The Splash Mountain era is over at Disney World.
Despite numerous calls to save the attraction, Disney (DIS) decided to close the 30-year old ride due to its ties to the Academy Award winning "Song of the South", a 1940's film that is as racist as a 1940's newspaper.
The ride is permanently closed while it undergoes a redesign to a "Princess and the Frog"-themed ride called Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which is scheduled to open in 2024. It seems to be an effort to reverse the mistakes of Disney's past, as "The Princess and The Frog" was the first film in Disney's 100-year history where the princess is Black.
Despite the change, "Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place," a tune from "Song of the South", is still blaring to visitors who walk past the attraction, according to Blog Mickey.
"It’s unclear why Disney has decided that Ev’rybody Has a Laughing Place, a song featured in an attraction deemed incompatible with Disney’s ideals, wasn’t removed, but we have noticed a bit of inconsistency from The Walt Disney Company when it comes to their Diversity & Inclusion efforts," Blog Mickey stated.
Disney did not return TheStreet's request for comment as of the time of publication.
Splash Mountain Fans
There doesn't seem to be a consensus about closing the ride, as both "Song of the South" and Splash Mountain still have dedicated fans.
Perusing the comments on YouTube, one can find numerous defenses and effusive praise of the film.
"I love this film. I know that it is problematical from a racial/racist/racialized perspective but as a child it was magical and heart-warming," said one user.
"They banned this movie ... really there's nothing wrong with it, while seeing this multiple times and also loving the ride base off of it, this should not be banned," chimed in another.
While the film isn't technically banned, it is not available for streaming on Disney+ either, and the Splash Mountain ride at Magic Kingdom is now a thing of the past due to its ties to the film.
