In June 2020, when Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney announced that one of its most iconic and popular attractions would receive a complete retheme. Splash Mountain at Disneyland Park and Disney World’s Magic Kingdom would be rethemed after the popular animated film, The Princess and the Frog. The news was immediately met with a lot of backlash from people who love the ride the way it is.
When Disney announced the change, they acknowledged that the ride is based on the problematic film Song of the South and that the change would help fight harmful racial stereotypes. The heated debate around Splash Mountain’s retheming hasn’t slowed down in the two years since the announcement, and has even picked up since Disney announced that the rethemed ride would be called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. While many are excited to see the change — as Walt Disney was a man who loved change — there are also many people who feel that Disney is changing the ride in an attempt to be “woke”.
One of the people who doesn’t see a problem with the attraction the way it is, is Fox News host, Tomi Lahren. Lahren said that people are just looking for a problem and said that Splash Mountain was a victim of “cancel culture”.
The ride is based on the 1964 film “Songs of the South” and has been around since the late 80s but apparently it has just now become too racist to bear due to its “racist undertones.”
If you’re not quite sure what’s racist about a water log ride, you’re not alone. Most of us don’t get it either but that’s because we are normal and don’t look for things to be offended by- including theme park rides.
The ride will now be converted to “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” based on the 2009 film “Princess and the Frog.”
Is this really necessary? Was the ride really that offensive or is this yet another woke and worthless virtue signal?
Something is always gonna offend someone, why are we making a national habit out of cancel culture. Pretty soon there won’t be anything or anyone left!
Leave it to Disney to suck the absolute fun out of absolutely everything!
Splash Mountain will close at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on January 23, 2023, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is expected to open sometime in late 2024. While Disney has not announced a closure date for the ride at Disneyland Park, it will most likely not be far behind Disney World, as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is expected to open around the same time at Disneyland as well.