Earlier this month, Disney fans called for the company to re-theme its classic ride Splash Mountain due to its controversial, racist origins. It seems like Disney had the same idea, as the company has officially announced that the ride will soon be getting a completePrincess and the Frogre-theming, much to the excitement of fans of the 2009 animated film.
According to Disney, the plans to replace the Florida andCaliforniaattraction have been in the works since last year. While this is essentially proof that Disney isn’t doing this in response to the petition itself, it might have influenced the company’s announcement schedule.
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Details are scarce about the new ride, however, the company did say that it takes place after the end of the original story, with Princess Tiana and Louis, the jazz-obsessed alligator featured in the film, preparing to throw a Mardi-Gras party. While unconfirmed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see characters like Prince Naveen, Charlotte, Mama Odie, or even the villainous Dr. Facilier show up at some point, although only time will tell if that happens.
While the news of Splash Mountain’s retheming may upset some longtime Disney fans, it’s not really surprising to see this news. Given the fact that the ride is based on an old, racist Disney filmSong of the South,which evenDisney itself wants to forget about, it was only a matter of time before the ride was replaced. At the same time,Princess and the Frogis really the perfect movie to replace the rides theming, especially in Disneyland, where the ride will essentially act as an extension of the park’s New Orlean’s Square section.
As of the time of this writing, this change only affects theMagic Kingdomand Disneyland versions of the ride. It’s unknown whether or not the Tokyo Disneyland version of the ride will get the same treatment later on.
