I agree with this.
Call it a really happy accident, because they were definitely trying to combine all three Song of the South animated tales into one story-line. And they did not intend for the logs to move so quickly past the show scenes. DL's Splash had several hiccups during its construction, resulting in junking the first fleet of logs and delaying the ride's grand opening by many months. And during its first year it was constantly going down for long periods due to water level problems, the lifts breaking and more. You know that weird, clunky way the logs transition from the top of the final lift onto the drop? That definitely wasn't part of the plan. And they didn't want the first act to feel like the inside of a mountain; they wanted it to feel as if you were outdoors. But it's still a great ride, and it's awesome that you see the positive side of its personality.
I've never gotten so many angry emotes on any other opinion I've ever posted here.I don't think I've ever disagreed with someone this much on a Disneyland forum. Yes, it would be the end of the world.
I'd just keep Chick a Pin Hill. It looks perfect. Almost no one who visits DL has seen SotS; everyone now associates that hill with Splash Mountain. Keep the name, too. Just mention the retheme in the ad campaign.
The movie is largely irrelevant to the ride. The music is great, the characters are fun and expressive, the settings are immersive, etc. What else do you need?
Okay, retheme the loading station to Mama Odie's boat/shack or something. But the look of the mountain doesn't change. It's become too much a part of DL's landscape. Add a fantastic Louis animatronic to the ride's interior and everyone will be singing my praises for finding such an ingeeeeenious compromise between old and new. Oh, and somewhere hide a painting of Brer Rabbit handing a deed to Tiana. And at one point you can look backwards and see Brer Bear's butt.
Call it a really happy accident, because they were definitely trying to combine all three Song of the South animated tales into one story-line. And they did not intend for the logs to move so quickly past the show scenes. DL's Splash had several hiccups during its construction, resulting in junking the first fleet of logs and delaying the ride's grand opening by many months. And during its first year it was constantly going down for long periods due to water level problems, the lifts breaking and more. You know that weird, clunky way the logs transition from the top of the final lift onto the drop? That definitely wasn't part of the plan. And they didn't want the first act to feel like the inside of a mountain; they wanted it to feel as if you were outdoors. But it's still a great ride, and it's awesome that you see the positive side of its personality.
Everything I'm suggesting is simply in preparation for a worst-case-scenario social media brouhaha about the ride's story's roots. At some point, Splash's Legacy won't be worth the publicity hassle of keeping the original connection to the movie...OR repairing the existing AAs.
I see your point, but the difference is PotC has directly depicted 'controversial' scenes (regardless of your opinion on the changes) while there's nothing inherently controversial about the story depicted in SM. The characters may come from a controversial movie, but the ride only draws from the relatively-benign animated sections of the movie.
I'm a sucker for miniatures/models, so I've always loved the boats. Agreed that they are a classic!
I agree with everything. But I still think there's a worst-case Perfect Storm of elements that could make the retheme happen combining all these factors:
Yes, but Splash Mtn. DOES have a story with a start, middle and end. But I agree it's fun and it works in spite of most riders not paying much attention to the story. I also agree there's enough going on to make it entertaining and atmospheric anyway.
