{"id":600807,"date":"2023-01-24T18:52:56","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T00:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/24\/disneys-splash-mountain-takes-final-lap-after-controversial-past\/"},"modified":"2023-01-24T18:52:56","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T00:52:56","slug":"disneys-splash-mountain-takes-final-lap-after-controversial-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/24\/disneys-splash-mountain-takes-final-lap-after-controversial-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney\u2019s Splash Mountain Takes Final Lap After Controversial Past"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h2>Topline<\/h2>\n<p>Riders took <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\" aria-label=\"one last journey\">one last journey<\/a> through Walt Disney World\u2019s Splash Mountain in Florida Sunday, according to the <em>Orlando Sentinel, <\/em>after the racial justice movement of 2020 sparked renewed criticism of the ride\u2019s connection to the controversial movie <em>Song of the South <\/em>and Disney announced it would refocus the ride on <em>The<\/em> <em>Princess and the Frog<\/em>, a film that features the first Black Disney Princess<em>. <\/em><\/p>\n<figure role=\"presentation\"><figcaption><fbs-accordion current=\"-1\"><\/p>\n<p>Guests react to being hit with cool water on Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt <span data-ga-track=\"caption expand\">&#8230; [+]<\/span><span> Disney World in Orange County, Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/fbs-accordion><small>Photo by Joseph Prezioso\/Anadolu Agency via Getty<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Key Facts<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Parkgoers crowded around Splash Mountain for one last chance at a spin on the water ride: at one point in the day wait times were estimated to be as long as 220 minutes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\" aria-label=\"the Orlando Sentinel reported\">the <em data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/travel\/attractions\/the-daily-disney\/os-et-disney-magic-kingdom-splash-mountain-closing-tiana-20230123-dcighl7wyffhnopxgwq2omohge-story.html\">Orlando Sentinel <\/em>reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>By the time the last riders\u2014who were Disney cast members, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottGustin\/status\/1617504880809369602\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottGustin\/status\/1617504880809369602\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottGustin\/status\/1617504880809369602\" aria-label=\"according to videos shared on Twitter\">according to videos shared on Twitter<\/a>\u2014climbed aboard the ride, it was the early hours of Monday morning, and they were met with applause from the crowd.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Disney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2020\/06\/25\/disney-to-remove-controversial-song-of-the-south-theme-from-splash-mountain-rides\/?sh=15ad66228ca3\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2020\/06\/25\/disney-to-remove-controversial-song-of-the-south-theme-from-splash-mountain-rides\/?sh=15ad66228ca3\" data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2020\/06\/25\/disney-to-remove-controversial-song-of-the-south-theme-from-splash-mountain-rides\/?sh=15ad66228ca3\" aria-label=\"announced in June 2020\" rel=\"noopener\">announced in June 2020<\/a> the ride would be rethemed to the film <em>The Princess and the Frog <\/em>in both Walt Disney World\u2019s Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland Park.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When the ride reopens in 2024, Princess Tiana, the first Black Disney Princess, and Louis will be among the characters featured in the New Orleans-themed attraction that will follow the pair as they prepare for Mardi Gras, <a href=\"https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\" aria-label=\"Disney said in a post on its Disney Parks Blog\">Disney said in a post on its Disney Parks Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What We Don\u2019t Know<\/h2>\n<p>When Splash Mountain in Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, will close.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Background<\/h2>\n<p>Splash Mountain\u2014which opened in Disneyland in 1989 and Walt Disney World in 1992\u2014is one of Disney\u2019s most popular rides. The decision to shut down the ride arose after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\" aria-label=\"Change.org petition\">Change.org petition<\/a> received more than 21,000 signatures in an effort to push Disney to rework the ride. While many Disney guests remain unaware, Splash Mountain is a themed attraction based on <em>Song of the South<\/em>, a 1946 live-action and animated film that has been widely criticized for the way it depicted race relations in the post-Civil War South. While the film was re-released in 1956, 1972, 1980 and 1986, there never was a home release of the film in the U.S. and it\u2019s not available on the streaming service Disney+. The film, which even won an Oscar at the time of release, is also known for the song \u201cZip-a-dee-doo-dah\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.syfy.com\/syfy-wire\/how-disney-tried-and-failed-to-remove-song-of-the-south-from-history\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.syfy.com\/syfy-wire\/how-disney-tried-and-failed-to-remove-song-of-the-south-from-history\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.syfy.com\/syfy-wire\/how-disney-tried-and-failed-to-remove-song-of-the-south-from-history\" aria-label=\"which many believe was based on a racist pre-Civil War song\"> which many believe was based on a racist pre-Civil War song<\/a>. In 2020, Disney removed the song from the Splash Mountain ride. The Orange County Register reported<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2020\/08\/26\/disneyland-removes-zip-a-dee-doo-dah-from-playlist-as-part-of-splash-mountain-makeover\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2020\/08\/26\/disneyland-removes-zip-a-dee-doo-dah-from-playlist-as-part-of-splash-mountain-makeover\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2020\/08\/26\/disneyland-removes-zip-a-dee-doo-dah-from-playlist-as-part-of-splash-mountain-makeover\/\" aria-label=\"the change\"> the change<\/a> in August 2020, citing a Disney statement which read, \u201cThe removal of the song from Downtown Disney\u2019s background music is part of a continuous process to deliver an environment that features stories that are relevant and inclusive.\u201d <strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Crucial Quoute<\/h2>\n<p><em>\u201cWhile the ride is considered a beloved classic it\u2019s [sic] history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes from the 1946 film Song of the South,\u201d <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\" aria-label=\"the petition reads in part\">the petition reads in part<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Further Reading<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2022\/12\/02\/disneys-splash-mountain-to-close-in-florida-in-january-amid-racism-concerns-nearly-three-years-after-company-first-announced-it\/?sh=71a570264537\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2022\/12\/02\/disneys-splash-mountain-to-close-in-florida-in-january-amid-racism-concerns-nearly-three-years-after-company-first-announced-it\/?sh=71a570264537\" data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2022\/12\/02\/disneys-splash-mountain-to-close-in-florida-in-january-amid-racism-concerns-nearly-three-years-after-company-first-announced-it\/?sh=71a570264537\" aria-label=\"Disney\u2019s Splash Mountain To Close In Florida in January Amid Racism Concerns\u2014Nearly Three Years After Company First Announced It\" rel=\"noopener\">Disney\u2019s Splash Mountain To Close In Florida in January Amid Racism Concerns\u2014Nearly Three Years After Company First Announced It<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2020\/06\/25\/disney-to-remove-controversial-song-of-the-south-theme-from-splash-mountain-rides\/?sh=15ad66228ca3\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2020\/06\/25\/disney-to-remove-controversial-song-of-the-south-theme-from-splash-mountain-rides\/?sh=15ad66228ca3\" data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2020\/06\/25\/disney-to-remove-controversial-song-of-the-south-theme-from-splash-mountain-rides\/?sh=15ad66228ca3\" aria-label=\"the Orlando Sentinel reported\"00 rel=\"noopener\">Disney To Remove Controversial \u2018Song Of The South\u2019 Theme From Splash Mountain Rides<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2021\/08\/11\/a-year-after-disney-said-it-would-revamp-racist-splash-mountain-its-still-open-and-company-wont-say-when-work-will-start\/?sh=3109d249e05d\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2021\/08\/11\/a-year-after-disney-said-it-would-revamp-racist-splash-mountain-its-still-open-and-company-wont-say-when-work-will-start\/?sh=3109d249e05d\" data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisondurkee\/2021\/08\/11\/a-year-after-disney-said-it-would-revamp-racist-splash-mountain-its-still-open-and-company-wont-say-when-work-will-start\/?sh=3109d249e05d\" aria-label=\"the Orlando Sentinel reported\"11 rel=\"noopener\">A Year After Disney Said It Would Revamp Racist Splash Mountain, It\u2019s Still Open And Company Won\u2019t Say When Work Will Start<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/lisettevoytko\/2020\/07\/08\/splash-mountain-based-on-controversial-song-of-the-south-sells-out-merch-prior-to-makeover\/?sh=79ed729a602d\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/lisettevoytko\/2020\/07\/08\/splash-mountain-based-on-controversial-song-of-the-south-sells-out-merch-prior-to-makeover\/?sh=79ed729a602d\" data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/lisettevoytko\/2020\/07\/08\/splash-mountain-based-on-controversial-song-of-the-south-sells-out-merch-prior-to-makeover\/?sh=79ed729a602d\" aria-label=\"the Orlando Sentinel reported\"22 rel=\"noopener\">Disney\u2019s Splash Mountain\u2014Based On Controversial \u2018Song Of The South\u2019\u2014Sells Out Merch Prior To Makeover<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\" aria-label=\"the Orlando Sentinel reported\"33>A New Scene and New Critters Are Introduced For Tiana\u2019s Bayou Adventure<\/a> (Disney Parks Blog)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/anafaguy\/2023\/01\/23\/disneys-splash-mountain-takes-final-lap-after-controversial-past\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Ana Faguy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Topline Riders took one last journey through Walt Disney World\u2019s Splash Mountain in Florida Sunday, according to the Orlando Sentinel, after the racial justice movement of 2020 sparked renewed criticism of the ride\u2019s connection to the controversial movie Song of the South and Disney announced it would refocus the ride on The Princess and the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":600808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1800,39304],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-600807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-disneys","category-splash"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}