Disney World Officially Removes Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah From Parade

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Via InsidetheMagic.net

Disney announced that they would be retheming the Splash Mountain theme park attraction, (located in both Disney World and Disneyland) from the controversial film, Song of the South to the 2009 film, The Princess and the Frog.

Ever since, Disney Parks have been removing references to Song of the South and Splash Mountain. In August 2020, Disneyland Resort quietly removed the famous song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”, which is also played throughout Splash Mountain, from the Disneyland Resort esplanade music loop — the courtyard area in between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

Now, Disney World has removed “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the Festival of Fantasy parade soundtrack.

Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain is currently located at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. The attraction is based off of the film, Song of the South, which is extremely controversial as many deem it racist.

In fact, the movie considered by many as the most controversial and notorious film in Disney’s history. Because of this, it was never made available on home video in the U.S. and is currently missing from Disney’s streaming service, Disney+.

Song of the South is a mix of live-action and animation and features an older African-American plantation laborer named Uncle Remus who tells stories to a young white boy. Groups including the NAACP protested the film’s initial release.

Song of the South

Within Splash Mountain, you can spot many of the characters from Song of the South, including Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear, as well as hear the iconic song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”. However, as Disney strives towards diversity and inclusion, the Parks have been removing references to Song of the South. 

The first was Disneyland Resort, whom decided to remove “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from the esplanade loop. When this occurred, a Disneyland official explained “The removal of the song from Downtown Disney’s background music is part of a continuous process to deliver an environment that features stories that are relevant and inclusive.”

Now, it seems those efforts are continuing on the East Coast as the song, which originated from Song of the South and is played during the Disney Parks attraction, Splash Mountain, has been removed from the Festival of the Fantasy parade.

festival of fantasy

The fan-favorite Festival of Fantasy parade returned to Magic Kingdom today, March 9, but the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” reference did not.

In a live stream video from EarsomEmporium with Genevieve, you can watch the return of Festival of Fantasy parade, which has removed the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” song, which was heard towards the end of the parade as the Mickey Mouse float approached.

Right as Donald Duck approaches on his float, you can hear the “Mickey Mouse March”, which used to turn into “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”, but that no longer occurs and instead, it is replaced with music. Take a listen in the video below:

For comparison, you can watch our video of Festival of Fantasy from prior to the ongoing pandemic, which included the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”. You can hear it in the final unit, which includes “Mickey Mouse March”, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”, “When You Wish Upon a Star”, “I’ve Got No Strings”, Whistle While You Work”, “When I See an Elephant Fly”.

This section begins at approximately the 13:00 mark in our video below when the Mickey Mouse float approaches our team.

Disneyland Paris also recently removed the song from its Disney Stars on Parade.

As of right now, Disney has not yet made an announcement on when Splash Mountain would be rethemed to The Princess and the Frog, and the attraction remains open to the public at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

Is Splash Mountain Still Being Reimagined?

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Disney announced the nostalgic Splash Mountain attraction at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort would be dropping its Song of the South (1946) theme and making an adjustment to be more inclusive with The Princess and the Frog (2009) theme. While Br’er Rabbit vs. Princess Tiana has been among many Disney fan discussions, oddly enough, Disney has dropped the reimagining reference from its website.

Disney first made the announcement of the retheming back in June 2020. The shock of the announcement quickly spread through Disney fandom causing mixed views. Some Disney fans were excited that Princess Tiana and her New Orleans crew would finally be getting an attraction themed after them. On the flip-side, some Disney fans wanted Disney to keep the classic Splash Mountain boat ride as is with Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear.

Now, a year and a half later, we aren’t seeing any adjustments taking place to Splash Mountain just yet. Splash Mountain recently underwent its “routine maintenance” closure, but the reopening showed no signs of Princess Tiana. Not only did Splash Mountain resume as is after the refurbishment, but Disney dropped the reimagining reference of the upcoming The Princess and the Frog theme from its website.

Splash Mountain to Princess and the Frog

Previously, the Splash Mountain ride landing page noted, “An exciting new refresh is coming to this attraction.” The note included a “Read More” link which took Guests to details about The Princess and the Frog retheming. Now, that message is completely gone.

While Disney may have dropped the reference from its website, you can still find reimagining details on Disney Parks Blog which makes us believe all is still a go for the transformation.

Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products shared reimagining of Splash Mountain has been expedited back in November 2020. In August 2021, Melissa Valiquette, the Vice president of Magic Kingdom, asked for patience with “Our Guests are going to have to put a little bit of trust into us for a bit because we promise not to let you down. We’re going to deliver a wonderful attraction that is inspiring and beautiful and worthy of this princess, Princess Tiana.”

Disney’s description of the reimagining has noted, “As seen in this latest rendering of the attraction, the story will take place after the final kiss as Naveen and Louis join Princess 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!”

Boy jumps out of Splash Mountain attraction

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

It may be called the “Laughing Place,” but Guests weren’t laughing about this incident at Disneyland Park.

And it probably felt a bit uncertain and chaotic for Guests at the Disneyland Resort when a young boy disembarked the log flume at the Splash Mountain attraction and refused to get back into the ride vehicle.

If you’re a frequent Guest of any of the Disney Parks, it’s more than probable that you’ve been aboard a ride when it had to stop suddenly. This happens quite often at Space Mountain and also at The Haunted Mansion, so much so that there’s even a nod to the frequent ride interruptions at the Haunted Mansion attraction in the Muppets Haunted Mansion film that debuted in October of last year.

Usually, the stop is only temporary, and Guests are able to continue enjoying the attraction. Such was the case during this incident.

According to Guests who witnessed the incident, the log flume ride at Splash Mountain had stopped for about 15 minutes, and that’s when the young boy jumped out of the ride vehicle to stand on a flat area of the attraction where Guests are not permitted.

@magicallytanna

Big oof😅 #disneyrides #ridebrokedown #disneylandcalifornia #splashmountain #disneyparks #splashmountainride #whatsgoingon #whatsgoingonhere

♬ Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) – Edison Lighthouse

For reasons unknown, the child wouldn’t return to his seat inside the ride vehicle. Because of this, Guests were stuck waiting on the child to change his mind. His parents, who were also Guests aboard the ride vehicle began to encourage him to return to his seat. After some pleading on their part, the child finally proceeded to the log flume and got back into his seat.

It was after this point that the ride had to undergo a full evacuation. Each of the Guests aboard the ride vehicle was forced to disembark, and each was given a pass to experience another attraction at Disneyland.

It’s not clear why the boy disembarked the boat. Perhaps he was fearful of the final 5-story drop. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and each of the Guests aboard the attraction evacuated safely.

Splash Mountain Water Effect Remains Broken

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Via InsideTheMagic

At Walt Disney World Resort, one of the reasons that Guests love all of the theme parks is for the amazing attractions that are fluttered with immense details and amazing technology. But because there is so much going on, that means there is more of a chance that something may go wrong.

With so many moving parts on each attraction, it is so easy for some aspects to sometimes not function correctly. Typically, this means something very small is missing, but instead of closing the attraction, Disney just allows it to run for the day and will fix it later. A lot of the time, this could mean an animatronic not making a specific movement, but for a Guest who has never been on the attraction, they would likely never notice.

At Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain has a ton of animatronics, and is getting ready to eventually turn into a Princess and the Frog-based attraction. Until Disney announces that closure, however, Guests can continue to watch Br’er Rabbit and his adventures. During one of the scenes in the Laughing Place, Guests typically go under jumping water fountains that are shooting up from lily pads rock formations, but we have noticed that for the past few months, they have never been functioning while we ride.

splash mountain

There is a chance that this issue has not lasted months, but from our experience, it seems very possible that it might have. Earlier this year, in January, we saw the water effect working, but since the summer we have never seen it work while riding. Disney does turn off specific water effects depending on the cool temperatures to ensure that Guests are not soaking. Still, this feature left Guests very dry and was purely for aesthetic, so it would not fall under that category.

splash mountain zip a dee doo dah riverboat

One speculation could be that the water effect needs maintenance, but since the ride will be changed over eventually, Disney may be waiting for that big refurbishment to make the adjustment. For now, we will have to wait and see what comes of the fun jumping water scene in Splash Mountain!

Disney Reveals Details on Upcoming Transformation of Splash Mountain

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Last year, Disney announced the reimagining of the classic attraction, Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog theme. Since then we haven’t heard much of anything on the project. In celebration of World Princess Week, Disney has released new concept art and details on the soon to be updated Splash Mountain.

From a Disney Cast Member;

Last year, we announced that Imagineers are developing an all-new attraction coming to both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort inspired by the fan-favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “The Princess and the Frog.” With the kick off of World Princess Week, celebrating the characteristics these Disney heroes inspire in fans all around the world, we are thrilled to share the latest developments in this exciting new chapter for Tiana and her friends!

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!

We recently gathered at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans — founder Leah Chase was one of the inspirations for Princess Tiana — to talk about Tiana’s impact over the past decade and the creative process behind the upcoming attraction, including the next-level technology Imagineers are employing to bring it to life. Generations of the Chase family welcomed us while Chef Dook cooked up some of their famous gumbo. We sat down with Leah’s daughter, Stella Chase Reese who shared that “The two coming together, music and food, brings joy and happiness to all” and isn’t that the truth?

Watch Kenneth Moton, National Correspondent for ABC News as he joins Stella Chase Reese, Owner of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant and daughter of Leah Chase; Carmen Smith, Creative Executive, Vice President, Inclusive Strategies for Walt Disney Imagineering; Charita Carter, Senior Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering; and Marlon West, VFX Supervisor for Walt Disney Animation Studios to hear more:

Imagineers often do in-depth research to help inspire their work. In this case, that involved digging deep into the culture of New Orleans to tell a story that’s as authentic to the region as it is to the characters’ stories. From the food, music, art and architecture to the diversity of its people and their traditions, there is much from which to draw inspiration. The team has done virtual research trips through Zoom and this was their first of many in-person research trips to come and get the story right.

Tying to Leah Chase’s love of art, one of the early sources of inspiration has come from Sharika Mahdi — a visual artist, art educator, and alumna of the renowned YAYA (Young Aspirations Young Artists) Arts Center located in New Orleans — who was commissioned to create a series of four original paintings to inspire Imagineers, one of which was revealed today.

To celebrate all of these developments, our love and appreciation for New Orleans, and our commitment to arts education, Disney announced a $50,000 donation to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), a regional, pre-professional arts training center that offers students intensive instruction in culinary arts, dance, media arts, classical instrumental music, jazz instrumental music, classical vocal music, drama, musical theatre, theatre design, visual arts and creative writing.