Disneyland Facing Racial Scrutiny Over 'Splash Mountain'

ANAHEIM, CA — Over 21,000 petitioners have reached out to Disneyland Resort, clamoring for a revision of the famous water attraction Splash Mountain that organizers say has a "history and storyline ... steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes."

The log ride in Disneyland Resort's Critter Country features the animated characters from the 1946 feature film "Song of the South," based upon the original tale, "Uncle Remus Stories" by Joel Chandler Harris.

In the ride, the sly Brer Rabbit repeatedly outwits Brer Fox and Brer Bear. But the themes behind the attraction go deeper into Southern history.

According to the Library of Congress, the stories in Uncle Remus began during American Reconstruction. The tales Harris penned stem from a collection of African American slave folk tales he adapted into book form in 1881.

At the Walt Disney Company's March 2019 shareholder's meeting CEO Bob Iger said that though Disney+ showcases original programming, "'Song of the South,' even with a disclaimer was not appropriate in today's world," as reported in the Hollywood Reporter. "It’s just hard, given the depictions in some of those films, to bring them out today without in some form or another offending people, so we’ve decided not to do that."

According to the Change.org petition, there is a need for diversity in the parks, and reimagining Splash Mountain to include characters from "The Princess and the Frog" would fill that bill.

"Tiana could be one of the first princesses with a thrill ride, as well as giving her a much-deserved place in the parks," the petition reads. The writers say that though the ride is in Critter Country, proximity is close enough to New Orleans Square to make it work.

The idea for the petition began as an homage to George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, and the now worldwide Black Lives Matter movement. Those who wrote the request hoped that changes made at the park could "educate people from a different perspective."

Revising rides is not uncommon at Disneyland Resort. Imagineers frequently go to work envisioning changes at the park, in keeping with the times. Whether Disneyland Resort will put their Imagineers to work on a recasting of the ride across the theme parks remains to be seen, though reimagining rides at the park is a time-honored tradition at Disneyland.

The characters currently in Splash Mountain were all recast from the popular 1970s and 80s original theater in the round "America Sings," where the current "Star Wars Launch Bay" sits.

Other rides that have seen changes include the much-revised "Pirates of the Caribbean," which was updated to include Captain Jack Sparrow.

Before that ride reimagining, pirates chasing "wenches" through the village evolved into pirates chasing women carrying food. The popular auction of the wenches also developed into a sale of paintings, jewelry and other wares.

Patch has reached out to Disneyland and will update this report with more information when it is received.

"This is just a log ride in a theme park," the Change.org Petition owner wrote, "a beloved one yes, but at the end of the day, it's just a ride. There are more pressing matters in the world."