Disney will close the Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World in Florida for a remodel based on The Princess and the Frog. According to USA Today, Splash Mountain will close on January 23rd to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The ride is presently based on Disney’s controversial 1946 movie Song of the South. The new ride will tell a story that takes place after the events of 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, with Tiana having realized her dream of opening a restaurant and wanting to help her community succeed too. This new ride, centered on Disney’s first black princess, will be a stark contrast to the film the current ride is based on.
‘Princess and the Frog’ Ride to Replace Controversial Splash Mountain Story
Many will see this Princess and the Frog redesign of Splash Mountain as Disney’s attempt to correct a major mistake in its history. 1946’s Song of the South was Disney’s first live-action film, which Walt Disney hoped would be his masterpiece. While those reading this article may not have seen or even heard of the film, they’ve undoubtedly heard the song that the movie’s signature song, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” The moment the song plays in the film can be viewed below:
While Song of the South may have given us one of Disney’s most famous songs and inspired the beloved Splash Mountain ride, it’s considered one of Disney’s greatest mistakes. The film is filled with problematic material that appears to glorify racism in the South. The character Uncle Remus (singing in the video above and modeled after the title character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin), is considered a racist stereotype with his dialect. The movie was also based on the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris, a pro-confederacy journalist. All this and more characatures are why Song of the South was protested upon its release, why many weren’t happy that Splash Mountain used it as inspiration, and why it has never been released on home video or DVD.
This wasn’t Disney’s only run in with racism. Films such as Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, Aristocats, and many others of long past have been accused of racial stereotyping.
This is in stark contrast to 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, which featured the first black Disney princess finding success in reaching her dreams. This will be the theme of this ride that is replacing Splash Mountain, which after being announced in 2020 is finally coming to fruition.
