Disney Gives Problematic Splash Mountain “Live Action” Overhaul

in Disneyland Resort

Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit

Credit: Disney

Disney has given some problematic characters a “live-action” overhaul at the Disneyland Resort.

splash-mountain-water
Credit: ITM

While the Disney parks and resorts are home to some of the most treasured theme park rides and attractions of all time, such as the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan’s Flight, Disney is no stranger to change. Despite offering a daunting amount of legendary rides to experience, the Disney parks are always trying to keep things fresh and new, giving guests something to look forward to each and every time they visit.

One of the biggest changes of all time happened earlier this year when Disney officially closed Splash Mountain.

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Credit: Inside The Magic

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Splash Mountain closed earlier in 2023 at both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort to make way for a new, less problematic attraction. This new ride is called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and will feature characters and things ripped straight from Disney’s classic 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was announced several years ago, with both American versions of the ride closing permanently in 2023. This announcement came after years of backlash and controversy surrounding Song of the South (1946), the film Splash Mountain is based on.

One final version of Splash Mountain remains at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, which is expected to stay open for the foreseeable future. Disney has slowly been chipping away at Splash Mountain’s legacy, removing all characters, songs, and other features of the ride from its parks.

This, of course, meant the removal of iconic characters like Br’er Fox, Br’er Bear, and Br’er Rabbit. Recently, Disney covered up several displays of these characters, giving them a “live-action” overhaul.

As you can see in the photos below, the signs that previously featured the likes of Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear have now been turned into generic depictions of the animals those characters represented at the Disneyland resort.

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The Disneyland Resort is made up of two incredible theme parks, this being Disney California Adventure and the original Disneyland Park. Guests can also enjoy Downtown Disney, the resort’s massive shopping and dining destination, similar to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World.

This is not nearly surprising, given the problematic nature of these characters. As we stated earlier, Splash Mountain is heavily inspired by Disney’s Song of the South film, which blended live-action and animation. The film is rather beautiful but has been heavily criticized for its portrayal of African Americans, and rightfully so.

Disney effectively erased the film from history, with no official DVD release ever being made by The Walt Disney Company. The film is not streamable on Disney+, with the only way to watch the film being through 3rd party releases and unofficial websites. The decision to close Splash Mountain was controversial, to say the least, splitting the Disney park fan base into different factions, with those who didn’t want the ride to close on one side and those who didn’t care on the other.

Things got so heated that a fan petition was created to “save Splash Mountain,” which reached an impressive number of signatures. Of course, this petition would have never changed Disney’s decision on these closures. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is expected to open sometime in 2024 at the Disneyland Resort in California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. We could not be more excited to experience this new attraction!

Are you excited about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Will you miss Splash Mountain?

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