Disneyland’s Splash Mountain marks 30 wet years on Wednesday, July 17 - OCR/SCNG

THE 1HAPPY HAUNT

Well-Known Member
I have been on many log flumes over the years especially in my youth and the coolest thing about the final drop in SPLASH is it is the only one I was afraid of going down as a kid. it looked soo big and itmidating and fast. No other final log flume ride put the fear in me like that, but that is why I love it because as much as I feared the final drop as a kid, I was dying to go down it because the exterior around it looked soo freaking bad@ss at the same time!!
 

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
I’m torn on the name. I think if I was an adult when Splash Mountain was announced I would have thought it was an incredibly generic name that tells me nothing about the theme of the ride. I also would have thought “Disneyland” sounded pretty generic if I was around in the early 50’s. In hindsight it may seem like the better name because it’s short and sweet even if maybe a little too literal. We also have 30 years of history with the name so it seems natural. I think Zip a Dee River Run describes the attraction better but Splash Mountain is more in line with the other very generic attraction names at the park like Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion (at least its not house).

I recall Tony Baxter saying somewhere that in hindsight, Splash Mountain is the better name. I can't remember where he said it (and I hope I'm not misremembering), but I'm gonna yield to this one here. I do think Zip a Dee River Run cheapens the ride- makes it seem like a ride for young children, while Splash Mountain makes it sound like a more adult ride- like Space Mountain.

I still think Zip A Dee River Run and Splash Mountain are both way better names than Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
 

THE 1HAPPY HAUNT

Well-Known Member
Indian Jones was kicked out of the park years before Splash Mountain was built, when they converted the old Indian area into Bear Country.
Dont get me wrong, Splash is a great ride for sure. One of the best rides Disney ever did. It is classic and iconic and I do love it. But Indy is on another level and is one of the best rides ever made in any theme park in the world. Splash is noo Indy. But that is a debate for another thread. This is a celebration of Splash and how wonderful it is. I wish they would bring back the owl that used to be at the very end. The one that told you, you could buy your on ride photo once you got off. That was a cool AA
 
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SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Dont get me wrong, Splash is a great ride for sure. Ome of the best rides Disney ever did. It is classic and iconic and I do love it. But Indy is on another level and is one of the best rides ever made in any theme park in the world. Splash is noo Indy. But that is a debate for another thread. This is a celebration of Splash and how womderful it is. I wish they would bring back the owl that used to be at the very end. The one that told you, you could buy your on ride photo once you got off. That was a cool AA

I was making a joke about your misspelling of Indiana Jones.

Also, that owl is still there. And as of April, the audio track was back as well.
 

smile

Well-Known Member

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
30 years of reinforcement'll do that

Certainly. But why would Zip a Dee River Run be a better name than Splash Mountain? The 'Mountain' theme across Disneyland's E Ticket thrill experiences helps unify the park and give a more adult feel to the attractions. Zip a Dee sounds like a C ticket Fantasyland dark ride, like "Brer Rabbit's wild log run" that has limited appeal to adults.


his reasoning was virtually always flawed



man was a toxic hollywood exec from the word go and became progressively worse
... any words you (or others) may arrange in defense will not change this ;)

What's your point?

Eisner was certainly no saint- the man is dishonest, petty, and arrogant. I'm not here to defend his character or work ethic. But Disney is in far better shape because of his leadership than it would be had he never come on board. And at least Eisner tried to offer creative input where possible and dialogue with the Imagineers.

Obviously, with Eisner it's essential to judge the first decade ('84-95) against his second decade. After Katzenberg left, Wells died, and he had heart surgery many problems arose for The Walt Disney Company and a slew of poor executive decisions were made that were near horrific for the company- and it's from this period that much of the fandom's distate for Eisner arose.

For me personally, I love what he did for Disneyland in that first good decade (Eo, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Fantasmic!, Indiana Jones) enough that I think it outweighs the damage done in the second half of the decade (excluding of course the lives lost, which were horrific events that are completely inexcusable).

I seriously doubt Splash Mountain would have been green lit with Iger and Chapek in charge. So we have to at least give Eisner credit there.

Of course, Iger has been inflicting damage on Disneyland in other ways that aren't related to lack of budget. The increase in investment in Disneyland we've seen over the last 5 years has altered the fabric of the park significantly, and we won't know how both the creative, and economic decisions made in regards to Disneyland have actually impacted the park for another few years.
 

smile

Well-Known Member
Certainly. But why would Zip a Dee River Run be a better name than Splash Mountain? The 'Mountain' theme across Disneyland's E Ticket thrill experiences helps unify the park and give a more adult feel to the attractions. Zip a Dee sounds like a C ticket Fantasyland dark ride, like "Brer Rabbit's wild log run" that has limited appeal to adults.

exactly eisner to boil tony's masterful awesomeness down to "durrrrrrrrrrrrrr its a bigg old mountin with a splash!11!!!!! at he eeend it oh w0W mehhhh N3W moviees th1s iz purrrrfecttt"
- round about there is when twdc started to realize all their guests were as moronic as he was and began acting accordingly :hilarious:

excellent point, too - sm is just as wonderfully generic as sm... and while sm is, actually, sm isn't

but this isn't a discussion fairly had, now

What's your point?

Eisner was certainly no saint- the man is dishonest, petty, and arrogant. I'm not here to defend his character or work ethic. But Disney is in far better shape because of his leadership than it would be had he never come on board. And at least Eisner tried to offer creative input where possible and dialogue with the Imagineers.

Obviously, with Eisner it's essential to judge the first decade ('84-95) against his second decade. After Katzenberg left, Wells died, and he had heart surgery many problems arose for The Walt Disney Company and a slew of poor executive decisions were made that were near horrific for the company- and it's from this period that much of the fandom's distate for Eisner arose.

For me personally, I love what he did for Disneyland in that first good decade (Eo, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Fantasmic!, Indiana Jones) enough that I think it outweighs the damage done in the second half of the decade (excluding of course the lives lost, which were horrific events that are completely inexcusable).

I seriously doubt Splash Mountain would have been green lit with Iger and Chapek in charge. So we have to at least give Eisner credit there.

Of course, Iger has been inflicting damage on Disneyland in other ways that aren't related to lack of budget. The increase in investment in Disneyland we've seen over the last 5 years has altered the fabric of the park significantly, and we won't know how both the creative, and economic decisions made in regards to Disneyland have actually impacted the park for another few years.

appreciate your thoughtful response
 

Sailor310

Well-Known Member
A quiz show had a question about Disney having a patent for making a log ride faster by injecting air. I guessed "no". Here's an abstract of the patent (used at Splash):

Water slide
Abstract

The present invention provides a water slide which includes a device for reducing the impact felt by riders or users when they contact the slower-moving water at the bottom of an incline. Such slower moving water can be particularly injurious to a user who is traveling at relatively high speed (e.g., down a particularly long or steep slope). The device for reducing impact is a section of slide of predetermined length which includes air injection nozzles for reducing the apparent density and viscosity and increasing compressibility of the water to enable the user to slow down more gradually by transitioning from reduced density water to normal density water.


I have been on Splash alot and don't scare easily. One night I was by myself, it was late, I was a little tired. The log stopped right at the top, I looked into the abyss in the dark and was terrified! Good ride!

I keep thinking of things..one thing I don't approved of at Splash is interspecies dating. There is a cart with two male foxes and two female cats obviously on a date!
 
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shambolicdefending

Well-Known Member
I like your summary. Much of my info from the 1980's came through Bud Hurlbut and his friends, some of who just happened to work for WDI. And like many informal discussions, thall shall not speak outside the group.

Yes, the total disaster of Splash Mountain 1.0, and how/why so many mistakes happened is something that has remained fairly quiet, because, well, it was a disaster. And it made nobody look good. But the changes were made, some tough financial decisions had to be made.

Maybe we'll be saying the same thing about SWGE and Rise of the Resistance in 30 years ;)
 

Amidala

Well-Known Member
Certainly. But why would Zip a Dee River Run be a better name than Splash Mountain? The 'Mountain' theme across Disneyland's E Ticket thrill experiences helps unify the park and give a more adult feel to the attractions. Zip a Dee sounds like a C ticket Fantasyland dark ride, like "Brer Rabbit's wild log run" that has limited appeal to adults.


What's your point?

Eisner was certainly no saint- the man is dishonest, petty, and arrogant. I'm not here to defend his character or work ethic. But Disney is in far better shape because of his leadership than it would be had he never come on board. And at least Eisner tried to offer creative input where possible and dialogue with the Imagineers.

Obviously, with Eisner it's essential to judge the first decade ('84-95) against his second decade. After Katzenberg left, Wells died, and he had heart surgery many problems arose for The Walt Disney Company and a slew of poor executive decisions were made that were near horrific for the company- and it's from this period that much of the fandom's distate for Eisner arose.

For me personally, I love what he did for Disneyland in that first good decade (Eo, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Fantasmic!, Indiana Jones) enough that I think it outweighs the damage done in the second half of the decade (excluding of course the lives lost, which were horrific events that are completely inexcusable).

I seriously doubt Splash Mountain would have been green lit with Iger and Chapek in charge. So we have to at least give Eisner credit there.

Of course, Iger has been inflicting damage on Disneyland in other ways that aren't related to lack of budget. The increase in investment in Disneyland we've seen over the last 5 years has altered the fabric of the park significantly, and we won't know how both the creative, and economic decisions made in regards to Disneyland have actually impacted the park for another few years.

Really great read, agreed on everything. I've been riding the WDW SM since childhood (my favorite ride there) & will be riding the original for the first time next month. Super excited to finally see the differences for myself.
 

smile

Well-Known Member
Happy Birthday, Splash! I’m not a fan, but it’s undoubtedly a classic.

can only gather from such an obvious dangle you're not a fan of it's most controversial facet - if not, please correct...it's almost perfect

regardless, i'm reminded, being of the (somewhat controversial) opinion that ip is relevant, that i consider one of tony's best feats here providing best case for the reverse 😶
... yet, ultimately, does it despite his mastery of form? i see an ip's relevancy can be affected by the level of craftsmanship, even being regulated to the periphery by artfulness... but it remains relevant.
 

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