This Disney Park Still Has Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer, and a Shooting Gallery… And It Isn’t Good

This month, I visited the only Disney park left on Earth where you can still find the original Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer Island, and an interactive shooting gallery. On paper, that might sound like a dream for longtime theme park fans — a time capsule from the golden age of Disney’s Frontierland. But after spending a full day at Tokyo Disneyland, I realized something most fans don’t want to hear: it’s not good. It’s not magical. It’s stale.

The Last “Untouched” Frontierland

Tokyo Disneyland’s version of Frontierland is called Westernland, and it’s a place where time appears to have stood still. Unlike Disneyland Resort in California or Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort is operated by The Oriental Land Company under license from The Walt Disney Company. That independence means the park often makes its own creative decisions, sometimes ignoring global changes happening at other Disney parks.

That’s exactly what happened in 2022 when Disney announced that Splash Mountain would be replaced with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in the United States. While some fans in America mourned the closure of the log flume inspired by Song of the South (1946), Tokyo Disneyland quietly chose not to follow suit. And with that, it became the last Disney park on Earth to preserve the original version.

Tokyo Disneyland is quickly becoming the museum of lost Magic Kingdom rides.

Snow White
Splash Mountain
Tom Sawyer Island
Riverboat
+ a train that goes in a complete circle

Tokyo Disneyland is quickly becoming the museum of lost Magic Kingdom rides.

Snow White
Splash Mountain
Tom Sawyer Island
Riverboat
+ a train that goes in a complete circle pic.twitter.com/CBPMiranVw

— Andrew Hyde (@OnlineHyde) July 7, 2025

Tokyo Disney’s official website tries to distance the Critter Country ride from its controversial roots. It describes the attraction as “a thrilling trip on a log boat” that ends with “a 45-degree drop down a 16-meter-high waterfall.” There’s no mention of Br’er Rabbit or Br’er Fox — or of the banned movie that inspired them. Still, the ride feels like an artifact, a museum piece from a bygone era in Disney’s history.

Nostalgia Only Gets You So Far

I didn’t go to Tokyo Disneyland to ride Splash Mountain. In fact, I planned to skip it entirely. The line never dropped below 100 minutes, even in the rain, and Disney Premier Access passes (roughly 1,500 yen, or $10 USD) sold out early in the day. Instead, I focused on attractions I couldn’t experience anywhere else — The Happy Ride With Baymax, Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, and The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast.

Throughout the day, I noticed something strange: I had no real urge to visit Westernland at all. It just didn’t seem worth the detour. Tomorrowland and Fantasyland were bursting with energy, packed with guests and creativity. Westernland, by contrast, felt sleepy. When I finally made my way over an hour before closing, it was almost jarring — like walking into a completely different era of Disney design.

Westernland has everything you’d expect from a classic Disney Frontierland: the Mark Twain Riverboat circling the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island sitting calmly in the middle, and the Westernland Shootin’ Gallery, all a short walk away from Splash Mountain in Critter Country. But all of it feels outdated. The shooting gallery in particular feels more like a traveling carnival game than a modern Disney attraction, and the Mark Twain Riverboat simply can’t compete with the majestic SS Columbia ship next door at Tokyo DisneySea.

Why Change Is Necessary

Visiting Westernland actually made me appreciate the overhaul coming to Walt Disney World Resort. If you don’t know, Magic Kingdom Park’s version of Frontierland is in the middle of a massive transformation. The Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Belle Riverboat have all closed to make way for Piston Peak National Park, a Cars (2006)-inspired expansion that will bring two new attractions to the area.

For many Disney Parks fans, that change feels like sacrilege. But after seeing what happens when a park holds on too tightly to nostalgia, I get it. There’s a fine line between honoring the past and getting stuck in it. Tokyo Disneyland’s Westernland is a testament to what happens when a park stops evolving. It becomes a shadow of its former self.

Walt Disney himself said that Disneyland would never be completed, and that philosophy remains true to this day. Innovation is what keeps Disney Parks alive, not preservation. Walking through Westernland made me realize that sometimes progress isn’t the enemy of magic; it’s the thing that sustains it.

So yes, this Disney park still has Splash Mountain, Tom Sawyer Island, and a shooting gallery. But it’s not what fans imagine it to be. It’s not a return to form or a victory for nostalgia. It’s a reminder that the best parts of Disney are the ones that keep moving forward.

Have you ever visited Tokyo Disney Resort? Share your favorite memory with Disney Dining in the comments!