Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[SaveDinosaur]

I watched it for the first time a few years ago and a ways into the movie I thought, "alright this is no worse than Dumbo". Then it shifted. The movie is racist to the point where it wouldn't be released today or even 20 years ago. To say otherwise would be woefully ignorant.

Good to know that you think that is racist, because the cast didn't think so.

 

[Phineas]

Aw, heck.
(Does the auto-moderator allow “heck”?)

 

[_caleb]

"People are calling Splash Mountain 'racially problematic' so let's retheme it to a movie set in...*checks notes*...segregated New Orleans in the Jim Crow South."
- Some marketing genius

You don't see a difference between how black people are depicted in Princess and the Frog and how they are depicted in Song of the South?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Also Tony Baxter must be seriously ****ed off right now.

He’s getting a check as an advisor.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Respectfully, your are making an illogical connection between the absolute horror of slavery and a theme park ride (with zero connections to racism, racism themes, or racist stories). And again, the movie the Song Of The South itself was not racist or offensive in any way.

I wasn't. I was stating why disney is feeling the pressure to change it. The OP stated that the past isn't relevant to the present.

You put that in quotes like you don’t believe it.

I quoted it because that is what the OP called it.

 

[tirian]

Not true. There were protests against the film beginning in 1946.

The louder protests quickly died down into general uneasiness after the film was released and people realized that Uncle Remus was the hero of the story. Today the NAACP has no position on it, and Whoopi Goldberg has called on the company to stop hiding it because it’s definitely problematic, but not racist.

Don’t get me wrong. The live-action and Remus framework are pure cringe for multiple reasons. The animation, however, is superb.

But there’s no question that Walt was foolish to wrap the stories within the Reconstruction period. Regardless of how much he thought he was making a stand for equality, the movie was still unfortunately a reflection of its time.

 

[xdan0920]

I am very surprised by some of the comments in this thread.

I think people are absolutely welcome to be upset by the change to a classic attraction. I think a lot of people love it the way it is and have many memories with it. I think people can also believe that Prince and the Frog isn't their favorite movie or a good pick. I think people can be outraged by the knee-jerk reaction and the thought of spending money to redo something when other things need more attention.

I'm surprised though by the comments that we might as well close attractions x,y, & z, rip out the Partners statue, the beginning of the end talk, rename everything, etc. That's a bit extreme. It doesn't look pretty. There have been worse decisions made. If you're not happy that's okay, but to shout from the mountain tops that it's the worst thing in history and that we might as well put the final nail in the coffin, that's just extreme.

Not extreme. It’s a wrap for me. I will not be back.

 

[Serpico Jones]

Disney Parks are the least diverse places on earth. Next time you guys go to the parks just look around, it’s an ocean of white people.

 

[seabreezept813]

This is heartbreaking for me. Splash was always our rope drop ride since I was a kid. And the queue with the windows right as you board and the finale Zipadeedoodah were just such Disney magic moments. The ride did not the have the same problems as the film. And the message of having a wonderful day just set the tone for the experience of an MK day. This is what I’ve been most looking forward to experiencing with my now 2 year old. I was married at Disney and hoped to buy a timeshare in the future.. and a change like this to the most immersive ride on property will definitely make us rethink these plans. I truly think that I could take any ride or attraction and argue that it has sexist, racist, or dated implications because it was made in a different time. But I think Disney is forgetting that part of what makes people pay big money to go is having shared experiences of what they had as a child with their children. Also the whole erasing history.. HBO is rereleasing Gone with the Wind with historical discussion and context. A plague or informational area could do something similar.

 

[marni1971]

@marni1971, I know you don’t live in FL, so you probably didn’t know this, but the main reason Splash is remotely popular is that it’s hot as balls all the time. As long as I can still cool down on the ride, I really don’t care either way.

Youre right. I thought it was immensely popular due to being Splash Mountain. Funny how it has lines in winter in Tokyo too.

@mdktf @marni1971 @tirian @wdwmagic

Is there any hope of stopping this? Are there emails I can send? Phone numbers I can call? I've signed a change.org petition but I just don't see that as being enough. I cannot imagine visiting MK or DL without riding Splash--This is actually a turning point for me. This is serious enough for me to begin winding down visits to Disney properties and exploring new resort and vacation destinations. I am beyond saddened by this knee-jerk and silly decision.

Start by emailing guest relations for now.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

You don't see a difference between how black people are depicted in Princess and the Frog and how they are depicted in Song of the South?

Tiana and her mother work service jobs for white people.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You don't see a difference between how black people are depicted in Princess and the Frog and how they are depicted in Song of the South?

You've never seen Song of the South, have you?

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

AWESOME!! While I enjoyed Splash Mountain I‘m not sad to see it go and am excited to get something new. I cannot wait to see what the finished product is, though I know I must, lol. I hope they do better than the reimagining of the Maelstrom ride. I actively dislike the Frozen theme. I mean, I love Frozen but I was super disappointed when I finally rode it. IMO I’d like to see the pavilions stay with their country’s theme rather than make it about something Disney. But that’s just me.

ONWARD!!

 

[Zipadeelady]

I'm very sad about this and will miss the ride terribly but If Disney has banned this movie for over 20 years should we really be surprised that they are retheming the ride? I think we should actually be surprised it took this long.

 

[Horizons1]

Another “thank god I did this when I did“ moments



Those moments are sadly becoming more often.

Careful. That video may get pulled down for perpetuating racist ideals. Cant trust those brer rabbits.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

All the while, Stitch's Great Escape sits empty. Moreover, let's just ignore Imagination. Let's just pretend like DHS and DAK have enough to do.

Imagine if a purpose built PatF ride went into DHS, giving the park a much needed water ride. These projects come at the expense of those projects that would actually benefit more.

We could run down a list of things that have been "needed" in the parks for years, it didn't stop them from dumping money into other projects

 

[TwilightZone]

I am super excited for this and honestly I'm a bit surprised by the negativity here. I've seen plenty of people here wanting this to happen. What happened to that? I will be a bit bummed if there isn't a nod to either zip a dee do dah or any of the brer creatures anywhere though.

 

[Surferboy567]

I'd be shocked if it took them more than a day to draw that picture up.

This is a multimillion dollar decision. No way in 2 weeks that all comes together.

 

[Coaster Lover]

If they somehow found a way to add a "Tiana's Place" restaurant with this retheme, that would go a long way to soften the blow... I wonder what eventually happens with the one in Tokyo (stays the same or some other theme)...

 

[ddbowdoin]

Such crap... can’t wait for the woke police to criticize this one.

You’re going from one racial stereotype to another...