Disney to Officially Close “Splash Mountain” in January Following Racial Stereotyping Criticism, Ride Will Be Reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Disney has officially announced the closing date for its iconic ride, “Splash Mountain.”

In June 2020, the company shared that it was closing the ride due to its perpetuation of “racial stereotypes.” Splash Mountain is based on the movie “Song of the South,” which has come under fire for its portrayal of plantation life.

“I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was, even with a disclaimer, just not appropriate in today’s world,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a shareholders meeting.

During that time, Disney said the ride at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The ride is set one year after the ending of the film ‘The Princess And The Frog.’

BREAKING NEWS: We’re one step closer to going down the bayou as Walt Disney Imagineering reveals a new scene from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! 💚✨ Come on down to the Disney Parks Blog for the inside scoop: https://t.co/Fiq50z4K37 pic.twitter.com/aC12qu8GYW

— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) December 2, 2022

“With this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the re-theming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today,” Disney said in a previous statement. “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.”

Shortly after Disney announced the change, a petition was created to save the ride and garnered 93,000 signatures.

“Splash Mountain is an iconic ride at Magic Kingdom, loved by millions of fans all over the world for over 30 years.” the petition says. “Re-theming such an iconic ride would erode the nostalgia that lives in Disney World and take away a little bit of the magic.”

Disney fans can visit the ride one last time until January 23, 2023.