- Disney World's Splash Mountain will oficially close in January.
- A new ride, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, will open in its place in late 2024.
Disney World announced it will close Splash Mountain in January to create a new ride based on "The Princess and the Frog."
Splash Mountain will officially close on January 23, 2023 for renovation. The ride is currently based on the 1946 film "Song of the South," which has long been criticized for its racial stereotypes and depictions of plantation life.
The new ride, called Tiana's Bayou Adventure, will open at Disneyland and Disney World in late 2024, according to USA Today. There are no plans to make changes to the Splash Moutnain ride at the Tokye Disney Resort.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said that he didn't think "Song of the South" was appropriate in the current day at a shareholder meeting in 2020, according to USA Today.
"I've felt, as long as I've been CEO, that 'Song of the South' was – even with a disclaimer – was just not appropriate in today's world," Iger said.
A 2019 petition to re-theme Splash Mountain to be based on "The Princess and the Frog" gained more than 21,000 signatures.
"Disney 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 re-theme Splash Mountain into a Princess and the Frog themed ride," the petition said.