Disney Parks to "completely reimagine" Splash Mountain with The Princess And The Frog
Aux Features Film
As announced by the official Disney Parks account on Twitter, the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida is going to be “completely reimagined” with a new The Princess And The Frog-themed story and aesthetic. The Disney Parks blog goes into this change a bit more, saying it will follow Princess Tiana and Louis on a “musical adventure” after the events of the movie as they prepare for a Mardi Gras performance. In a statement, Anika Noni Rose (who played Tiana in the movie) said that it’s “really exciting” to know that her character’s “presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized,” referring to the fact that—until now—The Princess And The Frog hasn’t been as omnipresent as some of Disney’s other canonical princess movies at the parks.
What the blog post doesn’t really touch on, somewhat unsurprisingly, is why this is happening. It doesn’t take a Disney scholar to know the answer, though: Splash Mountain’s characters and song, if not its specific story, are pulled from Song Of The South, a movie that is so racist in its depiction of slavery that Disney was willing to leave it as the lone exception (forever) to Disney+’s collection of the “entire” Disney vault. The general public’s tolerance for racist media—no matter how iconic or historically important—is finally being reexamined, with HBO Max temporarily pulling Gone With The Wind recently so it could add some additional context, and it has been clear for years that Disney needed to take another look at just how crucial the Song Of The South branding was to Splash Mountain.
None of that is mentioned in the Disney Parks blog, but it does make a point to remind everyone that consistently changing and updating rides is something that Walt Disney himself recognized as an important way to keep the parks relevant. He apparently called it “plussing.” The blog also says that changing Splash Mountain is “of particular importance” today and that the new theme will be “inclusive” in way that “speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.” So the specific reason for this is at least implied, if not explicitly stated.
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How about the Jungle Cruise ride? That’s my favorite ride (because it takes so much work on the part of the operators or cast members or whatever) but woof…
Why do you think they’re making this movie?Put that out in theaters, let it simmer for a few months, then reconfigure the ride to be more like this movie instead of whatever it’s doing now.
I hope Humphery Bogart is on the ride.
Funny, a bunch of us were talking about this a few weeks ago.So they went with Princess and Frog over Zootopia. Good choice.It’s a good and underviewed film. Wonder what they will do with “Zippity Do Dah”. Splash Mountain while based on Song of the South has pretty much been its own thing in people’s minds for forever now. Most people don’t know it’s even connected. And that song is iconic. I don’t recall Princess and the Frog having a song half as memorable. So I wonder if they’ll try to rework something.
I wonder how they reconcile the fact that one of the signature Disney songs comes from the movie they pretend didn’t exist.
For like 25 years now they’ve been treating it like a circle of the song begat the ride, and the ride begat the song without any reference to the movie.It was just a thing that created itself and only existed in itself.
Repurpose the song and put it Frozen 3. Problem solved
They haven’t. Until now, I guess.
Pretty much ignoring it mostly. Its not like that one song is all of Disney’s IP
There was a time they pretended the animated parts existed on their own as shorts. The live action parts were the revisionist truly gross stuff that was phased out. But the last several years people haven’t been comfortable with the idea of telling Joel Chandler Harris stories to children at all. There is just too much wrapped up in them that even the nice stuff is complicated. I haven’t seen the B’rer rabbit stuff since I was a kid (and never saw the actual movie) so I don’t really know. I am kind of surprised there hasn’t been a major attempt to make animated films based on the folk stories that Harris pilfered. The 140 year long presence of Harris, Uncle Remus and Disney may have smothered them for all time. Disney’s rights might also complicate things but they can’t own them any more than they own Snow White.
“Going Down the Bayou” seems like it will work as a great replacement.
That notoriously hilly bayou.
This ride definitely needed to be changed, but it’s going to take some surgery to make what was a rugged mountain stream — with a big vertical drop — into something suited to New Orleans.
It seems most likely they’ll use this song. It’s an obvious fit. At least at the beginning of the ride. I don’t like the song myself but it totally fits what they’re going for.
Tragically, most of the songs in “Princess and the Frog” are forgettable mediocrities.
Princess & the Frog does have some great songs – Almost There, Friends on the Other Side, Down in New Orleans. And let’s be honest, the ride helped perpetuate the popularity of Zippity Do Dah; it might well have faded into relative obscurity without it.
I’m not sure.I think “Zippity Do Dah” kinda falls into the same category as “it’s a Small World”.It’s an ear worm that’s really only associated with the ride. Like, I think the Princess and Frog songs are good but I don’t think they stick as well.
Almost There was the tune that immediately sprung to my mind – it’s upbeat, will absolutely get stuck in your head but in a good way, and is sung by the Princess herself. What more could you want?
So they went with Princess and Frog over Zootopia. Good choice.Right? If there’s concerns that the current ride are racially insensitive…replacing it with something that reverses the tide is a smart idea.
I don’t recall Princess and the Frog having a song half as memorable.
On the contrary, play this song and copy the pace of the animation as people get closer to the top of the mountain. It could be a ton of fun.
And on top of that, it helps promote Princess and the Frog…so even if those songs aren’t big *now* they’ll eventually just become another part of Disney/Princess lore and get that sorta notoriety.Hell, give it a year and Disney will probably just remake Princess and the Frog in live action to help promote the ride.
Keith David FTW!
That sounds like so much fun for the big drop! “Are you ready?!”and “Transformation central!” and thenwhoosh…
The hill used to be the end of the ride, right?But yeah I could totally see a re-thinking where the mountain is your transition from human to frog. So when you drop it’s supposed to be like your shrinking and on the “other side” you go through the world as a frog as the conflict with Facilier plays out around you.And I know Disney likes to put storylines in the queue, so that could be where you hear “Almost There.” With the backstory being “Hey you guys are in line to meet with Facilier because you’re looking to get a wish granted so hop on in this raft and we’ll get you up to see him and OH FUCK NOW YOU’RE A FROG!Basically Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride with a sudden drop half way through.
You appreciate it would be impossible to change the course of the ride, yes? And that they’re merely going to swap out some of the animatronics, swap out the music, add a bunch of screens and projections, and that will be that?
I know that song only from Fletch Lives. I didn’t realize its backstory. Whoops.
I was actually just watching The Golden Palace for the first time last night and there was a joke where Rose recommended Don Cheadle’s character sing “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” to be less grumpy in the morning and his response was: “you really want to see a black man walking around the lobby singing Zip-a-dee-doo-dah?” So maybe the connection has faded a bit over the years, but it was strong enough to be a punchline in 1992.
I think Dr. John’s “Down in New Orleans” would fit that bill perfectly. All the music from the soundtrack is really good.
Right? Didn’t some Disney fan blogger suggest just this a couple of weeks ago? And it covered here or on Vulture?
Changing Splash Mountain has been talked about for years and has only gained even more steam.To give Disney some credit, they’ve been aware enough to considerate it since Zootopia was I believe waa designed as well.But, it’s also interesting to see them kinda forced in this direction. They haven’t exactly promoted Princess and the Frog. There was talk of incorporating it in areas around The Haunted Mansion, since that’s generally New Orleans area, but I don’t think they ever did anything with that.Though I do kinda find this interesting because the different areas in the parks do kinda lose their branding now since Splash Mountain is usually in Frontier Land and Princess and Frog doesn’t fit at all. And Haunted Mansion is in Liberty Square.
it does seem a littttttle strange that they never tried to promote Princess and the Frog…it seems like it was treated differently (scratches head) can’t guess why…I saw Anika Noni Rose in Caroline, or Change, she was amazzzzzingAlso, the most bayou-like place I know of in Disneyland (not world) is Pirates of the Caribbean, the swamp near the restaurant. Nobody wants to remember those Johnny Depp movies anyway, rebrand!
On My Way seems like a perfectly fine replacement. Honestly most of the songs in that movie are about transition and pushing foward so any given one works fine in a ride context.
Question: I’m about to watch Princess and the Frog for the first time because of this, and yes it is good that it will start to get some support that was…ahem…strangely lacking previously. But my question is: so…on the Supreme Court there is what is viewed as the “Jewish” seat, it was Brandeis’s seat, now it’s Breyer’s seat. We all know that’s offensive (I’m Jewish) but it is also historically accurate and reflects that if there were zero Jews on the court (there are currently three [fist pumps]) that would be a notable backslide. In this case…rebranding a ride that has an offensively racist basis with the only black Disney princess, instead of giving her and the movie their own ride and thing…like it’s better than what there was but is that really not offensive pandering? If they backed it up by making Princess and the Frog the next live action that would at least be something…but what if they then do something like put “zippity do-dah” into that movie to try to have it both ways.Still better than what there was, but…problematic.
I don’t know. Almost There and Friends on the Otherside are memorable.
Honestly, I hope they have the Princess and the Frog cast record a version of Zippity Do Dah and play it during the ride (along with songs from the movie) to “reclaim” it from Song of the South. Then they can keep using the classic song and slowly remove it’s connection from that movie.I totally get why they’d want a clean break though, if that’s the route they take.
Something like that, yes.My pitch has been that Disney should make a Songs of Freedom.A multiethnic with stories from Chinese Americans, African-American, Spanish Americans etc, telling their folklore stories through their arrival in America.You could have a Chinese internment camp story, a new version of something from Songs from the south, a Puerto Rican’s arriving in NY in the 1950s, Mexicans immigrants crossing the border etc.With the only requirement being working that song in somewhere.
I’m fine with that. I went to Disney World last summer and their map acknowledged the ride was based on Song of the South, even though Disney was clear at that point they were never going to release it ever again.
Slow down, America. The racists aren’t done protesting pancake syrup and butter mascots yet.
Splash Mountain…………………………………………………………………………..was cancelled.
…the racists are the ones protesting?
They are vociferously protesting. Who knew syrup mascots had such dedicated followings?
I realize now I misread the comment and thought he meant the people lobbying for the syrup and butter mascots to change were the racists, not the people who are upset by the changes.
Understandable, considering the situation is so weird.
No you misunderstood again they’re changing it TO racists. Good ole Andrew Jackson maple syrup.
Nah, you read it right. They wrote it wrong.
They aren’t protesting, bitching about really, the mascots they are bitching about them going away.
They’re protesting the “MUH HERITAGE” part of losing a mammy archetype with their breakfast. Trust me, it’s a weird offshoot of the culture war B.S. that extremists use to sound relatable.
That their butter no longer has a Native American woman on it or that Aunt Jemima is being removed? Yes. Look no further than speakers at the “Students for Trump” rally or people boycotted Land O’Lakes for changing the logo. I promise you Fox News will have guests on complaining about the change to Splash Mountain (meanwhile they said nothing when Disney fucked up Tower of Terror in Disneyland).
It would be interesting to put out a story about Disney (or any other company) dropping a completely fictional racist ride (or any other product) just to see people rant about how they’ll never use that product again.
“Well the PC-Police doneit again! They MADE Disney take down the Plantation-Go-Round at all there parks and they’ve killed my childhhood!!1! My happyist memories were on that ride, Dizney has lost a customer for life!” Rose Clampton Effingham, Il
How would they protest this ride? Buy a ticket and then set themselves on fire while they’re on it?
Let’s make one thing clear: This was going to happen eventuallyOutside of three songs and the characters from the animated segments, Disney has spent decades pretending Song of the South never existed. Better to replace it with an IP they actually do want to promote.Also this is also worth mentioning:
And it looks like we get to stand up while going down the drop! YESSSS!
Wait… Those are the same people who attended Trump’s rally!
Wait… Those are the same people who attended Trump’s rally!
Kinja’d!
No, I could whip up a drawing like that in less than 5 minutes!
No, I could whip up a drawing like that in less than 5 minutes!
Why not base it on Cinderella II: Dreams Come True? It does have an 11% Rotten Tomatoes score.
I’d rather prefer Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.
Not Cinderella IV: The Revenge?
It’s no Cinderella IX: Redemption
What’s the one where Cinderella fights Dolph Lundgren who’s plays a Russian so strong he breaks their punching odometer computer thing?
Cinderella V: Dream Warrior
My favorite part of that movie is when the evil Stepmother impales herself upon the magic carriage
‘Alien v Predator v Cinderella: Revelation’.
I think it’s worth noting that this has apparently been in development since last year, which means the announcement might have been somewhat reactionary, but the plan itself isn’t. (Although it HAS long been a point of discussion that Song of the South is a real problem for Disney.) Personally I’m excited. Princess & the Frog is a great movie and deserves representation at the parks, and I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with the backstory of Splash Mountain.
But you’re comfortable with a ride based on a movie created by a sexual predator, John Lasseter? Splash Mountain was the only ride, the only THING at Disneyland based on stories created by black people. Too bad they had to be filtered through a racist movie, but black stories all the same. They will be replaced by German Folklore as told by a white sexual predator. The mind boggles.
That song and movie will always have a fond place in my heart where I put things that I could enjoy ignorantly and innocently as a kid. But I don’t need to show it to my kids.
Looking forward to the new ride a lot. It seems like a fantastic fit, as others have mentioned.* Celebrating southern culture without being racist* Near other New Orleans-adjacent buildings and themes in Disneyland, IIRC.* Based off the last beautiful full-budget 2d-animated movie Disney put out before they got out of that business (I cry inside at this)* has a wonderful riding on the waters theme built-in to the story.
I appreciate the problems around Song of the South, but consider:1. The b’rer rabbit tales are taken from the black oral tradition, which is to say that the story of Splash Mountain was the only Disney ride to feature stories created by black people.2. Those black stories will be replaced by Princess and the Frog, which is German folklore.3. Princess and the Frog was created in part by John Lasseter, sexual predator.So, in short, Disney is removing the one ride dedicated to black stories and replacing it with German folklore as presented by a white sexual predator. Yay 2020!!
If anyone is interested in taking a deep dive to learn exactly how and why this is a momentous change and learn the history of this film, I suggest Karina Longworth’s excellent podcast ‘You Must Remember This’. Her season ‘Six Degrees of Song if the South’ is well researched and gives in depth explanation of how the film was problematic during it’s own time of release.
I’m so happy they’re making this change! It’s a no-brainer simply based on the fact that it’s a water ride and that it has so much Louisiana imagery in the first place. They can probably keep a lot of set pieces ( the swamps in the first indoor set and, more importantly, the giant riverboat in the last indoor set) and even reuse some designs from New Orleans Square in Disneyland down in Orlando. Plus, the Princess and the Frog is such a gorgeous movie and adding more of the imagery will just make the ride prettier; they can promote a movie people can actually watch and enjoy; they can use some of the wonderful songs from the movie; utilize an under-rated villain, etc. etc.
I have never been on Splash Mountain (or Disneyland), but updating Splash Mountain or any other water log ride to a Princess and the Frog themed ride makes sense, since most of the movie is a hero’s journey on the water. I hope this brings some more attention to Princess and the Frog, which is definitely one of the better movies Disney has put out lately.
Plus NOLA stuff is fun and pretty. Easy to incorporate it into a restaurant theme too.
Exactly! The lady owns her own restaurant and there’s a river boat and piles of beignets! I don’t know why they haven’t turned a whole section of the park into Princess and the Frog, frankly.
“Bwaaam” “Bwaaam”. Oh wait, that was Nolan stuff, not NOLA stuff. Although they could do an Inception themed log ride with Edith Piaf music, I suppose.
It’d end up being one of those rides that kinda moves, but like 3d immersive experience and it’d probably go on too long. Then it’d have some “really deep” message that was like ok, but some people would think it was amazing and life changing then in retrospect you’d think it was kinda stupid.
…a movie that is so racist in its depiction of slavery…The movie takes place during the Reconstruction. Not that this makes it any less racist, but it doesn’t (directly) depict slavery.
Nice “well, actually” attempt, but the central character is a former slave, and he makes thinly veiled comments about how things were better not-so-long-ago. Trying to pretend that “Song of the South” didn’t have slaves in it is like pretending that “MASH” wasn’t about Viet Nam.
Before you get all worked up into a huff you should probably read beyond the first sentence of the comment you’re replying to.
Well, actually… MASH is about Korea.
I’ve not seen SotS myself but from what I heard on the podcast You Must Remember This, the film doesn’t explicitly mention its set during Reconstruction. Even reviewers at the time weren’t sure when the film was supposed to take place.
I’m not sure why the AV Club won’t allow me to make this comment, but it’s important to realize that the B’rer characters were created by black people, and while Harris and Disney stole them for their own purposes, it remains true that Splash Mountain was the ONLY ride at Disney based on stories created by black people.By swapping out Princess and the Frog, which is German folklore, Disney’s storytelling will once again be lilly white. But you get what you ask for.
Dr. Facilier is one of the best character interactions at Disney.
There is a whole segment on an episode of Disney Plus “The Imagineering Story” based on Splash Mountain. Angela Bassett narrates that they repurposed assets tied to a quote “problematic” movie.
I suggest that it may also be a good idea to excise that segment from the episode.
Can’t wait for Louis the Alligator to address me by name and tell me he’s going to marry my dad.
The Princess and the Frog is a criminally underrated Disney film. I love it.It still won’t get on that damned ride. If I want to walk around soaking wet in Florida, I’ll just go outside…
This article prompted me to check if Six Flags over Georgia still had the “Monster Plantation” but never fear, it’s “Monster Mansion,” now. I cannot speak to if it still smells like mildrew.
“I cannot speak to if it still smells like mildrew.”Milton Drew, my tax accountant?
I was completely unaware of this until I saw a TV show reference it recently. Is this the same at Disneyworld? That’s the only Disney site I have been to.
Have you seen the film, Song of the South?
That’s good to hear but it’s weird it’s after the events of the movie or him being kissed. Is it really the Princess and the Frog if he’s no longer a frog? I hope it’s cool. I used to love the Brier animals and Splash Mountain characters when I was young but I see how they are problematic.
I demand to know what’s happening to the animatronic fox as well as his marital status immediately.
It’s your responsibility to follow up on Clickhole’s sterling reporting. AVC. For shame. https://clickhole.com/5-times-the-animatronic-fox-on-splash-mountain-addresse-1825122431/
This is in fact the real reason they’re changing the ride. Too many people complained about the Fox promising to marry their dads.
Ive always felt Princess and the Frog is an underrated Disney film. A damn shame it opened the same week as Avatar and was promptly buried.
They had to give Princess and the Frog ample time to become just as obscure as SotS in the public consciousness.
No, no, no, no, no. Song of the South isn’t about slavery. It’ about Reconstruction! Uncle Remus isn’t a slave, he’s a free man who just happens to make several not-at-all oblique references to the “good old days”, a sentiment echoed in many of the song lyrics. So, you know, totally not at all racist.
No, no, no, no, no. Song of the South isn’t about slavery. It’ about Reconstruction! Uncle Remus isn’t a slave, he’s a free man who just happens to make several not-at-all oblique references to the “good old days”, a sentiment echoed in many of the song lyrics. So, you know, totally not at all racist.
No, no, no, no, no. Song of the South isn’t about slavery. It’ about Reconstruction! Uncle Remus isn’t a slave, he’s a free man who just happens to make several not-at-all oblique references to the “good old days”, a sentiment echoed in many of the song lyrics. So, you know, totally not at all racist.
I don’t necessarily object, but I fear Disney will go cheap on the refurb. Splash Mountain comes from a time when Disney invested a huge amount of money and detail to new rides. They’re bleeding cash right now, so much so that several current projects were frozen in place and likely will remain behind construction walls into the foreseeable future. I don’t see this change looking nearly as good as the original.And can we please stop pretending that Splash Mountain is some kind of racist abomination? By itself, the ride is completely innocuous.
This makes me kinda sad. I grew up hearing Uncle Remus stories as bedtime stories back in my youngest years. Seeing Br’er Rabbit and getting tossed into the briar patch was such an amazing surprise the first time I went to Disneyworld (I’d never seen or even heard of Song of the South until years down the road). I don’t know how the original stories are considered now (I’m sure a white guy transcribing African oral tales and making money from them is all kinds of morally questionable) but they were only ever fairy tales to me. (Plus, I loved Bugs Bunny as a kid and there’s obviously a lot of Br’er Rabbit in Bugs, intentionally or not).
I mean, I get it, even if SotS wasn’t a landmine, Splash Mountain was always gonna get remade because the Mouse wants to advertise its newer more marketable properties instead of reminding people of its most problematic, but just like when the Tower of Terror in Orlando will inevitably get remade into another version of that Guardians ride in California, it’ll just make me sad to watch another part of my childhood fade away.
Disney did something gutsy (for Disney) and changed the style of animation for one of the movie’s songs. That impressed me so much. Plus, I love the ‘storybook’ animation a lot.
That’s all. Never been to Disney Parks. I’m ambivalent about the change. I just admire their willingness to do something a bit different for the movie.
“Yes, it’s an exciting new ride, and we look forward to you trying it out in late 2025 when it’s finally safe to go places again.”