“Splash Mountain” Back Open Thanks to Passionate Disney Fan

Splash Mountain is back.

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For decades, Splash Mountain was one of the most popular and beloved theme park rides, not just at Disney but in the entire world. The ride itself was fun and thrilling, taking guests on a cute journey alongside loveable characters and eventually dropping guests several stories straight down into the briar patch. The attraction was themed incredibly well and was also one of the longest attractions at the Disney parks. Of course, Splash Mountain closed permanently in 2023 as part of a previously announced overhaul of the ride.

The ride’s track will stay the same, but the theming, characters, music, and story will all be removed and instead be swapped out with a brand-new experience inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009).

Guests could find Splash Mountain at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, with a third version located at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. The two American versions of the ride closed forever, with Tokyo Disneyland’s version staying open for the foreseeable future. The reason Splash Mountain closed dates back all the way to 1946, when Disney released Song of the South, a feature-length film that blended live-action and hand-drawn animation.

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The film was met with immediate backlash when it was originally released, mostly due to its portrayal of African Americans in the reconstructionist era South. As a result, Disney did not promote this film in the same way as it did other classics. Over the years, The Walt Disney Company has worked hard on essentially erasing the film from the public’s eye.

Fans will not be able to legitimately purchase a DVD of the film, nor will they find it on streaming services. Despite this, Disney still had one glaring issue: Splash Mountain.

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We have to admit that it seems silly to create a ride based on a property you know is controversial and even racist, though Splash Mountain operated for several decades until closing in 2023. Despite the controversy, a lot of fans were very vocal about Splash Mountain’s closure, claiming that Disney was making a huge mistake and “going woke.” Factions formed, with a large group showing their excitement about a new ride and others showing their disapproval over losing such an iconic part of the Disney parks.

Some Splash Mountain fans were so passionate that they started a petition, one that they had hoped would “Save Splash Mountain.” While this petition did receive quite a lot of signatures, it went nowhere, with Disney quickly moving along with its plans for the new ride.

However, what one fan did recently has truly left us speechless.

While there were a ton of passionate fans, none were as passionate about Splash Mountain as Scott Baker. Inspired by Disney and Universal Parks, Baker has embarked on a mission to recreate theme park experiences at his own home. His most recent project was to recreate Splash Mountain at his own home pool.

Baker states, “The mountain I got started a couple of years ago. It’s all underneath made of Tractor Supply block, the styrofoam blocks. I glued them all together and got the base built out. Then I got onto other projects and didn’t get back to it that much, until last year I got more of it carved down…this summer, June, I finished it in early October.”

Baker also stated that he is disappointed that Splash Mountain had to close. “If they wanted Tiana to have a ride I think they could have worked out something else to make a ride for her in an expansion, or something, and keep Splash Mountain. Because, it is so loved and iconic…We really want to go to Tokyo sometime, so it like’s oh we can still see Splash Mountain again.”

The new ride, which is called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, is expected to open sometime in 2024, with work beginning as soon as the ride closed back in January at the Magic Kingdom. Splash Mountain closed a little later in the year than the Disneyland Resort, so only time will tell how the two project timelines actually line up.

The version of Splash Mountain found at the Tokyo Disneyland Resort is set to stay the same for the foreseeable future.

We here at Inside the Magic could not be more excited to finally experience Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when it does open.

Are you excited about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?