Splash Mountain Is Finally Getting a Major Change—and It’s Going to Be So Good
A change is finally happening: Disney has announced that Splash Mountain will undergo a major overhaul in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The classic Disney ride will now be themed to 2009’s “The Princess and the Frog,” taking guests on an idyllic log flume journey through the film’s triumphant finale—the final kiss—as Princess Tiana and her trumpet-playing alligator pal, Louis, prepare for their Mardi Gras performance.
Disney has only revealed a few tidbits about their plans for the ride’s re-theming, but they’re surely planning to keep the infamous five-story plunge into darkness that fans know and love. Disney lovers have encouraged the company to re-theme the attraction for years, since it’s currently themed to “Song of the South,” a 1946 film that glorifies slavery and features heavily racist overtones against African Americans (Disney won’t even put it on Disney+). However, that hasn’t stopped current ride merchandise from surging in price for collectors.
Disney’s Imagineers said that they have had the change for the U.S. parks in the works since last year, sharing that they hope the ride’s new theme will be “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.”
Princess Tiana is, so far, the first and only Black Disney princess, with her origin story taking place against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. In the Anaheim park, Splash Mountain sits adjacent to New Orleans Square, so it’s a welcome addition to Walt Disney’s original design for his inaugural park.
The company is alluding that the conversations on race in America have motivated the ride’s change. “The retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today,” spokesperson Michael Ramirez said in Disney’s statement. “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 ride’s tentative title is New Adventures with Princess Tiana, and Disney stated that “conceptual design work is well underway,” with Imagineers soon “able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape.” It’s unlikely that fans will get to step into Princess Tiana’s whimsical world until at least 2021, but it certainly seems that it’ll be worth the wait.