Wonderful feelin', wonderful day!
Splash Mountain is a Disney Theme Parks attraction that debuted at Disneyland in 1989 and Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland in 1992. The attraction is a log flume based on the animated portions of Song of the South.
The attraction features characters from the film's animated segments, focusing on Brer Rabbit leaving his briar patch home in search of his "Laughin' Place". Brer Fox and Brer Bear seize the opportunity to finally catch him, but he manages to stay one step ahead of them - well, until they finally reach the "Laughin' Place" and Brer Fox traps Brer Rabbit in a beehive. Fortunately, Brer Rabbit outwits Brer Fox by begging him not to throw him in the briar patch, which Brer Fox does - which is our cue to hurtle out of the mountain and down a waterfall, landing in the briar patch with a large SPLASH. Many of the animatronics in the Disneyland version were recycled from America Sings.
In June 2020, it was announced that the attraction's Disneyland and Walt Disney World counterparts would be re-themed
to The Princess and the Frog, later revealed in 2022 to be named Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Although the announcement coincided with renewed calls for Disney to rethink its connection to Song of the South, following waves of international Black Lives Matter protests and a greater awareness of racially problematic material, Disney stated that work on the revised attraction had begun a year earlier and an official announcement was delayed because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Disney World's Splash Mountain closed for good on January 23, 2023; and Disneyland's followed on May 31. Both versions of Bayou Adventure are expected to open in 2024.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Disneyland attraction will be unaffected for the foreseeable future.note In fact, in 2022, it began operating a new seasonal variation of the attraction, Splash Mountain "Get Wet MAX", which adds an extra water spray in the big drop into the Briar Patch from July 1 through August 31 to help stave off the hot and humid Tokyo summers.
The attraction provides examples of:
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Mr. Bluebird, just like in the movie.
- Adapted Out: None of the live action characters from the film show up. In particular, Uncle Remus’ role is replaced by Br'er Frog.
- An Aesop: Br'er Rabbit sums it up at the end: "Home sweet home is the lesson today."
- Beary Funny: As in the film, Br'er Bear might be a villain, but he's too stupid to be an actual threat.
- Bee Afraid: The Laughin' Place is swarming - no pun intended - with bees, as Br'er Bear finds out the hard way.
- Briar Patching: Br'er Rabbit, of course, does this - and just like in the movie, Br'er Fox falls for it. This is also where the big drop that everyone knows ends up going to.
- Canon Foreigner: A large percentage of the ride's characters do not appear in Song of the South.
- Circling Vultures: Right before you board the lift hill to the final drop, you go under a branch where two vultures are perched. In America Sings, these vultures told the tale of Billy the Kid. In the Walt Disney World version, the vultures wear top hats and tuxedos, just like they did in America Sings.
- Cue the Sun: If taking place during the day, the final lift hill has the riders emerging from the cave into the sun, before going over the big drop.
- Cultural Translation: The Disneyland version is situated in Critter Country, which is adjacent to New Orleans Square. As a result, the music on it is arranged as orchestral big band jazz, not unlike in the original film. The Magic Kingdom version is located in Frontierland, and because of that and Florida being adjacent to Georgia, where Song of the South takes place, the music uses bluegrass compositions, with banjos, fiddles and harmonicas as the primary instruments. Tokyo's version also uses the latter compositions.
- Glad I Thought of It: In the Disneyland version, just before you hurtle down the big drop and right after Br'er Rabbit begs Br'er Fox not to throw him in the briar patch, Br'er Fox exclaims, "Well, I'm glad I thought of THAT, 'cause that's JUST where you're goin'! Heh-heh-heh! Here you GO...!"
- Dark Reprise: "Burrow's Lament". Only the Disneyland version uses vocals - the Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland versions use an instrumental version.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: As the first one to open, the Disneyland version has some differences from the later versions, namely featuring logs that seat six guests single-file, rather than eight guests two-abreast. Disneyland's version is also faster-paced, taking two minutes less time than the Florida and Tokyo versions. The musical arrangement is quite different, too, using an orchestral big band style, as opposed to a more bluegrass style used in Florida and Japan (see Cultural Translation above).
- Fantastic Foxes: Br'er Fox, of course. The Disneyland version also features a fox riding a geyser in the Laughin' Place sequence and several foxes on the riverboat at the end.
- Foreshadowing: The sign for Br'er Fox's home is pointed directly at the first drop of the ride, where the riders can see a group in front of them drop into his "trap". This lets them know, before seeing any of the characters on the ride, that Br'er Fox is going to be a source of trouble for them.
- Ironic Echo: The Walt Disney World version has Brer Porcupine appear right after we see Brer Rabbit for the first time, singing that Brer Rabbit's heading for "a little bit of trouble" and that it's "time to be turnin' around"note . Later into the ride, among the things that the vultures before the big drop say is, "Time to be turnin' around... if only you COULD!"
- I Will Show You X!: Among the things the vultures right before the big drop say to us are, "So, you're lookin' for a Laughin' Place, eh? We'll show YOU a Laughin' Place!"
- In the Florida version, after he captures Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox randomly says, "Say, Br'er Rabbit, how 'bout I take you to MY Laughin' Place? Heh-heh-heh! 'Cept I don't expect you'll be doin' much laughin'! Heh-heh-heh!"
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Averted, the ride features several friendly reptiles. Specifically, there's...
- The Swamp Boys, a band of alligators, in all three versions.
- Br'er Terrapin and the Hitchhiking Alligator in the Disneyland version. The latter also appears in Tokyo.
- The geyser-riding turtles in the Laughin' Place scenes of the Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland versions
- Br'er Gator, who despite being larger and less anthromorphic than the other gators, only goes after Br'er Fox - the attraction's villain. Earlier in the ride, Br'er Gator is also seen fishing, with Br'er Frog on his back, using that odd vantage point to lazily fish as well.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: Br'er Bear is noticeably absent from the scene where Br'er Fox captures Br'er Rabbit and the lift hill to the big drop, although, in the WDW version, his voice can be heard just before the big drop, as he says, "Briar patch?"
- Sticky Situation: Br'er Fox traps Br'er Rabbit in a beehive rather than with a Tar Baby.
- Stock Beehive: All over the Laughin' Place scene. One lodges itself on Br'er Bear's nose, and Br'er Fox uses another to trap Br'er Rabbit.
- Suddenly Speaking: In the Walt Disney World version, Mr. Bluebird talks.
- Vile Vulture: At the beginning of the final lift hill, just before the large drop, a pair of vultures makes snide comments about your fate.Vulture #1: If you've finally found your laughing place...
Vulture #2: How come you aren't laughing? - Wicked Weasel: Averted, each version of the attraction features cheerful weasels among the critters in the Laughin' Place. In the Disneyland version, these are the same animatronics used for the weasel in America Sings.
