I’ve long felt that The Princess and the Frog has not gotten the love it rightfully deserved. Princess Tiana hasn’t received the same energy given to Elsa and Anna from Frozen. Hopefully, that will change in a very big way.
CNBC reports that Disneyland announced plans to redesign its Splash Mountain attraction around the 2009 film. The ride will detail what happens to Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen after their happily ever after in the movie. Splash Mountain has had a famously problematic history. The ride is based off Song of the South, a film so filled with racist tropes that Disney straight up buried it and refused to even put it on Disney+.
“With this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive—one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.” Disney said in a statement.
There have long been calls for the ride to be changed, calls that have only grown as more people have been speaking out against systemic racism. Disney has said that this retheming has been in the works for over a year. The project is being led by senior creative producer Charita Carter. There is still no starting date for the retheming due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
While I have fond memories of riding Splash Mountain as a kid, I have no objection to changes and I’m excited to see The Princess and the Frog finally get some respect put on its name. Judging by how well the recent rethemes of Tower of Terror and California Screamin’ went at Disney’s California Adventure, I have no doubt that this will be a banger.
So as we say farewell to Splash Mountain, let us not forget the incredible rap that announced its arrival into this world.