Disney announced the official closure date for its iconic Splash Mountain attraction this week, more than two years after the company first said it planned to close the attraction for perpetuating “racial stereotypes.”
Splash Mountain, which is based on the movie song of the southit will close on January 23, 2023. The film has come under fire in recent years for its depiction of plantation life.
“I felt, ever since I was CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was, even with a disclaimer, just not appropriate in today’s world.” Disney CEO Bob Iger said at a shareholders meeting in March 2020.
The company announced in June 2020 that it planned to reimagine the ride at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is set a year after the end of the film. The princess and the frog.
“With this long history of updating attractions and adding new magic, Splash Mountain’s re-theme is of particular significance today,” Disney said in an earlier statement. “The new concept is inclusive, one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and talk about diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
A petition to save Splash Mountain after Disney’s first announcement garnered more than 93,000 signatures.
“Splash Mountain is an iconic ride at the Magic Kingdom, loved by millions of fans around the world for more than 30 years.” the petition said. “Changing the theme of such an iconic ride would erode the nostalgia that lives at Disney World and take away some of the magic from it.”
By contrast, a 2019 petition calling for the attraction’s closure received more than 21,000 signatures.