As promised, here is the addendum to my original list of the Top 10 reasons why Splash Mountain at Disneyland is superior to the Disney World Version. Shout out to mickEblu.
1. Grand Reveal- A genius touch that many overlook and was totally mishandled for the DW version. At the DL Splash, during the entire outdoor portion, including the first hill, mini-drop, and larger drop, we only hear instrumental music. There is not a single lyric sung during the whole first act. It is not until you enter the main cave when all of a sudden you hear a choir of animals singing, "How do you do" on both sides of the log making a great impression.
Stupidly, during the outdoor portion at the swamps, you begin hearing the horrendous Alvin and the Chimpmunk voice singing the "How do you do' song, ruining the effect when you actually enter the cartoon world. When you do enter the inside the mountain, it takes a while before you even see your first Animatronic. At Disneyland, you are literally surrounded by Animatronics the moment you enter the mountain making it for a magical experience.
2. Log Flume- DL Splash has the traditional log flume with single style seating without restraints that makes it more thrilling, adventurous and unique. DW Splash has side by side seating that makes it more akin to Shoot-the-Chutes style of ride which makes it less of a thrilling experience. The fact that you don't even have a lap bar and are completely free and open at Disneyland is quite exhilarating and more fun. It is also more psychologically scary because technically you can fall out any moment which makes the final drop even that much more terrifying. The lap bar at DW makes a comparatively tame ride even tamer.
3. The Thrill Factor- Due to the speed, log flume style, and layout of the ride with many twists and turns, DL Splash is much more of a thrill ride. The DW version is much more tame because of its glacial speed, log flume style, and boring layout. Disneyland packs a punch throughout the entire ride, whereas Disney World only gives you a few thrills during the drops. The slow, calm, peaceful boat ride does NOT work for this type of ride. It is much better suited for rides like It's a Small World and Pirates of the Carribean where you are on a big boat with lots of people, instead of on a log flume with a very small group. Going at a snail pace defeats the purpose of the log flume, should have gone with the big boats instead.
4. Tonal Variety- At Disney World, when you enter the mountain, you are greeted by colorful, sunny skies in the background through the "How do you do" scene. You then awkwardly transition to "Laughing Place" while still being in colorful, sunny skies in the background. You then drop and finally have a tonal change where it is darker. After the big drop, you go back to colorful, sunny skies in the Doo Dah scene. Basically, you only have 1 dark scene and the rest are colorful, sunny sky scenes.
At Disneyland, as soon as you enter the mountain you leave the sunny outdoor world and enter a cheerful, yet darker world. When you transition to the "Laughing Place" scene, it is almost completely dark which sets the tone for the final drop. After the big drop, you finally get your great payoff of a colorful, sunny world. Another reason I think this is much better is because both California and Florida are very sunny places. In the Florida ride, you go from a sunny outdoor portion to an indoor sunny portion. in California, you go from sunny to dark and finally back to sunny again. There is much more tonal and emotional variety at Disneyland Splash Mountain.
5. Into the Further- Insidious reference aside, this is a very important detail that makes Disneyland the superior version. As mentioned previously, the mountain itself is very natural looking and organic to its surroundings. The entire first act takes place outside where nothing much is out of the ordinary. You see an owl, hear a bear sleeping, look at some animal shelters, etc. It is not until you ENTER the mountain that you are transported into a magical, cartoon world where anything is possible. You go from the real world to the land of make believe.
At Disney World, everything is cartoony from the very beginning. The briar patch is cartoony. The mountain is cartoony. The queue is cartoony. The outdoor portion where you hear the Alvin and the Chimpmunk voice singing is cartoony. You then drop into the cartoon world, but everything has already been cartoony up to that point. Another attraction that nails the REAL WORLD/MAGICAL WORLD perfectly is Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure. The entire first act you are traveling peacefully among beautiful desert scenery. Nothing is out of the ordinary. You see some cool plants. You even see a waterfall. But then, you exit the real world and enter the magical world of living, breathing cars. This is incredibly difficult to pull off, but the imagineers pulled this off at RSR and DL Splash Mountain. Unfortunately, they couldn't pull this off at Disney World.
6. Outdoor Portion-This is something that I have never heard anybody talk about, yet adds to the overall experience of the ride. The first act of the ride takes place outside where you get some great views. Here is the thing though. California is the most beautiful state in the nation. The topography and landscape is second to none. This is evident as you see all the beautiful trees, plants and flowers while traveling the outdoor portion. Do me a favor and go to Youtube to compare the views that you get in California vs Florida. In the future, I will post videos to show you guys what I'm talking about.
7. Landing Zone-I'm not going to sugar coat it. Disney World becomes incredibly awkward after the final drop. It goes into this ugly, unthemed self-contained loop that you would find at a regional park. At Disneyland, you immediately go into themed mountain walls after the final drop. The theming remains consistent throughout the entire ride, whereas at the swamps you have a major lapse in theming after the drop.
8. Heart & Soul- The DW version of Splash is a lot more polished with upgraded Animatronics and fancier effects. Disneyland Splash Mountain is the original version and therefore is older. Yes, the AA's are less advanced. Sets are smaller. Budget is smaller. Here's the kicker though. It has that Disney JE NE SAIS QUOI that I feel is missing at DW. As other posters have stated, it is devoid of character. It is missing that Disney magic that is felt on other classic attractions. My favorite rides at Disneyland are the Fantasyland dark rides. Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Snow White, Mr. Toad, and Alice in Wonderland. These are not advanced rides or E-ticket attractions. They have old technology. But for me, they capture exactly what Disney is all about. DL Splash Mountain is rooted in the fantasyland dark ride and DW Splash is not. It is not a surprise since the swamps decided to destroy all their classic dark rides except for Peter Pan.
