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

[LittleBuford]

Is it?

I mean, the only reason anyone knows who Hercules is or that Greek myths exist is because of the Disney movie Hercules, right (ignoring the fact that the name is actually wrong for the Greek version...)?

Joking aside, it’s a damn good movie!

 

[Artemicon]

Changing a Disney ride is not eliminating history. Disney has been replacing and updating its attractions since the parks first opened—the world has survived just fine.

I can respect (not to say agree with) many arguments against the Splash Mountain retheme, but the claim that people’s knowledge of history or African American folklore is somehow dependent on a Disney log flume is silly and insulting.

You don't have to like it, but song of the south is a part of history. The ride takes small nods from a problematic film and turns it into a ride that very loosely relates to it. I don't think the ride scenes are problematic due to the lack of blatant racist stereotypes, even if it does take references from a film that is.

Changing the ride for the sake of changing the ride is a fine discussion to have, but when we start calling it racist, I don't agree. Nor if the ride was indeed racist would I object to it being removed.

Finally, I didn't insinuate that the ride was a representation of history, only disagreed that we should change history because we don't like the way we were back then.

 

[LittleBuford]

You don't have to like it, but song of the south is a part of history. The ride takes small nods from a problematic film and turns it into a ride that very loosely relates to it. I don't think the ride scenes are problematic due to the lack of blatant racist stereotypes, even if it does take references from a film that is.

Changing the ride for the sake of changing the ride is a fine discussion to have, but when we start calling it racist, I don't agree. Nor if the ride was indeed racist would I object to it being removed.

Finally, I didn't insinuate that the ride was a representation of history, only disagreed that we should change history because we don't like the way we were back then.

We are constantly changing what the past has bequeathed us—that’s how progress happens. History isn’t lost in the process; it’s recorded in books and other depositories of information.

 

[Phicinfan]

We are constantly changing what the past has bequeathed us—that’s how progress happens. History isn’t lost in the process; it’s recorded in books and other depositories of information.

I am sorry, but that is not totally true. there have been many, many cases of history being revised, post changes like this. History is always usually in the eye of the victor, not the loser.

 

[LittleBuford]

I am sorry, but that is not totally true. there have been many, many cases of history being revised, post changes like this. History is always usually in the eye of the victor, not the loser.

I’m referring to the normal changes that happen in the course of life (we’ve all experienced them), not diktats imposed by a conquering regime. Please let’s keep things in perspective here.

 

[Kiff]

All this talk of the source material being problematic is certainly fair but we shouldn't forget that Disney realized it was problematic when Splash was originally designed. The imagineers and management at the time understood the problem and used the ride as a way to take these great characters, an academy award winning song, and great source STORIES, to create an amazing attraction. An attraction that could rise above it's source material and in many ways REPLACE it. Eisner was quoted as saying that these concerns don't "negate the strong music, or characters" that Splash Mountain is able to deliver. Focusing on the source material ignores that Disney ALREADY went through the motions with Splash Mountain to rise above its source and allow these characters and music to exist forever in theme park form.... or so I thought.

 

[DCBaker]

 

[GladToBeHear]

Context matters.

 

[EagleScout610]

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FWIW this the website of the artist supposedly doing the Splash art.

 

[LittleBuford]

All this talk of the source material being problematic is certainly fair but we shouldn't forget that Disney realized it was problematic when Splash was originally designed. The imagineers and management at the time understood the problem and used the ride as a way to take these great characters, an academy award winning song, and great source STORIES, to create an amazing attraction. An attraction that could rise above it's source material and in many ways REPLACE it. Eisner was quoted as saying that these concerns don't "negate the strong music, or characters" that Splash Mountain is able to deliver. Focusing on the source material ignores that Disney ALREADY went through the motions with Splash Mountain to rise above its source and allow these characters and music to exist forever in theme park form.... or so I thought.

You refer to “the great source STORIES” even as you say that “[f]ocusing on the source material” is wrongheaded. That seems contradictory to me.

The arguments in favour of the current theme are wildly inconsistent. The characters are just cute critters, yet they’re central to the survival of African American folklore. The ride’s association with the problematic film on which it is based is negligible, yet retheming it is going to cause us to forget history and repeat the mistakes of the past. People are trying to have it multiple ways at the same time.

 

[celluloid]

You refer to “the great source STORIES” even as you say that “[f]ocusing on the source material” is wrongheaded. That seems contradictory to me.

The arguments in favour of the current theme are wildly inconsistent. The characters are just cute critters, yet they’re central to the survival of African American folklore. The ride’s association with the problematic film on which it is based is negligible, yet retheming it is going to cause us to forget history and repeat the mistakes of the past. People are trying to have it multiple ways at the same time.

That is to be expected when the company who now tries to say the reason it is closing is because it is problematic rather than it being to sell that princess merch.

 

[Kiff]

You refer to “the great source STORIES” even as you say that “[f]ocusing on the source material” is wrongheaded. That seems contradictory to me.

The arguments in favour of the current theme are wildly inconsistent. The characters are just cute critters, yet they’re central to the survival of African American folklore. The ride’s association with the problematic film on which it is based is negligible, yet retheming it is going to cause us to forget history and repeat the mistakes of the past. People are trying to have it multiple ways at the same time.

That's a fair statement. With my post I was frustrated by the focus on the movie in recent posts. I acknowledge its problems but I believe the attraction extracted postive aspects from the source and created a new entity. It is Splash Mountain, and is disconnected from the film. In my mind the necessary steps to use these characters and stories in a new and respectful manner already occurred 30 years ago. It allowed disney to keep a wonderful piece of their history alive for new generations instead of keeping ALL aspects of the material buried forever. This is managment taking an extremely "safe" appeoach to the situation. In my opinion it's lazy and unnecessary.

 

[LittleBuford]

That's a fair statement. With my post I was frustrated by the focus on the movie in recent posts. I acknowledge its problems but I believe the attraction extracted postive aspects from the source and created a new entity. It is Splash Mountain, and is disconnected from the film. In my mind the necessary steps to use these characters and stories in a new and respectful manner already occurred 30 years ago. It allowed disney to keep a wonderful piece of their history alive for new generations instead of keeping ALL aspects of the material buried forever. This is managment taking an extremely "safe" appeoach to the situation. In my opinion it's lazy and unnecessary.

As someone who really enjoys the current theme and is personally sad to see it go, I get where you’re coming from—I too used to think Disney had done enough to disassociate the ride from its source. But perspectives can shift, and I’ve heard and read things this past year that have made me realise that there are people—Disney fans of colour, not the much-maligned “woke mob”—for whom the change is significant and welcome. That should mean something, or at least be taken into account and engaged with as a legitimate point of view.

I disagree quite a bit with your last two sentences. Leaving the ride unchanged would have been by far the safer (and lazier) approach on Disney’s part. The backlash was all too predictable.

 

[tanc]

I wonder if after the retheme if this will become a paid to ride VQ attraction...

 

[James Alucobond]

I wonder if after the retheme if this will become a paid to ride VQ attraction...

I imagine virtual queue is the current thinking around anything that will temporarily have massively inflated demand. Whether or not it will be an experiment that works is another story, but ride openings are kind of a wreck either way.

 

[Bocabear]

I think eventually everything is going to be VQ with upcharges... The Disney Genie app is making that abundantly clear...So now on top of your $100+ admission ticket you will be paying an additional $15 for the use of the Genie App and then additionally for each ride...Wow talk about Cash Grab....

 

[CJR]

I think eventually everything is going to be VQ with upcharges... The Disney Genie app is making that abundantly clear...So now on top of your $100+ admission ticket you will be paying an additional $15 for the use of the Genie App and then additionally for each ride...Wow talk about Cash Grab....

Especially after the mess they created with AP previous for Ratatouille, I'll be surprised if they offer free AP previews in the future. Tron will probably be $50 for a time slot and you'll also get a exclusive five minute video to watch showing the construction phases. Maybe they'll toss in a magnet too. APers seem to love those.

 

[TeriofTerror]

As someone who really enjoys the current theme and is personally sad to see it go, I get where you’re coming from—I too used to think Disney had done enough to disassociate the ride from its source. But perspectives can shift, and I’ve heard and read things this past year that have made me realise that there are people—Disney fans of colour, not the much-maligned “woke mob”—for whom the change is significant and welcome. That should mean something, or at least be taken into account and engaged with as a legitimate point of view.

I disagree quite a bit with your last two sentences. Leaving the ride unchanged would have been by far the safer (and lazier) approach on Disney’s part. The backlash was all too predictable.

My take: If this isn't my favorite attraction, it's at least in my top five. That said, I'm a middle-aged caucasian woman from the midwest. My opinion is completely irrelevant, and rightfully so.

 

[LittleBuford]

My take: If this isn't my favorite attraction, it's at least in my top five. That said, I'm a middle-aged caucasian woman from the midwest. My opinion is completely irrelevant, and rightfully so.

I wouldn’t call your opinion irrelevant, though I agree that those of us who aren’t directly affected by the issues involved would do well to listen—carefully and sensitively—to those who are.

 

[J4546]

I think eventually everything is going to be VQ with upcharges... The Disney Genie app is making that abundantly clear...So now on top of your $100+ admission ticket you will be paying an additional $15 for the use of the Genie App and then additionally for each ride...Wow talk about Cash Grab....

you dont have to pay for genie+when you go to the park, you can still use standby lines for rides that have them.