A petition started by Eric Thibeault to “save” the Splash Mountain attractions in Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort from the planned “Princess and the Frog” re-theming is nearing 100k signatures. The petition reads: “Splash Mountain is an iconic ride at Magic Kingdom, loved by millions of fans all over the world for over 30 years. Re-theming such an iconic ride would erode the nostalgia that lives in Disney World and take away a little bit of the magic.”
““Song of the South” was based on a book of short stories taken by Joel Chandler Harris and Robert Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt’s Uncle), who spent a lot of time in the slave quarters in the mid 1800s. He first heard the story of the Br’er Rabbit, along with many others, directly from the telling of African folklore. The controversy from these stories and Song of the South comes from the misunderstanding of the depiction of Uncle Remus(the characters name in the books) and his relationships with his employers on a Georgian plantation which takes place AFTER the Civil War, during the Reconstruction era.
Splash Mountain has never included depictions of slaves or any racist elements and is based solely on historical African folktales that families of all ethnicities have been enjoying for nearly a century.”
“It is absurd to pander to a small group of “Disney haters” that dont understand the story, and re-theme such a nostalgic ride. The characters in Splash Mountain do not specifically generalize any race or group of people, they are nothing more than caricatures based on the turn-of-the-century America. Modifying Splash Mountain will not change history and will only encourage the “easily offended” to continue making desperate attempts at finding offence in additional attractions.To change them would be to remove a bit of our art history from the world and to be ashamed of it.”
“Show your support and let Disney know that you want Splash Mountain to stay exactly the way it is!”
Disney announced a retheme for the iconic attraction back in June of 2020, with a tentative launch in 2024, though an exact date has yet to be announced. While sharing details on the project, TWDC shared, “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.”
At this time the re-themeing for both locations is currently underway despite pleas from select fans of the attraction. Are you excited for the retheme? Do you think Disney should leave Splash Mountain alone and give Tiana her own new attraction in the parks? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Be sure to check back here at Chip and Company for updates and all things Disney Parks!
Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.
Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.
Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel
For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!
Disney has gone to the dogs. Ridiculous decisions being made. What is offensive about the Splash Mountain ride itself? Disney pampering to the minority. I rode Splash two weeks ago and my partner and I were the only white people on our ride but the others enjoyed the whole ride ( not just the final drop) as much as we did.