It’s all over for Disney’s Splash Mountain: Get there fast – before it closes for good

There are only three days left to experience Disney’s Splash Mountain ride in California, as it will close forever at the end of May.

Disneyland confirmed it would be closed after being labeled racist and will be heavily redeveloped to showcase the entertainment giant’s first black princess.

The ride is based on Song of the South, a 1946 movie set on a Georgia plantation that CEO Bob Iger has called offensive. It was never released on VHS or DVD.

Splash Mountain is a lazy river where people are propelled by the currents of the water and the last day to visit the attraction is May 30.

Based on animated clips from the movie, it features the movie’s signature song, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

A campaign to rename Splash Mountain was launched in 2020, with calls for a new theme due to its links to the controversial 1946 film.

“While the ride is considered a beloved classic, its history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes from the 1946 film Song of the South,” read a petition started on Change.org.

It claimed ‘there is a huge need for diversity in the parks and this could help meet that need.’

Iger previously said Song of the South “doesn’t fit into today’s world” and plans for a revamp were presented at last year’s D23 Expo.

The beloved attraction will be replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and is scheduled to open at Disneyland in late 2024.

It will be based on Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog, which stars the studio’s first black princess, Tiana.

The new version of the ride introduces guests to a new story featuring characters from the movie.

It follows the film’s closing scene and features Tiana and Louis, the jazz-loving alligator, going on an adventure together on the bayou as they prepare to host a Mardi Gras party.

The music on the new version of the ride will be inspired by the songs from the film and fans will see familiar faces along the way.

A new restaurant called Tiana’s Palace, which replaces the French Market on New Orleans Square in the park, will open next to the Disneyland attraction in 2024.

“At a young age, Tiana developed a deep passion for cooking and began dreaming of one day owning her own business,” read a description of the attraction’s storyline shared by Disney.

“Her father, James, taught her that good food brings people together. One of the most exciting parts of Tiana’s Bayou adventure is seeing where Tiana’s life has taken her after the success of Tiana’s Palace, a restaurant she dreamed she would own and worked so hard to build.”

Disney has made huge efforts to be more progressive in recent years, but it has upset some fans.

The company changed its park policies to prevent staff from using gender-related greetings, implemented anti-racism training for employees, gave old characters progressive makeovers, and removed offensive imagery from rides and movies.

Billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz was inspired a few months ago to declare war on the company’s leadership, in addition to their “excessive spending and mismanagement.”

In May 2021, reports emerged that Walt Disney World was implementing new anti-racism training for its park employees – asking them to complete a “privilege checklist.”

City-Journal’s Christopher Rufo shared leaked documents about the “diversity and inclusion” program, dubbed Reimagine Tomorrow, on Twitter, explaining that it was designed to teach staffers about “systematic racism,” “white vulnerability,” and “micro-aggressions ‘.

It encouraged its staff to “take responsibility for educating themselves about structurally anti-black racism” and asked white employees to “process guilt, shame and defensiveness to understand what is beneath them and what needs to be healed.”

And staff were told to reject “equality” and instead strive for “equality” while “reflecting” on America’s “racist infrastructure.”

The leaked training documents also include a manual called 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.

But days after the documents were leaked, it was reported that the program had been cancelled.

In March 2022, it was announced that staff members, as well as recordings in the parks, would no longer include “gender related greetings” such as “boys and girls” or “ladies and gentlemen”.

Instead, they opted for gender-neutral terms like ‘Hello everyone’ or ‘Hello friends’.

“We don’t want to just assume that someone, in our interpretation, presents as a woman, that they might not want to be called ‘princess,'” Vivian Ware, Disney’s diversity and inclusion manager, said in a leaked conference call. with employees.

“So let’s think differently about how we really engage with our guests in a meaningful and inclusive way that makes it magical and memorable for everyone.”

A year earlier in April 2021, Disney revealed it was changing its rules to allow cast members to wear “gender-inclusive haircuts, jewelry, nail styles, and costume choices,” noting that “the magic they make must include everyone’.