Splash Mountain lines reportedly near 4 hours on Disney World ride's final operating day
Splash Mountain has been flung into the Briar Patch for good, and crowds showed up to Disney World in droves to bid the classic attraction farewell on its final day of operation at the Florida resort.
Sunday marked the last day the log flume ride would open under its current theme, which pulls inspiration from the 1946 movie Song of the South — a film long accused of perpetuating racist stereotypes.
Disney World and Disneyland will open new iterations of the ride named Tiana's Bayou Adventure in 2024. It will take inspiration from the 2009 animated hit The Princess and the Frog and feature the voice of Anika Noni Rose, who played Tiana in the original film.
Visitors shared photos and videos of their experience on Splash Mountain's final day, with various images showing a mass of people crowding the ride's exterior. Wait times reportedly stretched to over 200 minutes. EW has reached out to a Disney representative for more information.
One video, shot by Disney Food Blog, shows the line for the attraction stretching back into the Frontierland section of the park, near the adjacent Liberty Square area.
The line for Splash Mountain currently extends well into Frontierland 💦 pic.twitter.com/aM6w43opu3
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 22, 2023
Picking up where the Princess and the Frog's narrative left off, Tiana's Bayou Adventure is set in the American South, with Tiana guiding riders through colorful canals swamps alongside her pal, Louis the alligator.
Crazy rope crowds for Splash Mountain on its final day of operation at Magic Kingdom#SplashMountain pic.twitter.com/ihcTsxkBjK
— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) January 22, 2023
Zydeco music will fill the air as a band of animals, including an otter, a rabbit, a raccoon, a beaver, and more, make music with objects plucked from the immersive environment.
One remaining version of Splash Mountain is currently in operation (with the Song of the South theme) at Tokyo Disneyland. The company has not announced whether that version will get the Princess and the Frog update as well.
Disney Disney revealed new concept art for Disneyland and Disney World's 'Princess and the Frog' Splash Mountain makeover, Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
In addition to the Splash Mountain revamp, new attractions set to open at Disney World include a Tron-themed roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom in April, as well as a Moana-inspired walk-through experience currently under construction as part of a substantial overhaul of Epcot.
See images from Splash Mountain's final day of operation above. Tiana's Bayou Adventure will open sometime in 2024.
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