Walt Disney Imagineering’s Bob Weis Discusses Splash Mountain Reimagining To “Princess and the Frog”

Today we shared the news that Disney announced the reimaging of Splash Mountain to a “Princess and the Frog” theme. D23.com has now released an exclusive with Walt Disney Imagineering’s Bob Weis as he discusses the changes to come to the attraction.

Today, Walt Disney Imagineering announced that Splash Mountain at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts will be reimagined with new theming inspired by the beloved Walt Disney Animation Studios film The Princess and the Frog. The story picks up after the final, magical kiss in the movie, and follows Tiana and Louis as they prepare for their first Mardi Gras performance. The project will be led by Imagineer Charita Carter, who recently oversaw (with Kevin Rafferty) the creation of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and will include some of the incredible music from the Academy Award®-nominated movie. D23 sat down with Bob Weis, president of Walt Disney Imagineering, to discuss evolving the attraction, why The Princess and the Frog was a perfect fit, and what this means for other Imagineering projects on the horizon.

Bob Weis speaks with The Imagineering Story director, Leslie Iwerks, at D23 Expo 2019

D23: The Official Disney Fan Club: Many fans are very passionate about Splash Mountain and, of course, making changes to any attraction evokes feelings on both sides. When you chatted on our D23 Inside Disney podcast, you mentioned living up to Walt’s vision of maintaining tradition while staying true to the idea that “the park will never be completed”—and you also talked about Disney Legend Marty Sklar’s feelings about the park not being a museum. Can you elaborate, now with this context? 

Bob Weis (BW): The last time I saw Marty was at the D23 Expo in 2017 when he talked about Imagineers making changes to the auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. He said, “I can’t think of a single attraction that has not been enhanced and improved, some over and over again. Change is a ‘tradition’ at Disneyland that today’s Imagineers practice—they learned it from their mentors, many of them Walt’s original team of storytellers and designers—the Disney Legends.” I think about this concept quite a bit, and it really represents the great responsibility we feel as Imagineers, to uphold Walt’s vision of constant improvement.

D23: When did you start reimagining the attraction? 

BW: It has been a year or more since we started talking about this particular concept. While we’ve explored many new themes in the past, that’s when we really began to hone in on Princess Tiana’s story. That said, Splash Mountain has been the subject of many conversations through the years. Its brilliant ride platform and landscape create the potential for great storytelling.

D23: Why The Princess and the Frog?

BW: Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman who pursues her dreams while never losing sight of what’s really important. So 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, so it feels natural to link the story of The Princess and the Frog to the park. And as you know, music is a big part of the story and our attractions, and the incredible songs and score from The Princess and the Frog are often among fan favorites.

D23: The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009. Why now?

BW: There’s no expiration date on great storytelling, and Imagineers consider it a great privilege to be able to bring these stories to life in our parks, resorts, and on board our cruise ships. Disney’s extraordinary collection of stories is incredibly vast. This year, we unveiled Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando—also in development at Disneyland park in Anaheim—and while the attraction is based on modern animated shorts, they are very much an homage to the early 1920s and ’30s style of animation. We would be missing a lot of opportunity if we limited ourselves to a specific period in time.

D23: Why retheme an attraction instead of building a new one?

BW: We have a longstanding history of enhancing attractions with “new magic,” like Pirates of the Caribbean, and completely retheming others, like Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! We completely understand that these decisions aren’t always popular, but I think our biggest fans know that we care as much as they do.

D23: What can guests expect when they head into the bayou? 

BW: Working closely with our partners at Walt Disney Animation Studios, we are expanding on what guests know and love from the film today. From a timing perspective, guests will see Princess Tiana throughout the experience (hint—after “the kiss”). She and Louis are bringing friends together for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance, alongside many of our other favorite characters from this instant classic.

D23: When can we expect to be “goin’ down the bayou” and will this alter any of the timelines for Avengers Campus or Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland? Or perhaps TRON at Magic Kingdom? 

BW: We have separate project teams working on these efforts, but we are still evaluating project timelines based on the extended closures we’ve experienced due to COVID-19. While several projects, like Avengers Campus—at both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris—are able to surge forward based on where we were in development, there are others that will be picked back up in stages—like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and TRON—and some that are longer-term that we will need more time to assess. We are working with our operations partners now to determine timing for this project to get under way. For now, we know that both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland parks will re-open with the existing Splash Mountain attraction.

Splash Mountain To Be Rethemed

Disney has officially announced they will be reimagining Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World to a “Princess and the Frog” theme. Check out the details below as shared by Disney Parks Blog:

We are thrilled to share a first glimpse of a project Imagineers have been working on since last year. Splash Mountain – at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida – will soon be completely reimagined. 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.

The voice of Princess Tiana and Tony Award-winning actress, Anika Noni Rose, shared, “It is really exciting to know that Princess Tiana’s presence in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom will finally be fully realized! As passionate as I am about what we created, I know the fans are going to be over the moon. The Imagineers are giving us ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Mardi Gras celebration we’ve been waiting for, and I’m here for it!”

The approach to retheming or “plussing” attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.

Charita Carter, the senior creative producer leading the project at Walt Disney Imagineering shared, “Like Princess Tiana, I believe that courage and love are the key ingredients for wonderful adventures. I am delighted to be a part of bringing this fun-filled experience to our guests.”

For Imagineers, change is rooted in a tradition set by Walt Disney who encouraged new innovations, new ideas, new scenes and current storytelling. And the experiences they create can be enjoyed by guests who visit our parks from all over the world.

As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape.

Splash Mountain To Close For It’s Yearly Refurbishment

2020 may just be the year of refurbishments, especially as we gear up for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary in 2021. At the Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain is scheduled to undergo its yearly refurbishment in January 2020.

The refurbishment is expected to begin on January 6th and will last through February 27th, with the attraction reopening on February 28, 2020. Annual refurbishments like these are usually just an attraction-wide refresh, and as of publishing time, no changes have been listed as coming to the attraction.

We’ll keep you updated on the status of this and many more refurbishments across Walt Disney World.

Plan Your Disney Adventure Today!

How Good is Splash Mountain?

My name is Aubree Corn and I will be reviewing and rating different Walt Disney World rides and attractions. I am 10 years old and in the 5th grade. I love Walt Disney World and my favorite character is Minnie Mouse. I hope you enjoy.

My very first review will be about Splash Mountain which is one of my favorite ride’s in WDW. It can be found in Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom. So now that you know where it is, it’s time to tell you about the ride.

First, Splash Mountain is an old fashioned water ride that tells the story of Br’er Rabbit, who is the main character. The other main characters in the ride are Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear. There are a lot more that are also singing and dancing.

Once you get in, you will get on the log rafts (with wet seats). Then the story of Br’er Rabbit begins. You travel from scene to scene and finally down a 49 foot drop in the water below and SPLASH! Be ready to get wet when you reach the bottom.

This is one of my favorite rides because it’s a refreshing break from the heat. I also enjoy the characters and fun songs throughout the ride.

In all of my reviews, I will be rating them 1-5 mickey heads.

Splash Mountain

I rate Splash Mountain 5 Mickey Heads because of its thrilling final drop and its songs and characters.

Favorite WDW Mountain

Mountains attractions have been a staple at Walt Disney World since 1975 with the opening of Space Mountain.

Since then, others have been added and while there can be an argument for which attractions should be in this category, there is no denying that these rides are some of the best that WDW has to offer.

I will argue that there are 4 Walt Disney World mountain attractions; Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain.

What is your favorite?

What other attractions do you consider to be Disney Mountains?

These attractions all give you something different and are some of the longest running and longest wait-time rides at WDW.

Space Mountain

The original mountain of Walt Disney World, Space Mountain has been thrilling riders for nearly 45 years. This classic ride, found in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, blasts Guests into outer space. Passengers board a rocket-shaped vehicle, seating three single-file riders, climb the 180-foot mountain past Mission Control, and propel through the dark universe at a top speed of 28 mph (it feels faster, right?).

Space Mountain continues to be a fan-favorite at Magic Kingdom and due to its unique indoor, in-the-dark feel, it shows no signs of slowing down. The Tron roller coaster is currently being built right beside Space Mountain which should only boost attendance in Tomorrowland, but giving some needed wait-time relief to the original WDW mountain.

Splash Mountain

We have all seen log themed rides at various them parks, where they all end with a wet plunge down a giant hill. Splash Mountain is that and so much more.

This attraction in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom tells the story of Br’er Rabbit and his adventures is told with a flare and precision that only Disney can attain. This ride is full of animal animatronics that give the riders more than just a wet and thrilling ending. It com

The story told throughout this ride is just as important and exciting as the thrilling final plunge itself. By the way, chances are, you will get wet!

Big Thunder Mountain

Big Thunder Mountain joins Splash Mountain as the 2 main attractions in Frontierland. It is an old school train ride on a rickety railroad through a replica of the red stone of Arizona’s Monument Valley. This the roughest mountain in terms of how the ride feels. It is jerky and jumpy but a fun experience nonetheless.

Special care was taken by the Imagineers to make it appear that the rocks were there originally, and the track was built around the rocks, which gives a more genuine landscape feeling. There is also a dinosaur skeleton that the train passes by, built into the side of the mountain. A cracked eggshell is nearby, and there is a pleasant lake with water that is shot up while the train passes on the warmer days. 

Sound effects of a typical locomotive operation are piped into the surrounding scenery to add realism to guests viewing the ride from observation platforms, including the steam whistle sounding, even though there is no whistle displayed on the locomotives.

This ride is meant to give an old west feel and delivers.

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Kingdom

Dare to climb the Forbidden Mountain, and you will find yourself facing down a beast so monstrous you’ll never question the legend again. Standing 18-feet tall, the Expedition Everest Yeti is the largest audio-animatronic figure ever created. He does his job well, though, twisting the tracks and rerouting coasters, hurling them through dark twists and turns before allowing their safe return to base camp.

This ride begins soaring through the mountain but then runs out of track and must go backward through a portion of the attraction only to find the Yeti and soar through the remainder of the course.

This ride, for me is the most thrilling of all of the mountains. The creativity that is used to increase the amount of thrills on this coaster is second to none. (Also, my daughter’s favorite ride)

Other Mountains???

There has been some controversy about whether Mount Gushmore is considered a Disney mountain, as well as, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

My opinion is “no” on both.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, while it looks like a mountain, has more of feel of entering a miners cave. This is a fantastically smooth ride and one of the favorites to do at Magic Kingdom, but I think we need to give it some time to see if it holds up over time the way the 4 main mountains have.

Mount Gushmore, located at Blizzard Beach water park has the look and feel of more like a staging area for multiple water slides than an actual attraction. Mount Gushmore is not the title of the ride itself. Again, I am not willing to put it up on the Disney Mountain Mount Rushmore yet.

No matter what type of ride you like, these mountains offer a variety of sights and thrills. There is a reason some rides have come and gone but these remain staples of the Parks.

Click Here to set up a trip to ride the four Disney Mountains