Splash Mountain re-theme announced

[TwilightZone]

I 100% agree in looking for positives. I'm well known to my family and friends as the eternal optimist. But I think your position ignores the fact that the passionate defense of Splash Mountain as it exists is not just for the attraction itself. It also relates to the fact that in our world today, it only takes a small yet vocal minority to cause change and sometimes change that a great majority don't want to see. Do you want to live in a society where change has to be made because a small number of folks say so? Because if you do, then as I said earlier, get ready because that small minority will come after something you DON'T want changed. It will never stop until society is dismantled.

my last and final real piece is I looked everywhere, twitter, youtube, instagram, discord and found any negative comments about the changes to be minimal. The vocal minority is this very thread.
That’s all I can say about that.
Edit:also for those signing the petition i doubt that will do anything. I really doubt the original petition caused this announcement in the first place. While the ip was chosen last year this seemed like something that was long in the making.

 

[manmythlegend]

You really think they’re going to reverse a decision that is considered progressive to go the other direction and keep something that has such strong ties to a racist piece of media?

That would be worse than having never said anything at all. It’ll never happen.

As I've said multiple times, even if they don't, I'll just go to Tokyo. I could be wrong but I doubt Tokyo is going to go with Tiana over Br'er Bear. I just don't see that happening.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

my last and final real piece is I looked everywhere, twitter, youtube, instagram, discord and found any negative comments about the changes to be minimal. The vocal minority is this very thread.
That’s all I can say about that.
Edit:also for those signing the petition i doubt that will do anything. I really doubt the original petition caused this announcement in the first place. While the ip was chosen last year this seemed like something that was long in the making.

Not saying I completely agree or disagree with either side being the majority (I don't really care), but there's a reason the phrase "the silent majority" exists. It can't really be measured through social media posts. and only way we'll ever know is if it hurts or helps attendance. IMO, I think the majority of people don't really care about the theme of the critter flume and will keep going.

 

[Bleed0range]

As I've said multiple times, even if they don't, I'll just go to Tokyo. I could be wrong but I doubt Tokyo is going to go with Tiana over Br'er Bear. I just don't see that happening.

I don’t see them changing it anywhere else. Because it’s tied to racism in America which is the real issue. America has a real hard time getting away from the whole slavery and civil war thing.

 

[manmythlegend]

I don’t see them changing it anywhere else. Because it’s tied to racism in America which is the real issue. America has a real hard time getting away from the whole slavery and civil war thing.

People just need to get over some stuff that happened 150+ years and stop trying to inflict misery on to others. That would be my suggestion.

 

[manmythlegend]

Not saying I completely agree or disagree with either side being the majority (I don't really care), but there's a reason the phrase "the silent majority" exists. It can't really be measured through social media posts. and only way we'll ever know is if it hurts or helps attendance. IMO, I think the majority of people don't really care about the theme of the critter flume and will keep going.

Disagree. I suspect the great majority of people are against the change but perhaps not upset enough to stop going to Disney.

As I said earlier, even if Disney was renamed Caitlyn Jenner World, a lot of people would still go because in their eyes Disney can do no wrong.

 

[Bleed0range]

People just need to get over some stuff that happened 150+ years and stop trying to inflict misery on to others. That would be my suggestion.

Unfortunately although slavery happened 150 years ago there are still plenty of people alive from the segregation of the 60s and civil rights movement. So, you describing a retheme of a ride that fundamentally will be the same as “inflicting misery” seems ridiculous.

Maybe if Americans 50 years ago weren’t screaming “2,4,6,8 we don’t want to integrate!” and this had all ended during reconstruction we wouldn’t have to have this conversation at all. People like to pretend there isn’t still a strong racist undertone to American culture that hasn’t ever faded away.

I even like the ride as it is, but I think it’s perfectly the right thing to do to change it.

 

[jimbaker84]

If they wanted to give Princess and the Frog its own attraction, could they not have designed and built something new instead of this?

If they are going to persist with the re-theme it had better be done to a very high standard. I will seriously miss Splash Mountain.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

I forgot that it was part of the frontier.

As much the frontier as Splash Mountain's Georgia setting is.

 

[manmythlegend]

As much the frontier as Splash Mountain's Georgia setting is.

The Laughing Place is most certainly the frontier.

 

[SuddenStorm]

If they wanted to give Princess and the Frog its own attraction, could they not have designed and built something new instead of this?

If they are going to persist with the re-theme it had better be done to a very high standard. I will seriously miss Splash Mountain.

Disney World doesn't have much space, and suffers from an overall lack of attendance... so re purposing existing attractions is the only way to go.

 

[Kate F]

Almost 200 pages and the only opinion of mine that’s changed is the quality of the Disney fanbase.

 

[seascape]

Almost 200 pages and the only opinion of mine that’s changed is the quality of the Disney fanbase.

I agree. However, I also think this thread and many of the posts show that the decision to make the change is long overdue.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Nope. There needs to be wholesale changes. If theyre going to do this....then it needs to be resort wide. I didn’t even think about Haunted Mansion, it’s based on a southern plantation mansion!

Living in NJ, I didn't realize that the Hudson Valley of NY, (where the design of the mansion was based), was in the south, but ok...

 

[Kate F]

I agree. However, I also think this thread and many of the posts show that the decision to make the change is long overdue.

That I cannot agree with, I’m sorry.

 

[celluloid]

I did not see anyone mention the tip for the day wdw resort tv but with zip a see do dah, tip for the day.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Being objective here: I’ll miss Splash Mountain. It’s a great ride. As for Princess and the Frog, I can’t imagine a ride system that complicated changing its current course. Like Maelstrom it will be rethemed over the same water track. So here’s hoping the music and AAs keep it enjoyable throughout. I’ll be interested in how they explain an incline and a drop for New Orleans though!

For me, how they retrofit a Princess and the Frog story into the original ride is also a major concern. The pacing of the current ride (at least at MK) is already perfect in the way it builds the tension to the final drop, using storytelling very effectively to heighten the thrill. Getting friends together to celebrate Mardi Gras seems like an odd substitution. Splash is also the kind of lavishly-detailed, audio-animatronic filled attraction that Disney doesn't seem willing or able to build anymore. It seems inevitable that this change will mean stripping out a lot of figures, adding in a couple of advanced AAs of Tiana and Louis, and converting the rest over to screens and projection mapping. Finally, this is hitting right at a moment of significant belt-tightening and the Disney of today wouldn't be able to re-paint Splash Mountain for what it cost to build the entire attraction back in 1989. So, it's hard to imagine they're going to spend anything like what it would cost to replicate the original scale and level of detail in the original attraction. In short, I just don't think we've seen much evidence that the WDI of today can create something as engaging as Splash Mountain.

Furthermore, a thrill ride themed to a princess movie that largely appeals to small children is an odd choice to say the least. This is another reason I think they're going to have to tone done the thrill aspect of the storyline that is played up at the moment with the vultures, etc. I imagine they'll have to try and reframe the drop as a fun experience.

 

[WDW Pro]

For me, how they retrofit a Princess and the Frog story into the original ride is also a major concern. The pacing of the current ride (at least at MK) is already perfect in the way it builds the tension to the final drop, using storytelling very effectively to heighten the thrill. Getting friends together to celebrate Mardi Gras seems like an odd substitution. Splash is also the kind of lavishly-detailed, audio-animatronic filled attraction that Disney doesn't seem willing or able to build anymore. It seems inevitable that this change will mean stripping out a lot of figures, adding in a couple of advanced AAs of Tiana and Louis, and converting the rest over to screens and projection mapping. Finally, this is hitting right at a moment of significant belt-tightening and the Disney of today wouldn't be able to re-paint Splash Mountain for what it cost to build the entire attraction back in 1989. So, it's hard to imagine they're going to spend anything like what it would cost to replicate the original scale and level of detail in the original attraction. In short, I just don't think we've seen much evidence that the WDI of today can create something as engaging as Splash Mountain.

Furthermore, a thrill ride themed to a princess movie that largely appeals to small children is an odd choice to say the least. This is another reason I think they're going to have to tone done the thrill aspect of the storyline that is played up at the moment with the vultures, etc. I imagine they'll have to try and reframe the drop as a fun experience.

They're pulling money from planned Epcot capex investment of you'd like to know how they're paying for this.

This will dwarf the fan response to Journey Into Imagination. The money just isn't there for this project.

 

[_caleb]

I'm not sure what you want me to say. Just agree with some mythical group of people that I've never met or heard of that want Splash Mountain, my favorite ride, changed? Gee that sounds like fun(ish), kinda, sorta, maybe not.

I wouldn’t say that it’s “fun” to realize that a thing you enjoy may actually be hurtful to people. But I’d rather have a ride that is fun for more people than mostly for those who are like me, wouldn’t you?

 

[General Mayhem]

I wouldn’t say that it’s “fun” to realize that a thing you enjoy may actually be hurtful to people. But I’d rather have a ride that is fun for more people than mostly for those who are like me, wouldn’t you?

Seriously though? What is "Hurtful" in the ride at all? Why is it just "Hurtful" now after 3 decades of operation with literally no complaints until the past month?