Disclaimer: This article makes mention of a controversial subject. I did my best to write this in a neutral voice, focusing primarily on what is occuring.
Splash Mountain is perhaps one of the most iconic attractions at both the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. If you've visited either park outside of the past two years, you may have noticed consistently extensive wait times for these attractions. It is not controversial to say that these attractions are extremely popular. Based on the 1946 film, Song of the South, these attractions have garnered some controversy over recent years, due to portrayals (or perceived portrayals given the wide range of viewpoints that exist regarding the matter) of individuals of multiple different races.
Disney Parks, Products and Experiences as a business organization is no stranger to such controversies, as similar concerns have arisen in regards to the portrayal of indigenous people, particularly on the Jungle Cruise attraction. In response to these controversies, the company announced that some components of the attraction would be redone and integrated into a new story line to ensure that the attraction promotes an environment where guests of all cultures feel welcome. One of these changes that has already occurred was the removal of Trader Sam, although his Tiki Bar is expected to remain a part of the story, at least for the time being.
What does all this have to do with Splash Mountain? For those who aren't up to speed, Disney announced on June 25, 2021 that Splash Mountain would be reminaged and themed to the Princess and the Frog. According to the announcement on the Disney Parks Blog, the storyline for the reimagined attraction will "pick up after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure - featuring some of the powerful music from the film - as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance." (Ramirez). This announcement also included an initial rendering of the rethemed attraction that was met with mixed reactions.
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| Credit to Disney Parks, Products and Experiences |
It is important to discuss the context of this announcement. Though Disney has stated this redevelopment has been in the planning stages since 2019, the official announcement comes on the heels of large scale protests following several high profile incidents of police brutality against people of color. This announcement came less than a month after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police Department officers, and not much longer after Breonna Taylor was shot during the execution of a no-knock entry warrant by officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is needless to say that the concept of racial justice and police brutality became a common theme in 2020 headlines, sparking conversations and heated debates in multiple facets of live, ranging from media, to schools, and reaching as far the Attractions & Entertainment industry.
With all of this in mind, many people have asked the question... why the retheme? Typically when a theme park makes the decision to close and replace an attraction, there are a number of factors that park management will consider. These range from operating and maintenance costs, labor demands, as well as ridership. Attractions that have increasing operating costs and dwindling ridership counts are often the ones that get put on the chopping block. Such is the case for Vortex at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, which closed at the conclusion of the 2019 Haunt event. While the attraction was a historical icon at the park, the truth is that the manufacturer of the ride, Arrow Dynamics had ceased to exist over 15 years prior to its closure. This was due to dwindling ridership counts, increasing maintenance costs, and a growing lack of spare parts. The trains for Vortex can be found today on Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds.
What is interesting about the case for Splash Mountain however is that it does not appear to meet any of the traditional criteria for putting an attraction on the so-called chopping block. This of course would be the reason for re-theming it rather than outright replacing it. But even in its current form, it is a very popular attraction. Even during the days of Covid when the parks were operating at reduced capacity and a number of popular rides were walk-ons, Splash Mountain still had a noticeable wait time. To give some perspective, during my visit to the resort in August 2021, extremely popular attractions such as Soarin, Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage had no wait times whatsoever, and yet Splash Mountain still held steady with a 30 minute wait. My estimate is that the ride has a theoretical hourly capacity of 1500 riders per hour. As such, if the attraction was not popular, it would have been a walk-on.
Even with all this in mind, one important fact remains. Since making the initial announcement, Disney has remained mostly silent on the matter. the most recent information about the retheme came in August 2021 in an interview with Melissa Valiquette, who serves as the Vice President of Disney's Magic Kingdom. In this interview with Theme Park Rangers, she indicated that there was a lot of ongoing discussions and developments, but that such a project can take months to years. This begs the question, was the timing of the announcement the result of the current events that were happening at the time, or was Walt Disney Imagineering ready with the concept? At a seasonal amusement park, work typically would begin just a few weeks after such an announcement. At a destination resort that operates year-round like Disney, projects may even begin before they are announced.
The primary reason for the retheme appears to be the concerns regarding the portrayal of people of color in the film, and also on the ride itself. Disney has been public about efforts to become more inclusive to all Cast Members and guests, and with this has come some changes to what were once considered timeless favorites. This of course has come with some pushback, particularly from longtime visitors. It has also been used as artillery for political discourse on both sides of the political spectrum. I personally think this is as big of a deal as it is because of the influence that Disney has on American Culture and society.
Another question that is circling around is whether the retheme will happen at all. It's no secret that the global Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on every sector of the travel and tourism business. And it's also no secret that Disney is currently interested in making and retaining more money rather than less. New programs such as Genie+ and the reduction of resort benefits should serve as glaring evidence of this. The complete redevelopment of an attraction is a multi-million dollar project and would result in the long-term closure of a key attraction at the Magic Kingdom. From a business perspective, Disney would not have any interest in moving forward with this project, especially considering the fact that there are several other large-scale projects that are still under construction and development, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, and Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. From a business standpoint, there is no financial incentive to redevelop another attraction regardless of the ongoing circumstances. I'm not even going to mention the ongoing situation with the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser resort slated to open March 1.
From a Guest Experience perspective, Disney Parks, Products and Experiences might be more inclined to make this investment, to ensure that all guests who pass through the turnstiles of the parks feel welcomed. Inclusion after all is the newest core value of the company. With that being said, Disney seems to be less and less focused on the overall Guest Experience, and more and more on revenue. See the above paragraph for examples of this.
With all this taken into consideration, only time will tell if this retheme ever comes to fruition. Personally, while I love the movie, Princess and the Frog, I find that retheming an attraction to the movie a bit disingenuous. I see a lot of opportunities for attractions and experiences inspired by this movie far greater than a rethemed attraction. Given how much there is to this movie, a better option would be to build a new attraction from the ground up, and build a plaza inspired by the movie around it complete with shops, quick service and table service dining options, and a theatre for live entertainment.
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