Disney Keeps Playing Song With Racist Origin at Theme Park - Inside the Magic

Despite removing the iconic song from a Disney parade, it can still be heard at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Related: Classic Disneyland Ride Closing Indefinitely in 2023

Over the last few years, Disney has found itself embroiled in multiple controversies, with the largest one being The Walt Disney Company’s political battle with the state of Florida. The Walt Disney Company also got rid of former CEO Bob Chapek, opting to replace him with the tried-and-true Bob Iger.

However, none of these controversies come close to the intensity of DIsney’s decision to close one of its most iconic rides.

Related: Disney Resort Drops COVID-19 Safety Rule For All Guests

This decision came after years of backlash, with Guests and fans alike calling out Disney for the rode’s problematic theming.

The characters, music, and theming all originate from Disney’s essentially-forgotten 1946 film Song of the South, which has been widely criticized for its depiction of African Americans in the reconstruction-era south. Splash Mountain took heavy inspiration from this film, which mixed live-action with animation. Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Bear, and Br’er Fox all originate in this film as well as the iconic “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” song.

Inside the Magic reported on this iconic song being removed from the Magic Happens parade at Disneyland, with Disney making moves to wipe out the song entirely. The snippet has been replaced with “Think of the happiest things” from the song “You Can Fly” from Disney’s classic Peter Pan (1953).

However, the song remains at a very unlikely area of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

One Guest recently noticed that “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” is still played on buses at Walt Disney World. Check it out below:

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah still lives… on a bus. You can hear the Disneyland version of the track as bus 5151 prepares to depart from the Magic Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/cv27wb0lop

— WDWDreamfinder (@WDWDreamfinder) March 8, 2023

We have to say that we don’t expect this song to remain in the Disney Parks for much longer, but we were incredibly surprised to hear it on a bus, something that nearly all Guests use at Walt Disney World.

Splash Mountain is a ride that can be found at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland’s versions will shut down, with the one at Tokyo Disneyland staying open for the foreseeable future.

What do you think about Splash Mountain? Stay tuned here at Inside the Magic for more Disney news stories like this one!