Legendary Disney Imagineer Says Goodbye to His Creation

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

The iconic yet controversial attraction Splash Mountain at Disneyland Resort in California has now been shutdown. Legendary Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter was seen bidding farewell to his creation.

Born in 1947, Tony Baxter led the creative and design efforts for many iconic rides we know and love today. Rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Star Tours, The Indiana Jones Adventure, and Splash Mountain.

Baxter was also the former Senior Vice President of Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering. He became responsible for overseeing the creation of many rides across all the Disney Parks around the globe.

Baxter was first hired at Disneyland Park in 1965 as an ice cream scooper on Main Street, U.S.A., at 17. He slowly climbed the ranks as he worked many different positions throughout Disneyland until he caught the attention of WED Enterprises, where he created the rides mentioned in the first paragraph above.

For the upcoming Splash Mountain redesign, former Imagineer and Disney Legend Baxter will be Creative Adviser to Imagineers. Senior Creative Producer Charita Carter is leading the project. He announced in 2020 when news first broke out about the redesign for Splash Mountain.

In regards to comments he made about the redesign, Baxter had this to say:

The attraction will be one to be proud of. I look forward to being a part of a new adventure in Disney magic and fun.

– Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter

We are thrilled to see Tony Baxter return to assist in redesigning his memorable ride, despite the controversy surrounding Splash Mountain.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will soon open at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and begins construction today at Disneyland California.

Amidst all the chaos and drama surrounding Splash Mountain, though, Tony Baxter went through the line to ride his creation one final time.

Tony Baxter - Disney Imagineer - Splash Mountain

Disney Permanently Bans More Content

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

The Walt Disney Company has become no stranger to censorship and banning.

Disney made the decision to permanently close Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort because the story was based on the controversial film Song of the South (1946). Instead, Disney will be replacing the ride with a new log flume attraction based on Princess and the Frog (2009), titled Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

But, the company is currently in the midst of reviewing its library and it seems that more content will be joing Song of the South as “permanently banned” from ever being reposted or shared by Disney again.

This time, it’s in the form of books.

Author Don Rosa recently shared that two of his Scrooge McDuck stories have now been permanently banned by Disney. The message from the company to Rosa read:

“As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, The Walt Disney Company is in the process of reviewing their library of stories. As a result, some stories that do not align with their values will no longer be published. This applies to two of your classic stories, ‘The Richest Duck in the World’ and ‘The Dream of a Lifetime’. These stories will not be part of any reprints or new collections.”

The two stories include “The Richest Duck in the World” and “The Dream of a Lifetime.”

Rosa responded on social media to the announcement, sharing that the stories were banned because “they can’t be published without the final chapter.”

“I wonder what other Duck stories are now banned? Maybe only mine? Maybe not? But obviously all 12 chapters of my [Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck] are now banned because they can’t be published without the final chapter. I won’t even comment on what this will mean to the collector market.”

Scrooge McDuck Diving into his money bin.

The controversial chapter features an incident first shared Carl Barks story “Voodoo Hoodoo” when Scrooge drove an African tribe off their land when he became a villain. This led to encounters with the character Bombie the Zombie, who was dispatched by the witch doctor named Foola Zoola. The character would reappear in “The Dream of a Lifetime.”

In addition to bans some older cartoons, Disney has been no stranger to having to alter its content in China. The Chinese Government has censored quite a bit of content on Disney+, most notably several episodes of The Simpsons and Winnie the Pooh, where the company chose to adhere to the censorship.

The Honor of Splash Mountain’s Emotional Final Ride

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Splash Mountain has taken its final bow and with it a piece of Disney history is gone forever. Thousands flocked to the ride yesterday to be among the last to ride the beloved classic. None of them got to be the last though, that honor went to a very special group of people who absolutely deserved it.

It was a late night at Magic Kingdom last night as people flocked to Splash Mountain all day long and well into the night. Disney’s policy is “anyone in line before the ride closes get to ride.” While Cast Members will cut off the line once the park is closed to prevent others from joining the line, they will not make guests who were already in line leave the queue once the park is closed. When Magic Kingdom closed at 11:00 pm last night, the ride still had a 175 minute wait. Once the last guest exited the ride, at nearly 3:00 am (per social media reports), it was time for the laughin’ place to welcome one last group to its briar patch.

The Cast Members who worked the ride got to hop on board and be on the very last logs to take the plunge! After working tirelessly all day to make magic for guests hoping to experience the nostalgia one more time, we can’t think of anyone more deserving to enjoy that last ride before Splash Mountain closed forever. These Cast Members have worked day in and day out to make magic for us, and we are so glad that they got to have their very own special moment.

They had quite an audience too! Scott Gustin posted a video on Twitter showing crowds of people cheering for the Cast Members as they rounded the bend after that final drop. You can check out the video above, but fair warning: you may want a box of tissues nearby!

Disney announces the name of new “Princess and the Frog” ride to replace Splash Mountain

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

We’ve been anticipating the reimagining of the Splash Mountain attraction at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and we’ve got more exciting news to share about the all-new experience that was first announced in the summer of 2020.

We’ve learned that Disney reportedly announced details about the new attraction during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2022.

According to reports about details announced at the ESSENCE Festival, the new name of the Princess and the Frog-themed attraction will be “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.” Finally, we know what to call the new experience, rather than only referring to it as the “Princess and the Frog-themed version of Splash Mountain.”

We have also learned that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is projected to open to Guests at both the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort sometime during late 2024, according to ITM.

In June 2020, when the reimagining of the attraction was first announced by Disney Parks, Disney Parks Blog had this to say about the new experience:

The theme is inspired by an all-time favorite animated Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.” We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.

Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new “land” added to Disneyland Park, so it feels natural to link the story and the incredible music of “The Princess and the Frog” to our parks.

It remains to be seen how Disney will choose to tell the exciting story of “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!” We will keep you updated as more details are announced about this new experience at Disney World and Disneyland!

Disney Does Not Confirm Splash Retheme Date, Releases Statement

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Back in 2020, Disney announced that it would be retheming one of its most iconic attractions — Splash Mountain. The new attraction will be themed after the hit Disney film, The Princess and the Frog. The retheme is going to take place at both Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort in California. People expected Disney Imagineers to quickly jump on the massive project and complete it as soon as possible, but years have passed, and no work has started at either Resort. However, we may have just learned when the ride retheme will be completed.

Anika Noni Rose voiced Princess Tiana in the original film and revealed during a recent interview that the Princess and the Frog Splash Mountain retheme will be complete, and the ride will be open by 2024. A lot of Princess and the Frog fans were thrilled to hear that the project was still happening, but just as many people were upset, as they love the original ride and don’t want to see it changed.

While Rose seemed confident in what she said, Disney would not confirm that the retheme would be complete in 2024. After Rose revealed the completion date in her interview, Disney released the following statement:

“We have already shared how we are bringing Tiana’s story to life at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. While timing has not been determined, we look forward to sharing more details during Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans in July.”

At this time, we don’t have a ton of details about the ride, we do know that it will take place after Tiana and Prince Naveen’s final kiss. Disney Parks Blog did share the few details we know, saying:

Tiana is an ambitious and resilient woman, who proves that success comes through a connection to her family and community and has learned to never lose sight of what’s really important – giving back to others through great food and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.

As seen in this latest rendering of the attraction, the story will take place after the final kiss as Naveen and Louis join Tiana on her latest adventure, hosting a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration where everyone is welcome – during which some original music inspired by songs from the film will bring guests into the story. Tiana is leading the way and fans will be able to encounter old friends and make new ones along the way as well!

The theme park attraction retheme has been a very controversial one that has brewed a massive debate between Disney purists and those Disney fans who like change. Those who are excited about the change say that when something is realized to be problematic — something Splash Mountain has been accused of — then you change it and acknowledge that changes are needed.

On the other side, Disney purists believe that classic attractions are classic for a reason and not everything needs to change simply because society is changing. Splash Mountain is based on the film Song of the South — which has been deemed racially insensitive. Many acknowledge that the film is insensitive, but feel that the ride is not.