Splash Mountain Monday

Thanks to a recent interaction with your typical online troll, I was reminded that Splash Mountain is now kaput…gonzo…bye bye…taking a dirt nap…since May 31st to be re-themed as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I can’t say I personally had any sadness over the removal of this attraction. For me, it has always been one big mound of irony.



Splash Mountain opened back in the summer of 1989, the supposed brainchild of Tony Baxter who was tasked with adding a log flume attraction to the virtually empty Bear Country. Imagineers attempted to elevate the standard fun park flume by theming it to the 1946 Disney film, “Song of the South.” Incorporating the tales told by Uncle Remus allowed the Imagineers to re-use the audio animatronic animals from the American Sings attraction in Tomorrowland. The timeliness of that particular attraction evaporated shortly after the Bicentennial. Lots of birds…lots of stones…are you with me?



While the main characters of Splash Mountain were new animatronics, the rest were part of the Disney recycle program. Is the picture below Splash Mountain or America Sings? Does it matter? Does anyone care?



Here’s where the irony part comes in. “Song of the South” was last shown in theaters in 1986 and has never been officially released by Disney on home media due to its reputation of being culturally insensitive. 



It is highly doubtful that the majority of people who rode this attraction were even aware of the source material, which has become a kind of forbidden fruit because of the Disney Corporation’s decision to censor/squelch/hide the 1946 live action/animated film which turned a handsome profit when first released.



This post is not about whether “Song of the South” should/shouldn’t be released for the world to see or the validity of the controversy that has swelled up around it.



Instead, I want to address the opportunity Disney has to fix a different kind of error that plagued this attraction from day one: it tries to be too many things at once and ended up being a hot (albeit wet) mess.



As a flume, it was pretty decent. The log moves at different speeds and the final drop was impressive; depending upon the weight of passengers in the boat and where you sat, you could exit the ride soaking wet. “Song of the South” though? The music from the movie is catchy enough, but unless you’ve seen the film, these random scenes that you whiz past don’t really mean squat.



Unlike the scenes in the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, the ones in Splash Mountain were not enticing or memorable enough to make you want to go back and see them again. The Showboat finale is fun and visually impressive, but did a bunch of dancing birds and foxes really hold the interest of the average guest?



Classic Disney animator Marc Davis described it best when he was talking about dark rides, particularly the Haunted Mansion:

The thing was that with this kind of attraction, I found out, and Walt agreed, that this was not a storytelling medium. All of these attractions we do at Disneyland — they’re a series of experiences, but they’re not “stories.” You don’t have a story where it starts at the beginning, a middle, and the end. It’s like you’re driving by and you see a lot of things from your automobile and say, “Wow—did you see that?” And so on, and so on, and that’s about what these rides are. If you happen to blink and you miss something, then you haven’t missed the attraction at all. And by this time, Walt and I discussed it many times. He said very definitely, “You can’t tell a story in this medium.” If you want to tell a story, make a movie! If you want to make an exciting attraction, do things that are aimed for that. I don’t think the two are interchangeable.

At the Disneyland Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary event back in August 2009, Kim Irvine likened the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean to a fantastic cocktail party where guests would go from conversation to conversation. What a fantastic analogy! I believe the “error” on many of the newer attractions is that their creators attempt to cram a story into a 4 minute attraction and most guests are literally left in the dark. The original interesting vignettes that stand alone in Pirates & The Mansion bear repeated viewings without having to have a linked storyline that holds them together. When the attic portion of the Mansion was given the storyline of Constance killing her husbands, few comprehended the convoluted mess and those who did just didn’t care. Now to the opportunity part…



“The Princess and the Frog” is a beautifully animated fairy tale with memorable songs and interesting characters.



Imagineers could go back to that cocktail party idea and create a number of interesting vignettes to hold the interest of guests as long as they don’t make the enjoyment dependent upon having seen the film or comprehending every detail as the log flume swiftly passes through. Keep it simple! 



Will Dr. Facilier be part of this? I sure hope so. The voodoo element could add an element of fun AND fear when done in the right proportion.



Tiana herself brings so many possibilities: hijinks in the kitchen of her restaurant, the live jazz played for guests, and the friendship/comic interplay between her and Charlotte, just to name a few. Over at DCA, the Little Mermaid attraction makes good use of the songs and tableaus. With the catchy tunes available from “The Princess and the Frog,” the same approach could be used.



The other suggestion I would make is to kill Critter Country altogether and expand New Orleans Square into that often vacant real estate instead. A Dr. Facilier Voodoo/Fortune parlour…a jazz club for regular guests (who can’t afford Club 33 membership)…and besides, would anyone cry over the loss of the Pooh dark ride?



If done correctly, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure could be a huge success.



If not, it could be the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage of Critter Country. I sure hope not.

See more Disneyland Splash Mountain photos at my main website.

The Court of Angels: A Celebration

When New Orleans Square at Disneyland first opened in 1966, The Court of Angels area was featured in the initial batch of publicity stills, such as the one shown here. Its design included a large curved staircase that made it a fool-proof scenic backdrop for guests' cherished photos.

Shortly after it was unveiled, this August 13, 1966 visitor had her photo taken there.



A July 1967 view; it must have been hot, as the guests are sitting in the shade provided by the staircase:



Here's how it looked in a genuine FauxD© shot taken on July 17, 1968:



Fast-forwarding to present day, Queenie poses as she descends the staircase to perform a few songs for visitors:



Princess Tiana can also be found in the Court of Angels:



When the rumors (and yes folks, they are still just unconfirmed rumors) began to surface that the public might lose access to this area because of the upcoming Club 33 expansion, I had mixed feelings. Initially, I was so upset to think that this peaceful and somewhat hidden area might actually be changed or removed.



The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that it had already been changed by the merchandising arm of Disney, who constantly clutter it with various revenue-generating opportunities. Christmas gift sales and Pirate transformations for the kiddies had already begun to rob it of its tranquil nature.



Trying to be level-headed about the situation, if this area gets closed off to the public and is absorbed by Club 33, I can't say that I would lose much sleep over it.



Already my visits there have become fewer and fewer, since it has become increasingly difficult to catch a time when it wasn't desecrated by a tacky merchandising opportunity.



Supposedly it will be closing at the end of September, which prompted me to make one (last?) trek inside for a few photos. Here are the ones I shot last week:





















If you are gone for good, I will miss you Court of Angels. You were a wondrous place to hide from the multitudes of guests while allowing the brief illusion that Disneyland was all mine. I hope that one day I will see you again.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Court of Angels photos on my Court of Angels web page.

Trip Report Pt. 2: Soundsational, DCA, and More!

When I last left you, I was jockeying for position to watch one of my favorite parades in years, Soundsational! A perfect blend of Disney character favorites and the whimsical stylings of Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. My picture taking began in the Aladdin portion of the parade. Bring on the dancing girls!



Ariel blew kisses from above:



The Princess that started it all was on hand to wave to her grateful admirers in the crowd:



A particularly lovely Cinderella:



The styling of this bird just screams Kevin & Jody; in a good way!



Down at the Bayou, Princess Tiana was especially joyful and energetic:



The Princess and the Frog Showboat is one of my favorite set pieces from this parade. So much to see and admire, it is adorned with wonderful details.





Tink looked feisty as ever:



As the sun began to set, Mary & Bert were perfectly illuminated by the golden glow of the late afternoon, making it a perfectly Jolly Holiday:







After the parade, I made my way over to the other side, aka DCA.



Be sure to look at every square inch of Buena Vista Street; there are many gags and details for you to enjoy.



As I sauntered down the main boulevard of Hollywood Land, The Five and Dime car was driving by:



Quite surprisingly, I noticed that the Mad T Party was already occurring...in daylight!



Although it seems a lot more fun at night, I still enjoyed listening to the band play some of my favorite dance tunes while the enthusiastic crowd packed the floor below:









Across the way, I took a journey through The Sorcerer's Workshop in the Animation Building:





This is a hidden gem at DCA; unless told about it, I doubt that the average guest would stumble upon it on their own.





With all kinds of cool lights and crazy contraptions, you feel as if you have discovered a secret cave that begs to be explored.





It was hard for me to believe that in all the years I've been going to Disneyland, I h ad never really taken the time to photograph this beautiful area.



See Aladdin in the light fixture?



All the chairs were full as guests interacted with the touch screens to see which Disney character they most resembled:





The movie at the Crest Theater has been changed from "Snow White" to "Fantasia"; The El Capitan is still showing "Pinocchio." No changes in the last 11 years for the El Cap—"Pinocchio" must be doing well!



I was going to take the Red Car Trolley back to the new "hub" of DCA, but it was already full. Instead, I put my camera to use!



NEXT UP: Cars Land and Carthay!

See more vintage and current Disneyland/DCA photos on my Disneyland web pages.