Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[Matt_Black]

I find her lack of faith... distu

Disney has jacked up the marketing for all aspects of princess and the frog. The first mistake was marketing it as a princess movie. I think it would have done much better if they had taken the tangled approach. Of course I believe they changed tangled from Rapunzel because of what happened with PatF.

I honestly think that someone wanted this to fail so as to have an excuse to scuttle the 2D animation department. You'll note that after it performed better than expected, the next and last 2D animated film was Winnie The Pooh, which I can't even remember seeing any advertising for and was released the same weekend as the latest Harry Potter movie.

And I wouldn't say it's been neglected, as it gets fairly heavy rotation on the various Disney owned TV networks, which is more than SOME movies. Isn't that right, Kida?

 

[Chi84]

Hey there is a petition out there that calls for keeping Splash Mountain unchanged... and it has more than double the signatures than the one that caused the Disney execs to wet themselves and call for a change.

Hmmmm. what to do???

If Disney cared about petitions I imagine they would be upset.

 

[hokielutz]

If Disney cared about petitions I imagine they would be upset.

Didn't this thing start from a petition??? or do you buy the Bravo Sierra line from them that they have had this being planned for over a year?

 

[hokielutz]

Hey there is a petition out there that calls for keeping Splash Mountain unchanged... and it has more than double the signatures than the one that caused the Disney execs to wet themselves and call for a change.

Hmmmm. what to do???

Oh wait... I stand corrected.... over 3 times the number of signatures. Someone call CNN and ask them to do another story. What... CNN picks sides and doesn't report the news for both sides? Wow... mind blown.

 

[Chi84]

Didn't this thing start from a petition??? or do you buy the Bravo Sierra line from them that they have had this being planned for over a year?

Well there’s an easy way to tell. If they are making the decision based on petitions and there’s one out there with triple the signatures to keep Splash unchanged, then the ride will remain as it is. We just wait and see.

 

[Matt_Black]

Let's be honest- talk about changing Splash Mountain has existed for years prior, so much so that I made a Batman meme out of it some years back (please note- my opinion on the matter has softened somewhat).

 

[Figments Friend]

We happen to have a bootleg copy of SotS and we all watched it (including my POC friends) - you know what the reaction was? “That was a sweet movie about people being friends no matter your race” ... which is the message of the movie.

The argument that it makes the post-slavery era too nice and friendly or that it doesn’t address the serious issues ... well, okay ... it’s a Disney movie, what did you expect? Disney is about showcasing the idealized version of something, not addressing the harsh realities in a kids movie.

At the end of the day the movie is about friendship across races ...

This.
100%



-

 

[kong1802]

Well there’s an easy way to tell. If they are making the decision based on petitions and there’s one out there with triple the signatures to keep Splash unchanged, then the ride will remain as it is. We just wait and see.

Kind of flies in the face of their logic, doesn't it?

 

[hokielutz]

Let's be honest- talk about changing Splash Mountain has existed for years prior, so much so that I made a Batman meme out of it some years back (please note- my opinion on the matter has softened somewhat).
View attachment 480962

I probably wouldn't have an argument with changing Splash Mountain because its almost thirty years old in its original theming... but the fact that Disney is empowering a mob movement that goes from one place to another (monuments, historical figures, movies, to a theme park ride) to overhaul a major popular attraction with as little as 21K signatures on an internet petition is a very poor reflection on this leadership.
Despite all of the clamoring of fans and letters & articles that were published by the Orlando Slantinel for years... the TDO did not see fit to fix the Yeti... but is willing to spend ten times that repair to completely re-do an attraction that is one of the most popular on property for decades.

(Sorry Norway... you had it coming)
(Figment, You deserve more TLC than you've been given) Think about it every other FW pavilion has had an overhaul or a major plus up... yet Imagination continues to languish in its reduced state with 5 min waits.

Anyways... getting off track.

I know Disney will not change course for anything short of tens of thousands of people protesting outside their offices for days with national media press coverage... but it won't happen. There's a political agenda that being passed around and Disney has fallen in line.

 

[tirian]

Disney has jacked up the marketing for all aspects of princess and the frog. The first mistake was marketing it as a princess movie. I think it would have done much better if they had taken the tangled approach. Of course I believe they changed tangled from Rapunzel because of what happened with PatF. This is why people think this is a knee jerk resction. You spent 10yrs neglecting this film, and all of a sudden under the current climate you now decide to have this grand plan for the film? It's just a bit to coincidental for me.

You’re right.

TPATF is one of my favorite Disney movies from the 2000s. It’s a better movie than Frozen. It has better animation and character models than Frozen*. I concede the music is not as good. Disney mis-marketed the film and botched some story points, but it was a good movie that they basically ignored it after its release.

Disney ignored it because it didn’t sell toys like Frozen.

Now we’re supposed to believe they’ve suddenly grown a corporate conscience? They’re trotting it out because they need it for political reasons, and nobody finds this questionable?

*People praise Frozen’s snowfall and other impressive special FX, but that doesn’t save the stiff, generic character animation.

 

[Chi84]

Kind of flies in the face of their logic, doesn't it?

I assume by "their" you are referring to the people who insist Disney had no intention of changing Splash and is giving in to a recent petition. Yes, it does fly in the face of their logic. The petition and the current sociopolitical climate may have pushed the project forward a bit, but it's disingenuous to suggest that Disney doesn't know what it's doing or that this is some kind of knee-jerk reaction to a small number of people signing a petition.

I don't doubt the sincerity of the die-hard Disney fans who don't want to see the ride changed, but it looks as though there are others who just can't stand the idea of anyone they don't agree with getting their way. I do doubt the sincerity of some (not all) of the posters who are suggesting that the simple re-theming is an insult to inclusion and diversity because Disney would honor those ideals better by building a new ride or land. No one jumped on board when I suggested the re-theming could just be a small start and that Disney could do more towards those ideals in the future.

 

[kong1802]

I assume by "their" you are referring to the people who insist Disney had no intention of changing Splash and is giving in to a recent petition. Yes, it does fly in the face of their logic. The petition and the current sociopolitical climate may have pushed the project forward a bit, but it's disingenuous to suggest that Disney doesn't know what it's doing or that this is some kind of knee-jerk reaction to a small number of people signing a petition.

I don't doubt the sincerity of the die-hard Disney fans who don't want to see the ride changed, but it looks as though there are others who just can't stand the idea of anyone they don't agree with getting their way. I do doubt the sincerity of some (not all) of the posters who are suggesting that the simple re-theming is an insult to inclusion and diversity because Disney would honor those ideals better by building a new ride or land. No one jumped on board when I suggested the re-theming could just be a small start and that Disney could do more in the future.

Yes, that's exactly who I am referring too.

The petition didn't move this forward. If it did, we would see the one with 3x's as many signatures moving it backward...(that still remains to be seen, but my hunch is it wont).

 

[kong1802]

You’re right.

TPATF is one of my favorite Disney movies from the 2000s. It’s a better movie than Frozen. It has better animation and character models than Frozen*. I concede the music is not as good. Disney mis-marketed the film and botched some story points, but it was a good movie that they basically ignored it after its release.

Disney ignored it because it didn’t sell toys like Frozen.

Now we’re supposed to believe they’ve suddenly grown a corporate conscience? They’re trotting it out because they need it for political reasons, and nobody finds this questionable?

*People praise Frozen’s snowfall and other impressive special FX, but that doesn’t save the stiff, generic character animation.

I see this refrain that it's ignored, but didn't they do a Tiana riverboat party at MK? A hard ticketed event?

And weren't they putting a Tiana's restaurant in the now defunct new DVC?

The merchandise has definitely not been in your face like Frozen's has. But to be fair no one has merchandising success like Frozen....

 

[erasure fan1]

Disney ignored it because it didn’t sell toys like Frozen.

Very true. There is a reason we have 3 Cars movies. Lol

 

[hokielutz]

Yes, that's exactly who I am referring too.

The petition didn't move this forward. If it did, we would see the one with 3x's as many signatures moving it backward...(that still remains to be seen, but my hunch is it wont).

I am not naive to believe a counter-petition with 3-5x the signatures of the original one would cause Disney to reverse their already announced direction. They would be pounced on by the mainstream news organizations and that kind of negative attention would be a fifty times worse than if they ignored/no commented the original petition and the associated news stories from CNN, etc. (Note how the counter petition has received zero press attention except from a few extreme right wing sources.)

IF this change has been announced 3-6 months earlier... I seriously doubt you would see this kind of uproar over the change. If this truely was planned earlier... it was a possible idea that hadn't made its way through Blue Sky. With no date for completion, no date for closure, and one piece of artwork from the outside of Splash with PatF theming... there really isn't anything that says this isn't a quick turn reaction by the company.
PatF was a decent film at best where the villain and the gator are the most memorable parts of the film. Marketing post release was abysmal and couldn't generate a solid following and Disney is at fault for not pushing its inclusion into the parks further.

 

[hokielutz]

I see this refrain that it's ignored, but didn't they do a Tiana riverboat party at MK? A hard ticketed event?

And weren't they putting a Tiana's restaurant in the now defunct new DVC?

The merchandise has definitely not been in your face like Frozen's has. But to be fair no one has merchandising success like Frozen....

Despite individual grievances on the over-exposure of Frozen... one cannot deny that the film captured the attention of the world based solely on its product. The film had a normal marketing arc.. and was not promoted like a Marvel film, Its box office take did not break records on the first weekend... but it was the staying power, week- after week from word of mouth and reviews that caused its ride to glory. Disney was caught flat-footed by its success (just like the Mandalorian & the child) and wasn't ready for the demand for the merchandise. The music, animation, characters, and storyline captured young and old alike. I am sorry if you are an adult that has had to listen to Let it Go a hundred times or more in a row... but that's the proof it was better than PatF.

 

[Chi84]

Despite individual grievances on the over-exposure of Frozen... one cannot deny that the film captured the attention of the world based solely on its product. The film had a normal marketing arc.. and was not promoted like a Marvel film, Its box office take did not break records on the first weekend... but it was the staying power, week- after week from word of mouth and reviews that caused its ride to glory. Disney was caught flat-footed by its success (just like the Mandalorian & the child) and wasn't ready for the demand for the merchandise. The music, animation, characters, and storyline captured young and old alike. I am sorry if you are an adult that has had to listen to Let it Go a hundred times or more in a row... but that's the proof it was better than PatF.

Nobody is arguing that PatF was chosen because it was the best movie Disney has to offer - it was chosen because it furthers Disney's sociopolitical goals. Some people think that's a good thing and others think it's a bad thing. The movie theme doesn't have to be the best one out there, just better than the one it's replacing, which I doubt many people have seen. Heck, I'm on Medicare and that movie was made 9 years before I was born. Other than on these boards, I doubt there's much support for the characters in Splash. I would bet very few people who ride it know where those characters came from, and that works to Disney's advantage. They can abandon something that some people find objectionable based on its source material, while furthering the goal of inclusion, which most people agree is good. I'm not sure why people find it "suspicious" or "convenient" for Disney to embrace PatF. It furthers their goal.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Honestly, I don’t think there’s such widespread agreement (outside of these boards) that Splash is one of the most popular rides of all time or one of the best and most beloved in WDW. I suspect people love the extended flume ride and the jumping water etc. but it’s hard for me to believe people are so captivated by those particular characters. But I have no way of knowing that for certain. I guess it’s just a matter of opinion. There’s something for everyone at Disney.

Well, a good way to knowing for certain that there’s widespread agreement on Splash outside of these boards is to look outside of these boards. If you did, you’d see WDWMAGIC clearly isn’t unique in its appreciation for the attraction. Most recently, an article from allears.net named Splash as the best Magic Kingdom attraction based on user reviews. In the majority of those reviews, there is widespread praise for its music, story, animatronics and characters. https://allears.net/2020/05/29/the-best-and-worst-ride-in-each-disney-world-park-according-to-you/

 

[Prince-1]

Well there’s an easy way to tell. If they are making the decision based on petitions and there’s one out there with triple the signatures to keep Splash unchanged, then the ride will remain as it is. We just wait and see.

No need to wait anymore as the ride will be changed as announced.

 

[Chi84]

Well, a good way to knowing for certain that there’s widespread agreement on Splash outside of these boards is to look outside of these boards. If you did, you’d see WDWMAGIC clearly isn’t unique in its appreciation for the attraction. Most recently, an article from allears.net named Splash as the best Magic Kingdom attraction based on user reviews. In the majority of those reviews, there is widespread praise for its music, story, animatronics and characters. https://allears.net/2020/05/29/the-best-and-worst-ride-in-each-disney-world-park-according-to-you/

When I said "these boards," I didn't just mean this site. I suspect allears surveyed the people who visit its site, which is another website dedicated to discussing all things Disney. I meant the average Disney guest, who is likely unaware that these sites even exist. People who spend time visiting these sites, reading the articles, responding to surveys, posting tips, etc. are a very small part of Disney's customer base.