Ruins of Splash Mountain Spotted at Disney Parks

Both Splash Mountain rides became near instant hallmark attractions for the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World when they debuted in 1989, then 1992.  Yet, after 34 and 31 years of leaving guests gleefully drenched, it was permanently closed in May 2023. Its closure was saddening for many Disney Park fans, but understandable due to its thematic connection to Disney’s most racially inflammatory musical. It will now be rethemed to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure based on Disney’s Princess and the Frog. While the new attraction is in the midst of construction, guests have captured the remains of what is left of the classic ride.

The iconic log flume experience was designed by legendary Imagineer, Tony Baxter, who styled the attraction to immerse guests into the Briar Patch. The signature climax of the ride was a 50 foot plunge that would leave most riders soaked with water. It would include state-of-the-art animatronics that depicted Brer Rabbit traversing his home while avoiding Brer Fox. Its soundtrack featured songs like “Everybody’s Got A Laughin’ Place” and ” Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

Its music, while infectious, was associated with the controversial 1946 Disney movie, Song of the South, which would later be accused of presenting an inaccurate, romanticized historical rewrite of plantation life in the South post-Civil War. The continued protests, along with 21,000 signatures calling for the ride to be removed or updated, prompted Disney to enact this change in 2020.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will also be a log flume ride that will still use the bones of Splash Mountain in both Disney Parks as its foundation. Guests have recently been able to capture what is left of the mountain as it is gradually taken apart piece by piece at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom.It is a sad sight, but Disney has a longstanding history of updating its attractions with modern branding. The only Splash Mountain that remains is the one at Tokyo Disneyland, but there have been no talks to remove it yet.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set to open at the end of 2024.