Splash Mountain Re-themed to Princess and the Frog

Splash Mountain Re-themed to Princess and the Frog

Splash Mountain Re-themed to Princess and the Frog

In three Disney Parks around the world there is one ride that many guests have enjoyed time and time again. On July 17, 1989, this ride opened to the Public in Critter Country at the Disneyland Resort. On October 1, 1992, this ride opened up to the public at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Critter Country. Lastly, this ride opened up to the public at the Walt Disney World Resort in Frontierland on October 2, 1992. What is this ride? This ride is known to the world as Splash Mountain. Themed around the movie titled ‘Song of the South’, this ride took riders on a journey with Brer Rabbit and other characters from the film down a plunge into the Briar Patch via log flume. Now, come 31 years later for Disneyland and 28 years for Disney World, this famous ride that many people love will be taking on a new role in the not too distant future. What is this change? Why is this change happening? Buckle up for a ‘Plunge Into the Briar Patch’!

 

Changes Coming Soon to Splash Mountain

Just recently, according to the Disney Parks Blog, Disney will be re-theming the Splash Mountain ride we all know into something new, something different. This change will only be  taking place at the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort.

Given how Disney has recently had a habit of putting in IPs (Intellectual Properties) into their attractions, they wanted to put in a replacement that was fitting for the ride style that Splash Mountain is along with a property that would be well received in the parks.

After considering many different ideas, Walt Disney Imagineering settled on the 2009 Disney Animated Film ‘The Princess and the Frog’.  

Why Re-theme Splash Mountain?

You might be wondering, why is Disney deciding to re-theme Splash Mountain in the first place? Well, if you didn’t know, the movie in which Splash Mountain is based on has a lot of themes in the movie that are prejudiced and racial in today’s modern society. Because of the recent things that have happened with racial injustice and inequality in America, Disney may have felt that releasing this news at this point in time was a good move on their part.

While it may seem like Disney just threw this idea together rather recently due to recent events, this idea has actually been in the works for quite some time now. 

Princes and the Frog Project in the Making

According to D23, this project is being helmed by Imagineer Charita Carter, who recently oversaw (with Kevin Rafferty) the creation of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The new attraction will also include some of the incredible music from the Academy Award®-nominated movie. 

Taking place in a new story line after the events of the movie, guests will follow Tiana and Louis as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance. Recently Bob Weiss who is the head of Walt Disney Imagineering sat down with D23 to shed some light on this new attraction. He stated that “In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new “land” added to Disneyland, so it feels natural to link the story of The Princess and the Frog to the park. 

And as you know, music is a big part of the story and our attractions, and the incredible songs and score from The Princess and the Frog are often among fan favorites” in response to why The Princess and the Frog.

Bob also said, “It has been a year or more since we started talking about this particular concept. While we’ve explored many new themes in the past, that’s when we really began to hone in on Princess Tiana’s story. That said, Splash Mountain has been the subject of many conversations through the years. It’s brilliant ride platform and landscape create the potential for great storytelling.” 

What Does This Mean for the Future of the Parks?

Disneyland Splash Mountain

Over in California, this ride makes perfect sense in the park given how they already have a New Orleans themed land. It’s also fitting to finally give the first black Disney princess the ride she deserves.

The only question that comes to mind is what will Disney do with the rest of Critter Country once they re-theme Splash Mountain? Once you take Splash out of the equation, you are only left with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. In theory, Winnie the Pooh nor Davy Crockett fit in with the theming of New Orleans so it will be interesting to see how Disney approaches this situation. 

Walt Disney World Splash Mountain 

Over at the Walt Disney World Resort, one can only wonder how they will approach this re-theming. The Walt Disney World Resort doesn’t have a New Orleans themed area. With this in mind, once Splash Mountain is re-themed the whole area may look out of place. Right next door you have the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad along with Tom Sawyer’s Island. Frontierland and New Orleans don’t really go hand-in-hand.

Perhaps at Disney World there may be more than meets the eye to this Princess and the Frog retheme. Perhaps, Disney may re-theme a good portion of this area to reflect the New Orleans theming of the ride. In addition, one thing that could easily fit into this ‘expansion’ would be the addition of Tiana’s Place Restaurant which would be very well received by many guests. While Disneyland already serves New Orleans food, New Orleans food would be a great addition to the Magic Kingdom.

A Look Toward A New Future

Although there is still we are unsure of in regards to the new ride, we need to look forward to this ride with optimism. We need to look towards change, a new future. As Bob Chapek once said, “Walt never intended his parks to be museums where people come to see Disney history. Instead, they’re living things that evolve with the times, and with guests.”

Updates as of January 2021

Disney has announce it has put one of the newest restaurants coming to the Magic Kingdom on hold for the foreseeable future. We did expect this restaurant to have a Princess and the Frog theme to go along with the newly renovated ride. Be sure to check back as we continue to update this post with all of the latest Princess and the Frog News!

When is The Best Time to Visit Disney World?

Our Disney Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.

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