Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[BasiltheBatLord]

Well, that's a lie...

White [of the NAACP] had not yet seen the film; his statement was based on memos he received from two NAACP staff members, Norma Jensen and Hope Spingarn, who attended a press screening on November 20, 1946 ​

Song of the South - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for sharing that, I had never heard that before.

 

[Seduci]

Is there a petition I can sign to implore Disney to stop this re-theme from happening?

 

[Tony Perkis]

it’s weird that people are complaining about Disney bending to a small group of people nut ar

the fact you k

This whole thread is being made fun of on other sites, especially with some of the overreacting comments being highlighted

Link? That’d be fun reading.

 

[lebeau]

You know better then that. Why would this be the one time an overlay is an improvement?

I've heard good things about Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! and Frozen Ever After.

 

[GeneralZod]

Wow......I didn't think they'd actually do it. I know the source material is indefensible but this one hurts.

Please explain how the source material is "indefensible".

 

[Notes from Neverland]

Disney letting Ziploc sponsor Splash Mountain during the plastic backlash was a worse decision, in my opinion.

 

[Admiral01]

This is a positive change. I was amazed when Splash Mountain debuted in 1989 that Disney would reach back to such an incredibly racist movie as inspiration. There was no need to theme Splash to Song of the South in the late 1980s after so much progress had been made. Splash isn’t some relic of the 50s or 60s. It was tone deaf to have this theme implemented in the 80s and it has become increasingly more tone deaf with each passing year.

We need to acknowledge that many people were and are offended by the current SOTS theme in Splash. You personally might not have been offended, but recognize others were. Fans of the current ride might be hurt/saddened/angered by the change, but hurting being felt by fans, and the offense that is felt by whole communities from deep and institutional racism aren’t on the same level. Racism needs to be addressed. Disney acted properly to finally address this ride and change a theme that never should have been implemented in the first place.

Arguments of Splash being a classic, not offending you individually, being fine the way it is, etc are not more important than the needs of our society to deal with the past and change for the future. The flume isn’t going away. The drop is still going to be there. But the racist SOTS, a movie that Disney doesn’t even like to acknowledge exists, will finally be gone from the parks and I applaud that.

This is progress.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

 

[UNCgolf]

I've heard good things about Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! and Frozen Ever After.

Frozen Ever After is terrible.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Yes because it makes no reference to the human characters. It’s a fix and bear after a rabbit. So Tony Baxter and all the imagineers who created it are full on racist. Have you ride it? If so, end of disscusion.

If you know the ride’s development history, Song of the South was chosen largely due to the ability to repurpose the animatronics from Tomorrowland’s America Sings, not due to any undying love for the film.

 

[Hockey89]

Father to son: Want to ride Princess and the Frog?
Son: No.

SO true but that son is sexist and needs treatment....

 

[CoasterSnoop]

Yes, because Disney always responds to fan outcry to change/not change something. Petitions have swayed how Disney handles its parks since their inception.

This is not a knee-jerk reaction, that concept art didn't just materialize out of thin air, they've clearly been planning this. Likely for the same reason Toad is now Pooh or Alien is now Stitch or Seas is now Seas with Nemo -- think of all the people who will be sold on a brand new Princess and the Frog-inspired ride compared to the 30-year legacy of Splash Mountain. Is it frivolous decision-making? Depends on your opinion, but given the pattern of Disney's decision-making over the years, it's entirely plausible.

Or Disney just decided to throw millions of dollars during a massive economic problem due to a global pandemic to retheme one of their most popular attractions because some people wanted them to. With that logic, didn't the petition to not change the theme get more signatures, anyway?

EDIT: Also not a fan of retheming Splash but if they were going to, since it's going to be IP-based no matter what, I'd say they made the best choice picking Princess and the Frog. I can hear "Gonna Take You There" right now.

 

[SoupBone]

you’ll usually find that it’s most staunch defenders tend to be the racists using it for political purposes

And I'm sure you can back this up with facts, right?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Princess and the Frog is a film where the protagonist spends most of the film as a frog because Disney was scared of how people would react to a black protagonist.

 

[Tony Perkis]

Disney letting Ziploc sponsor Splash Mountain during the plastic backlash was a worse decision, in my opinion.

That actually makes sense to me. Ziplocs are a good way to keep wallets and phones dry.

 

[MisterPenguin]

*whispers*

The movie isn't racist, either.

Yes. Yes it is. The movie shows Black sharecroppers shortly after the Civil War (the book makes it clear that this is Reconstruction era, but the movie doesn't) happy and singing. These are people who are continuing to be brutally oppressed.

Not to mention the outlandish Southern stereotypes.

I will concede there is nothing in the Splash Mountain ride that is racist (if you ignore the Southern stereotypes). But, the association is there.

It's like trying to disassociate the Confederate flag or statues of Confederate soldiers from the racism of slavery by saying disingenuously, "It's just our Southern heritage we're celebrating."

Song of the South - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Tay]

I am an African American young woman in my early 20s. I’ve never seen Song of the South or rode Splash Mountain because I hate water rides. I was planning on facing my fears in May but Disney was shutdown. I’ve never seen it but people say Song of the South is one of the most racist movies ever. I’ve read reports on it and I agree. Even though I prefer a new ride for PATF, this had to be done whether it was Tiana or any IP, Song of the South does not belong in 2020 let alone Disney World/Land.

I’m one of the AAs who’s tired of getting scraps. I want Disney or other studios to make new things for us not make the first black......... of whatever. Other than Tiana being beautiful and the first AA Disney Princess most black people hate this movie. We just buy Tiana dolls.

This just seems like pandering to me. I would have been fine with a sequel with Tiana being human most of the film and more merch instead of this. I mean Tiana was a freaking frog 90% of the movie which is why it didn’t do to well at the box office. This should have been announced with a sequel where Tiana isn’t a frog for most of the movie and with better music to not appear to be pandering. It is still the 10th anniversary of PATF until November they could have gave us more merch and a short film.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

Please explain how the source material is "indefensible".

I should have said indefensible to some. I can't speak for the some.

 

[Yert3]

Or to not remind tourists of America's painful history of slavery during their vacation. But feel free to stick with your "woke mob" angle if you want to hold on to your sense of entitlement.

Also, who is to say this won't be an improvement?

Give me a break. Nobody was reminded of America’s history of slavery while riding Splash Mountain.

and it won’t be an improvement because modern Disney cheaps outs in any way they possibly can. Look at any concept art for any attraction built in the past 15 years, then look at the final product after the budget cuts. I will be very shocked if this ride isn’t 90% screens Like Micky & Minnie’s Runaway Cheapway.

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

Father to son: Want to ride Princess and the Frog?
Son: No.

Maybe the son should be more open minded.