Splash Mountain to become Princess and the Frog ride

[chasgoose]

Once again this is not true.

Brer Rabbit and his story comes from Africa. It long precedes white guy Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus stories.
There is no reason to erase Brer Rabbit and African culture.

If you want to add a Tiana, Princess and the Frog ride fine. But there's no reason to get rid of the Brer Rabbit ride. Why not have two rides based on African cultures instead of keeping a quota of one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br'er_Rabbit

There's a huge difference between African folklore and slave folklore like Brer Rabbit and the Uncle Remus stories. The Uncle Remus stories may have their roots in African folklore, but they were borne and shaped by the trauma of slavery.

 

[MaC410]

I mean Disney did such a great job with IP in Malestrom, what could possibly go wrong?

Tons of people love Frozen Ever After as it's consistently one of the longest lines in the park.

 

[Eric Smith]

I mean Disney did such a great job with IP in Malestrom, what could possibly go wrong?

I don’t particularly love FEA, but people have some incredibly rose colored glasses on when they talk about Maelstrom. It was almost always a walk on attraction.

 

[chasgoose]

Also, another positive thing about this change. I'm not a parent, but I imagine this change will make it a lot easier for parents so they don't have to deal with the awkward question from their kids about why they can't watch the "Brer Rabbit movie".

 

[BrianL]

Okay...I get your point, at least partially.

But, what would you suggest? Gut the parks? Get rid of all Americana-themed things? Get rid of the charm of Main Street USA?

I mean, really if you think about it, Grand Floridian, the Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach, are all very evocative of a certain class (a class I am not a part of by the way) in an era gone by kind of way. If you enjoy those resorts for their turn-of-the-century simpler times...aren't we kind of talking about the same thing?

So, I guess what I am asking, and I am asking completely sincerely and not in a troll-ish way....what is the answer? If the parks are brimming with nostalgia for the past, and people love that nostalgia for the past...how can it be reconciled? Other than just gutting the park(s)?

Princess and the Frog takes place in 1912. Should it be stricken too because it is harkening back to that time? (Edit for clarity: I am not referencing Song of the South but rather theme park lands). That's just a little Devil's Advocate, but it sounds like some people argue that becuase there were bad things happening in certain time periods that we can't enjoy anything about them. That's a hardline stance to take.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

There's a huge difference between African folklore and slave folklore like Brer Rabbit and the Uncle Remus stories. The Uncle Remus stories may have their roots in African folklore, but they were borne and shaped by the trauma of slavery.

Actually that's incorrect. Read the wikipedia article I cited. The Bre'r Rabbit stories come from African folklore.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Well I don't think that the feelings those who have nostalgia or the other concerns for the ride I discussed unrelated to fears that Disney won't do a good job aren't allowed or legitimate or that they shouldn't be respected. That said you are correct that I do think those feelings matter less than the feelings of those who can't fully enjoy Splash Mountain the way others do because it is an uncomfortable reminder of a dark time in our country (not just when the movie was set, but when the movie came out and fit neatly into the "Lost Cause" propaganda that helped to support and justify Jim Crow-era horrors) when considering whether or not to retheme Splash Mountain. Change is hard, but no matter how important nostalgia is for a theme park ride, those feelings can't possibly trump those of people who are trying to tell us this hurts us and causes us pain (even if just a little). The pain of changing a beloved ride is simply not the same as the pain those who don't want to be reminded of how stories like Song of the South stem from a tradition that distorted the ugly reality of the "history" it claims to depict.

And, once again, who gets to decide (and I mean this on a grand scale, not just within Disney confines) whose pain matters and who doesn't?

If 100,000 Peta members come out and say they are bothered by the fact that the horses on Prince Charming Carousel have bridles, how do we reconcile it? If 100,000 southerners come out and are deeply offended by the histrionics of Country Bear Jamboree, how do we reconcile it? If Japanese-Americans are deeply pained by The American Adventure, because of how it portrays the US, instead of as the country that caused devastation to their ancestors, how do we reconcile it?

Again...this is not me saying "But what about..." This is just me saying...if "This hurts us and causes us pain" is the bar that we judge all rides by....a lot of attractions would have serious issues. Like the poster above....maybe even Main Street USA would have a problem. Maybe Liberty Square.

 

[Farro]

And yet they made the decision, so no amount of persuasion will change that.

Sorry, I think I got your thread closed on theme parks board!

 

[Mit88]

I guess they havent even digitally scanned the ride yet. So there goes my thought of them following their typical formula of announcing a re-theming, giving the old ride a month or two of a send off and then closing it. They’re probably at least 2 years away from closing Splash Mountain to make the change

 

[SaintsManiac]

Sorry, I think I got your thread closed on theme parks board!

No apologies necessary. There were awful things being posted and you took them to task.

“You made me pause my movie.” I almost fell over when I saw that!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I guess they havent even digitally scanned the ride yet. So there goes my thought of them following their typical formula of announcing a re-theming, giving the old ride a month or two of a send off and then closing it. They’re probably at least 2 years away from closing Splash Mountain to make the change

Just realistically I don't think the ride closes until after the 50th at this point.

 

[chasgoose]

Actually that's incorrect. Read the wikipedia article I cited. The Bre'r Rabbit stories come from African folklore.

The Brer Rabbit stories may have their roots in African folklore, but the version of them that was documented in the Uncle Remus stories based on oral traditions of ex-slaves in the South collected and edited (heavily) by Joel Chandler Harris were definitely re-shaped and modified by the slave experience.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I guess they havent even digitally scanned the ride yet. So there goes my thought of them following their typical formula of announcing a re-theming, giving the old ride a month or two of a send off and then closing it. They’re probably at least 2 years away from closing Splash Mountain to make the change

I figured the timeline had to be far off since they’re postponing things that have not (or barely) started and from what we know all together scrapping some plans due to budget cuts.

 

[chasgoose]

And, once again, who gets to decide (and I mean this on a grand scale, not just within Disney confines) whose pain matters and who doesn't?

If 100,000 Peta members come out and say they are bothered by the fact that the horses on Prince Charming Carousel have bridles, how do we reconcile it? If 100,000 southerners come out and are deeply offended by the histrionics of Country Bear Jamboree, how do we reconcile it? If Japanese-Americans are deeply pained by The American Adventure, because of how it portrays the US, instead of as the country that caused devastation to their ancestors, how do we reconcile it?

Again...this is not me saying "But what about..." This is just me saying...if "This hurts us and causes us pain" is the bar that we judge all rides by....a lot of attractions would have serious issues. Like the poster above....maybe even Main Street USA would have a problem. Maybe Liberty Square.

Clearly Disney does and did in this case. If you can't see how the pain of generations of slavery followed by the state-sponsored terrorism of the Jim Crow era followed by the systemic racism that persists to this day is different than other pain I don't know what I can do to convince you.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

 

[rteetz]

I posted the Instagram post from Bob Weis president of Imagineering earlier. In there he said they have had several plans to update or retheme Splash over the years. I’d love to see some of those other plans. This also shows disney has been looking at something for a while.

 

[Mit88]

Just realistically I don't think the ride closes until after the 50th at this point.

The fact that they havent started anything outside of concept art yet, thats a good guess.

I’m now wondering if this was a D23 2021 announcement that they felt the need to just announce now while certain things are going on (Social injustices, inequalities, and DL reopening being delayed)

I was thinking about this the other day..What could they possibly announce at next years D23, attraction wise? There wasnt much in terms of big changes outside of EPCOT at last year’s D23 and you’d think that they’d want some juicy news next year.

 

[Mit88]

I posted the Instagram post from Bob Weis president of Imagineering earlier. In there he said they have had several plans to update or retheme Splash over the years. I’d love to see some of those other plans. This also shows disney has been looking at something for a while.

Details on those other ideas to be revealed in Imagineering Story 2 On Disney+ in 2084

 

[Farro]

I was thinking about this the other day..What could they possibly announce at next years D23, attraction wise? There wasnt much in terms of big changes outside of EPCOT at last year’s D23 and you’d think that they’d want some juicy news next year.

At this point I think they can announce return of hopping and the CL bookings and people would be thrilled!

 

[Eric Smith]

Princess and the Frog takes place in 1912. Should it be stricken too because it is harkening back to that time? That's just a little Devil's Advocate, but it sounds like some people argue that becuase there were bad things happening in certain time periods that we can't enjoy anything about them. That's a hardline stance to take.

One movie is available on Disney+, one movie is not. Why do you think that is? If you want to watch Song of the South, you really can’t. Why do you think Disney has buried it for at least 30 years?