Disney announced today that there will be a retheming of the Splash Mountain flume ride, they will replace the controversial Song of the South with the 2009 Princess and the Frog theme. The change would take part in both Disney World and Disneyland attractions. The Disney parks blog released the following statement below.
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!”
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.”
For Imagineers, change is rooted in a tradition set by Walt Disney who encouraged new innovations, new ideas, new scenes and current storytelling. And the experiences they create can be enjoyed by guests who visit our parks from all over the world.
As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape.
Stay tuned for more!
by Michael Ramirez, Public Relations Director, Disneyland Resort
Final Thoughts
There was no time line announced, but I would imagine a retheming of this size would take a few years to complete and there was no word on when this project would start for either Disney World or Disneyland. Please leave a comment below and you could win a great prize.
Not a fan, the ride has nothing to do with what everyone is so defensive about. It’s a classic ride and one of kids favorites. They love seeing Briar Rabbit’s adventure and I just don’t a story line with the new theme besides maybe voodoo magic, but how is that any better?? Just not a huge fan at all of having to change our entire history based on certain views..
ill miss it, i never once acknowledged the racial undertones, i took it for the pure cartoon aspect of it..but i like Princess and the Frog as well, so I’m ok with it.
I think it’s great! This has been problematic for sometime; I understand wanting to preserve original rides but not when it’s deemed offensive but a huge portion of the population. Princess and the Frog represents a population that is not currently represented well at the parks. Just hope it won’t be closed when I visit!
I think it will be a beautiful ride, However I would miss splash mountain as is. I think they should create new rides instead of re-imagining rides. Just as Maelstorm is now Frozen, the great movie ride (which I wish i was able to do at least one more time) is now mickey and Minnie. Theyre creating new magic but replacing rides that people loved just as much maybe trying to please the newer generation? They did an AMAZING job adding Galaxys edge. Continue adding new lands instead of taking away the original
I’m fine with it.
A theme update is good for rides that have lost relevancy. Remember the Norway ride in Epcot? (I still miss the old ride, but change is inevitable…) The ride got a makeover to a relevant Disney movie and was quite successful. Disney was planning on doing the same with Spaceship earth. The reality is this update will be a while since Disney announced most projects were on hold due to covid losses this year.
I’m down for it, everything at disney “moves forward” so why not
No way this not happened I really think anyone is complaining about the ride, so if the news stops talking about no one would even think about it again. I am so sick of this thing about racism and these younger people and other people or who ever they are move. They should keep all rides and make new ones, if Walt was alive i would think he would be angry he made all of movies of different races, so please get a job and learn from history don’t take away history.
I don’t see it as a “woke” move by Disney; however recent events may have been a catalyst for this reimagining. Disney changes “classic” rides all the time (I use quotes b/c the ride was debuted in 1989; hardly an original). We watched the Dream Finder disappear; Malstrom move to Arendelle; and Toon Town, FL wiped off the face of the Earth. This is just part of the Disney Attraction Life Cycle.
I think the big difference here is the rides you mentioned had become stale and people were no longer riding them. Any of those rides would normally have a 5-10 minute wait time where Splash Mountain is a fan favorite and is usually one of the 4 busiest rides at Magic Kingdom. So I would rather have seen the time and money go towards a ride that truly needs it like Stitches Great Escape. As with everything this will blow over and I am sure the new ride will be amazing, I am just bummed that it will need to be shut down for an extended period of time.
I would also like to see Zip-a-doo-dah kept somewhere in the park. The song is a classic and favorite.
I have mixed feelings, I will wait and see how it’s done!
They should just leave it as it is..Walt would be quite disappointed with all this ridiculousness…
This totally SUCKS. Disney is going too far.
What are they going to remove next the Partners Statue.
It saddens me. I love the story the “briers.” It’s a classic.
No! Give Tiana her own ride or even a whole new area. Please leave the classics alone!