Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

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Splash Mountain
Magic Kingdom
Land	Frontierland
Designer	Walt Disney Imagineering
Opening date	October 2, 1992
Closing date	January 23, 2023
Vehicle capacity	8
Ride duration	10:41 minutes
Replaced by	Tiana's Bayou Adventure (Magic Kingdom)

Splash Mountain was a log flume attraction at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida that was based on the infamously controversial 1946 Disney film Song of the South. It opened on October 2, 1992, a day after a similar version of the ride opened at Tokyo Disneyland. Due to Song of the South's controversies, the attractionit was closed in 2023 to be replaced by Tiana's Bayou Adventure, based on The Princess and the Frog (2008).

This version of Splash Mountain was located in Frontierland, across the way from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Its construction necessitated the demolition of the original Frontierland train station and temporarily turning the railroad into a shuttle between Main Street, U.S.A. and Mickey's Starland.

This version and the Tokyo Disneyland version were very similar, with a few exceptions. The Tokyo version's layout is a mirror-image of Florida's, owing to the attraction's location on the opposite side of the river. The secondary characters are altogether different and the show scenes are in a different order. The Tokyo version also lacks a mill or barn-like structure on the second lift (although it is used as the main entrance to the ride queue). Instead, the logs venture into a cave-like opening to begin the second climb.

Attraction summary

Splash Mountain! Front Seat POV Full Ride Walt Disney World!

Riders boarded eight-passenger logs, seated side-by-side. The log departed the loading area, where Br'er Frog provided introductory narration. The log ascended two dual-chain lifts before floating gently through scenery designed to evoke the feeling of a river in the southern United States, particularly Georgia, where Song of the South was based. The homes of the three main characters and aged farm equipment were incorporated into the landscape, along with an instrumental version of "How Do You Do?" emanating from hidden speakers along the waterway.

After a short drop down "Slippin' Falls", guests entered the indoor portion of the attraction, where various Audio-Animatronic animals, such as geese and frogs, sung the attraction's first musical number, "How Do You Do?". Several vignettes established the story of a restless Br'er Rabbit leaving home and being pursued by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear.

"Everybody's Has a Laughing Place" would begin to play as the log reached a dark tunnel followed by a "dip-drop" into the Laughin' Place. There, singing turtles, laughing frogs and dancing water fountains would guide the log to a dark area in which Br'er Rabbit was caught by Br'er Fox in a cave of stalactites and stalagmites. Two vultures taunted riders as they began their ascent up the final lift. A scene to the side showed Brer Fox menacing Brer Rabbit, with Brer Rabbit pleading not to be thrown into the briar patch.

At the top of this third lift hill, the log descended the 52-foot (16 m) drop at a 45-degree angle, reaching a maximum speed of 40 mph. After another outdoor flume segment, the log returned to the mountain, where critters at "Doo-Dah Landing" would sing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" in celebration of Br'er Rabbit's return, while Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear would attempt to fend off an alligator. At the end, Br'er Rabbit, reclining outside the front door of his briar patch, would sing with Mr. Bluebird, telling him that he learned his lesson. After exiting the log, riders could purchase a picture of their log falling at the final drop.

Trivia

• There was a "Hidden Mickey" during the showboat scene toward the end of the ride. Mickey can be seen lying on his back in the clouds. There is also a Hidden Mickey in the room with jumping water, the hole in which Chickapin Hill flows is a side profile of Mickey's head, and there is a birdhouse with an icon cut out of it in the garden scene. Furthermore, there is one near Br'er Frog when he is fishing on the alligator, visible as riders pass him, and one composed of three barrels half-way up the second crankhill. There is also a hidden Dumbo hidden in the first part of the cave.
• There were several security cameras in the ride. If someone stepped out of their seat, the alarm would go off, and the ride would be stopped.
• Cast members who operated the Splash Mountain attraction were affectionately known as "Splash Trash."
• During the Laughing Place scene, the final gopher, who was supposed to be sneezing, says F-S-U. The Imagineer who did the voice went to Florida State University. This is also heard in the version found at Tokyo Disneyland as well.

Tributes

• Tiana's Bayou Adventure: There are multiple tributes to Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom's Tiana's Bayou Adventure. On a shelf in Tiana's office space, she has miniatures of a rabbit, a fox, a bear, and paddlewheel riverboats. The pantry in the queue also contains a jar made to look like a rabbit on a head of cabbage. On the ride, various fireflies pass through a dead tree which strongly resembles the tree which was atop Splash Mountain. During the lift-hill, one of Mama Odie's lines referencing making a "Splash" at the party. On the mantlepiece at the exit is a wooden carving of a bear, next to a wooden carving of a fox. A crate labelled "Fussell Springs" appears. This is a repurposed prop from Splash Mountain, where it supposedly tributed a long-time cast-member of the attraction.

Gallery

External links

• Official website (archived)