What’s up guys, it’s Emile Ennis Jr. with Clevver News, and Disney is one of MANY companies
taking action in the Black Lives Matter movement.
They’ve just announced exciting plans for one of the theme park’s most popular attractions.
If you’ve ever taken a ride on Splash Mountain, AKA what might be Disneyland’s most popular
ride attractions, besides being soaked down from head to toe, you’ve probably been pleasantly
surprised by the ride’s portrayal of wildlife creatures chirping and singing around a campfire
while waving to tourists drifting down a river in their log flumes.
What you may not realize is that Disney has received massive amounts of criticism over
the years for the ride’s theme, which is actually based on the controversial 1946 film
Song of the South.
Over the past few weeks, many petitions have been circulating the Internet urging Disney
to reimagine the theme of the popular ride, as its current theme based on the film has
been criticized for its problematic portrayal of the post-Civil War South, as well as its
capitalizing on racist stereotypes.
One petition, titled, “Retheme Splash Mountain to Princess and the Frog,” has reached over
21,000 signatures and counting and has clearly made a major impact, because GOOD NEWS, Y’ALL!
You asked and Disney happily obliged and granted the wishes of thousands who signed petitions,
as it was just announced yesterday that Splash Mountain will be completely reimagined at
both Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida.
The ride will feature a brand new theme based on the 2009 Disney animated film The Princess
and the Frog, which also features the first Black Disney princess, Tiana.
In a press release shared with many outlets, this reimaging is “a project Imagineers
have been working on since last year.”
The release goes on to say, “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.”
The release also confirmed that the ride’s storyline will pick up “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.”
Before the announcement was made, Disney had been distancing itself from the Song of the
South movie for quite some time, even stripping it from the Disney+ streaming platform.
During a shareholder meeting back in March, Former Disney CEO Bob Iger addressed the decision
to exclude the film from Disney+, saying, “I’ve felt as long as I’ve been CEO
that Song of the South — even with a disclaimer — was just not appropriate in today’s
world.
It’s just hard, given the depictions in some of those films, to bring them out today
without in some form or another offending people, so we’ve decided not to do that.”
Many fans are ecstatic upon hearing the news about Splash Mountain, taking to social media
to voice their approval.
One user wrote, “As a Disney nerd, this is HUGE to me.
It’s bittersweet because I love Splash Mountain and Critter Country but I’m definitely on
board with this change!!
It’ll bring some much needed diversity to the park’s attractions, and it will fit
perfectly into New Orleans Square at DL.”
Another user tweeted, “It’s a long time coming too.
Walt never wanted the parks to be stagnant.
He wanted an ever evolving thing.
I personally can’t wait for the new splash mountain!”
Others, like this user, had a message for the people who are criticizing the new changes,
saying, “People are legit getting upset with the redesign of Splash Mountain and trying
to argue that it won’t fit in with the land the ride is located.
Seriously?
Splash mountain was freaking creepy anyways.
This new design will be so much better.”
Anika Noni Rose, who voices Princess Tiana in the film, also shared her excitement in
an Instagram post, writing, “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 good news comes just days after Disneyland in California announced that they will be
pushing back their reopening date from the original plans of allowing guests in the park
as early as July 17th as Disney World in Florida is still set to reopen in mid-July as COVID
cases continue to spike.
Disneyland Parks issued a statement saying QUOTE, “The State of California has now
indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after
July 4.
Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our
business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels
until we receive approval from government officials.”
So we may have to wait a little longer for the grand opening of Splash Mountain, BUT
nonetheless, we are thrilled to hear the news that Splash Mountain is getting the makeover
we all deserve.
But before I bid you adieu, let’s hear it for the ONE good thing to come out of the
Splash Mountain ride… the photos.
Whether fans prepared themselves for the final drop by playing Monopoly, Nintendo Game Cubes
or a quick game of beer pong, these photos will forever go down as some of Disney’s
finest work.
On a serious note, if you’re looking for more ways to educate yourselves and get involved
with the Black Lives Matter movement, we’ve linked resources down in the description below.
To see how the Black Lives Matter movement is changing the entertainment industry, click
right over here to watch another Clevver video.
Then be sure to let me know all your thoughts on Disney’s plans to reimagine Splash Mountain,
and any other ideas you have for more inclusivity, right down here in the comments.
I’m your host Emile Ennis Jr., bye guys!