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No turning back now.
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Guests said goodbye to Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Bear, and Br’er Fox, as well as the rest of Splash Mountain, over the weekend, with the ride officially closing on January 23, 2023, at the Magic Kingdom. To say that the closure was controversial would be putting things lightly, as “factions” formed, with Guests split on whether or not the ride should stay.
A petition to “save Splash Mountain” reached nearly 10k signatures in the process, but these numbers were no match for The Mouse. For those who don’t know, this closure was announced back in the Summer of 2020. Disney revealed its plans for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a ride themed around Disney’s hit 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. Disney would drop the original and somewhat “problematic” Song of the South (1946) theme and replace it with a brand new story based on Tiana and co.
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While Splash Mountain is a very iconic and beloved attraction and has become one of the most recognizable rides in the world, the basis for the ride does come from a film that Disney has done its best to hide. Disney’s Song of the South (1946) is a film that many have deemed racist for its depictions of the Reconstruction-era American South.
The film has been effectively erased from Disney’s ever-expanding catalog of animated films, though with enough digging, you are sure to find it online.
Nevertheless, the ride is now gone, and up until now, some traces could still be found. However, Disney has effectively made accessing anything related to Splash Mountain impossible.
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Construction walls went up around the ride quite quickly, as we reported here at Inside the Magic. The ride was also removed from the Magic Kingdom Park map, another shockingly-quick move by Disney.
We just noticed that now when visiting the Splash Mountain attraction page, Guests will be redirected to a generic overview of all rides and attractions at the Magic Kingdom. So there really are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, Splash Mountain is gone for good at Walt Disney World.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open sometime in 2024, with both Disneyland’s and Tokyo Disney’s versions of the classic ride still operational.
Will you miss Splash Mountain? Are you excited about the new ride?