Due to racial discrimination controversy... Disney renovates popular ride with 'Black Princess' theme

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Walt Disney has decided to renovate the popular Disneyland ride by changing its original theme to a story about a 'Black princess' after racial discrimination controversies arose.

On the 25th (local time), according to AP News and others, Disney announced that it will change the theme of the popular ride 'Splash Mountain' located at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida to a new theme. Installed in 1989, Splash Mountain is a log-shaped ride that moves along a waterway and has become a popular attraction at Disneyland.

The reason for changing the theme this time is that the ride was originally themed after the 1946 musical film Song of the South. This film is set on a Georgia farm after the Civil War and depicts the friendship between white and Black people, but it has been criticized for glorifying the South where racial discrimination culture remained at the time. Accordingly, there have been continuous calls to change the theme.

In particular, the voices calling for its removal grew louder in conjunction with the recent anti-racism movement triggered by the death of Black man George Floyd. A petition to change the theme of Splash Mountain was even posted on the online petition site Change.org, gathering more than 20,000 signatures.

Disney decided to change the ride's new theme to the movie The Princess and the Frog. Released in 2009, this animated film features Disney's first Black princess, Tiana, a proactive Black girl who is the main character. Disney explained the reason for the change, saying, "Disneyland should be a place where everyone can enjoy regardless of race, age, or background." They added, "Tiana is a modern and courageous female character," and explained that the new theme of Splash Mountain will be "inclusion and diversity."