unfortunately gives the impression of an idyllic master-slave relationship which is a distortion of the facts. In 1946, when the film was released by Disney, the NAACP strongly disapproved of the film, saying that "in an effort neither to offend audiences in the North or South, the production helps to perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery. While the statement made clear that Splash Mountain will be redesigned in Disneyland and Disney World, it did not mention the version of the ride that exists in Tokyo.įormer Disney CEO Bob Iger has acknowledged that Song of the South, whose characters are depicted in the animatronic portion of the ride, is "not appropriate in today's world." Iger said in March that the film, which combines live-action and animation elements and is set on a Georgia plantation after the Civil War, would not be included on the company's Disney+ platform. That petition, which called for the redesign announced Thursday, has received more than 20,000 signatures. Do not reproduce without permission.A petition says that the log flume ride - versions of which are in Disney parks in Florida, California and Japan - is "steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes," from the 1946 film. Read Also: Marvel Reveals Disney World Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Roller Coaster Villain Learn more about Disney's plans by watching the YouTube video below: The change in theme will affect the Splash Mountain attractions in California and Florida. It seems that Disney has heard the clamor for Splash Mountain to be re-themed as it was announced in 2020 that the ride's themed will be changed from "Song of the South" to "Princess and the Frog," according to a report by USA Today. In fact, Rolling Stone reports that there has even been a petition called "Retheme Splash Mountain to Princess and the Frog," which has more than 20,000 signatures. Unsurprisingly, the ride has been subject to petitions calling for its re-theming. These animatronics were designed by the same person who designed the animals in "Song of the South," Marc Davis. This is because these animatronics were taken from an old attraction called America Sings. Then-Disney CEO Eisner vetoed the name and opted for Splash Mountain instead.ĬinemaBlend's article also notes that most of the animals you see during the ride are not even present in the movie. Did you know Splash Mountain will be retheme to 'Princess and the Frog' ride at both Disneyl. "Song of the South" has a song called "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," which was performed by the film's lead, James Baskett. 4K Splash Mountain Ride in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Given its theme, CinemaBlend actually says in its article that the ride was originally supposed to be called Zip-a-Dee River Run. Per Rolling Stone, Disney CEO Bob Iger even said that the movie is "not appropriate in today's world." Disney has never released "Song of the South" on home video and it is not available on Disney+ as well. The film became so controversial that it was criticized by various groups. So what makes this controversial? According to an article by Rolling Stone, the movie "depicts what critics say is an overly idealized view of the Reconstruction-era South, featuring anthropomorphized characters that have stereotypically black characteristics and a romanticized relationship between a freed black slave and a young white boy." It was eventually decided to base the ride on a 1946 film released by Disney called "Song of the South." The film itself is based on the collection of "Uncle Remus" stories adapted by Joel "Chandler Harris." The idea of log flume ride did not seem too exciting back then so the people at Disney wanted to take it up to next level by giving it a theme. While thrill seekers looking for a wet and wild ride will surely be satisfied by Splash Mountain, its theme has actually been considered very controversial for a long time. Related Article: Disney World to Develop New Train Station That Would Be Connected to the Orlando Airport Splash Mountain and 'Song of the South' It was only when his son said that the log flume attaction looked cool did Eisner approve it. Per CinemaBlend, Eisner even brought his teen son to the meeting because he was so concerned about appealing to that age range. The idea of a log flume ride was pitched to then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner in 1984. Back in the 80s, Disney was dealing with the problem of making its theme parks more appealing to older teenagers as they did not find Disneyland pretty cool at that time. Splash Mountain was born out of the need to have more thrilling rides in the park, according to an article by CinemaBlend.
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