid 1974 through 1987, 99.999% of the people going into that show had no idea who Deborah Stone was or that she was killed at the show years earlier.
Things were much simpler then, much more innocent, because you didn't have Twitter and the Internet to remind you of every single death every single day. You weren't under constant pressure to feel continually sad for some daily death toll of perfect strangers you'd never met before.
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Kate F
Well-Known Member
I thought it was because they wanted him to look more Western since it’s in Frontierland. I could be wrong.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I'm assuming the America Sings robots will simply be reused for the Slashed Mountain.
Homemade Imagineering
Well-Known Member
I find it hilarious that you refer to it as slashed mountain, because I had the strangest dream after finding out that the retheme was happening. To put it simply, POTC was being reskinned to princess and the frog instead of splash mountain, tarzan’s treehouse was being rethemed into mama odie’s treehouse, and a giant bandsaw invaded Disneyland and cut Splash Mountain right in half...
TP2000
Well-Known Member
You might want to cut back on your Melatonin at bedtime. Maybe try 3 mg instead of 5 mg?
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MoonRakerSCM
Well-Known Member
That's not the as-built design. It doesn't have the extra exterior round about where you see the different homes of Brer Rabbit/Fox/Bear etc.
Last night I touched upon a little bit of the history behind Splash Mountain’s creation. I’d like to talk a bit now about the actual ride experience, and some of the storytelling techniques present in the attraction. I’m not an expert at any of this stuff- so if anyone has anything to contribute/correct please chime in. We’ve all ridden the ride- so I’ll focus less on the basics of the story and more so on the why behind it. Daveland has the best lit photos of the ride’s interior I’ve seen, so I’m going to be pulling heavily from that site. I tried to make the photos small for space reasons... click on any photo for the full size version.
Everyone’s first view of Splash Mountain is something like this (but with water and logs and music and strollers everywhere)-
This whole structure is very loosely inspired by Chickapin Hill as seen in Song of the South-
I’m not quite sure what the cabin on the left was intended to be (besides a beautiful aesthetic), but the structure as a whole captivates anyone that sees it. Having the riders drop out of site is intriguing- it creates a ‘wait! Where did they go!’ and for younger visitors, a slight fear since you can’t see how far you’re actually dropping. It added kinetic energy and excitement to that whole half of the park Placing the tree on the top of the mountain was initially pitched by Tom Morris (or at least, he says it was) to act as a weenie (another old school Imagineering principal), and worked to give the structure a far more defining presence than the Knott’s ride that inspired this one-
You enter through the side of the Mountain into something inspired by an old cabin, with unattributed Uncle Remus quotes from the film on the walls. After passing through the cabin portion of the queue you enter the mountain portion you enter the load area.
See those windows on the top right? That’s the attraction’s control tower. Keen eyed tourists will notice the ‘Flood Gates open 1989’ sign hanging inside, if they look close enough (pictured above).
The initial part of the attraction an instrumental version of ‘How Do Ya Do’ plays while you traverse the outside of the Mountain and pass Brer Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear’s homes. Bruce Gordon likened this part of the ride to the opening bayou portion of Pirates of the Caribbean- it works to remove the visitor from the troubles of the rest of the park and into the world of the attraction. The first drop takes you into the show building, and outside Disneyland’s berm. Having you drop ‘into the action’ distracts from the transition, and gives riders a bit of thrill to lift their mood just before the singing starts. The initial scene is mostly populated by the old America Sings geese, but has a few wonderful vignettes I think are absolutely charming. Sadly, due to maintenance issues, this scene hasn’t been properly staged for years with animatronics either missing or malfunctioning, and inconsistent lighting issues.
Something worth noting- one of Dave Feiten’s stated goals while cleaning up the attraction’s staging prior to reopen was to give people’s eyes somewhere to rest- every scene should have a clear focus, and there needed to be downtime between scenes to allow riders time to imagine and immerse in the world.
As you go around the corner we’re introduced to our antagonists, Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear. One is obviously depicted as cunning, while the other aloof. It’s also the first of many Br’er Butts throughout the attraction.
This little vignette is directly lifted from this scene from Song of the South-
The next little bit of the attraction introduces us to Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Turtle, singing about how they’re leaving the Briar Patch.
The ‘How Do You Do’ portion of the ride then transitions into a new version of the song with ‘Do’s’ sung instead of actual lyrics. The Splash Mountain Medley that’s been frequently released has a bit of audio in it that I don’t believe is in either version of the ride-
A while back I remember reading somewhere that that audio was to be used in the pre opening staging of the ride- not sure how true it is, but it’s fun to speculate.
The similarities between Marc Davis’s design work for Song of the South and America Sings are really remarkable. These baby possums that were initially from America Sings look almost exactly like the ones in the film, all it took was a costume change.
\
The next bit is the Hitchhiking Alligator, singing yet another version of How Do You Do.
On the right we see Br’er Rabbit quite amused with himself.. Just before we get a view of our second Br’er Butt.
As you descend into darkness you hear Br’er Bear say “There’s nothing in here but bees!”. This vignette is another lift from the film-
The dip drop that follows was inspired by the one at the flume ride in Busch Gardens in Florida, a ride that had been developed by Arrow Development. Tony sent Tom and Bruce out there to see if they liked it. According to Tom, Bruce didn’t like the dip drop but Tom did, and Tony turned to Bruce and said “Tom wins”.
After the blackened dip drop you come out into the Laughin’ Place portion of the ride, introduced via blacklist beehives and a unique version of the song. This bit presents a significant tonal shift in the attraction, and also gives riders a chance to cheer/clap after the dip drop before getting their attention back for the Laughin’ Place animatronic segment.
You see Br’er Bear with the beehive on his nose. During a 1987 presentation on the attraction Bruce Gordon had this to say about the figure- “Once you make it through the bees you end up in the Laughin’ Place and see Br’er Bear. He fell down the hill with you and now has a beehive stuck on his head. He’s thrashing and kicking like nothing flailing his arms. He’s amazing too. The bear is something new um he’s mounted on truck shock absorbers. There’s three truck absorbers and everything else is giant springs, we fire the shock absorbers at random and everything flails. We don’t know how long it’s gonna last until it destroys itself.” I’ve never seen a video of Br’er Bear acting as described in this scene- if anyone who got to ride it in ‘89 can chime in and mention if it ever functioned as described I’m really curious.
Prior to open this pig got swapped out for a Goose, I assume by Feiten.
The storyboards showed the ‘Old Grey Mare’ figure in this boat, and the figure being swapped I assume is another Feiten change. But again, could be wrong. I really wish the original staging was better documented, since things change from the original storyboards all the time.
We then see Br’er Rabbit get caught in honey by Br’er Fox, which is a very loose reference to the Tar Baby section from the film. We transition into Burrow’s Lament, and go up the lift to this scene which is a combination of two different scenes from the movie.
After the drop we hear an instrumental rendition of Zip a Dee Doo Dah. This track is designed to contribute to the celebratory nature of the moment, and not having an actual show scene right away gives riders a chance to recover and be excited without anything new in the story.
We then transition into the Showboat finale-
Notice that the leaves from the ceiling are now painted in fall colors vs the green from the How Do Ya Do part, and how it’s painted as a sunset- both subtle cues from the Imagineers to give the ride a more satisfying finale. Behind the middle fox is a Playbill sign that reads “Capt Andy Presents A Song of the South in 3 Acts”
We see Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear (and our final Br’er Butt) caught by an alligator, and Br'er Rabbit celebrating his victory.
For years you could preview your ride photo before exiting the log, but the screen was removed and the owl turned off (except for when the audio was mistakenly turned on briefly a little over a year ago).
Thanks to anyone who's actually read through all of this! There's a lot of neat little touches I left out- the over sized carrots and mushrooms in Burrow's Lament, the vultures, the various costume designs. I really like how this ride has a story that it uses to make the experience feel cohesive, but it doesn't rely on that story or force it down your throat. It's experiential storytelling vs. linear storytelling. I think my next 'Oh my goodness this is way too long' post will be a deep dive look into the music of the attraction- each version of the audio from the ride, where it's used, and where it originates from. And any information I can find about lyricists and performers.
Everyone’s first view of Splash Mountain is something like this (but with water and logs and music and strollers everywhere)-
This whole structure is very loosely inspired by Chickapin Hill as seen in Song of the South-
I’m not quite sure what the cabin on the left was intended to be (besides a beautiful aesthetic), but the structure as a whole captivates anyone that sees it. Having the riders drop out of site is intriguing- it creates a ‘wait! Where did they go!’ and for younger visitors, a slight fear since you can’t see how far you’re actually dropping. It added kinetic energy and excitement to that whole half of the park Placing the tree on the top of the mountain was initially pitched by Tom Morris (or at least, he says it was) to act as a weenie (another old school Imagineering principal), and worked to give the structure a far more defining presence than the Knott’s ride that inspired this one-
You enter through the side of the Mountain into something inspired by an old cabin, with unattributed Uncle Remus quotes from the film on the walls. After passing through the cabin portion of the queue you enter the mountain portion you enter the load area.
See those windows on the top right? That’s the attraction’s control tower. Keen eyed tourists will notice the ‘Flood Gates open 1989’ sign hanging inside, if they look close enough (pictured above).
The initial part of the attraction an instrumental version of ‘How Do Ya Do’ plays while you traverse the outside of the Mountain and pass Brer Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear’s homes. Bruce Gordon likened this part of the ride to the opening bayou portion of Pirates of the Caribbean- it works to remove the visitor from the troubles of the rest of the park and into the world of the attraction. The first drop takes you into the show building, and outside Disneyland’s berm. Having you drop ‘into the action’ distracts from the transition, and gives riders a bit of thrill to lift their mood just before the singing starts. The initial scene is mostly populated by the old America Sings geese, but has a few wonderful vignettes I think are absolutely charming. Sadly, due to maintenance issues, this scene hasn’t been properly staged for years with animatronics either missing or malfunctioning, and inconsistent lighting issues.
Something worth noting- one of Dave Feiten’s stated goals while cleaning up the attraction’s staging prior to reopen was to give people’s eyes somewhere to rest- every scene should have a clear focus, and there needed to be downtime between scenes to allow riders time to imagine and immerse in the world.
As you go around the corner we’re introduced to our antagonists, Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear. One is obviously depicted as cunning, while the other aloof. It’s also the first of many Br’er Butts throughout the attraction.
This little vignette is directly lifted from this scene from Song of the South-
The next little bit of the attraction introduces us to Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Turtle, singing about how they’re leaving the Briar Patch.
The ‘How Do You Do’ portion of the ride then transitions into a new version of the song with ‘Do’s’ sung instead of actual lyrics. The Splash Mountain Medley that’s been frequently released has a bit of audio in it that I don’t believe is in either version of the ride-
A while back I remember reading somewhere that that audio was to be used in the pre opening staging of the ride- not sure how true it is, but it’s fun to speculate.
The similarities between Marc Davis’s design work for Song of the South and America Sings are really remarkable. These baby possums that were initially from America Sings look almost exactly like the ones in the film, all it took was a costume change.
The next bit is the Hitchhiking Alligator, singing yet another version of How Do You Do.
On the right we see Br’er Rabbit quite amused with himself.. Just before we get a view of our second Br’er Butt.
As you descend into darkness you hear Br’er Bear say “There’s nothing in here but bees!”. This vignette is another lift from the film-
The dip drop that follows was inspired by the one at the flume ride in Busch Gardens in Florida, a ride that had been developed by Arrow Development. Tony sent Tom and Bruce out there to see if they liked it. According to Tom, Bruce didn’t like the dip drop but Tom did, and Tony turned to Bruce and said “Tom wins”.
After the blackened dip drop you come out into the Laughin’ Place portion of the ride, introduced via blacklist beehives and a unique version of the song. This bit presents a significant tonal shift in the attraction, and also gives riders a chance to cheer/clap after the dip drop before getting their attention back for the Laughin’ Place animatronic segment.
You see Br’er Bear with the beehive on his nose. During a 1987 presentation on the attraction Bruce Gordon had this to say about the figure- “Once you make it through the bees you end up in the Laughin’ Place and see Br’er Bear. He fell down the hill with you and now has a beehive stuck on his head. He’s thrashing and kicking like nothing flailing his arms. He’s amazing too. The bear is something new um he’s mounted on truck shock absorbers. There’s three truck absorbers and everything else is giant springs, we fire the shock absorbers at random and everything flails. We don’t know how long it’s gonna last until it destroys itself.” I’ve never seen a video of Br’er Bear acting as described in this scene- if anyone who got to ride it in ‘89 can chime in and mention if it ever functioned as described I’m really curious.
Prior to open this pig got swapped out for a Goose, I assume by Feiten.
The storyboards showed the ‘Old Grey Mare’ figure in this boat, and the figure being swapped I assume is another Feiten change. But again, could be wrong. I really wish the original staging was better documented, since things change from the original storyboards all the time.
We then see Br’er Rabbit get caught in honey by Br’er Fox, which is a very loose reference to the Tar Baby section from the film. We transition into Burrow’s Lament, and go up the lift to this scene which is a combination of two different scenes from the movie.
After the drop we hear an instrumental rendition of Zip a Dee Doo Dah. This track is designed to contribute to the celebratory nature of the moment, and not having an actual show scene right away gives riders a chance to recover and be excited without anything new in the story.
We then transition into the Showboat finale-
Notice that the leaves from the ceiling are now painted in fall colors vs the green from the How Do Ya Do part, and how it’s painted as a sunset- both subtle cues from the Imagineers to give the ride a more satisfying finale. Behind the middle fox is a Playbill sign that reads “Capt Andy Presents A Song of the South in 3 Acts”
We see Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear (and our final Br’er Butt) caught by an alligator, and Br'er Rabbit celebrating his victory.
For years you could preview your ride photo before exiting the log, but the screen was removed and the owl turned off (except for when the audio was mistakenly turned on briefly a little over a year ago).
Thanks to anyone who's actually read through all of this! There's a lot of neat little touches I left out- the over sized carrots and mushrooms in Burrow's Lament, the vultures, the various costume designs. I really like how this ride has a story that it uses to make the experience feel cohesive, but it doesn't rely on that story or force it down your throat. It's experiential storytelling vs. linear storytelling. I think my next 'Oh my goodness this is way too long' post will be a deep dive look into the music of the attraction- each version of the audio from the ride, where it's used, and where it originates from. And any information I can find about lyricists and performers.
Brer Panther
Well-Known Member
Disney has over the years been extremely inconsistent as to what color Brer Rabbit is, particularly on merchandise. Dunno why that is.
My question is, why does Brer Fox in the Disneyland version have some white hair on his head? It just looks weird...
You mean the "Time to be turnin' around" part? That actually IS included in the Magic Kingdom version, performed by the porcupine. According to an article about the ride in an old Disney magazine, they were originally going to have the roadrunner near the possums sing it in the Disneyland version.