Disney has announced a closing date for the iconic Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World in Florida to carry out a long-planned revamp, after elements of the attraction were criticized for supposedly being racist.
The ride, which draws on the film “Song of the South,” has been criticized for reinforcing racial stereotypes; it’s also featured at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. Disney hasn’t announced when the ride would be closed at the Anaheim facility, saying only that additional information “will be shared at a later date.”
Disney said at the time that the Splash Mountain attraction will be rethemed to be based on the film “The Princess and the Frog,” with a “strong lead character” in the form of Princess Tiana.
“Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important,” Disney said in the blog post.
“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.”
In the current version of the Splash Mountain ride, people board a log boat and set out on a slow climb up the “mountain,” with narration provided by several animated characters from “Song of the South”—Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear.
In the fantasyland narrative, the three characters embark on an adventure that ends with Br’er Rabbit falling into a briar patch.
And in the real world, after the ascent, riders descend rapidly around 50 feet down along a steep slope and through some water, where they’re hit with a refreshing splash after a thrilling ride.
But the ride also incorporates themes from “Song of the South,” a film with a storyline that has been criticized as racist.
“This change could kill two birds with one stone, remove the offensive stereotypical theming the ride currently has and bring a much-needed diversity to the parks.”
The Splash Mountain backstory is a derivative of “Song of the South,” which was pulled from distribution after it was last released in cinemas in 1986.
The film follows a little boy visiting his grandmother’s plantation and learning life lessons from stories told by the character of Uncle Remus, an elderly black worker on the plantation. The boy, Johnny, enjoys listening to tales about the adventures of Br‘er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br'er Bear, learning from the allegories how to deal with life’s various challenges.
While the film takes place in the Reconstruction Era, after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, critics have complained about the film’s upbeat tones, including the popular song “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,” which won an Academy Award for best original song.
Disney in 2020 quietly removed the theme song from Splash Mountain in preparation for the remake.
The film has also been criticized for supposedly perpetuating harmful racial stereotypes, specifically by portraying Uncle Remus as a kind of Uncle Tom figure that was content in his role as a black servant to white plantation owners.
Disney CEO Bob Iger, who after a hiatus recently returned to helm the company, said in a March 2020 shareholders meeting: “I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was—even with a disclaimer—was just not appropriate in today’s world.”
The petition to retheme Splash Mountain has garnered over 20,000 signatures.
Iger Returns as CEO
Disney announced in late November that Iger would return to his position for two years, which came less than a year after he retired.Iger, who spent more than 40 years at the company and served as Disney CEO for 15 years, will replace successor Bob Chapek, who has stepped down from the role, Walt Disney Co. said in a statement.
Iger will “set the strategic direction for renewed growth” at the company and will work closely with the board in “developing a successor to lead the company at the completion of his term,” Disney said.
Iger retired as head of Hollywood’s most powerful studio in December last year.
‘Pivotal Period’
Elsewhere, the company’s direct-to-consumer unit saw operating losses increase to $1.5 billion, which the company said was due to “a higher loss at Disney+ and a decrease in results at Hulu, partially offset by improved results at ESPN+.”
Shares of Disney have fallen more than 40 percent this year.
In a statement on Dec. 4, Iger said that he was “extremely optimistic for the future” of Disney and “thrilled to be asked by the board to return as its CEO.”
“Disney and its incomparable brands and franchises hold a special place in the hearts of so many people around the globe—most especially in the hearts of our employees, whose dedication to this company and its mission is an inspiration,” Iger said.
“I am deeply honored to be asked to again lead this remarkable team, with a clear mission focused on creative excellence to inspire generations through unrivaled, bold storytelling.”
