The attraction's previous inspiration, 1946's 'Song of the South,' has long been deemed problematic.
Song of the South is being relegated to history and The Princess of the Frog is the future, as Disneyland Resort announced that Splash Mountain will soon be "completely reimagined" with Princess Tiana at its center. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-finally.
The flume ride, which has long been a staple of Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida, will now become a Louisiana bayou adventure following Princess Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) and Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley) as they prepare for a Mardi Gras performance.
"The Imagineers are giving us The Princess and the Frog Mardi Gras celebration we've been waiting for, and I'm here for it!" Rose said, promising fans will be "over the moon."
Check out the official concept art for the redesign:
Though Disney does not explicitly address why the change is taking place in its release, it comes after a petition called for the company to retheme the ride, explaining that the attraction is "steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes" from the 1946 film Song of the South.
(Of note, Song of the South had previously been locked away in the Disney vault, never released on home video in the U.S. and not available on Disney+.)
"With this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today," Disney's statement reads. "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."
No word yet on when the redesign will be completed, but Disney previously announced that park-goers will have to wait a bit longer to return to the "Happiest Place on Earth" amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Though the park was set to reopen on July 17, it has been delayed to a TBD date.
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