The Splash Mountain redesign is causing a viral controversy among dedicated Disney parents. Extreme Disney adults are almost considered a cult these days (YPulse data shows Disney is the No. 7 top brand they say they feel a sense of community around), and they’ve stirred up quite the ruckus over Walt Disney World’s Splash Mountain closure this week. The original theming of the ride has been debated over the years for exhibiting blatantly racist music and animatronic characters based on the “widely banned” Song of the South cartoon. A Change.org petition stating that the ride is “steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes” received over 21K signatures. But now that the ride is actually changing, some parents are angrily jumping on social media to rant about how the ride is nostalgic to their childhood and how they want their young kids to experience it, too. Some even claim they see “nothing wrong” with the ride or the racist song. One mom on TikTok went viral after revealing she named her baby Briar after the cartoon’s setting. On the other hand, most parents and families are pumped for the redesign that will feature Princess and the Frog theming that will star Disney’s first Black princess—after all, the mechanics of the ride will remain the same, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will exhibit themes from the 2009 film that will resonate more with today’s kids. (NPR, InsideTheMagic)
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