Why did Splash Mountain close in the first place? Disneyland and Disneyworld’s Splash Mountain from 1989 is now officially closed as of January 23, 2023 and is up for redesign. It will come back as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure sometime in late 2024 based on Disney’s 2009 animated film, The Princess and the Frog. 

The 1946 musical film, Song of the South, which the ride is originally based on, has attracted controversy since it opened first in 1989. With critics characterizing its portrayal of African Americans and the plantation life as extremely racist as well as the depictions of the characters, the film in today’s world is not appropriate. Disney+ announced in 2020 that this film will not be re-released. Disney has not made Song of the South available in any form because of its extreme racist imagery used in the movie, the film did have the first Black man to ever earn an Oscar. The movie’s main character and star, James Baskett. However it presents a false, somewhat of a romanticized version of slavery and plantation life in a post-Civil War South.

The ride was a classic and will always be a part of Disneyland’s history, overall the origin of the ride’s movie was too stereotypical and problematic. It was time for a change. The ride will no longer go on as a reminder of racism but now as a celebration of race. Although the ride itself never had any racist elements and was a cult favorite, it’s officially time to say goodbye to Brer Rabbit and the song everyone knows by heart, ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ and say hello to Princess Tiana.