News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure

[GoneForGood]

The fact that the stories have their origin in African folklore is irrelevant. We don’t ride Journey of the Little Mermaid and think “Hans Christian Andersen”, or the Mad Tea Party and think “Lewis Carroll”. The Magic Kingdom is not the place for serious cultural or literary education; let’s stop pretending that Splash Mountain was ever meant to be, or can be rebranded as, a tribute to African (American) tradition.

I apologize if I drift off topic, I will try to remain focused.
I have somewhat stopped responding on this site, but have monitored the conversation as I am interested in what others have to say.

I am going to start by saying that, I as an African American ...KIND OF started that back on Twitter, when things first started getting talked about sometimes before the announcement. I had noticed that it seemed most people did not know the origins of where the characters truly come from, as most did NOT know they really did belong to "us". So I made a short thread.

The mindset I had when I brought it up was--
Disney took the stories and made a film that many people found to be offensive and degrading, and eventually created Splash Mountain to be based off the the Critter stories they used in the film. I simply find issue with the idea of not holding Disney accountable for this mistake. And that to mend it, they could give it BACK to the people who created them. Instead of running away from actually facing this mistake, they have chosen to act as if one was never made.

Have you noticed that they are being "vague" on WHY it is being rethemed? I have found it to be far more disrespectful and disingenuous. It is harmful to act as if these kinds of mistakes were never made.

You are absolutely correct on the fact that people don't ride an attraction at a DISNEY park and think of their roots, as they simply visit for the Disney retelling. But in this case, things a slightly different, as stated above, this Disney retelling ended up offending quite a bit of people. And that, in fixing this they could turn the depictions towards those who created them.

However, it seems most people are using this as to say, "do absolutely nothing to edit this". Which is absolutely not what I had in mind when I started this topic. My idea included getting recasting and re-recording lines, changing queue sound tracks, scenery, and some general changes to the ride, and even new character designs, (and more focus on Black storytelling culture as a whole throughout the company). And this would occur AFTER Disney truly acknowledge the error of the current adaptations.

After all, the idea of the retheme is to make their parks more inclusive and welcoming to it's guests. They have a true "black" story on their hands. I do not see the issue of allowing the ride to shift focus to sharing a culture's story in a fun way. After all Frontierland/Liberty Square does have slight "edutainment" vibes.

But that was all just my idea, and I do NOT speak for any other African Americans out there with this so take it all with a grain of salt. I see where you are coming from as, the way most present the "argument" comes off more as an excuse.

It was more of a way to honestly acknowledge a wrong, and make it right in a sense. Not that the average tourist would care much. I honestly am not as riled up about the retheme anymore if at all. It's just a log flume and Disney has made their choice, they'll do what they want, and that's okay. If it were up to me, though; I'd pick a different theme...

P.S. I am certainly not a fan of some of the chaos and discord I have seen going about between the Disney community about this retheme, we all can do better.

I apologize if I am missing your point though, I just felt the need to come out and own up to that...

 

[LittleBuford]

I apologize if I drift off topic, I will try to remain focused.
I have somewhat stopped responding on this site, but have monitored the conversation as I am interested in what others have to say.

I am going to start by saying that, I as an African American ...KIND OF started that back on Twitter, when things first started getting talked about sometimes before the announcement. I had noticed that it seemed most people did not know the origins of where the characters truly come from, as most did NOT know they really did belong to "us". So I made a short thread.

The mindset I had when I brought it up was--
Disney took the stories and made a film that many people found to be offensive and degrading, and eventually created Splash Mountain to be based off the the Critter stories they used in the film. I simply find issue with the idea of not holding Disney accountable for this mistake. And that to mend it, they could give it BACK to the people who created them. Instead of running away from actually facing this mistake, they have chosen to act as if one was never made.

Have you noticed that they are being "vague" on WHY it is being rethemed? I have found it to be far more disrespectful and disingenuous. It is harmful to act as if these kinds of mistakes were never made.

You are absolutely correct on the fact that people don't ride an attraction at a DISNEY park and think of their roots, as they simply visit for the Disney retelling. But in this case, things a slightly different, as stated above, this Disney retelling ended up offending quite a bit of people. And that, in fixing this they could turn the depictions towards those who created them.

However, it seems most people are using this as to say, "do absolutely nothing to edit this". Which is absolutely not what I had in mind when I started this topic. My idea included getting recasting and re-recording lines, changing queue sound tracks, scenery, and some general changes to the ride, and even new character designs, (and more focus on Black storytelling culture as a whole throughout the company). And this would occur AFTER Disney truly acknowledge the error of the current adaptations.

After all, the idea of the retheme is to make their parks more inclusive and welcoming to it's guests. They have a true "black" story on their hands. I do not see the issue of allowing the ride to shift focus to sharing a culture's story in a fun way. After all Frontierland/Liberty Square does have slight "edutainment" vibes.

But that was all just my idea, and I do NOT speak for any other African Americans out there with this so take it all with a grain of salt. I see where you are coming from as, the way most present the "argument" comes off more as an excuse.

It was more of a way to honestly acknowledge a wrong, and make it right in a sense. Not that the average tourist would care much. I honestly am not as riled up about the retheme anymore if at all. It's just a log flume and Disney has made their choice, they'll do what they want, and that's okay. If it were up to me, though; I'd pick a different theme...

P.S. I am certainly not a fan of some of the chaos and discord I have seen going about between the Disney community about this retheme, we all can do better.

I apologize if I am missing your point though, I just felt the need to come out and own up to that...

Thank you for your reply. You are absolutely not missing my point, nor do you have anything to own up to. Your idea for reclaiming the characters is bold and daring, and very far from what I was criticising. Indeed, I would guess that any attempt to reimagine the ride along the lines you suggest would be met with the same cries of “Disney is pandering to the woke crowd”.

 

[GoneForGood]

Thank you for your reply. You are absolutely not missing my point, nor do you have anything to own up to. Your idea for reclaiming the characters is bold and daring, and very far from what I was criticising. Indeed, I would guess that any attempt to reimagine the ride along the lines you suggest would be met with the same cries of “Disney is pandering to the woke crowd”.

I have undoubtedly noticed. I like to listen to what others have to say, as in listening you will better understand another's feelings and opinions. I've kind of gotten knocked by all sides of the community. I appreciate your response

 

[LittleBuford]

I have undoubtedly noticed. I like to listen to what others have to say, as in listening you will better understand another's feelings and opinions. I've kind of gotten knocked by all sides of the community. I appreciate your response

The anger and name-calling are so unwarranted—I’m sorry you’ve had a tough time of it.

And thank you for your kind words, which I likewise appreciate.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Thank you for your reply. You are absolutely not missing my point, nor do you have anything to own up to. Your idea for reclaiming the characters is bold and daring, and very far from what I was criticising. Indeed, I would guess that any attempt to reimagine the ride along the lines you suggest would be met with the same cries of “Disney is pandering to the woke crowd”.

If they had not announced the retheme, probably so. Now? Probably not.

Never the, I feel like some individuals want to keep Splash for the wrong reasons. And some against the current ride want to group all Splash fans under that mindset. Ironically enough, the behaviour of both of these camps are proving the other right, while making themselves look bad (if that makes any sense). In the end, one of the sides will be rewarded for their bad behaviour, while the other will feel victimized, seeking revenge and repeating their bad behaviour with something else.

 

[LittleBuford]

If they had not announced the retheme, probably so. Now? Probably not.

Never the, I feel like some individuals want to keep Splash for the wrong reasons. And some against the current ride want to group all Splash fans under that mindset. Ironically enough, the behaviour of both of these camps are proving the other right, while making themselves look bad (if that makes any sense). In the end, one of the sides will be rewarded for their bad behaviour, while the other will feel victimized, seeking revenge and repeating their bad behaviour with something else.

I don’t view myself as belonging to either side. I love the current theme and am, on a personal level, sorry to see it go, but I also accept that the association with Song of the South is unwelcome for some people and am therefore willing to give the new theme a fair chance. I suspect there are others like me who are somewhere in the middle, neither happy about nor devastated by the planned overhaul.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I don’t view myself as belonging to either side. I love the current theme and am, on a personal level, sorry to see it go, but I also accept that the association with Song of the South is unwelcome for some people and am therefore willing to give the new theme a fair chance. I suspect there are others like me who are somewhere in the middle, neither happy about nor devastated by the planned overhaul.

I wasn’t accusing you of being as such. As sad as I am, I wouldn’t label myself, or BrerCountry, or most of the Splash fans I’ve met as such neither. Nor the Princess and the Frog fans who just want to see Tiana in an attraction.

 

[LittleBuford]

I wasn’t accusing you of being as such.

Ditto.

 

[MouseMelly]

I don’t view myself as belonging to either side. I love the current theme and am, on a personal level, sorry to see it go, but I also accept that the association with Song of the South is unwelcome for some people and am therefore willing to give the new theme a fair chance. I suspect there are others like me who are somewhere in the middle, neither happy about nor devastated by the planned overhaul.

This fits my opinion as well. At first, I was quite saddened to hear of the change, as Splash is my all-time favorite ride. But then I realized that I shouldn't get my "favorite" by chancing the heartache of others, regardless of intent. (I feel like I've read it somewhere about my brother eating meat ). So I will do my best to be positive and hope for a well-executed retheme. I sure will miss the music, though!

Pretty good, sure as you're born

 

[EagleScout610]

I guarantee you that in one of her only two appearances on the ride, Tiana will be wearing a unique dress that you can only buy in the gift shop.

Until the humidity in the ride wrecks havoc on that dress.

 

[FettFan]

The fact that the stories have their origin in African folklore is irrelevant. We don’t ride Journey of the Little Mermaid and think “Hans Christian Andersen”, or the Mad Tea Party and think “Lewis Carroll”. The Magic Kingdom is not the place for serious cultural or literary education; let’s stop pretending that Splash Mountain was ever meant to be, or can be rebranded as, a tribute to African (American) tradition.

And yet there is Tom Sawyer Island and an actor playing Mark Twain as the narrator on the Liberty Belle riverboat...

 

[tanc]

Since Tokyo is keeping theirs for now, I wonder if there will be an influx of people if things get normal with corona. I guess they may have to deal with exclusivity that Disney had no intentions of wanting.

Wonder how much longer Japan will keep it. It's amazing that Disney has virtually no control over OLC.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

It's amazing that Disney has virtually no control over OLC.

That was the plan from day one. The only reason the park got built was OLC paid for everything. Card Walker had no interest in it, and really it's to Disney's benefit as the revenue they collect from it is pure profit.

 

[UNCgolf]

I don’t view myself as belonging to either side. I love the current theme and am, on a personal level, sorry to see it go, but I also accept that the association with Song of the South is unwelcome for some people and am therefore willing to give the new theme a fair chance. I suspect there are others like me who are somewhere in the middle, neither happy about nor devastated by the planned overhaul.

I think that's probably the majority of people, although I'm sure there's also a significant subset of people (like me) who aren't very happy with the retheme -- not because we're incredibly attached to the Splash Mountain theme, but because we believe the end result will be a lesser experience than what currently exists. If I had faith Disney would build something comparable to the current ride I'd be totally fine with the retheme, and if they actually succeed in doing that, I won't have any complaints. I'm just not holding my breath.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I think that's probably the majority of people, although I'm sure there's also a significant subset of people (like me) who aren't very happy with the retheme -- not because we're incredibly attached to the Splash Mountain theme, but because we believe the end result will be a lesser experience than what currently exists. If I had faith Disney would build something comparable to the current ride I'd be totally fine with the retheme, and if they actually succeed in doing that, I won't have any complaints. I'm just not holding my breath.

I will take that faith on for you. In this case, I have faith Disney will deliver an incredible retheme. I have faith it will be fun, well executed, and immersive.

And if it is super cheap and not well done (which I doubt), I will be the first one in here to call them out on it.

 

[LittleBuford]

I will take that faith on for you. In this case, I have faith Disney will deliver an incredible retheme. I have faith it will be fun, well executed, and immersive.

I hope you’re right, because my only concern is that they’ll skimp.

 

[LittleBuford]

And yet there is Tom Sawyer Island and an actor playing Mark Twain as the narrator on the Liberty Belle riverboat...

Do you disagree with my point as it relates to the vast majority of Disney attractions derived from famous works of literature?

 

[Disney Analyst]

I hope you’re right, because my only concern is that they’ll skimp.

I don’t fully understand that line of thought people have. Maybe I’m more optimistic, but Disney’s track record has far more successes to me then misses.

My list that gives me hope, and maybe it’s because I look at a company wide lense:

- Buena Vista Street
- Cars Land
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Pandora
- Flight of Passage
- Galaxy’s Edge
- Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Land
- Frozen Ride
- Runaway Railway
- Mystic Manor
- Grizzly Coaster
- Shanghai Pirates
- Alice in Wonderland attraction plussing
- Peter Pan attraction plussing
- ROA redo

I just don’t see them messing up one of their icon rides.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don’t fully understand that line of thought people have. Maybe I’m more optimistic, but Disney’s track record has far more successes to me then misses.

My list that gives me hope, and maybe it’s because I look at a company wide lense:

- Buena Vista Street
- Cars Land
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Pandora
- Flight of Passage
- Galaxy’s Edge
- Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Land
- Frozen Ride
- Runaway Railway
- Mystic Manor
- Grizzly Coaster
- Shanghai Pirates
- Alice in Wonderland attraction plussing
- Peter Pan attraction plussing
- ROA redo

I just don’t see them messing up one of their icon rides.

Well, my concern is based less on Disney’s track record (which I agree is good overall) than on the fact that the company will be looking to cut costs for the foreseeable future.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Well, my concern is based less on Disney’s track record (which I agree is good overall) than on the fact that the company will be looking to cut costs for the foreseeable future.

I think they will certainly cut costs, and are across the parks, but I do not think they’ll cut costs when it comes to this, they know this is too important.

And if costs are cut in some areas of the ride I hope it’s not noticeable in the least.