Did you hear the announcement that Disney is changing the theme of Splash Mountain to The Princess and the Frog at both Disneyland and Disney World? If not, you can read about it here.
An argument in favor of keeping the Brer Rabbit theme at Splash Mountain in Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Like most thoughtful and reasonable people, I begin with an opinion and then cherry pick my supporting arguments while conveniently ignoring any valid points to the contrary. And I certainly understand that Song of the South is problematic with its depiction of plantation life that ignored the realities of the slave experience and its use of racial stereotypes but I am over 50, have only seen the movie once in my entire life, and I don’t remember it. Here’s the thing though, I think that re-theming the ride is an unfortunate loss in a way because the Brer Rabbit stories predate “Song of the South” and are of African origin. If Disney wanted to pay homage to this African/slave contribution to American storytelling culture, they could create a “Legends of the Frontierland” show for Disney+ that ties in the Mark Twain element of Tom Sawyer Island, Pecos Bill’s Tall Tales Inn and Cafe, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad back story. They could also develop interactive exhibits about the origins of Brer Rabbit for the Splash Mountain queue. At some level, it seems a shame to remove stories and characters that were brought to America by actual black people and replace them with a story of European origin (The Frog Prince - Brothers Grimm) that has been recently reworked to feature black characters.
You can read more about the history of the Brer Rabbit stories at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br'er_Rabbit
Disclaimer #1: I love Splash Mountain and might feel differently if I didn’t care for it. Let’s face it; Disney can be annoyingly polite at time and, if they re-theme it, there will be no rides that snidely declare “I’ll show you a laughing place” before dropping me into a pool and soaking me to the skin.
Disclaimer #2: I was grumpy about them re-theming Maelstrom to Frozen so maybe I am just not good with change.
On the Other Hand…
I love The Princess and the Frog and admit that the song “Going Down the Bayou” and all the music from the movie will work well with this ride. Disneyland’s New Orleans Square is right next to the Critter Country area where Splash Mountain is located so I think the Princess and the Frog theme will work very well. It won’t be out of place in Disney World given the ride’s proximity to Tom Sawyer Island which also is very southern and the Liberty Square Riverboat going though the area also ties in the theme. Since the last theatrical release of the Song of the South was in 1980, most of the young children and their parents have never seen the movie so The Princess and the Frog will feel more Disney and be more recognizable to them.
Splash Mountain – at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida – will soon be completely reimagined. The new theme is inspired by the animated Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.”
One of the things I love about the Disney parks is the way they celebrate people and cultures. The World Showcase pavilions in Epcot include Cast Members from those countries, Disney’s Animal Kingdom park celebrate Asia and Africa, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge resort have Cultural Representatives from Africa and who could forget “it’s a small world ride”? I love that my kids got to experience and discover all of these things and people on family trips to Disney World. Disneyland has a space limitation that has prohibited their being able to develop similar experiences. It is wonderful that black children will ride the updated Splash Mountain and see primary characters that look just like them and it is equally wonderful that my fair skinned, blue eyed granddaughter will grow up loving a ride where the main characters do not look exactly like her. We certainly have to tackle racism by addressing inequalities and injustices but I also think barriers break down when we take time to celebrate people and enjoy one another in a welcoming environment and that is one area where Disney really shines.
Hmmm….now that I have a minute to think about the whole thing and get past my initial reaction to a change coming to a beloved ride, I am okay with this and am even a little excited to see what they do with the attraction.
Disclaimer #3: This is my personal opinion and I am not certainly not claiming to speak for any of our dear clients, our wonderful travel agents, or you who may all have very valid reasons for disagreeing with me.
About the author - Annette and her husband Steve launched Build A Better Mouse Trip 13 years ago because they love the Disney theme parks and love helping people have great vacations. Annette knows that sensible business owners steer clear of publicly voicing controversial opinions that may alienate clients but she has been on hold, listing to a repeating loop of Disney music, since 5AM and that always affects her judgment. Steve is definitely the more sensible of the two!
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Here is the version of the Brer Rabbit stories that my children grew up hearing. This is the video format but we had a CD that we would listen to in the car. I loved the music too.
