A Brief and Incomplete History of Splash Mountain

[mickEblu]

Went on Splash 2x yesterday and Grizzly River Run once. I’ve really been prioritizing Splash as it’s on life support and it’s Summertime so it’s great. One more little detail that I’ll miss. These guys….

I love the little falsettos you hear as you turn away from Brer Rabbit n Brer Turtle and turn this bend. I’m not sure if the sounds are supposed to coming from the possums but it’s just one of those beautiful touches and arrangements from a great soundtrack that will be lost and I fear will not be replaced with anything that nuanced and custom made for every moment of the attraction. You can hear it from 5:45 to 6:03 in the video below.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Went on Splash 2x yesterday and Grizzly River Run once. I’ve really been prioritizing Splash as it’s on life support and it’s Summertime so it’s great. One more little detail that I’ll miss. These guys….

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I love the little falsettos you hear as you turn away from Brer Rabbit n Brer Turtle and turn this bend. I’m not sure if the sounds are supposed to coming from the possums but it’s just one of those beautiful touches and arrangements from a great soundtrack that will be lost and I fear will not be replaced with anything that nuanced and custom made for every moment of the attraction. You can hear it from 5:45 to 6:03 in the video below.

It's funny, as soon as I saw that photo I could hear the falsettos you were talking about it my head. The music in this ride is probably the best Disney's done for an attraction.

 

[mickEblu]

It's funny, as soon as I saw that photo I could hear the falsettos you were talking about it my head. The music in this ride is probably the best Disney's done for an attraction.

Lol.

I think a lot of people love the ride and perhaps done even know exactly why or understand all the little touches but like you said we’re losing a master class in themed design. It’s not even all about the political stuff, the IP and all that.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Lol.

I think a lot of people love the ride and perhaps done even know exactly why or understand all the little touches but like you said we’re losing a master class in themed design. It’s not even all about the political stuff, the IP and all that.

I like that the last few pages of this thread has kind of been identifying small touches in this ride that really set it apart. When I have time later I'll add some of the stuff that I notice when I ride as well.

But to me it's really just amazing how well the ride integrates with its surroundings. It feels as if it's always been there- as any addition to Disneyland should. And it is a remarkably believable structure within the context of Disneyland, if that makes sense.

 

[D.Silentu]

One more little detail that I’ll miss. These guys….

I love the little falsettos you hear as you turn away from Brer Rabbit n Brer Turtle and turn this bend. I’m not sure if the sounds are supposed to coming from the possums but it’s just one of those beautiful touches...

I love that part as well and have always attributed the falsetto chorus to the little possums so I bet it was intentional. I've been thinking about how replaced rides usually have some sort of tribute to their former tenant and one of those small guys could easily sneak his way into one of the redone scenes!

 

[Brer Panther]

A lot of pro-rethemers are claiming that they'll probably reuse most of the animatronics, but I sincerely doubt it.

I can maybe see them keeping the bullfrogs, the Swamp Boys, and the Hitchhiking Alligator. MAYBE.

They'll probably reskin a couple of the Brer Bear animatronics as Louis as everyone's been suggesting.

I could hypothetically see them reskinning the storks in the Laughin' Place as the spoonbills from the movie.

Aside from that? They'll probably all be trashed like the Universe of Energy dinosaurs.

 

[mickEblu]

A lot of pro-rethemers are claiming that they'll probably reuse most of the animatronics, but I sincerely doubt it.

I can maybe see them keeping the bullfrogs, the Swamp Boys, and the Hitchhiking Alligator. MAYBE.

They'll probably reskin a couple of the Brer Bear animatronics as Louis as everyone's been suggesting.

I could hypothetically see them reskinning the storks in the Laughin' Place as the spoonbills from the movie.

Aside from that? They'll probably all be trashed like the Universe of Energy dinosaurs.

I really wish their thought process was more “Splash Mountain featuring Princess and the Frog.” Splash Mountain is a beloved name and attraction and the setting/ theme of the attraction works with PatF.

 

[Midwest Elitist]

I really wish their thought process was more “Splash Mountain featuring Princess and the Frog.” Splash Mountain is a beloved name and attraction and the setting/ theme of the attraction works with PatF.

I guess that's just it. They are full tunnel vision on correcting a wrong (and there is a wrong) that they don't even care about that aspect. I mean, is everything relatedly problematic going to be justified purely by association, going forward? Soundtrack removed, just cause?

Another fear I have is they are just "plopping" their story in with disregard to the mountain pacing, then tweaking it to fit. Maybe they'll surprise us, but I'm bracing for disappointment. If Splash is already at a 10, the most I think we'll get is an 8.

Silver lining, we still have Tokyo, but DL's version is gone. It's... a shame

 

[SuddenStorm]

I love how every inch of this attraction was intricately detailed. I mean, they basically had to do the entire exterior of the attraction this way. It's a work of art.

 

[Midwest Elitist]

I love how every inch of this attraction was intricately detailed. I mean, they basically had to do the entire exterior of the attraction this way. It's a work of art.

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Right, and at this point in time I'm thinking, "are they actually trolling us?" "Do they really think they can top this?"

The answer to both is no, unfortunately. I think this is about shoving IP in, completely disregarding what came before.

It's just... a shame...

 

[EagleScout610]

We found Sooner or Later footage! This is from June of '89!

 

[SuddenStorm]

We found Sooner or Later footage! This is from June of '89!

June '89 would be before the ride officially opened

 

[EagleScout610]

June '89 would be before the ride officially opened

I'm guessing Sooner was used for test/previews and swapped pre official open

 

[SuddenStorm]

I'm guessing Sooner was used for test/previews and swapped pre official open

I think that's what people say online.

 

[SuddenStorm]

We found Sooner or Later footage! This is from June of '89!

This also shows the Laughin' Place Br'er Bear working as intended, and the Br'er Rabbit in the beehive has far more motion than the current version of the figure. It's interesting how many 'small' changes there are that would otherwise go unnoticeable.

This is an incredible video. Not to mention the undeniable charm of '80s Disneyland captured on tape.

 

[Consumer]

We found Sooner or Later footage! This is from June of '89!

Great find.

This also shows the Laughin' Place Br'er Bear working as intended, and the Br'er Rabbit in the beehive has far more motion than the current version of the figure. It's interesting how many 'small' changes there are that would otherwise go unnoticeable.

This is an incredible video. Not to mention the undeniable charm of '80s Disneyland captured on tape.

1980's Tomorrowland was perfection, especially classic Star Tours. Despite having been around for over 10 years now, it doesn't seem like new Star Tours has generated nearly as much fondness amongst parkgoers and fans as the original managed to.

 

[Phroobar]

We found Sooner or Later footage! This is from June of '89!

What is even more interesting is the Universal Studios stuff. You don't see much footage of the original Special Effects show anymore. That was back when the Special Effects show was a tram stop on the lower lot where Transformers is now.

 

[Dear Prudence]

Gonna miss this!

 

[SuddenStorm]

Recently, for no reason in particular, I've been thinking quite a bit about how dang well this ride builds suspense and integrates conflict.

The ride is chock full of visual cues that build anticipation of what's to come- passing the final drop at the beginning, or the plunge into darkness (under the Br'er Butt).

The Talking Skull in Pirates remains the seminal 'suspense builder' (not sure the best way to phrase it) in a dark ride- but I'd argue it's rivaled by the bit right after the laughing place.

Seeing Br'er Rabbit get caught. The instant music and mood change- hearing songs about how he's going to die a horrible death. The two vultures. The dark lift ascent to the final drop, seeing Br'er foxe's silhouette- this piece of ride is absolutely terrifying to anyone under the age of 10 and really does a great job of making the drop feel 'larger' than it is- and adds a considerable amount of emotional weight to the finale at the end.

The Zip a Dee Doo Dah finale is among the best done- but a huge part of that is because of how well it is set up prior.

 

[Captain Neo]

This also shows the Laughin' Place Br'er Bear working as intended, and the Br'er Rabbit in the beehive has far more motion than the current version of the figure. It's interesting how many 'small' changes there are that would otherwise go unnoticeable.

This is an incredible video. Not to mention the undeniable charm of '80s Disneyland captured on tape.

lol the reason the animatronics have more motion is because the company spent a lot more care and effort on maintenance back then (A tradition that is still continued by OLC in Tokyo) but in Disney-owned parks that all changed in the late 90s during Eisner's later years.