Disney announced that it will be reimagining Splash Mountain, removing ties to Song of the South and turning it into a Princess and the Frog ride instead.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police officers a month ago, the world has seen a reckoning when it comes to racial injustice — and celebrities, movie and television studios, and big-name corporations are all attempting to do their due diligence by holding themselves accountable and addressing their own problematic branding and biases.
That appears to be the reasoning behind Disney’s recent announcement that it has plans to “completely reimagine” its Splash Mountain ride, which is currently based on the film Song of the South. The 1964 animated film has been criticized repeatedly for embracing racist stereotypes, and a recent petition from Change.org called for the ride to cut its ties to the film. Instead, many fans pushed for the theme park to redesign the water ride with a Princess and the Frog theme — and that’s exactly what Disney is planning to do.
In both Disneyland and Disney World, the ride will be revamped to tell a story that’s related to The Princess and the Frog, which features Disney’s first and only Black princess. And putting Princess Tiana in the spotlight feels like a pretty good way to start making up for Splash Mountain’s problematic past. The change is long overdue — for the obvious reason that Disney shouldn’t draw attention to Song of the South, but also because the ride will now feature characters that kids actually know.
There’s no denying that The Princess and the Frog is far more relevant and recognizable today than Song of the South — and now kids can enjoy seeing Princess Tiana and Louis the alligator on their trips to Disney, instead of a bunch of characters they’ve probably never encountered before (and probably shouldn’t encounter at all, if we’re being honest).
And it’s not just kids who will be excited to see Princess Tiana and Louis when Splash Mountain finally opens with its new narrative. Hopefully, visitors will get to experience the new theme sooner rather than later — but with so much uncertainty surrounding Disney’s reopening, it could be a while before the park actually follows through on this promise. Still, it’s something to look forward to when things do reopen — and proof that progress is happening, if a bit slower than many of us would like.