Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[brb1006]

CBJ

They better not touch The Country Bears! I remember sketching of the bears actually made Walt laugh during the last months of his life.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

some people.....

 

[_caleb]

It won’t take 2 minutes to rip the head off that rabbit and replace it with a frog. Disney will be making massive cuts and this is a priority?!

Wait, so you're envisioning a rabbit body with a frog's head?

 

[Kate F]

Disney can hardly get new projects out these days and they’re trying to retheme one of the most popular rides in their most popular park. Ok

 

[RoysCabin]

Wow, what offended you? The portrayal of the mother being a horrible person, or Uncle Remus being a nice guy that was willing to help the kids?

The depiction of a Reconstruction-era South that effectively puts a glimmering sheen over what was a brutal, dangerous era of American history, made at a time when tons of powerful people were pouring lots of money into depicting the antebellum, Civil War, and postwar South as somehow much nicer than it was (the "Lost Cause" mythology).

That said, I think Passport to Dreams Old and New (one of the best Disney blogs, particularly on retro Disney, that exists) did a really good job discussing it a few years back:
http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2015/05/song-of-south-disneys-loaded-gun.html

 

[denyuntilcaught]

Funny how it wasn’t a problem until two weeks ago. I don’t recall anybody in the past 20 years say it was a problem. Even in this 2009 thread discussing this same exact thing...

Princess and the Frog & Splash Mountain

I just got home from watching the Princess and the Frog and I was wondering if anyone else had this strange connection. As I watched the movie, I could see disney turning Splash Mountain into a P&TF movie tie in. Not that this is something that I would want, but all during the Bayou scenes...

forums.wdwmagic.com

So because it wasn't mentioned in the past, the argument isn't valid now, despite the US having gone through some of its biggest protests in a generation that may have had an effect on brands and how they approach their stories?

I see.

 

[peoplemover]

What makes Splash Mountain my favorite ride is the story. I love that the rabbit goes searching for his "laughing place" ... and the trials and tribulations he has to face to get there before realizing that his laughing place is back home where he's from. I feel like we can all relate to that. To be fair, I've never seen Song of the South, so the ride is the only thing I know, but I will definitely miss the story.

 

[lebeau]

Funny how it wasn’t a problem until two weeks ago. I don’t recall anybody in the past 20 years say it was a problem. Even in this 2009 thread discussing this same exact thing...

Princess and the Frog & Splash Mountain

I just got home from watching the Princess and the Frog and I was wondering if anyone else had this strange connection. As I watched the movie, I could see disney turning Splash Mountain into a P&TF movie tie in. Not that this is something that I would want, but all during the Bayou scenes...

forums.wdwmagic.com

You don't think people have been talking about how Splash Mountain's connection to Song of the South has been problematic prior to two weeks ago? It's been a topic of discussion for YEARS!!! Things are happening in the world whether you're aware of them or not.

 

[Dapper Dan]

As an African American, I want to thank all of those who complained without understanding that SPlash was the last big remnant of my ancestors stories in the world. This SERIOUSLY does wonders to the black community....This is an absolute joke. I am beyond disappointed..My all time favorite attraction, the one that made me feel close to My heritage, My stories.

Thanks, Disney.

That's what I was thinking, replacing a ride about African-American folklore with another European fairytale. Disney is the wokest!

 

[comics101]

I doubt it. Unless there’s a massive backlash. Even then they always think they’re right.

Everyone, let’s make #SaveSplashMountain trend on Twitter.

Seriously. Do it. If you don’t have a Twitter, make one. @ The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Parks, D23, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland and let them know we want to #SaveSplashMountain. Let them know you think this is a terrible idea.

Edit: While you’re at it, @ Bob Chapek, Bob Iger, Michael Eisner, Josh D’Amaro, Ken Potrock and Jeff Vahle and flood their twitter accounts as well!

 

[brb1006]

"I know the fans are going to be over the moon."

No...No I am not over the moon.

Everyone will be going over the moon. Just like Bing Bong did and look how that turned out!

 

[wm49rs]

Absolutely typical, you act in away which you apparently accuse the other side of acting. If you do t like the attraction don’t go to Disney?! Jog on, nothing to see here.

No acting on my part, no hyperbolic thread titles or ignorant statements either (such as implying I wouldn't return to WDW). I'll leave those to you....

 

[TaoBoxer]

some people.....

Yep, woke people for sure.

 

[the-reason14]

Respectfully, there's no debate about whether the character in the movie was enslaved. He was not. The film is also not set "during slavery," but during Reconstruction after emancipation. There is no question about these facts, although they are often misunderstood.

For the record, I do think the film has its problems, like most films of that era do. With thought given to their context, I enjoy watching them regularly and absolutely think there is a place for them in our culture. I know part of that is my privilege talking too. I probably wouldn't have decided, having weighed everything, to retheme the ride, but I understand the reasoning. When I see how many seem not to understand some basic facts around this although they've staked out a position, I feel I may have given some folks too much credit.

Lol well I clearly have my facts mixed up. I didn’t know for sure what time period the movie is supposed to take place whether it was during slavery or after and I can kind of see how that might make a difference. But yes there are problems with the film and because the ride is ”loosely” based off the film, now is a time to change it. For the record, I love splash mountain as is, it is one of my favorite rides and I am very sad that it is leaving. But I agree that it needs to change.

 

[Disney.Mike]

Wow...

Arguably the greatest ride Disney has ever produced being thrown away because of "woke culture"

Bend the knee to communist Disney. I won't be back

 

[ppete1975]

The fact it's being announced now? I can fully believe they're doing that due to the feelings of the present moment.

The idea that this was all begun because of protests that just began a few weeks ago, and that they only just now picked Princess and the Frog as the IP for it, is where the insanity comes in.

I think what a lot of people need to realize is that Disney, as a company, is not highly partisan. They're political, of course; literally every entity, every work, every piece of art, simply every thing is political in some way, shape, or form, even if we don't necessarily recognize it on the surface, and the works of the Walt Disney Company are no exception to that rule.

However, Disney's ultimate affiliation is to whatever makes them the most money. We're currently seeing the same kind of freak out here as happened when they revealed the first The Force Awakens teaser and showed, gasp, a black stormtrooper, or when Last Jedi came out and women, including women of color, were included in prominent roles. Obviously there are differences at play here, but there were all sorts of bitter, awful corners of the internet screaming at the top of their lungs that Disney was in the pocket of some kind of grand left wing agenda, setting into motion a global plot to undo the entirety of western civilization, because they...<checks notes>...cast non-white people in prominent roles in Star Wars.

The reality is that Bob Iger and company don't particularly care about that; they're not woke, their only allegiance is to money. But that money? A lot of it comes from non-white families in the United States, who are a growing segment of the population and thus of Disney's potential market. More of that money? China, so yes, expect to see more Chinese and Asian-American actors cast in prominent roles in tentpole films, because the studios feel that will appeal there. The potential customer base is changing and will continue to change; expect companies, far beyond just Disney, to adjust accordingly.

Is that a bad thing? Well, no: given the history of minority actors being sidelined in Hollywood or only treated as bit players and side characters outside of a few big exceptions, I'm cool with things changing so that there's greater representation and visibility for groups that have long been denied it.

But is Disney doing it out of some kind of sincere political motivation? Some of the individual directors or actors, maybe, but certainly not Bob Iger or anyone on the board. The YouTuber Lindsay Ellis, a very big Disney fan in her own right, did a fantastic look into this with her video on "Woke Disney", where she looked at some of the newer live action remake Disney films and the dynamic they attempt to hit with all those factors.

live action little mermaid....

 

[Oskar]

Everyone, let’s make #SaveSplashMountain trend on Twitter.

Seriously. Do it. If you don’t have a Twitter, make one. @ The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Parks, D23, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland and let them know we want to #SaveSplashMountain. Let them know you think this is a terrible idea.

They're not going to reverse course now - imagine the backlash if, having publicly acknowledged the perceived issues with Splash Mountain, they didn't follow through on re-theming it.

 

[TJinSF]

I thought Song of the South was never released on DVD.

Not in the United States. It has been released on DVD and in other forms elsewhere.

Funny how it wasn’t a problem until two weeks ago. I don’t recall anybody in the past 20 years say it was a problem.

I am not one of those who called for change, but some have considered the ride controversial for many years. This sounds like a relative of mine who recently said that she didn't understand why all of a sudden people were worried about police conduct when she hadn't heard about it in her 75 years on the planet. That she hadn't heard about it doesn't mean that people weren't saying it.

You literally have no idea what the context I was replying was about. I wasn't talking about Splash Mountain at all.

Whatever you say! I agree with you about COP, but feel free to swap the attraction name out in my comment to understand that the gist still applies. The poster with whom you were exchanging words was discussing both rides. Perhaps we just missed each other.

 

[Mr.Stang19]

Glad this is happening. I remember a few months ago there where talks about removing Walt from the name of the parks to just Disney World, since he was responsible for this ride movie. They will probably going to remove his statue that's in front of the castle.

 

[oceanbreeze77]

Yep, woke people for sure.

I can assure you, the woke people are not the people I was referring to.