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Disney Announces Final Decision on 'Splash Mountain' Controversy

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Disney visitors who have enjoyed singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” as they made their way down the “Song of the South”-themed Splash Mountain ride might need to come up with a new song now that Disney had said big changes are coming.

Disney announced Thursday that the “Song of the South” theme on the log flume ride is being scrapped in place of imagery from the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog.”

That film featured Tiana, Disney’s first black princess, according to CNN.

Disney’s action follows a Change.org petition signed by more than 21,000 people that called for the company to make the switch.

“While the ride is considered a beloved classic it’s history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes from the 1946 film Song of the South,” the petition said.

The film is considered by many to be so controversial that Disney did not even make it available in its Disney+ streaming service.

“We’re thrilled to share Splash Mountain at @Disneyland & @WaltDisneyWorld will be completely reimagined with a new story inspired by an all-time favorite Disney Animation film, ‘The Princess & The Frog,'” Disney Animation tweeted.

Do you think this change was necessary?

Details regarding the change were announced by Michael Ramirez, Disneyland Resort’s public relations director, in a post on Disney’s website.

Ramirez noted that Disneyland park in California and Disney World in Florida will each have the ride overhauled.

“We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure — featuring some of the powerful music from the film — as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance,” Ramirez said.

The post never mentions “Song of the South” by name, though it does obliquely refer to America’s current racially charged climate.

“[T]he retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year,” he wrote.

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Likewise, race is never mentioned in describing Tiana, who Ramriez casts as a “modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important.”

Ramirez did not give any hints of when the new rides will take the place of the current ones, which right now are behind locked gates until Disney reopens its parks.

“As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape,” Ramirez wrote.

One Splash Mountain ride in its current guise will survive.

According to The New York Times, the company that operates Tokyo Disneyland has no plans to give the ride a “Princess and the Frog” theme.

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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