Today in a Disney Parks Blog post, WDI announced that they would be recontextualizing the classic Splash Mountain attraction with a Princess and the Frog retheme! Guests will have the chance to explore the film’s scenic locale of the Louisana Bayou, meet some of the film’s vibrant characters, and participate in a jam-packed Mardi Gras celebration. The famous log flume attraction will close for refurbishment and receives technological touch-ups from WDI, hopefully breathing new life into a decades-old experience. The image included with the article shows a similar foundation to the original attraction, with additional thematic elements that make the mountain pop both in the daytime and at night. The project seems early in development stages but with a growing cultural conversation over the original attraction’s themes, it only made sense to reveal WDI’s future plans.
Fans of Princess and the Frog (like myself) will be happy to know that the attraction develops the wonderful world of the film even further, following Tiana, Naveen, and Louis the Alligator as they plan for their very first Mardi Gras festival. Disneyland fanatics will recognize how this narrative relates to New Orleans Square, but it remains to be seen how this attraction will fit into the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. New Orleans culture is vibrant, colorful, and deeply French, something that seems incongruent with the themes of the American Frontier. Still, with Charita Carter of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Imagineering Legend Tony Baxter at the helm, guests are sure to find the revitalized ride an energetic and innovative experience!
In a quote from OC Register, Imagineering creative development and inclusive strategies executive Carmen Smith said that “It is important that our guests be able to see themselves in the experiences we create. Because we consider ourselves constant learners, we go to great lengths to research and engage cultural advisors and other experts to help guide us along the way. I am incredibly proud to see this work continue to move forward with great support from leadership across Disney.”
This news comes after multiple petitions and calls to action across social media for Disney to change the attraction. The characters find their origins in the problematic Disney film Song of the South, and references to this material are frowned upon by modern audiences. It’s impossible to say whether these comments have had any impact on the attraction’s future, but Disney maintains that they’ve been working on this project for over a year.
Right now, we have no clue when the attraction will open. Stay tuned to Boardwalk Times for future updates!
Ryan Dorman is a Columnist and the Content Director for the Boardwalk Times. He can be found on Twitter at @OpentheDorman, and as a host of the Boardwalk Talk podcast on iTunes.
