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News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure
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Ghost93
Well-Known Member
I expect the permanent closure of the original Splash Mountain will occur sometime in 2023. They want it open during the 50th-anniversary celebration.
It's most likely they will, but it's the when that nobody knows
Ghost93
Well-Known Member
I never said they wanted nor cared about getting rid of SOTS before 2019. The PatF retheme was sort of a concept they had floating around as an eventual possibility, but it wasn't until the George Floyd protests and Twitter getting mad about the Song of the South theme that Disney made the announcement.
Allow me to play devil advocate for a moment but I think it's possible that's 2019 was when the idea got past the "Oh that costs too much" filter and into the "Maybe someday" category but then got rushed out waaaayy too early (As in I believe we were supposed to either 1st hear it this year or next) because of 2020 in general.
BuzzedPotatoHead89
Well-Known Member
This is my position as well. I’m also not entirely sure WDW’s was ever entirely intended to be “swept in” initially due to thematic integrity issues. Similar to the Guardians/ToT revamp. With DL probably serving as an initial test.
However as more questions around SoTS began to swirl when Disney+ launched and with the political landscape then evolving greatly in 2020 I think it stands to reason that the “announcement” for this project was accelerated for both coasts/resorts (even if the project itself is/was still in the early planning phases).
It’s a very simple premise: streaming platforms and investors are desperate for content. When TWDC indicated they that SoTS was “too problematic” to place on their platform (even with a content warning label) in 2017 it was the first tell-tale signal that the company was divorcing itself of the property permanently. From a corporate synergy perspective promoting a property that is not on Disney+ is a huge no-no which was really the death knell for any iteration of the Brers.
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Ghost93
Well-Known Member
I think you hit the nail on the head. Throughout the late 90s and 2000s, Disney had contemplated potentially releasing Song of the South on DVD with a host providing a disclaimer and a plethora of special features. Around 2006/2007 the movement to get the movie released on home video really picked up and Bob Iger said he would consider it. Ultimately though, the company decided it would not be the best move. A DVD release became less likely in the late 2000s and by 2017 it was pretty much confirmed that Disney wanted to cut all ties with the film.
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
I still feel like this will happen in CA first, before it ever happens or sees the light of day here, if it does. Although at the rate dictator chapek is going it wouldn't surprise me if he demanded small world removed for a boat ride through screens showing disney plus promos. yes Im joking, but... that's just how bad he is coming across. Of course the other end of the spectrum is they dont want to spend money on expensive changes like that, so could our splash be saved by that theory? possible.
whatever happened to the tokyo rumor about whatever they did or didn't do with theirs has to be the same with ours?
whatever happened to the tokyo rumor about whatever they did or didn't do with theirs has to be the same with ours?
Ghost93
Well-Known Member
If Disney doesn't eventually change Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom, the media will eventually start running negative articles about it. Disney can drag its feet with the retheme, but if it ever gives the illusion that the retheme has been canceled there will be pushback.
This. Disney had one last chance with D+ to rescue the property but instead decided to stick the final nail in the coffin. That's why even if they admitted the movie was fine tomorrow, remade it and dropped it, it'd still have the title of "That racist Disney movie that they didn't put on D+"
They wanted to have Tokyo retheme their Splash based on the MK version since the two rides are the same but mirrored. Tokyo told them to "Pound sand"
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Midwest Elitist
Well-Known Member
Tokyo doesn't care about our cultural issues.
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
There’s a huge difference between switching out a scene and a full ride. Having a Brer Rabbit attraction also isn’t much of a concern for Japan, as they just look at it as cute animals and interesting Americana.
It’s of course possible that Disney US forces a retheme on Tokyo, but they would have to pay for it out of their own pocket rather than OLC’s, and even then, it would probably be Zootopia or some other theme that is relevant in Japan.
The only way I see OLC paying for the PatF retheme is if the Florida version is a masterpiece (basically the best themed dark ride of all time).
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
I don't think it's a coincidence that any real push to get it released within Disney ended with Dick Cook leaving the company and the subsequent retiring of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD line (who's highest ranking advocates were him and Roy E Disney).
In 2004 when all the WWII content got released to DVD Eisner was still CEO and Cook and Roy were both there too. Now all 3 are gone and there's much less interest in putting any Walt-era stuff (problematic or not) out there. We only just got Darby O'Gill on Blu-ray last month and its a DMC exclusive.
That's different than what some insiders originally said, which was they wanted Tokyo to pay for their own retheme in the image of what is being done in the states... not paying for MK's retheme as well as their own.
Do you have a source that Tokyo was asked to pay for two parks' retheme?
Why in earth would Tokyo do anything right now?
They can sit back and see how the ride turns out.
If it’s somehow a better attraction then splash, then I wouldn’t be surprised if they copy it.
Since the odds of it being a masterpiece are low, I would say Tokyo splash is safe.
They can sit back and see how the ride turns out.
If it’s somehow a better attraction then splash, then I wouldn’t be surprised if they copy it.
Since the odds of it being a masterpiece are low, I would say Tokyo splash is safe.
I think I had gotten it mixed up as to why Tokyo was out.
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