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According to the OC Register, Disney will officially be retheming Splash Mountain in both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom to an attraction based on the animated classic, The Princess and the Frog. The new attraction will pick up after the final kiss, and we join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the incredible music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.

“The retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today,” according to a statement posted to the Disney Parks Blog. “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.”

According to the article, this change over has actually been in the works for a while. In fact, it’s actually been on the table since last year. While it may have been on the table for a while, the move seems to be pushed forward by Disney following a flurry of social media buzz to update Splash Mountain’s controversial backstory amid social justice protests. The Splash Mountain makeover will be led by Imagineering senior creative producer Charita Carter. The article also states that Imagineer Tony Baxter, who had a hand in creating Splash Mountain, will serve as a creative advisor for this makeover.

Splash Mountain is based off the controversial 1940s Disney film, Song of the South. The film itself features characters and songs based on the “Uncle Remus” stories, which is a collection of folktales from the Southern plantation era compiled by Joel Chandler Harris and published in the 1880s, which have been criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes. Disney shelved the controversial live-action/animated musical film back in the 1980s and the company’s former CEO and current Executive Chairman Bob Iger said the movie would not appear on Disney+.

As of right now, we don’t have a closing date for updating the attraction. It does however appear that when the parks reopen from their coronavirus closure, it will reopen in its current form at both resorts.

The post Splash Mountain to Be Rethemed to The Princess and the Frog appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disneyland (CA), News, Walt Disney World (FL), Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Princess and the Frog, Splash Mountain, walt disney world

Independence Day, Fourth of July, is practically here, and shopDisney and Disney Springs has plenty of Americana merchandise. At World of Disney at Disney Springs we spotted a collection of merchandise that celebrates the stars and stripes forever. You can find some of these items at shopDisney online, and we’ve included links to those items below.

Here are the red, white, and blue highlights:

• Mickey Mouse Americana Reversible Sequin Backpack – $29.99
• Mickey Mouse Icon Americana Windbreaker Jacket for Women $49.99
• Minnie Mouse Sequined Stars and Stripes Mini Backpack by Loungefly – $90.00
• Mickey Americana Leggings – $39.99
• Mickey USA V-Neck T-Shirt – $36.99
• Reversible Americana Throw – $39.99

 

You can find additional Americana items at shopDisney online.

Will any of these items make it to your own home of the brave?

The post Star-Spangled Merchandise Arrives to Disney Springs appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disney Springs, Merchandise, disney 4th of july, disney american, disney americana, disney patriotic

Splash Mountain in Disney World and Disneyland to be rethemed to The Princess and the Frog

Disney has just shared that they are going to be retheming Splash Mountain in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland…

Read on for more!

Today 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.

Stay tuned for more!

Recently petitions were submitted to change the theme of Splash Mountain and also to keep it the way it is.

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. You can read it here.

What do you think about the update to Splash Mountain? Let us know in the comment box below.

 

Source Disney Parks Blog

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney World, Splash Mountain, The Princess and the Frog

We have some BIG attraction news, you guys! 

Disney has JUST announced that they will be re-theming Disney World and Disneyland’s Splash Mountain attractions. 

Splash Mountain on both coasts will be re-themed and will be inspired by The Princess and the Frog. 

Recently, a petition to re-theme the attraction began circulating, and now, Disney has announced that they will be doing just that. You can see the full petition here.

However, according to Disney, “Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative arm of the company, has been developing a “Princess and the Frog” backstory for Splash Mountain since last year and settled on many of the concepts for the reimagined attraction last summer.”

Details on the New Theme

According to Disney, the attraction will pick up the story of The Princess and the Frog “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.”

When it comes to the approach to re-theming the attraction, Disney shared that 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.”

We will be updating this post with ALL the details. Stay tuned. 

What do you think of this change? Let us know in the comments below

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Featured, News, Disney World, Disneyland, Princess and the Frog, splash mountain