Here’s when Disneyland’s Splash Mountain is closing
Disneyland’s iconic Splash Mountain ride, which has thrilled and soaked millions of parkgoers since 1989, will close for good on May 31, officials have announced.
The closure allows work to begin on a new attraction —Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — which will remake the ride using the theme of the “Princess and the Frog” movie’s continuing story. The ride will also be remade at Walt Disney World. The Splash Mountain attraction in Florida closed in January.
The Splash Mountain log flume ride opened in Disneyland’s Critter Country on July 17, 1989. Park designers reused animatronic creatures from the closed “America Sings” ride, and based them on sequences from the 1946 Disney movie “Song of the South,” also adding new characters such as Brer Bear, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit. In total, the ride has 103 creatures.
Riders get into a “hollowed-out log” and ride it through swamps and bayous, ending up in a giant 52-foot waterfall drop, during which many, if not most, people get wet.
The ride was envisioned by famed designer Tony Baxter while he was stuck in traffic in 1983, according to the Disney archives. It also opened later at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.
In today’s world, it has come under fire by some for using elements from “Song of the South” that critics say perpetuate racial stereotypes.
As the first African American Disney princess, Tiana and her friends will freshen up the mountain and bayou setting.
“Tiana’s Bayou Adventure builds on the story of Princess Tiana, a character whose pride and perseverance reminds us of a universal truth: within us lies the potential to make our dreams come true,” Disney announced on its Disneyland blog Wednesday, April 12.
Disney announced Wednesday that magical fairy godmother Mama Odie will be part of the attraction. She will also be voiced by Jenifer Lewis, who provided her voice in the animated Disney movie.
Designers are planning to add dozens of new animatronic figures to the reimagined ride, along with music and even the smell of New Orleans beignets.
In addition to Princess Tiana, returning characters from the film include Prince Naveen, Mama Odie, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia, and Prince Ralphie.