Disneyland and Disney World to remake Splash Mountain with ‘Princess and the Frog’ theme

Disney will update the Splash Mountain rides in the United States with a new “Princess and the Frog” theme following an online debate about the undertones inherent in the current backstory based on the controversial 1940s Disney movie “Song of the South.”

The Splash Mountain log flume rides at Disneyland in Anaheim and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida will be transformed with a new theme based on the 2009 “Princess and the Frog” animated movie, according to Disney.

“The retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today,” according to a statement posted to the Disney Parks Blog. “The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”

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A date has not been set for the debut of the Splash Mountain ride makeovers. The Splash Mountain rides on both coasts will return with their existing back stories when Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom eventually reopen following extended coronavirus closures.

Disneyland has been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney had proposed reopening the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks on July 17, but the reopening of the parks have been delayed pending government approval. Disney World will begin a phased reopening of its theme parks on July 11.

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Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative arm of the company, has been developing a “Princess and the Frog” backstory for Splash Mountain since last year and settled on many of the concepts for the reimagined attraction last summer.

Imagineering will soon begin preliminary reviews of the Splash Mountain attractions at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom and conduct digital scans of the individual ride layouts.

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The Splash Mountain makeover will be led by Imagineering senior creative producer Charita Carter, who is also working on the new Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway dark ride set to debut at Disneyland in 2022.

“Like Princess Tiana, I believe that courage and love are the key ingredients for wonderful adventures,” Carter said in a statement. “I am delighted to be a part of bringing this fun-filled experience to our guests.”

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Childhood memories of watching “Song of the South” inspired Imagineer Tony Baxter’s initial idea for Splash Mountain that opened at Disneyland in 1989, according to Disney’s D23 fan club.

Three decades later, Baxter will serve as a creative adviser on the planning and design for the “Princess and the Frog” makeover of Splash Mountain.

“The attraction will be one to be proud of,” Baxter said in a statement. “I look forward to being a part of a new adventure in Disney magic and fun.”

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The move by Disney follows a flurry of social media buzz to update Splash Mountain’s controversial backstory amid social justice protests across the United States sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

An online petition signed by tens of thousands of supporters called on Disney to retheme Splash Mountain to “Princess and the Frog.” The clamor began with a social media post by Disneyland cast member Frederick Chambers detailing his armchair Imagineering proposal for a complete overhaul of Splash Mountain. His pitch: Swap out the “Song of the South” theme for a “Princess and the Frog” backstory.

“It was intriguing to me to see how many people purely had no idea the ‘Song of the South’ was in any way attached to the attraction,” said Chambers, 22, of Orange. “The attraction is not overtly racist. In the subtext, it is. And that’s where you have the problem.”

Splash Mountain features characters and songs from Disney’s 1946 “Song of the South” film based on the “Uncle Remus” stories — a collection of folktales from the Southern plantation era compiled by Joel Chandler Harris and published in the 1880s — that have been criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes. Disney shelved the controversial live-action/animated musical film in the 1980s and the company’s former CEO and current Executive Chairman Bob Iger said the movie would not appear on the Disney+ streaming service.

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“The Princess and the Frog” was celebrated as Disney’s first animated depiction of an African American princess. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature and received two nods in the best original song category for “Almost There” and “Down in New Orleans.”

Imagineering creative development and inclusive strategies executive Carmen Smith said Disney continually evaluates opportunities to enhance and elevate theme park attractions.

“It is important that our guests be able to see themselves in the experiences we create,” Smith said in a statement. “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.”

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The reimagined Splash Mountain rides will tell an extension of the “Princess and the Frog” story that picks up after the final kiss between Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. The new backstory for Splash Mountain will follow Tiana and Louis the trumpet-playing alligator as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance.

“It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized,” actress Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana in the film, said in a statement. “As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us the Princess and The Frog Mardi Gras celebration we’ve been waiting for and I’m here for it.”

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At Disneyland, the new “Princess and the Frog” theme — set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou — will connect the Splash Mountain attraction in Critter Country to the nearby New Orleans Square themed land.

Disney did not announce whether the Splash Mountain ride at Tokyo Disneyland will receive the “Princess and the Frog” makeover.