![]() It has had famous riders, including Princess Diana, together with Prince Harry, at Disney World in 1993.īut as demands for racial equality have grown, change was called for in the petition - and it received a lot of support, including from park employees and Disney superfans. The ride first opened at Disneyland in 1989 and then at Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland in 1992. But Song of the South remained locked away in the vault, with former Disney CEO Bob Iger saying in March that it would remain that way due to its “ outdated cultural depictions.” ![]() When Disney+ launched last year, the company announced it was making changes to some historical content - like the Jim Crow character from the original Dumbo being edited out. The issue has been that Song of the South has remained unreleased for decades due to its racially insensitive portrayal of Black Americans in the Reconstruction era. Out with the old: Splash Mountain is getting a makeover at Disney parks. The project will be spearheaded by Carmen Smith (creative development and inclusive strategies executive at Walt Disney Imagineering) and led by Charita Carter (senior creative producer at Walt Disney Imagineering). For now, the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland “will re-open with the existing Splash Mountain attraction,” with the date for the makeover to be announced soon. ![]() She and Louis are bringing friends together for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance, alongside many of our other favorite characters from this instant classic.”Īs for when this will happen, Disney is “still evaluating project timelines” due to COVID-19. From a timing perspective, guests will see Princess Tiana throughout the experience (hint - after ‘the kiss’). The new concept of the attraction will be “expanding on what guests know and love from the film today. We completely understand that these decisions aren’t always popular, but I think our biggest fans know that we care as much as they do.” Speaking to why Disney would reimagine the attraction rather than eliminate it and do something totally new, Weis spoke of the company’s “longstanding history of enhancing attractions with ‘new magic,’ like Pirates of the Caribbean, and completely retheming others. So it’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou.” Instead Weis said, “There’s no expiration date on great storytelling.” He called Tiana “a modern, courageous and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams while never losing sight of what’s really important. That said, Splash Mountain has been the subject of many conversations through the years.”Īs for why this is happening now, the word “petition” wasn’t mentioned. “While we’ve explored many new themes in the past, that’s when we really began to hone in on Princess Tiana’s story. “It has been a year or more since we started talking about this particular concept,” Walt Disney Imagineering’s Bob Weis told Disney’s in-house fan site D23.com. The reconceived attraction will tell the story of what happened after the movie’s famous final kiss and follows Tiana and Louis as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance, according to Disney. While there was a petition calling for this change, with more than 21,000 signatures - one the company stayed mum about when reached for comment earlier this month - Disney now says it had already planned to make the change to Princess Tiana and friends. “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,” Michael Ramirez, Public Relations Director for Disneyland Resort, said in the announcement. She and Louis then bring friends together for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance. are renaming racially charged, decades-old brands in the wake of protests for racial justice around the globe following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota last month.The concept of the new attraction picks up after Princess Tiana's final kiss in the film. The changes to the ride, which first opened in 1989, will be made at Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida.ĭisney said the changes had been in the works since last year, but the announcement comes as companies across the U.S. announced Thursday that it will be recasting the Splash Mountain theme park ride so that it is based on The Princess and the Frog amid calls to change the ride because of its ties with Song of the South, a 1946 movie many view as racist. Send this page to someone via email email.
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