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Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has officially replaced Splash Mountain, one of the most iconic attractions of the Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom. Although many critics are angrily claiming that the now-defunct ride based on Song of the South (1946) was canceled due to “woke” concerns, the person in charge of the transition has confirmed that, no, identity politics were not part it.
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Splash Mountain opened at Disneyland in 1989, the product of years of guesswork to try to attract Guests to Bear Country and a weird synergistic compromise that saw the attraction named after the Tom Hank-Daryl Hannah mermaid comedy Splash (1984) while actually being based on Song of the South. Reportedly, Disney did not anticipate that one day, the theme of characters originating in Uncle Remus stories would become controversial.
Eventually, however, they did, with Guests and Disney critics complaining about the prominence of characters like Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear and the usage of Song of the South as source material. For decades, the Disney film had been widely ciricized for its depiction of the post-Civil War American South and, to this day, is not available on the Disney+ streaming platform.
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Thus, when it was announced that the Splash Mountain attractions at Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom would be shuttered and replaced with a brand new feature themed on The Princess and the Frog (2009), the first film to feature a Black Disney Princess, many people assumed that it had to do with the company supposedly “progressive” and “woke” politics.
Disney has repeatedly stated that the new ride, named Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, was not replacing Splash Mountain as a nod to the current culture wars and identity politics of the United States. That has not stopped many conservative Disney fans from thinking so, and not even the man in charge of the whole redesign might be able to convince them otherwise.
Disney Imagineer and executive creative director of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ted Robledo recently went on record to state that he had actively blocked out the cultural discussion around Splash Mountain, “woke” Disney, and accusations that the House of Mouse had become the “most woke liberal company” in the country.
Related: ‘It’s Those Damn Save Splashers’ Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Vandalism Blamed on Splash Mountain Fans
Credit: Disney
Ted Robledo said (via Fast Company) that he was “pretty removed from all of that,” referring to the controversy around Splash Mountain and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and identity politics. He continued:
“We have to stay true to our vision—and if we let that noise get in the way, it really starts to make our jobs even more difficult than they already are. So we try to steer clear, just doing our jobs and making sure it’s a great story and attraction. All that other stuff, other people are better equipped than me to handle that.”
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is currently scheduled to open at Magic Kingdom Disney World on June 28 and at an unspecified time at Disneyland. The attraction is currently in previews but has reportedly been experiencing multiple breakdowns and issues that are causing some Splash Mountain partisans to crow loudly about the supposed failure of attempts to incorporate DEI practices into Disney. That probably won’t be stopping any time soon.
Do you think Splash Mountain was closed for “woke” reasons? Tell us in the comments below!
