Fans of Disney Splash Mountain bade farewell to their lovely slide before last weekend when it officially closed down for re-imagining, which begins today, Monday, 23rd of January 2022. The park received long lines of kids and adults waiting to take one last cruise through Splash Mountain.
Keep reading for the details.
Pictures and videos surfaced online showing long queues of Disneyland & Disney World patrons waiting for their chance to climb on a log and enjoy the Splash Mountain for the final time.
The closedown was necessary to provide the opportunity for a re-modeling scheduled to start on Monday.
The fan's favorite ride will be re-modeled into Tiana's Bayou Adventure--a riff off the movie "The Princess and The Frog." It'll feature New Orleans swampy visuals, and it's expected to reopen around 2024, which means Splash Mountain will be completely out of limits until then.
With the reimagining plan, ticket sales saw a boost in a never-before-seen manner, accompanied by lines extending to different sections of the park filled with hundreds of visitors.
We can't say for sure how long visitors had to wait on the line, but it ran into couple of hours. This didn't seem to be an issue for them as they were hell bent on having fun and since it's the last chance to enjoy a dip in the Splash Mountain, it's a risk worth taking, a sacrifice worth making.
Splash Mountain has been around, bringing smiles to people's faces since the late 80s, and soon became a regular destination for many visitors in Disney parks. The water ride was created based on the 1946 live-action/animated film "Song of the South" and also includes original characters from the movie, including Rabbit, Fox, Bear, and the rest.
Wondering why Disney is making this bold move. Well, the old movie it was based on and its characters have been described as problematic.
Public opinions and polls have suggested that the movie and its characters idealize and glamorize the old south and agree with the opinions and "labels" about African-Americans. This notion is quickly changing in the 21st century.
Before this big news, there had been countless back-and-forths on whether Splash Mountain needed an overhaul. This decision to reimagine doesn't come as a surprise as it falls completely in line with all other recent changes Disney has made to their old rides.
