Splash Mountain Will Be Rethemed to Princess & Frog
Disney has officially announced that Splash Mountain will be re-themed to Princess and the Frog at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. (Tokyo Disneyland will retain its Brer characters from Song of the South, at least for now.) In this post, we’ll cover the news, share concept art, and offer some commentary.
Per Disney Parks Blog, the attraction’s theme is inspired by an all-time favorite animated Disney film, The Princess and the Frog. The new-look ride will pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure — featuring some of the powerful music from the film — as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.
Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new “land” added to Disneyland park, so it feels natural to link the story and the incredible music of “The Princess and the Frog” to our parks.
While the timing may seem suspect, Disney indicates that this isn’t an impulsive reaction to recent headlines and petitions that have gained traction. Walt Disney Imagineering states that it has actively been working on a Splash Mountain retheme for some time, with a specific focus on The Princess and the Frog for the past year.
Here’s a look at the concept art:
Here’s more on the Splash Mountain overhaul from the Disney Parks Blog, including quotes from Imagineers and the voices of characters from The Princess and the Frog…
The voice of Princess Tiana and Tony Award-winning actress, Anika Noni Rose, shared, “It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Mardi Gras celebration we’ve been waiting for, and I’m here for it!”
Per Disney Parks Blog, the approach to retheming or “plussing” attractions begins with Imagineers asking the question: how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about.
And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.
Senior Creative Producer Charita Carter at Walt Disney Imagineering will helm the project, having previously been one of the leads on development of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Carter shared, “Like Princess Tiana, I believe that courage and love are the key ingredients for wonderful adventures. I am delighted to be a part of bringing this fun-filled experience to our guests.”
Disney Legend and former Imagineer Tony Baxter, who designed the original Splash Mountain, will also be brought out of retirement to serve as a creative designer on the new Princess and the Frog attraction. “Following conversations with Imagineering’s leaders about the new attraction’s scope and resources, I had a great sense of reassurance — the attraction will be one to be proud of, bringing to life places, characters and music from the animated classic The Princess and the Frog…I look forward to being a part of a new adventure in Disney magic and fun!” said Baxter about the overhaul.
Imagineer Scott Trowbridge, lead on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, also tweeted out that he’s “been stealth working on this for quite a while and happy to finally share!” The involvement of this trio of Imagineers definitely reassures us about the overhaul.
For Imagineers, change is rooted in a tradition set by Walt Disney who encouraged new innovations, new ideas, new scenes and current storytelling. And the experiences they create can be enjoyed by guests who visit our parks from all over the world.
As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape. (At present, the current incarnation of Splash Mountain is scheduled to reopen when Walt Disney World and Disneyland reopen.)
Our Commentary
As far as commentary goes, this is an understandably delicate topic. We mostly take Disney at its word here that the plans to retheme Splash Mountain were set in motion over a year ago, but we’d imagine those were nonetheless accelerated in light of recent events. (Especially given that Disney is pumping the brakes on other projects while moving forward with this.)
Nevertheless, given what Disney has done with Tower of Terror, Great Movie Ride, and other attractions based on non-Disney or “outdated” intellectual property, it’s not a huge leap that Disney would want to retheme Splash Mountain to a modern film for the sake of synergy. It probably was an inevitability that Splash Mountain would change at some point, so perhaps the timing here is totally coincidental.
Nevertheless, this change is undoubtedly going to be controversial and spawn a ton of debate, most of it wholly unproductive. It’s also a topic that, frankly, I’m not sure I’m the best person to address.
In our Pirates of the Caribbean Redhead Auction Scene Debate post from a few years ago, I did opt to put “my entire head into the hornet’s nest” wading into what I felt was an interesting topic that pertains to the intersection of art, history, evolving cultural norms, and more.
It’s a different topic, but the same story here. Much of what was written there can be applied to today’s Splash Mountain news. While theme parks are art, they cannot be re-contextualized the same way other entertainment can. There are some practical realities that must be considered and concessions that must be made given their functional purpose.
There’s more fluidity to theme parks than other art; things must be updated because the primary purpose is simply entertainment and not education or enlightenment. (Refer to that prior post for more commentary along those lines.)
Where Splash Mountain deviates from Pirates of the Caribbean is in what’s directly being depicted in each. The argument in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean was that it glamorized human trafficking and sex slavery, while showcasing the subjugation of women.
Splash Mountain is different in the sense that when it was built, the attraction was consciously removed from its controversial source material (even back in the late-1980s when the ride was in development, Disney realized Song of the South was problematic). What’s depicted in Splash Mountain is subtle, subliminal, and indirect.
That’s where my comfort level in addressing this particular topic ends.
As someone who has never experienced the ill effects of systemic racism and oppression, I feel like it’s not really my place to offer a value judgment on how Splash Mountain does or does not impact other guests. I don’t know what it’s like to experience the world as a person of color.
Moreover, while I value my own nostalgia and iconic aspects of classic and iconic Disney attractions, the right course of action is to err on the side of not reinforcing racism, and instead fostering a more inclusive Disney experience.
From my perspective, this is simply a matter of conceding my personal blind spots and being willing to admit “I don’t really know” how Splash Mountain might negatively effect other guests.
Sadly, that side of the debate is going to overshadow the reality (or at least my subjective but strong opinion) that The Princess and the Frog is one of the Walt Disney Animation Studio’s most underrated films, and it has been criminally underrepresented at Walt Disney World and Disneyland for years. (See our Tiana’s Place Restaurant Review for a look at how excellent a Princess and the Frog experience can be.)
Not only is Princess and the Frog a great film with memorable characters, catchy music, and a compelling story–it’s visually gorgeous. I can’t think of a more beautiful animated film that Disney has made in the last two decades.
This is an odd comparison, but it reminds me somewhat of Avatar in terms of the film’s visuals (except Princess and the Frog is actually good). Pandora ended up being a stunning theme park setting, and we’d except the same to hold true here–except the Princess and the Frog attraction will also have the excellent aforementioned music, characters, etc. and not just pretty visuals.
When I’m envisioning this new Princess and the Frog attraction in my head, it’s a longer version of Na’vi River Journey with a drop at the end, better music, and more varied settings. The same subdued vibe and impressionistic scenery, but hopefully with more dimensional set design, Audio Animatronics, and just more well-rounded overall.
Our main concern at this point is Disney allocating the proper time and budget to let Imagineering deliver a thoughtful, deliberate, and quality re-theming of the attraction. Our fear is that the attraction will be a ham-fisted overlay that doesn’t do its source material justice.
However, we’re willing to wait and see, withholding judgment for now. The concept art looks promising, and if the end result is a lavish and inventive Princess and the Frog attraction, that’s something we can most definitely get behind. Here’s hoping that Imagineering delivers and totally reinvents the iconic attraction!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Splash Mountain being rethemed to Princess and the Frog? Excited for Tiana and friends to finally have their own attraction at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, or will you be sad to see the Brer Critters vacate the Briar Patch? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’m excited! This is one re-imaging that actually makes sense to me. I was furious when Tower of Terror changed from Twilight Zone to Guardians of the Galaxy. While the ride is more fun, the theming still makes zero sense. But turning Splash Mountain into a PatF ride makes a lot of sense! Plus the Disneyland version definitely needed some loving care. When I went last summer, half the animatronics were just not working.
This is STUPID. I love Louisiana, the swamps, Cajun culture, Nawlins, etc. Let’s get a new attraction instead of ruining a great one.
Most of the people claiming any link to racism are themselves being racist and especially in this case, it’s so tenuous at best that it’s ridiculous. This is a story about Brer Rabbit and friends, not the SOTS plot many folks don’t like.
The ruins of The Maelstrom suck. It was a horrible idea in the first place and took way, way, way too long for a simple overlay.
Walt Disney would not be pleased with either of these ideas (as well as the crappy Tarzan ruination of the Treehouse at Disneyland). They aren’t in any way new or innovative, which is what Walt meant. Navi River Journey, while not a thrill ride, has some pretty amazing newer tech that most don’t seem to appreciate.
As a former CM who got to walk through the mountain and ride it numerous times before it opened (and before the addition of lap bars), this really sucks just on that basis.
the part i will miss most is the iconic “Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah” music. that makes splash mountain for me, even more than the drop itself. i know it’s not from Princess and the Frog, and i know the film has it’s own wonderful score, but can they somehow incorporate Zip into the new attraction? that will be the biggest loss for me here. part of me wants to take Disney a their word that this has been in development for awhile, i just hope it is well thought out, does the film justice, while still somehow paying homage to a classic attraction in some way and doesn’t look rushed so that people won’t say it was a knee-jerk response. (while we’re on the PATF topic, they still need to move the Tiana’s restaurant idea to Port Orleans, where it would have made so much more sense from the get-go, rather than the scraped property by Ft. Wilderness).
“Tiana’s Palace” at Port Orleans sounds like a great idea! They’ve always needed a good table service restaurant, and that would be a perfect fit.
I agree, the song will be missed. Also, when Bear says “The Briar Patch!?” right before the drop. I repeat that for weeks after I have been on SM.
As a Caucasian family with an adopted daughter who is a person of color, “The Song of the South” has always been problematic (not just because of recent headline news).
Splash Mountain is an excellent, wildly popular attraction, with a long, leisurely ride through gorgeous scenery and thrills along the way. It has plenty going for it without having to retain a connection to the offensive source material. When my daughter asks about the characters depicted on the ride, and which movie they came from, what am I supposed to tell her? That Disney has a movie that’s considered so offensive in its stereotypes that we can’t view the movie by any method, but that it’s somehow not problematic enough to base a ride on it? “The Song of the South” theming is best left in the past (where it was ill-advised even then).
For those here who would be up in arms about it (even vowing never to go to Disney again, really?), please consider that it’s still the same ride (the gliding log, the thrilling drops) and now it will be updated with what I expect to be a stunningly beautiful theme with enjoyable music. My daughter and I recently rewatched “The Princess and the Frog” and I told her that I’d heard that they might update Splash Mountain with that theme, a possibility that was very welcome news for her.
I’m grateful that Disney has taken the firm step of announcing that the rumors are true. I know lots of diehard fans don’t like to have their Disney tampered with. But it’s well past time to completely retire “The Song of the South”, and the stereotypes that go along with it.
Ugh. This is a punch to the gut. We LOVE Splash Mountain. But I get it, and trust Disney will make the attraction as good as the original. Princess and the Frog is a great film so we’re happy with that choice.
I love Splash Mountain and will miss it when it’s gone. I’m also fine with updating and re-imagining rides, including this one, in the spirit of moving forward… for reasons that hit home for me, as well as for reasons that don’t.
While Disney is a massive corporation and it’s certainly fine to criticize them, the reason I’m along for the ride with them is that I generally trust their ability to deliver the magic to my family. It’s not always the magic I would have designed, but that’s ok. I personally would prefer to keep it Splash Mountain, but I also know that changing it to The Princess and the Frog will be meaningful to others, so that’s ok by me. I trust Disney to do a good job with it.
Regardless of your feelings toward the source material, I can’t help but feel this isn’t the best use of Disney’s limited capital budget. Particularly if this was in motion before recent events, is the $ spent updating one of the best attractions in WDW/DL really better used there than on Imagination? Or adding the Main Street Theater or some other new attraction?
Echoing your words, I’m not the best qualified to speak on the cultural implications of the attraction, except to say that I think the fact that Brer Rabbit’s story was used in Song of the South doesn’t have to inextricably tie the two together.
With New Orleans Square in DL, I think PatF can conceptually tie in – it will be harder in WDW. I wouldn’t go nearly so far as to say that PatF is an “all-time favorite animated Disney film”, but it will be nice to see something of it in the park.
They told us it cost $36M to build Splash in 1992.
This is wonderful. We have to keep up the times to keep things relevant. And Princess and the Frog is a beautiful movie. Good for Disney. To the haters- it’s a shame really but that’s one less person to wait in line behind when we are enjoying the parks.
Yeah, trade a story about a long gone era for one that’s even older. That’s not keeping anything ‘relevant’ or ‘up with the times’ at all. Plus, it will completely screw up the theming at Magic Kingdom. At least DL has New Orleans Square to tie into. Does this mean we’ll get a new area themed to the French Quarter and bayous? Stuck in between the Old West and…the Old West?
Really excited for this! Completely agree that the music and story from Princess and the Frog are underrated. Now let’s hope while they are updating it they will also scale back the splashes a bit 🙂
Sure. Destroy history and heritage rather than learn from it. Next stop, Samuel Clemmens. No one seems to consider context anymore. Well, I’m offended by people who are constantly offended and in my opinion the cries of “Systemic Racism” are mostly a ploy to gain power. I’d be willing to bet that very few people know where “Song of the South” originated, who Uncle Remus was, and the story behind the whole thing nor do they care to find out.
Sad.
Pretty much.
Agreed 100%.
Can I buy the old Splash Mountain and put it in my backyard?
If there’s enough notice, I’ll make one trip to ride it a last time (or 10). But after that, I think I might be done. For a long time, at least. Maybe when there are grandkids.
Too many irreplaceable Splash memories from when the boys were small.
Well we knew the Cancel Culture would win… Another sad day for America…
This is not cancel culture – cancel culture has to do with boycotting or “cancelling” your support for businesses, influencers, or regular people due to something you don’t agree with. As Tom and Disney has stated, this change has been in the works.
I think this change represents a desire to update and showcase a fantastic film – yes, the ride is undoubtedly nostalgic with its current theming, but most children have no connection to the material. I’m all for an update to better connect with the times!
Princes and the Frog was such a great movie. I think Tiana and friends deserve a brand NEW attraction instead of a reimagination of Splash Mountain. She belongs in Fantasyland with Belle and Ariel!
I completely agree with you! I know Disney has a history of retheming attractions when block buster movies come out to capitalize on its success but I think that ship has sailed. I agree that Princess and the Frog was a sweet enjoyable movie with great music but so was Aladdin and we didn’t re-imagine the Peter Pan Flight ride for it. If anything, Disney should give this movie its own brand new ride if they want to but leave classics like Splash Mountain alone.
As a black man who remembers the opening of Splash Mountain as one of the pinnacle moments of my Disney childhood, I am sad to see the attraction change.
As a grown up Disney fan who recognizes that a) Song if the South is problematic, b) outside of Splash Mountain, no one knows the SotS characters anyway, and c) Princess and the Frog has great music, great “setting” and great characters, I’m excited for this change.
Splash had been sufficiently scrubbed of its problematic connections to the movie (although being trapped in honey is a clear substitute for the movies tar baby scene…..), so I don’t think a retheme is urgent. Putting that aside, a conversion to a Princess and the Frog theme – especially given the placement of the attraction (at least at Disneyland) AND the ongoing maintenance issues the current incarnation has had, makes this a “no-brainer” for me.
I only hope Disney hires the attractions CM who had circulated his idea for this as an intern for this experience. That’d be a win/win PR move, even if Disney was already “in the works” on this before his armchair imagineering story took off.
I am very excited as my daughter and I LOVE Princess and the Frog. I think it will be easy to update with the current theming so hopefully it will also be a fast rehab.
I’m really excited to see what they do with the ride. I hope it’s half as good as the concept art. I love Princess and the Frog and think it is much more relevant to younger visitors!
No reason to touch this ride! Perfect the way it is!!
And while we’re at it!
We wants the Readhead! We wants the Readhead!
“Princess and the Frog” is one of the most visually stunning Disney films ever. Love the movie, love New Orleans, and love Splash Mountain, so I can’t wait to see what the imagineers come up with!
I am so pro this in Disneyland. I wish it fit WDW’s Frontierland a little better but oh well. Totally pro-this Disneyland, even if my nostalgic heart will ache a bit.
Yes!! This is exciting! I agree that Tiana and her story don’t get enough notice. It’s a magical story and this will be a wonderful way to experience it