'Splash Mountain' Last Run on 22nd
Reimagined with Black Princess Protagonist Animation Theme
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The popular ride 'Splash Mountain' at Disney World in the United States has stopped operating after 30 years amid racial discrimination controversies. The ride will be re-themed to feature a Black princess.
According to reports from US local media including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), NBC, CNN, and NPR on the 25th (local time), the ride 'Splash Mountain' at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, completed its final run on the 22nd and has since begun renovations.
Splash Mountain is a 'flume ride' where riders travel in log-shaped boats along waterways and descend steep slopes. Since its installation at Disney World in 1992, it has been consistently loved for over 30 years.
Disney ride 'Splash Mountain', which closed due to racial discrimination controversy. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Along the boat’s route, character models from the animated film Song of the South appear and sing songs from the movie. The 1946 film Song of the South is set on a Georgia farm during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War and depicts the friendship between white and Black people. However, it has been criticized for containing racist stereotypes and glorifying life on Southern slave plantations, leading to the suspension of its video sales and Disney+ streaming service. Disney CEO Robert Iger also stated, "This film is not appropriate for today’s world."
In response to the intensified anti-racism movement following Black deaths, Disney decided in 2020 to renovate Splash Mountain and announced plans to change the ride’s theme to the animated film The Princess and the Frog.
The 2009 film The Princess and the Frog features Disney’s first Black princess, Tiana, a Black girl who transforms from a waitress to a restaurant owner in New Orleans. Splash Mountain began its renovation on the 24th, two days after its final operation, and will reopen as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The Splash Mountain at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, installed in 1989, will also close within this year and be re-themed to The Princess and the Frog before reopening next year, just like Disney World. The decision on whether to renovate the Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan has not yet been made.
Meanwhile, on the last day of operation of Disney World’s Splash Mountain, many fans gathered to express their regret over the ride’s closure. They waited in line for over three hours to take their final ride. On the online shopping site eBay, sellers even appeared selling bottles of water secretly taken from Splash Mountain, with some starting auctions at $5,000 (about 6.15 million KRW) per bottle.
This is not the first time Disney has changed the theme of a controversial ride. In 2018, Disney removed the 'Auction Scene' from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' ride after it became problematic.
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