BREAKING: Walt Disney World and Disneyland Retheming Splash Mountain to “Princess and the Frog”

Jessica Figueroa

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BREAKING: Walt Disney World and Disneyland Retheming Splash Mountain to “Princess and the Frog”

Disney Parks has just announced a retheming of Splash Mountain to “Princess and the Frog” in the wake of numerous petitions to change the attraction.

splash mountain princess frog
Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will soon be completely reimagined, inspired by the animated Disney film “The Princess and the Frog.” Guests will join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance, featuring some of the powerful music from the film. (Disney)

According to the OC Register, the popular log flume ride, previously themed to the controversial “Song of the South” film, will be transformed to feature characters and a storyline based off the 2009 animated film, “Princess and the Frog”.

No date or official name has been announced for the attraction makeovers, but the working title for the project is “New Adventures with Princess Tiana”. Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World intend on reopening with the current iterations of the ride, to be closed at a later date for the retheming.

Despite the coincidental timing with the trending petitions to reskin the ride, Disney states that development on the backstory reportedly began last year, settling on concepts just last summer. The next step for Imagineering will be to conduct digital scans of ride layouts at both parks. Tony Baxter will be serving as a creative advisor on the planning and design of the makeover.

Disney Parks Blog has also released some backstory on the new theming, as well as insight from the talented cast of “Princess and the Frog” and Imagineers like Charita Carter, who are leading the project:

Today we are thrilled to share a first glimpse of a project Imagineers have been working on since last year. Splash Mountain – at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida – will soon be completely reimagined. The theme is inspired by an all-time favorite animated Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.” We 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.

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!”

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The approach to retheming or “plussing” attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) 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.

Charita Carter, the senior creative producer leading the project at Walt Disney Imagineering 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.”

So, what do you think of this new concept for Splash Mountain? While fan of the classic attraction will bemoan the loss of their laughin’ place, many beleaguered “Princess and the Frog” fans are eager to head on down to the bayou.

Source: The Orange County Register | Disney Parks Blog

186 thoughts on “BREAKING: Walt Disney World and Disneyland Retheming Splash Mountain to “Princess and the Frog””

  1. What kind of precedent does this set? I personally don’t care either way about this particular ride but I can think of a few other rides that some may consider offensive… so will those be re themed as well?

  2. Also add that Tony Baxter, legendary Imagineer who created the original attraction, is on board to advise on the revision. Hopefully this is completed in time for the 50th.

  3. This is the nail in the coffin for me. I’m fed up with liberal companies like Disney making EVERYTHING political and disenfranchising a core segment of their customer base all in the name of “diversity.” There is no need for this.
     
    Since our 2020 trip was already paid for in full and moved out to 2021 due to COVID, this will be our LAST time going to any Disney park. This is coming from a long-time Disney fan who supported the company in every way, but given their decision to make a beloved attraction a political issue, I’ve made the decision not to give them another dime after my next (and final) trip. Disgusting!

  4. It is such a shame that Disney is so desperate to be perceived a “woke” that they eliminate a beloved attraction for the sake of perceived political gain. More than that, it is demeaning to all those who support more presence of diverse characters and stories such as “Princess and the Frog”, that should be represented in an original, dedicated attraction / experience and not be gratuitously forced in as a reskin to a 30-year-old attraction.

  5. This is crap, im all for social justice but to gut a Classic popular ride because of undertones from a movie that 99.9% of people riding it have never even seen ? There is nothing racial about the ride Anywhere

    • I’ve always said that about you. You love social justice. But come on, this is a super important ride!

  6. Love the movie and the music, this will be a pretty easy change over I’d imagine. Wonder if this begins the end of Critter Country in DL. With being so close to New Orleans Square it would make sense to bring this into that land or rename it the Bayou. Little tougher fit in WDW.

  7. It’s going to be interesting to see how the imagineers are going to fit the Princess and the frog theme into frontierland at WDW.

    • I’m sure it won’t seem anymore shoehorned in than Splash Mountain would’be been when it opened there in 1992

      • Not in WDW. Magic Kingdom doesn’t have a New Orleans Square. It goes from Adventureland to Frontierland to Liberty Square to Fantasyland.

  8. No issue with the retheming, they just better do it a heck of a lot faster than they did Malestrom, otherwise Splash will be closed for 5 years.

  9. The Splash mountain rides were designed to be benign. I”d guess only a few who have ridden the rides even know what they were based on. Racist overtones were nonexistant.
     
    This is the pendulum swinging back too far.
     
    Bomb away if you disagree.

  10. This fills my heart with joy and I can’t wait to see the transformation. I will admit that in the past I have been skeptical of changing some rides such as the ride in Norway, but I always end up happy with the result so this time I am skipping my skepticism and going straight to awesome.

    • Are you forgetting the Tiki Room –> “Under New Management”, Alien Encounter –> “Stitch’s Great Escape”, and PeopleMover –> whatever those futuristic Big Wheels were? So many “upgrades” to Disney rides aren’t “plus-ing” but rather turn out to be “minus-ing” instead.
       
      Personally, I enjoyed the old Maelstrom better, I’d rather see the actual culture of the real place Norway instead of fake Arendelle. And I’m also split on the PotC changes; Jack Sparrow is a cool addition, but I think they sanitized the pirates a bit too much in the name of woke-ness. “We wants the red-head!”
       
      Instead of turning out like the Star Tours changes–which are awesome–I fear this change will go the way of the short-lived “Under New Management” and Stitch Escape, unfortunately.

  11. So it’s not going to open for two years and a great ride goes away geez disney really making hard to enjoy things

    • 2 years – Malestrom to Frozen Ever After took 2 years. At that rate, Splash conversion will take 5! :(

  12. Once again, Disney does the right thing. This is a perfect theme for the ride, which will still be the same just rethemed! The theme matches in the areas, the film finally gets recognition 11 years later as a ride, and it helps bring diversity to the park. Bravo!

  13. Too much. Being bullied into changing things due to people being ‘woke’. Why not survey people. Favourite ride, ruined

  14. I hate this! There is nothing racist on the ride and no one has hardly seen the movie at this point.

    • Agreed. You’d better bet thousands of people, who wouldn’t have otherwise known about it, will be watching it as a result I’d this announcement.

      • “Thousands of people” will have to jump through hoops to get a bootleg then, and probably pay an exorbitant sum for it too, because the movie is not commercially available otherwise.

  15. To say that this decision upsets me is an understatement. Disney just caved in to the pressure and folded like a bad poker hand.

  16. I am very pleased Princess Tiana is getting a ride of her own at last! She is my favourite Disney Princess and I feel she goes by very unnoticed in the parks so she will finally get the representation she deserves! However, at the same time, I am going to be extremely sad to see splash mountain go away, since it has been a favourite of mine since I was 10. I’d love to be able to ride it one last time…

  17. So incredibly sad Disney is caving to the “cancel” culture. There is nothing “racist” about the animals or story of Splash as it is today. I feel sorry for my 6yo daughter, this ride is her favorite, and we are from Louisiana! I also feel badly for Tony Baxter. It would also make more sense to have it rethemed at just DLR, since there is New Orleans Square there anyway

  18. I’m sure this will be an amazing ride, but it’s not gonna make any sense being located in Frontierland

    • Exactly! There was so much care and thought put into making each of the lands unique and special, and theming them appropriately. Now they are going to shoehorn Louisiana into the Frontier. Idiotic. Let’s just go ahead and put Star Wars into Adventureland and the epic travesty of Wreck-It Ralph into Fantasyland and move the Haunted Mansion into Tomorrowland.
       
      So disappointed in Disney.

    • Splash Mountain is set in the Reconstruction era in the South…doesn’t really scream Frontierland or Wild West to me as it is…

  19. First of all, Song of the South was beautiful. Uncle Remus stories had truths and morals that apply to everyone. The music was wonderful. But I guess anything historical or sets high morals, or just tells good stories, isn’t good enough any more.

    • Say what you will about the movie but Uncle Remus stories are akin to Aesop’s Fables, the stories have a moral lesson. They ARE black heritage, passed down verbally from generation to generation. Destroying the memory of it is destroying black history.

      • Errr hold up. I’m pretty sure the Uncle Remus tales that song of the south is based on were written by a white guy. The stories of Brer Rabbit are African folklore. The guy wdwnt interviewed last week has a YouTube video explaining the history of song of the south. And to the original comment, it’s not that great of a movie. The characters from splash mountain are enjoyable when separated from the movie. Which I think was the goal.

  20. Disney needs to stop changing rides splash mountain is loved by kids. There is nothing wrong with the ride. I am very upset with the change.

  21. I’m sad to see an original ride to be earse from the parks but I am eager to see the new re-theme. As Walt said Disney will always be in a state of change, so all we can do it hold on and enjoy the ride. I do wish people wouldn’t look into with all the politics and use it as an excuse. Yes the ride, the memories, and the notorious “Zippity doo dah” song will be missed but i believe (at least in Disneyland’s case) it will be a good upgrade and bring in something new that hasn’t been played to death (looking at you Frozen!)

  22. Hopefully this means that (next year). Tiana will finally get a good meet and greet. I think she was just in a random Courtyard a few years ago when we went, and she’s always so much fun.

    • I agree that there should be more Tiana in the parks, but they have so much at their disposal. To not give her something fresh and new is disappointing.

  23. I’m blown away by this news. I’m really going to miss the music from Splash Mountain. I thought that “Zip A Doo Dah” was akin to Disney’s National Anthem (that’s what one time attractions President, Dick Nunis, always used to tell cast members).

    I saw Princess and the Frog once and the movie was fine but the music did very little for me. If we must trek across the bayou I’d probably enjoy doing it with the mice from the Rescuer movies just about as much.

    And while the redo seems like a natural for Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, how does this relate to the Magic Kingdom’s version? The movie takes place in 1926 for cripe’s sake. How is that related to Frontierland?

    Now that Tony Baxter is no longer a full time Imagineer I’m dying to know his thoughts about this decision.

  24. Been to WDW 40+ times–if they do this–I’m never going again. Favorite ride–no tradition is sacrosanct anymore to their current management.

  25. It’s disgusting. What’s next? Get rid of the hall of presidents? Rip up liberty square because a bunch of America hating twerps scream for it and tear down statues? I don’t believe for a second they’ve been working in this “for a year”. No one ever got off of splash mountain and said, “wow, that was racy racy racist!” Wanna show Tiana some respect? Give her her own ride and not a hand me down redo of a harmless and beloved classic. They’ll literally shoehorn the bayou into the middle of frontierland. I used to admire imagineers but they seem to ruin everything they touch anymore.

    • I mean would anyone really miss hall of presidents? I’m all for opening day attractions but don’t pretend the general public who is what makes disney the majority of their money, would even notice it was gone since they don’t even know it exists to begin with. Go home Karen

      • Have you seen the audience attendance for the Hall of Presidents? It’s always a packed house. You might actually learn something is you attended it instead of saying no one would miss it. There are still a ton of people who care about this country, sorry if that offends you.

        • Last time I was there, it was packed with people looking for an air-conditioned place to take a 30-minute snooze. Even Disney is aware of this, as evidenced by Iago’s line at the end of the revamped Enchanted Tiki Room show: “Well, I’m exhausted. I think I’ll go over to The Hall of Presidents and take a nap.” One of my favorite lines from that show, and so many people missed it because they exited the theater too soon at the end.

  26. This is a great announcement, plus they said that they had begun the redesign process over a year ago, which is encouraging to hear. It’s past time and a great re-brand idea to represent a wonderful, current film that will have a positive legacy. To those that are angered and calling for a boycott, please, please don’t go to Disney again until you wake up to the world of hate that you support. As someone who works for the themed attractions industry, we don’t want or need your hateful patronage.

    • Look at your positive and negatives. This is just bad. Forcing things are just making people more and more angry. Just make it its own ride and see no one go on it. They don’t want to put money into because the smart minds know it wont work. People love the thrill ride and that’s why they will go on it. This sucks.

  27. So Disney is trying to cut their budget in every way possible (Spaceship Earth, Reflections, etc.), yet they’re going to spend a ton of money on re-theming an attraction? I find it very hard to believe that this was planned and not a reactionary response to petitions and outrage. As a business you should act rationally instead of emotionally.
     
    If Disney felt that there were issues with the IP, they could have absolutely chosen to make changes to the ride with several options (i.e finally getting Western River Exhibition.) It’s just coincidental that the changes are what the petition called for. And how does this fit in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom?
     
    Obviously “Song of the South” is problematic, but I highly doubt that the majority of the people who go on Splash Mountain even know that it’s based on that film. (Until now at least when it’s become a part of mainstream media).
     
    Can I say that I’m uncomfortable about space culture? Will Space Mountain have to be changed? Will Sonny Eclipse have to go? Mission Space….yeah – you can change that one back to Horizons – I’m good with that.
     
    I respect the opinion of those who feel that Splash Mountain is an uncomfortable experience, and I want Disney to provide a great experience to everyone. I definitely don’t believe that this is the correct overlay (mountains in Louisiana??). The Princess and the Frog should have a character restaurant at Port Orleans.
     

  28. As we drove across the whole state of Louisiana the other day and encountered dozens of pitfalls and dramatic changes in elevation, my little girls mentioned that it was as much fun as a flume ride at Disney World. Taken together with all the Asian children that feel marginalized by the depiction of innocuous forest animals and briar patches, this really was a brilliant move on Disney’s part, and fully justifies the salary of their Director of Inclusion.

  29. Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror and Rise of the Resistance are the three best things to come out of Imagineering in the last 30 years. Splash is a 12 and a half minute long ride that totally dwarfs Frozen Ever After is scope, and that took 2 years to retheme from Malstrom. How long is this going to take? And Bob CheapA** better not make it a cheapo redo. I wish they would leave it alone, but they had better do this fast, and it had better be good.
     
     

  30. If you think there is anything racist about Splash Mountain, I think there really might be something wrong with you. It’s a story about overcoming change, dealing with adversity and appreciating the life you have. Walt would be disgusted if he were alive. Disney has really went too far this time in trying to show they support the leftist agenda that is currently trending.

  31. I’m beginning to hate Disney these days. I’m sure the bears, Tom Sawer and 40 other more changes are on the way to appease the 13% percent of people who might be offended. Get woke go broke.

  32. My jaw is on the floor… Tiana deserves her own ride but not at the expense of an iconic, timeless, and quintessentially Disney attraction. Unfortunately Splash Mountain has been misconstrued by people who want to seem important on the internet and are trying to find anything to target and shoot down with complete disregard of the memories of this attraction from people of all races. It annoys me to think the petition signers really think they got a “win”. I’m black, my favorite princess is Tiana, one of my favorite all time Disney animation movies is princess and the frog, and I find this super annoying… at least for WDW, put Tiana’s Place restaurant and make a little New Orleans area on Tom Sawyers island and there will be some redemption points there for Disney. Fingers crossed for beignets and juleps too.

  33. It’s not that changing to another disney property is a bad idea, or even a new concept. and yes characters in the ride come from a movie that was made 74 years ago and is not even available for purchase or viewing.
     
    The entire point lost in this conversation about woke this or I’m mad they are changing it, is that the movement is a leaderless hydra lashing out in all directions like a child throwing a tantrum to see how much power it can exercise on the society/parent.
     
    its not about diversity, or inclusion or something being problematic. it’s about a movement like BLM being hijacked by straight up anarcho-communists who want to tear down the whole of western civilization; scientific method, history, philosophy and economic systems with no real idea to replace it, other than to see the world burn Dark Knight style.
     
     

  34. I’m soooooooo happy! This will be a excellent change. I love the songs from Princess and the Frog. I’m really glad to see representation for all the little girls and women seeing a Princess just like them in the parks. Well done!

    • But there’s already plenty of princess-themed attractions all over. Fantasyland is almost exclusively for little girls to relate to. This ride sent a positive message to boys and girls and told a cute uplifting story. It showed representation for all different types of people, as no one race was portrayed by any animal. All of those animals living together in harmony sent a message of diversity and inclusion without being so obvious and forced. Disney is ruining a classic because they’re afraid to be deemed as racist by the leftist news media, and as a result, they’re angering the vast majority of their biggest fans.

  35. I hope we never lose sight of one thing… this was all started by a self-important white person who wanted to start a petition.

  36. DEVASTATED. This is such a horrible move. Create something different if they must put more princesses into the park. Don’t destroy a classic, beloved ride and also ruin the concept of the lands of Magic Kingdom. Princess and the Frog has NO PLACE in Frontierland. They’ve just broken the magic and rendered all the incredibly hard work of actual visionaries and creative Imagineers useless. On top of all the disastrous decisions they’ve made about the reopening and the redo of Pirates, this tips me into the segment of believing the true heart and magic of Disney is gone. The Little Mermaid is a far more popular, beloved, and sustaining movie, and it got a little movie retelling ride-through of animatronics. This movie was barely a blip on people’s radar and it’s not only laying waste to a beautiful tradition cherished and treasured by the vast, vast, vast majority of people, but getting all sorts of special treatment to pander to people. Such a mistake. Disney World is officially a memory of the past now. Might as well just go to Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion now. They have the same level of worth and soul.

  37. Nothing against Princess and the Frog, but imagineer it in Fantasy Land where it belongs. Splash Mt. is a beloved and still an immensely popular attraction. Haven’t been this disappointed since Maelstrom.
    (Nothing against the Arendelle gang either). Just an old Disney fan venting.

  38. Cowards, giving in to a tiny minority for fear of being called racist, personally I have never associated the ride with any racist connotations, another reason not to bother going back to Disney

  39. Yet another example of the 13% dictating policy to the 87%. They could have left Song of the Song attractions while incorporating the new stuff. After all, the name of the ride is “Splash Mountain” which is not directly connected to any one Disney story. Could have had the best of both worlds – but that doesn’t work for the 13%. Don’t kid yourself that this isn’t a washing of history. It obviously is. Just wait – what’s coming is a protest to the Hall of the Presidents because with one exception “it’s a bunch of white guys and some of them owned slaves.” Once again, you think I’m kidding…just wait and see. I give a year at the very most before this surfaces. By the way, great website!
     

  40. Surprised to hear Tony Baxter will be allowed on the redesign. He did the original concept of the ride, so clearly the man is a racist! They should probably remove the statue of Walt and Mickey from in front of the castle next! Sick to death of this sort of sh** out of Disney!

  41. I can believe that with the changes to the “Redhead/Auction scene” in Pirates that this is something they have been thinking about in recent years… and the description of the new Princess and the Frog ride, as being about Mardi Gras and including the great music from the film… and hopeful the villain Dr. Facilier will get a scene too… this is honestly something that sound like a great ride, and something I’d be excited to go see. I know my young nieces love Princess Tiana, and we’ve gone to meet Tiana in the parks, and my one niece wanted the Tiana dress out of all the the princess dresses… and we’re “white people” …not that that should matter… but I guess that is now an issue when we go on vacation.
     
    I’m disappointed that we have to lose a great ride like Splash Mountain to get a great new ride in a Disney Park. Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has “plenty” of unused land in Frontierland, and Disneyland Park always seems to find room for new attractions. So it would not be impossible to add a great new Princess and the Frog ride along the Rivers of America in both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, without removing Splash Mountain.
     
    My family are DVC members, we’ve been going to Walt Disney World since 1979, and we had a trip booked to Disney World this week, June 23rd to July 1st that we had to cancel. If we were there under normal circumstances we would most certainly be riding Splash Mountain because it’s our favorite ride to do there together as a family. Our only complaint is that it has a height requirement that prevents our littlest kids from riding it… until they are tall enough.
     
    I understand people are offended by the Song of the South film, although if you’ve ever watched it, it’s actually a fable about prejudice, which is a little more complex than most of Disney’s Animated Fairy tales… but I really don’t understand what people’s problem is with the Slash Mountain attraction. To me it’s a Walt Disney Company “Family Friendly” creation, based on African American Folk lore, but still something separate from it’s original source material… and just as an example of what I mean by that, in the original Hans Christian Andersen version of The Little Mermaid? She doesn’t get to “be human” and marry the prince… instead the little mermaid dies at the end, unfulfilled. “Disney’s” version of The Little Mermaid is not that, Disney’s Little Mermaid is their own unique creation that’s beloved around the world… and I’m pretty sure Ariel doesn’t die at the end of the Little Mermaid ride either
     
    Honestly Disney’s Magic Kingdom should have a ride about the Princess and the Frog in Frontierland, it should probably have an attraction about Pocahontas and all the great music from that film too… maybe Johnny Appleseed? Paul Bunyan? John Henry? maybe bring back Davy Crockett and Mike Fink? Disney also seems to owns the rights to the Spanish/Mexican hero Zorro as well… So if they want to start celebrating America’s ethnic diversity, and America’s Fables and Folk Lore, in the American history themed Frontierland? Seems like a good idea to me… but it would probably be a lot more expensive than re-themeing Splash Mountain though

  42. So what’s next? Will Seven Dwarfs Mine Train be shut down for portraying ‘little people’ slaving away in the mine? The best thing Disney has done so far is to let pass-holders out of their contracts. This will drive hardened return visit pass-holders away. Sad.

  43. I’m not going to say that the people who will miss the old theme are unreasonable, because it’s totally fine to disagree with any changes Disney makes. However, the absolute babies in here decrying “cancel culture” and being “woke” can go pound sand. It’s a ride for families in an amusement park. Disney has updated plenty of other rides and themes to keep up with the times. It can be hit or miss, but if it makes people feel more comfortable and included then more power to them.

    • That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to make good changes. The new redhead scene is horrendous, I understand removing things, but you should put together a good idea first.

  44. Honestly, I’ll be 100% happy if they use this as an excuse to bring back Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee.

  45. This is ridiculous and shameful. Disney is running its parks into the ground, and there’s a way you can send them a clear message that you’re not happy – stop giving them your money. It’s been going downhill for years.

  46. I am so so so so so so so so so so so so SO excited about this!!!!! While I am a huge fan of the original Splash Mountain (it’s my favorite ride in the parks for SURE), I am also a huge Princess and the Frog fan and I can’t wait to see how the ride shapes up! It was time for a change anyway.

  47. I am in the middle on this…..I’d miss the Brer characters but Princess and Naveen would be nice, too. It isn’t really a mountain anyway. It’s more of a huge tree trunk formation, which could fit with a bayou theme and the new name could reflect that. We will see what happens.

  48. I can’t believe how negative some of these comments are. The log flume will be the same. The splashes will be the same. How many people go on this ride thrilled to see characters (Brer Whatever) that most have never even seen in a movie or other characters repopulated from America Sings (which they probably also never saw). I am old enough to have seen SOTS in a theater and, yes, it is racist in its live action scenes. As Walt said, Disneyland will always be in a state of being.

  49. Princess and the Frog was a stupid movie where Tiana isn’t a black princess, she’s a GREEN FROG for the majority of the movie!!! Why can’t we have a real black princess?

  50. Black people’s lives will be much improved by this change. They’ll make more money, endure less racism, and enjoy the better society as MLK envisioned it.

  51. Lol great to see all the angry keyboard warriors out today. So much love for a film 99.99% of you haven’t and never will see. You better believe Tiana merch will sell a heck of a lot more than Brer anything. There’s absolutely no reason for Disney to appease fragile conservative egos on this one when it’ll get them good press and more money. Sorry to burst your bubble but crying about a re-theme of a racist ancient movie means absolutely nothing to Disney’s bank account and they really don’t need you in the parks that are bursting at the seams in attendence. A few loud rotten apples means nothing to an easy PR move that’ll help push more merch while breathing life into a dated attraction.

    • I don’t know, I’ve never reported on Princess and the Frog merchandise selling out, but I can recall posting several Splash Mountain items over the years where hundreds of people ran to get them and sold out the entire stock that same day. I love The Princess and the Frog, but there is certainly a gigantic market for Splash Mountain merchandise.

  52. Hopefully, all of you who are threatening to “never come back” really do stay away. Show some conviction!

    Perhaps you’d be happier at a NASCAR event? — Oh, right, they took away the confederate flags. You’re probably upset at them now too.

  53. Awful lot of privilege showing through int he comments section on this one.
     
    (and not nearly enough empathy)

  54. This has had me absolutely sick all day. Splash Mountain is iconic and it’s absolutely disgusting that Disney is getting rid of this amazing ride to bow down to the bullying from the “woke” crowd, most of which don’t even go to Disney. Not everything in the world is racist. Brer Rabbit is from African folklore and “The character’s adventures embody an idea considered to be a universal creation among oppressed peoples—that a small, weak, but ingenious force can overcome a larger, stronger, but dull-witted power” (Brittanica). And re-theming it to Princess and the Frog? Sorry, but that movie is forgettable, to say the least and absolutely does not deserve to take over the best ride at the park.

    By the way, if you honestly believe Disney had this in the works a year ago, you’re an idiot.

  55. This ride is so dated that it is time for a change. No one watches this movie anymore. People say that New Orleans isn’t on the Frontier and doesn’t belong in Frontierland. That’s a weird comment :Georgia isn’t on the frontier either. This is long overdue.

  56. I really don’t understand all the negative comments about this. Adding a great Disney character to a ride doesn’t change anything, it will still be a log flume ride. They update rides all the time and nobody cares, but say it’s for a specific reason and people flip out. Saying you’re not going back to Disney because this offends you? Sorry, but that seems a little over the top and it’s completely hypocritical. You say it’s ridiculous how we’re being too sensitive, but you’re being just as sensitive about them changing the ride. Just saying.

  57. I personally liked Song Of The South. It’s history, why try to hide it? Quit trying to change everything to satisfy some people who weren’t even alive during slavery.

  58. Based on a lot of these comments I’ll be glad that all of y’all “aren’t going to Disney parks anymore.” Probably have a problem wearing face masks too…..bye

  59. Really ? What an non-sense ! It’s totally irrelevant ! The attraction does not contain any offensive elements of the film that it refers to…it is therefore only a backstory. So we will thematize the attraction the backstory will always exist!! If we follow the logic that led to this we would have to destroy the attraction because I find it even more offensive to tinker with an attraction in homage to the black people from an attraction allegedly racist! The right decision would have been to create a new E-ticket on the Princess and the Frog

  60. Everyone is so sensitive these days. Everybody gets their feelings hurt. Grow up people. The past is the past!! This is complete nonsense! Don’t ruin one of the best rides because one person out of a million got their feeling hurt

  61. While I’m sad to see the theme change, that’s ultimately not the issue I have with this. My issue is timing…rumors have been floating about this for years. Disney decided to announce it NOW, to look like heroes and make political and financial gain. It’s counter-productive to the mission of eradicating social injustice and obviously undermines the purpose, by capitalizing on it. Not to mention that this announcement in the current climate actually brings “The Song of the South” to the attention many non-“hardcore” Disney fans, who may not otherwise have known about it.

  62. This is really really really bad. I dont know how to say what I want to say. It just makes me mad. Were is new Orleans is a mountain? This is another force change and it is going to do the opposite of what is attended. They put this in one of the most popular rides to force people to like somthing. If you belive in it so much make it its own ride. You wont do that because you know the majority wont go on it but once. You put it in splash mountain to cover this. People will go on it because of the ride not for what the ride is. This sucks. I wish that disney would reconsider but I know it wont. The people who give alot of money yearly to disney dont want this. Sucks sucks sucks. So disappointed. I remember going on this ride with my dad the first time. Man…….. again you fell so strongly make it its own ride.

  63. I cannot BELIEVE this, oh my gosh. Absolutely ridiculous, another piece of Disney history destroyed by self entitled people that feel the need to destroy everything. It has been fine all these years, and now all of the sudden it’s an issue. I normally am someone who thinks boycotting things is childish and stupid, but this might be the one time I break.

    The fact the petition to NOT CHANGE it has far more signatures should have been an indication that actual Disney fans did not want this.

  64. Cheers to the mods on this site because I’m sure the comments below are just the tip of the iceberg. Look at all the comments that are all for getting rid of racist undertones… they all have a ton of downvotes. White fragility at its best. Get a grip people. This isn’t a “woke” movement. People are still trying to finish what was started a long time ago. Being ok with racist undertones just because “no one has seen the movie” doesn’t make it less racist.

  65. I’m disgusted with this change! Where does this end? This is a classic ride myself and many others have fond memories of and I’m heartbroken that Disney has no backbone that they cave to some whining cry babies that get offended by literally everything. I’ve ridden this ride many times always loved it and never was my enjoyment of this ride driven by hatred of any race nor did I ever think of Racism when riding this. If you don’t like the ride, you don’t have to ride it. And if Disney feels they need a ride about the princess and the frog then build one in fantasyland! Duh! This is a sad path we are on. Guess we should be getting rid of the tiki room too because it has some offensive accents! Guess we should be getting rid of Goofy because he is offensive to the mental challenged! Maybe we should even rename WDW and tear down Walts statues because he apparently created Cartoons And a theme park based on such evil racist stereotypes. I think Disney will see that they have disappointed their very loyal customers by caving to a small minority of losers! They better do some special decorations on the castle and other things to celebrate to 50th birthday, or I will not be drawn to come back!

  66. I’m sad that Disney wants to change this ride. I was on it during its soft opening 30 years ago. I have no problem with the Princess and the Frog, but wouldn’t it be better placed in Fantasyland. Pocahontas makes more sense for a retheme. At least her story would be a new frontier and the big drop could be “Just Around the River Bend.”

  67. I wonder when Small World is next. The entire ride is a happy stereotype. Or Peter Pan. I mean, those Indians REALLY look exaggerated in the color of their skin. Or Haunted Mansion…after all, a woman is depicted as a serial killer, we can’t have THAT, even though I’m pretty sure she was based on a real-life killer.

  68. Looks like Bob Chapek is shoehorning Princess and the Frog in Splash Mountain. There’s no mountains in Louisiana, in the Magic Kingdom a Princess and the Frog re-theme would obviously make no sense in Frontierland. I have no doubt it’s going be worse than the current Splash Mountain. On a more positive note, if this rumour is true, I will miss the current Splash Mountain.

  69. Just giving in to the snowflakes once again. This crosses the line for me. Where’s the petition to sign to keep the current ride theme. Oh wait… that’s not allowed because not everyone’s opinion matters anymore. How about we teach our kids not to be a bunch of cry babies instead of constantly giving in to them because you dont want to deal with the tantrums. That’s the problem we have now is adults throwing tantrums.

  70. Why why is this going to happen like I love splash mountain they don’t need to change it as it is a favourite among many others I think this is a terrible choice now I won’t be able to point out the spots I have got to touch in my In show exit 😒 to be honest I think this is outrageous and should be rethought

  71. Everyone who changes something In response to all these requests is just admitting guilt. This will backfire on you. I grew up watching that movie. There is nothing on the Splash mountain ride that is racist. It’s all in the mind of the beholder. Keep changing Disney! Keep buckling under pressure. Eventually no one will come back.

  72. New idea: if Racial equality is so important, why not put a Pocahontas attraction into the spot? It would FIT INTO Frontierland and bring light to a minority that has also historically suffered injustice. Just imagine hearing “Colors of the Wind” on the lift before the big drop. This would only work at WDW. HOWEVER- I would rather have Splash Mountain than either Pocahontas or Princess and the Frog, and Pocahontas isn’t historically accurate.

  73. I’ll try going in October to see if I can still ride some rides before they are deemed racist and offensive to someone. Better ride em before they are gone. I’ve heard Jungle Cruise is on their list of things to change now. Disney will do to the parks what is has done to ESPN, where everything is political and WOKE. How has ESPN’s ratings been in the past few years since they turned into CNN?

  74. What crap! For how many years and how much money did this ride bring in for Disney? Is Disney going to quit selling Vanilla ice cream and only sell Chocolate? It is becoming clear that 10% of the country continue to be pandered to and the expense of the 90%. Racial equity can be met without changing the countries history and hiding beloved characters that the entire current population of the USA has grown up with.

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