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!
Truly sad…Splash Mountain was my favorite ride! The music especially will be sorely missed and fit perfectly with Frontier Land. Was never a huge fan of Princess and the Frog specifically and only because of the voodoo component (which I find offensive but wont make a big deal about it). Very sad. Another ride tied to childhood memories getting replaced, along with great classic characters (Brer rabbit, brer bear, brer fox) getting erased. Very very sad. Princess and Frog does have a ferry boat in it so maybe they will keep that part of the ride and hopefully still play the old songs in the queue.
Is the old version already shut down? Because I would make a special trip just to ride it one last time. I got engaged on that ride! (FL, not CA)
@Robert: no timetable whatsoever was offered for the retheme project. Splash will likely remain in its current form for a long time (who knows if this change will even make it into the 2021 budgets?).
The brier rabbit theme is only a small part of splash mountain, so much of the animatronics is recycled from shows gone past, splash mountain is almost like a history of Disneyland. If this move is to appear to be more politically correct I think that could be a big mistake, will they be renaming the Mark Twain riverboat or Tom Sawyers island, I really don’t think Disney wants to remodel the whole park to make a political statement, that could be extremely expensive.
This is true. The book had racial words in it and once again, probably not far off base here. I could see them renaming everything!
Why would the Mark Twain or TSI get renamed? Are we all on the same page as to what “politically correct” actually means?
@Andy, are you being serious? You have no idea why some would want it to be renamed? I personally don’t want anything redone, tethered or renamed – just keep things in good repair would be nice. Get rid of any hazardous materials as many buildings were built in times of heavy asbestosis usage. I know Walt was miserable over his parent getting cancer when he purchased a home that had it in it.
I love this. It was dated and due for a refresh, and Princess and the Frog is a perfect fit- especially in Disneyland, so close to New Orleans square. I will miss hearing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, though! It’s iconic even without context, and I hope it stays in the music rotation somewhere at the parks.
Sign the petition to KEEP Splash Moutain theme.
I´ve grown up to this and my 6 year son is crying with this nonsense political biased move by Disney.
http://chng.it/6TmmLbMF8B
If your 6 year old son is crying, that’s down to how you presented this to him.
Oh my god a 6 year old does not care what the ride is about. He’s only upset because he’s emulating you- you’re teaching him that he should be upset. Change will be inevitable in all aspects of his life, perhaps use the opportunity to teach him how to cope with and be excited for new experiences, rather than teaching him to throw tantrums to get his way.
Thanks for the link, Luis.
Signed! Most Disney stories are based on sad ones and they managed to turn ugliness into magic. So sad to see this piece of history gone
Okay Andy, I’m sorry that was a bit harsh. But the fact is, it’s not okay to vandalize and destroy property, beat, rape, rob, and murder people, or wantonly use drugs in public. People need to teach their children right from wrong. It’s not the schools’ responsibility. That’s on parents.
This makes me incredibly sad and slightly angry. This was one of our favorite attractions With so many other changes lately this is yet another blow. Getting ridiculous. Splash mountain was Southern themed with no racism I could see. What the heck is happening?
Everyone who doesn’t understand why the ride is problematic as is, listen to this podcast:
http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2019/10/21/six-degrees-of-song-of-the-south-episode-1-disneys-most-controversial-film
Stop,there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the ride. There isn’t a hint of racism in the ride.
99% of the people in the Parks don’t even know it’s inspired by Song of The South.
Agreed, Fred, nor do they care. It’s a theme park, an escape from the normal hassles of daily life and work.
This is my daughter’s all time favorite ride. She’s so upset!! Why couldn’t they have left it alone and just made a new attraction for The Princess and the Frog??
I think a Princess and the Frog ride should go in the America Pavilion–give Epcot another ride!
I’ve been preparing myself for an overhaul of Splash Mountain for a while. Im honestly very surprised it has lasted this long. I’m pretty sure I’m the only Millennial who a) has seen Song of the South, and b) doesnt find the ride problematic. Since Millennials now make up a sizable portion of the population and are now getting to ages where we can take our kids to Disney…well, I get where Disney is coming from. If it’s going to be re-themed then at the end of the day I’m happy it’s Princess and the Frog. It truly is an underrated movie.
As for it not fitting with the rest of Frontierland, Splash Mountain didn’t technically fit either. It’s a ride based in the south in the 1800s, which was far from the American frontier at the time. If we wanted it to be on theme it should be a Pocahontas/John Smith canoe ride. Or maybe the Lewis and Clark ride that was planned for the Disney park in VA back in the 90s. Are Pocahontas and Lewis and Clark problematic yet?
Fingers crossed WDW doesn’t shut down again so that I can take my husband on the ride in October! Last time Splash Mountain closed for bad weather before we could ride it.
Unfortunately, yes Pocahontas and Lewis & Clark are problematic with the overly sensitive – along with almost everything in American history & culture.
Joe D, I guess we better stop teaching any world history too then, because none of this is new or unusual to this nation. Unfortunately, the world is a harsh, brutal place and people have always and continue to treat each other savagely. Sadly, slavery still continues in other places openly, and many not so openly through human trafficking. We cannot tolerate it as a civilized society.
One of our Families Favorite Rides!! REally Disney!! this is getting way out of hand ……what else is Disney taking away not to offend anyone! what’s next?? Will cancel our trip this year!!!
Sorry, I feel like this is the Figment ride all over again… I just want to go to my Happy Place Over the falls…
Splash is being removed not because of anything offensive in the ride, but because of its association to an insensitive/racist film (wow! Disney!) So one could say that Main St USA should be rethemed because of its association to the beginning of the Jim Crow era and a total lack of diversity in its “population”. Frontierland, you’re next: an association with the massacre and displacement of native Americans. It’s a Small World: cultural appropriation and rampant stereotyping. Adventureland…
you get the point. Disney’s been sitting in this concept art for years for this very purpose. When everyone calms down, they’ll put it away – as planned. (A Princess & the Frog attraction is a fantastic idea!)
1. Main St. USA is a mythical place, and not a story
2. Stop it (all of the other examples you list – asked and answered)
3. Disneyland was dedicated, in part, to the “hard facts that created America.” This isn’t an attempt to ignore the oftentimes brutal realities of our history. So the presidents and the American Adventure can stay. But the minstrel show that was Song of the South needs to go. It’s offensive and hurtful to a lot of amazing people, and I want them to have just as much fun at their favorite Disney parks as I do.
4. People who don’t get this probably don’t get the modern Walt Disney Company. I hope you can open your heart though, and let people in. It’s pretty amazing when you do.
Trader Sam and the headhunters should be next. Followed by the Three Caballeros and the Tikibirds.
The fact that Tony Baxter is involved makes me think there will be a sizable budget to make this re-theme work. Surely he would not have signed on if he felt he would not be given the money he needs. Right? RIGHT?!! But part of me thinks, hey, there’s a giant construction zone in Epcot that maybe we should work on first, and perhaps new projects are not prudent given the BILLION dollar loss due to the worldwide pandemic. I will remain optimistic but, SO HELP ME GOD, they better not add screens to this attraction.
I think things in this world are getting way out of hand. Its absolutely ludicrous that Disney would cave to this nonsense. Its an animated, enjoyable, amazing, beautiful ride for EVERYONE. Now, think about the downtime for this ridiculous change and yet another ride some of us will undoubtedly not be able to experience during our next visit.. Is it really necessary? I’m not racist but at some point, we need to be a little more realistic and work on the real matters at hand and not a walt disney world ride that makes you smile.
I guess I am failing to understand how the Splash Mountain is racist? I am a woman, Muslim, with a Persian background and can’t say that I ever felt any racism at Disney or felt that Disney didn’t portray a certain group of people! I guess I don’t think that way when I think of Disney. Maybe in naive. Do me Disney is magical, purely magical in every way!!! I spend a ton of money of money there ecru year, sometimes twice a year. I love that it’s my escape, a costly and very exhausting one….. but one I fully enjoy! So I guess I so bit confused.
That said, I am a chicken and have never been on the ride because the drop is too high, lol. But even then to change a classic just to fit with the times seems like a bit of a shot gun thing. Just saying.
The movie is set on a 19th century Southern plantation, and, if you watch the movie, it’s easy to assume that the white family are slave masters. Meanwhile, the African-American man, who could easily be a slave, is very happy with his lot in life. He has no cares in the world and just sings his songs and tells his story to entertain the white children. It sends the twisted message that people were happy to be living that way, that life was better that way.
To create an analogy, imagine if some German filmmakers created a film about the Holocaust in which the Jewish people were happy to be in their concentration camps. It’s just extremely offensive and distasteful. It ignores a serious issue and tries to create harmony and happiness where there was serious oppression.
Song of the South, which ignores so much of our troubled past, makes a lot of people uncomfortable. It’s not that it’s outwardly racist but that it sends the message that the southern way of life with African-Americans serving white people on plantations is a good way of life. Hopefully, now you can see how it’s distasteful.
Our country is going through a time of change right now, and one of the things that is changing is the portrayal of racist stereotypes that perpetuate the happy slave myth. That is also why some products like Aunt Jemima syrup are now being redesigned, too (the mascot was a smiling slave). Some people say this is being too “politically correct,” but hopefully most of us can agree that we don’t need to glorify slavery.
Very well said @Becky S. Thank you!
I am not happy about Disney changing the theme of splash mountain. It’s great the way it is. Younger generations don’t even know about the Song of the south movie. It’s a great ride and im so angry that I won’t be able to take my son who is Biracial on the ride. I am completely fatigued by all this political nonsense. Disney shouldn’t bend to the will of those who threaten our rights to enjoy things from the past. Disney should just give Princess and the frog their own ride. Next we’ll be offended by star wars cause it has the word war in it. Enough is enough.
Thank you! Agreed! Or that the stormtroopers are based upon Nazi Germany SA troops that served as bodyguards to Hitler. I bet they won’t be changing Rise of the Resistance or cancel the Mandolorian because the Jewish people may be offended or anyone who had family fight in WW2 might be offended.
Well said.!♥ï¸
I agree, again. Stormtroopers represent the SA bodyguards and that is something anyone can google. Don’t know why that is something that shouldn’t be pointed out?
If a group/demographic/community starts telling me that something I’m doing hurts their hearts, and asks me to stop, what should I do? Should I keep doing the thing that I didn’t know was hurtful, or do I say sorry, and try something new?
Something tells me the answer to this question will break rather solidly between Disneyland and Walt “Disney” World fans. Regardless, I hope you can learn to chose love.
As I began reading this article I kept asking myself why didn’t Disney do a Princess and the Frog land at Animal Kingdom instead of Pandora. I hate the Pandora movie and as magnificent as the land is, it doesn’t fit at Disney World let alone Animal Kingdom. Princess and the Frog is an Animal themed Disney movie that would’ve fit perfectly in that spot. It’s funny that later in the article you referenced Navi River.
Princess and the Frog doesn’t seem to fit in Frontier Land and Splash Mountain is hands down my favorite ride at all of Magic Kingdom. I’m very disappointed in this decision. I honestly have never seen Song of the South movie and I can’t speak to its content and whether it contained racist undertones but I know a lot of Disney movies have racist undertones (How do Native Americans feel about Peter Pan?). My guess is most people including people of color didn’t find anything wrong with Splash Mountain. If I’m wrong I’ll gladly admit it.
You sir are not wrong!
Spot on!!! You are correct!!!!
Navi River was the most boring ride I’ve done. I couldn’t wait to get off it. And I can’t do a lot of rides because of motion sickness.
Princess and the Frog is my all time fave Disney movie!!! Love the music, and Disney being Disney, you know they’re going to hit it out of the park. So I’m excited to see what they come up with!
I feel really badly that Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit … parts of our folklore are being erased, especially because their creator with anti-slavery and vocal about that. Brea rabbit and Rivet were my favorite childhood stories, I love that rabbit outsmarting that bear!!! I see no reference to any movie at that ride, I happen to remember the movie because I’m 73. But so many of our young folks will be losing out and they connect those characters to nothing except fun and silliness. And I think it this point we can all use a little more fun and silliness.
I’m all for a ride based on Princess and the Frog but wish they would create a totally new & original attraction for it. Doing a cheap retheme to Splash Mountain is going to end up like the next Frozen retheming of Maelstrom. And have a feeling when Disney says “this has been in the works for a while” in reality means there was a concept artwork done. Now let’s get a petition going to reopen Court of Angels to all guests after it was taken away for the 1% of upper class who can afford a Club 33 membership! Isn’t that class discrimination??
Princess and the Frog is my absolute favorite Disney princess movie. The characters and music are incredible and absolutely perfect for a ride like this! I can already imagine floating through the bayou to the music of Mardi Gras, with a great big Louis playing his trumpet. Maybe they can bring Mama Odie in as narrator… This is some great news! Very long overdue for Princess and the Frog.
So disappointed! The ride makes no reference to being racist. It is
Country animals singing to fun songs. Never associated this to Song of the South. There will be nothing left of Critter Country. Also, they said a re-theming so the actual ride is not charging just the songs and characters.