{"id":1761877,"date":"2022-12-04T06:06:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-04T11:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1761877"},"modified":"2022-12-04T07:48:35","modified_gmt":"2022-12-04T12:48:35","slug":"disney-to-end-iconic-splash-mountain-ride-due-to-racism-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-to-end-iconic-splash-mountain-ride-due-to-racism-allegations\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney to End Iconic &#8220;Splash Mountain&#8221; Ride Due to Racism Allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisney-to-end-iconic-splash-mountain-ride-due-to-racism-allegations%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1761877&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Disney has announced a closing date for the iconic Splash Mountain ride to carry out a long-planned revamp after elements of the iconic attraction were criticized for supposedly being racist.<\/p>\n<p>Splash Mountain, which has been a staple at several Disney theme parks for decades, will\u00a0close at Walt Disney World in Florida on Jan. 23, 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/a-new-scene-and-new-critters-are-introduced-for-tianas-bayou-adventure\/\">according to a statement<\/a> on the Disney Parks Blog.<\/p>\n<p>The ride, which draws on\u00a0the film Song of the South that has been criticized for reinforcing racial stereotypes, is also featured at another Disney theme park in Anaheim, California.<\/p>\n<p>Disney has not announced when the ride would be closed at the Anaheim park, saying only that additional information \u201cwill be shared at a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and the ensuing racial tensions, the company <a href=\"https:\/\/disneyparks.disney.go.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/new-adventures-with-princess-tiana-coming-to-disneyland-park-and-magic-kingdom-park\/\">first announced<\/a> Splash Mountain would\u00a0be \u201ccompletely reimagined\u201d within a more progressive framework that is \u201cfresh\u201d and \u201crelevant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Disney said at the time that the Splash Mountain attraction will be rethemed to the film The Princess and the Frog, with a \u201cstrong lead character\u201d in the form of Princess Tiana.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what\u2019s really important,\u201d Disney said in the blog post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe new concept is inclusive\u2014one 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,\u201d the company said at the time.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4902309\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Splash-Mountain-3-1200x800-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-large wp-image-4902309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Splash-Mountain-3-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4902309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Splash-Mountain-3-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A model of Tiana\u2019s Bayou Adventure, which will reimagine Disneyland\u2019s Splash Mountain, is displayed during the Walt Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 9, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon\/AFP)<\/figure>\n<p>In the current version of the Splash Mountain ride, people board a log boat and set out on a slow climb up the \u201cmountain,\u201d with narration provided by several animated characters from Song of the South\u2014Br\u2019er Rabbit, Br\u2019er Fox, and Br\u2019er Bear.<\/p>\n<p>In the fantasyland narrative, the three characters embark on an adventure that ends with Br\u2019er Rabbit falling into a briar patch.<\/p>\n<p>And in the real world, after the ascent, riders descend rapidly around 50 feet down along a steep slope and through some water, where they\u2019re hit with a refreshing splash after a thrilling ride.<\/p>\n<p>But the ride also incorporates themes from Song of the South, a controversial film with a storyline that has been accused of being racist.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4902308\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Splash-Mountain-2-1200x2581-1-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-large wp-image-4902308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Splash-Mountain-2-1200x2581-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"1377\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4902308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Splash-Mountain-2-1200x2581-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"1377\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> People scream as they ride on the Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World\u2019s Magic Kingdom\u00a0in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 11, 2001. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhile the ride is considered a beloved classic it\u2019s history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes from the 1946 film Song of the South,\u201d reads a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/the-walt-disney-company-re-theme-splash-mountain-to-princess-and-the-frog?recruiter=683574212&#038;utm_source=share_petition&#038;utm_medium=twitter&#038;utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_abi&#038;recruited_by_id=f9543170-f5e1-11e6-a5d0-b5e95c874c8a\">petition on<\/a> Change.org that called for Splash Mountain to be rethemed to Princess and the Frog.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis change could kill two birds with one stone, remove the offensive stereotypical theming the ride currently has and bring a much needed diversity to the parks,\u201d the petition adds.<\/p>\n<p>The Splash Mountain backstory is a derivative of Song of the South, which was pulled from distribution after it was last released in cinemas in 1986.<\/p>\n<p>The film follows a little boy visiting his grandmother\u2019s plantation and learning life lessons from stories told by the character of Uncle Remus, an elderly black\u00a0worker on the plantation. The boy, Johnny, enjoys listening to tales about the adventures of Br\u2019er Rabbit, Br\u2019er Fox, and Br\u2019er Bear, learning from the allegories how to deal with life\u2019s\u00a0various challenges.<\/p>\n<p>While the film takes place in the Reconstruction Era, after the end of the Civil War and abolition of slavery, critics have complained about the film\u2019s upbeat tones, including a popular song \u201cZip-a-dee-doo-dah,\u201d which won an Academy Award for best original song.<\/p>\n<p>Disney in 2020 quietly removed the theme song from Splash Mountain in preparation for the remake.<\/p>\n<p>The film has also been criticized for supposedly perpetuating harmful racial stereotypes, specifically by portraying Uncle Remus as a kind of Uncle Tom figure that was content in his role as a black servant to white plantation owners.<\/p>\n<p>Disney CEO Bob Iger, who after a hiatus recently returned to helm the company, said in a March 2020 shareholders meeting: \u201cI\u2019ve felt, as long as I\u2019ve been CEO, that \u2018Song of the South\u2019 was\u2014even with a Disclaimer\u2014was just not appropriate in today\u2019s world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The petition to retheme Splash Mountain has garnered over 20,000 signatures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisney has removed Song of the South from its library, refusing to share it on DVD or their streaming services. The best next step to remove all traces of this racist movie would be to retheme Splash Mountain into a Princess and the Frog themed ride,\u201d the petition states.<\/p>\n<h2>Iger Returns as CEO<\/h2>\n<p>Disney announced in late November that Iger would return to his position for two years, which came less than a year after he retired.<\/p>\n<p>In a press release, the\u00a0Walt Disney Company Board of Directors said that\u00a0Iger, who\u00a0spent more than 40 years at the company and\u00a0served as Disney CEO for 15 years, will replace\u00a0successor Bob Chapek, who has stepped down from the role.<\/p>\n<p>Iger will \u201cset the strategic direction for renewed growth\u201d at the company and will work closely with the board in \u201cdeveloping a successor to lead the company at the completion of his term,\u201d Disney said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4722987\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Bob_Iger_GettyImages-1236668881-1200x800-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-large wp-image-4722987\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Bob_Iger_GettyImages-1236668881-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4722987\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Bob_Iger_GettyImages-1236668881-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger attends the Exclusive 100-Minute Sneak Peek of Peter Jackson\u2019s The Beatles: Get Back at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 18, 2021. (Charley Gallay\/Getty Images for Disney)<\/figure>\n<p>Iger retired as head of Hollywood\u2019s most powerful studio in December last year.<\/p>\n<p>The move comes after Disney\u00a0posted disappointing <a href=\"https:\/\/thewaltdisneycompany.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/11\/q4-fy22-earnings.pdf\">results<\/a> for its fiscal fourth quarter, showing declining\u00a0advertising sales and added costs for streaming programming.<\/p>\n<p>While the company saw an increase in\u00a0streaming customers from July through September, beating\u00a0analysts\u2019 expectations, it also\u00a0reported lower-than-expected revenue of\u00a0$20.15 billion in the quarter. Analysts had estimated revenue of $21.24 billion.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Pivotal Period\u2019<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4726027\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/09\/12\/Disney-ESPN-logo-1200x720.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-medium wp-image-4726027\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Disney-ESPN-logo-600x360-1.jpg\" alt=\"Disney ESPN logo\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4726027\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Disney-ESPN-logo-600x360-1.jpg\" alt=\"Disney ESPN logo\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A 3D-printed Disney logo in front of the ESPN+ logo in a photo illustration taken on July 13, 2021. (Dado Ruvic\/Illustration\/Reuters)<\/figure>\n<p>Elsewhere, the company\u2019s\u00a0direct-to-consumer unit saw operating losses increase to\u00a0$1.5 billion, which the company said was due to \u201ca higher loss at Disney+ and a decrease in results at Hulu, partially offset by improved results at ESPN+.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shares of\u00a0Disney\u00a0have fallen more than 40 percent this year.<\/p>\n<p>Disney announced earlier in November that it would freeze hiring, cut jobs, and reduce executive expenses amid a volatile economy and growing fears of a recession.<\/p>\n<p>Business travel will also be limited\u00a0to essential trips among\u00a0executive staff and meetings will be conducted virtually whenever possible to trim costs, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/disney-announces-hiring-freeze-layoffs-travel-expense-cuts_4859757.html?utm_source=ai&#038;utm_medium=search\">reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement on Sunday, Iger said that he was \u201cextremely optimistic for the future\u201d of Disney and \u201cthrilled to be asked by the board to return as its CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisney and its incomparable brands and franchises hold a special place in the hearts of so many people around the globe\u2014most especially in the hearts of our employees, whose dedication to this company and its mission is an inspiration,\u201d Iger said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am deeply honored to be asked to again lead this remarkable team, with a clear mission focused on creative excellence to inspire generations through unrivaled, bold storytelling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-tom-ozimek\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/WEB_TomOzimek-_1.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Ozimek\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Disney has announced a closing date for the iconic Splash Mountain ride to carry out a long-planned revamp after elements of the iconic attraction were criticized for supposedly being racist.Splash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1761880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1761877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1761877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1761880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1761877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1761877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1761877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}