Selling Splash Mountain to McDonalds

From the Disney pitchbook, or as I call it,  "How to Sell A Corporate Sponsorship of Splash Mountain to McDonalds". The beautiful little piece of concept art for Disneyland's version of the wettest ride in the wilderness was used by the business side of the house to get the hamburger behemoth to open up their wallets and sponsor the sure to be popular log ride. 

The musical Audio-Animatronic Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah classic has it all! A long and at times relaxing thrill ride for most of the family, classic characters, a sweet storyline, and one very memorable piece of Americana- a beloved Disney song from the controversial movie Song of the South. 

Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team created one of the most loved attractions ever and one with the longest lines at any Disney park. Taking figures from the closed America Sings attraction designed by Marc Davis, the end result remains a fan favorite for almost 40 years!

What will the newer Imagineers do to this classic as they transform it into a tribute to Princess and the Frog? The heroine Tiana is a charming and determined young woman in midst of a compelling story. But troubles come to the surface quickly when talking about the changes in detail. The villain will certainly ramp up the freight factor. The animal characters are in an entirely different artistic style than their predecessors. The film's music is classic New Orleans but without one instantly iconic song on the wide scale appeal level of Zip. 

Will this be another Frozen Ever After or a forced entry changeout a la Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout? Let's hope not. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Get These Splash Mountain Images Before They Disappear Too!

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! Say it loud! So now the music from Splash Mountain is disappearing? Where will the "cancel culture" mindset at Disney strike next? Here are a few attraction posters of Disney's beloved Splash Mountain.  Aside from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland has largely remained stagnant of new and great attractions since the Indiana Jones Adventure. This has only strengthened the public's ongoing love affair with the nine minute plus long water flume masterpiece. And the fact it is just darn fun- and without a racist moment in sight!

It was brand new CEO Michael Eisner that realized the parks needed fresh attractions to appeal to the growing teen market- and fast. They had to offer new rides that provided thrills found at other competing amusement parks. 

One for each park!

Imagineer Tony Baxter and his team created the idea for a log flume attraction themed to Song of the South, an old Disney film filled with charm and controversy, but they avoided the link to the past and focused on a new storyline. The faded popularity of the old Tomorrowland show, America Sings, provided the perfect reason to reuse Imagineer Marc Davis' characters and place them in a brand new setting. What a smart move it turned out to be for Eisner to green light the project!

With its charming story, extremely catchy music, repurposed (and therefore cheap) animated characters, this thrilling flume drop, Splash Mountain was a major hit with fans since its first day of operation. The poster above celebrated its grand opening on July 17, 1989. To this day, the attraction continues to draw some of the longest lines at Disneyland for good reason.

Here's the 25th anniversary poster of Splash Mountain!

The Magic Kingdom in Florida and the Disneyland original will be swapped out for a Princess and the Frog makeover. It's not a bad idea- but I ask you- why can't people realize supposed "racist" overtones in the attraction are just not there? Even the origin stories come from African folklore. It's a charming and classic Disney attraction. I'm sure Tiana's adventure will be great too. But sometimes, too much is just too much.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)