Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[Homemade Imagineering]

Honestly, I’m going to have a hard time going now that it’s gone. I’m not saying that to be mean or anything. I hope the new ride is good for you guys. But I can’t justify paying money when the experience is just going to make me feel bad.

Thankfully, Universal is opening Super Nintendo World. So at least I’ll have somewhere to go to get my Theme Park Fix.

Right now universal is the only park that has something I’m really looking forward to, specifically in Hollywood since I’m a regular and a local. I’m excited to check out the new Secret Life Of Pets attraction which looks to be full of detailed amazing set pieces and animatronics, as well as Jurassic World the ride’s big refurbishment which is adding an extremely impressive indominous Rex animatronic in the finale, and is adding more dinosaurs and things to look at in predator cove. I’ll be back at Disney sometime, but it won’t necessarily feel the same, especially if they move forward with changing more sacred, classic attractions.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don't mind the change although I will certainly miss the songs.
HOWEVER I feel like this is a knee jerk reaction which does bother me.

 

[Brer Oswald]

So if those rides stem from movies with racial undertones, maybe a change needs to be made for those as well. or maybe People of Color should just start building their own theme parks so we don’t have to continue to convince this community that some of these things were never okay to portray to begin with.

I’m just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy in the community. Splash is only okay to replace because it was an IP the mob didn’t care about. If it was any other racially insensitive IP, it wouldn’t be getting rethemed.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I actually agree with you 100% on this. So much of what's happening right now is based on surface emotions, rather than deep thinking and factual information.

Like?

 

[Logan L]

Disney: mirror mirror on the wall, who is the most woke off us all
mirror: Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!!!

 

[Brer Oswald]

All I'm saying is give things a chance.

I likely won’t be returning to the parks for my own mental health. Maybe if I return to Disneyland, I’ll try.

 

[The_Jobu]

I found the source material for the ride. I dont see what the problem is, it's pretty catchy!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I’m just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy in the community. Splash is only okay to replace because it was an IP the mob didn’t care about. If it was any other racially insensitive IP, it wouldn’t be getting rethemed.

People would be happy to see some of those go too.

 

[bryanfze55]

I actually haven't used it in a political sense, I was being literal and I think we might actually see things more similarly than not. But, if you honestly think that a corporation choosing to change the theme of a flume ride is something any history "judges" I can't agree. Its a ride, folks want to fight a Columbus statue that has sat in a park for 100 years being yanked down, I hear you, but this is a ride, not history. It might be your "history" in that you have your memories, but its still just a ride.

I agree, this will never go in the history books. It’s not about removing the ride itself, and I will gladly give the new ride a chance to impress; it’s about what the removal of the ride represents. It represents “cancel culture” at its finest.

Carousel of Progress has always caused me to feel a range of emotions. That ride contains so much sexism and in-your-face patriarchal society.
It’s also one of my favorite attractions, for multiple reasons, one because I think about how much has changed for women over the years.. it prompts a conversation with our kids if we want it to, or we can just walk out singing a catchy tune.

Splash Mountain doesn’t contain any racist material, but if someone does have an uncomfortable thought (because they’re thinking of something in the movie and not the ride), then that could lead to the range of emotions I gave above, and to a conversation if wanted.



This is where I feel that Cancel Culture fails, it’s typically such a surface outrage, without thinking any deeper.

Cancel culture only exists because too many people have stopped finding meaning in their lives in the traditional places. What’s left to do at that point? Worship at the altar of social media and virtue signaling.

 

[brb1006]

I'm both sad and angry, since Splash Mountain is one of the last surviving projects by Marc Davis (Country Bears and Pirates). You can tell he was invovled since the AAs had a certain style that's missing from modern attractions. Something that not many people bring up in this thread.

 

[brb1006]

People would be happy to see some of those go too.

So what you're saying is you would be happy to see Hauntes Mansion and Pirates to go?

 

[Bill in Atlanta]

Hear me out... for you its a small group because it may not come up often in your circles but I know many people who were uncomfortable.

Sometimes, we should step back and realize that sometimes these changes aren't for you or your circles.

We have a habit of surrounding our self with like minded people which can give us a false sense that our similar opinions are the loudest opinions.

At some point, though, complaints have to be evaluated, no? We can't just say "welp, some people said they were offended, we have to give in."

If one person is incapable of evaluating another's complaint because they've never walked in their shoes, then all complaints are therefore equal in merit. Obviously this is not true. To illustrate this, imagine that I conjured up a hypothetical absurd complaint about something at WDW. You would rightly say "oh come on, that's not offensive".

So, yes, it is possible to use logic and reason to determine whether complaints of others have merit.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I'm both sad and angry, since Splash Mountain is one of the last surviving projects by Marc Davis (Country Bears and Pirates). You can tell he was invovled since the AAs had a certain style that's missing from modern attractions. Something that not many people bring up in this thread.

Only at a surface level. The animatronics transferred over from America Sings were his. I hope they keep them, but they’ll probably just trash them.

 

[The March Hare]

Honestly, I think you might be pleasantly surprised. If you can list the things you loved about Splash, you might find those thing overlap with PATF and as they release more concept art, you might still feel all the charm you once loved.

The problem is it's not an either or we splash fans care about. It will never be about PATF. They could build an entire land expansion in MK for PATF and I'd be thrilled. But taking away Splash to get it, that's the heart breaker. The music immersion, the classic animatronic anchored scenes, the weaving of the story from the moment you get into the queue to when you zip past those smelly bathrooms to get in line again, the sense of pure theme park satisfaction when coming through the final show scene singing along with Mr. Blue Bird. There's nothing PATF or any retheme can do to fill that void.

 

[Bill in Atlanta]

Not everybody feels the way you do. Instead of dismissing other points of view as "tiny groups of online complainers" how about hearing them out?

I have, and have found those complaints lacking.

 

[Oskar]

I'm both sad and angry, since Splash Mountain is one of the last surviving projects by Marc Davis (Country Bears and Pirates). You can tell he was invovled since the AAs had a certain style that's missing from modern attractions. Something that not many people bring up in this thread.

The animal AA’s were taken from America Sings in Disneyland, which was a Marc Davis creation; I don’t see why they couldn’t be repurpose in a Princess and the Frog re-theme either, maybe in a Mama Odie scene.

I don’t know whether he had any involvement in Splash Mountain beyond that, maybe in a consultancy role. But his contributions could potentially stick around; the more Marc Davis ideas and creations in the parks, the better.

 

[Brer Oswald]

So what you're saying is you would be happy to see Hauntes Mansion and Pirates to go?

I really really want to see Mansion go, because I know these “morally righteous” individuals would absolutely lose it.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Like?

The statue of Lincoln in Boston that was paid for by freed slaves. People are clamoring to remove it because they aren't looking at it or learning about it.

 

[getdislove]

I'm both sad and angry, since Splash Mountain is one of the last surviving projects by Marc Davis (Country Bears and Pirates). You can tell he was invovled since the AAs had a certain style that's missing from modern attractions. Something that not many people bring up in this thread.

You’ll be okay. i’m sad and angry bc people are dying in my community at rapid rates and there are people showing more outrage over a ride than that.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

So if those rides stem from movies with racial undertones, maybe a change needs to be made for those as well. or maybe People of Color should just start building their own theme parks so we don’t have to continue to convince this community that some of these things were never okay to portray to begin with.

I think the bigger point that is trying to be made is that almost every facet of the parks and Disney movie empire is problematic if viewed through certain lenses. Many other cultures/countries have long taken issue with Disney appropriating their stories for films and profit. The Disney parks are largely a celebration of Americana whose history, as we know, contains both triumphs and failures. I think many are just struggling to understand where the line between OK and not OK is. It seems subjective and maybe that's just because it is. I dont know myself. These are complicated issues to be sure.