My First (and Maybe Last) Ride on Splash Mountain!
If you’ve been living under a rock, you might not have heard that the ‘Splash Mountain’ log flume attraction at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland resort(s) will be undergoing a MASSIVE and permanent overlay to ditch the controversial ‘Briar Patch’ theming in favor of a new ‘Princess and the Frog’ iteration of the ride. So far as we know, the layout of the original attraction will be unchanged. Everything else is staged to be shuttered, from the “million dollar rabbit” animatronic to the briar patch thorns at the base of our waterlogged descent.
Concept art released by Disney for the ‘Princess and the Frog’ reimagining of the present ‘Splash Mountain’ attraction at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
A petition for the removal or re-imagining of ‘Splash’ has long been in circulation, prompted by unease - and, in some cases, outrage - caused by the source material on which the ride is based. Song of the South, a 1946 Disney film, famously birthed the characters of Br’er Rabbit and is carnivorous antagonists as well as the Academy-Award-winning song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. However, Song of the South is perhaps just as famous for its unfortunate portrayal of racial inequality, and has not seen the light of day since the Eisner era.
The reimagining was announced during the tumultuous summer of 2020, wherein the COVID-19 pandemic forced a lot of people indoors to think about the past, the present and the future. ‘Splash Mountain’, as it stands presently, has been a pillar of the domestic parks since 1989 (Disneyland) and 1992 (Walt Disney World), respectively, and is as beloved for many today as it was when it first opened to parkgoers. But, as Walt Disney himself once said of Disneyland, the park “will never be completed, as long as there is imagination left in the world”. As sad as it will be to say goodbyes to Br’er Rabbit, Fox and Bear for many, we know that the update represents growth and societal progress towards a better, brighter and more inclusive tomorrow.
This said, the announcement also brought a moment of panic for us. Why? Because one of us here had never been on Splash Mountain in its current form! Tim has never been a fan of flume rides, raft rides or water rides in general, and has abstained from Splash for a number of years in order to stay dry. But during our recent trip to Walt Disney World, he ran to Frontierland to experience the original iteration of ‘Splash Mountain’ - laughing place and all - in order to be part of the park’s history, before it was too late! Our short vlog of his first-time experience is below!
‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ was covered by the immensely talented Road Out West and used with the cover artist’s permission. You can check out the Road Out West YouTube channel here!
