Splash Mountain was an iconic attraction and replacing the theme with Princess and the Frog has been met with mixed feelings in the Disney community.
I’m already seeing negative ride reviews posted. Only a few hundred people have ridden the ride so far. Be careful of the online reviews you see. For me, this was a smart business decision Disney needed to make. Whether you believe that Disney is “woke” or not – the movie Splash Mountain was based on isn’t going to be released. Disney needed intellectual property for the attraction that could build excitement – and sell merch!
So with that out of the way, let’s talk about the ride experience.
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We were able to ride on June 3 during the Cast Member previews.
The mountain is absolutely beautiful. The addition of the flowers and tower makes this even more eye-catching as you approach. I can’t wait to see it at night. The transformation from a barren, thorny mountain to a lush bayou is really well done.
We expected to wait in the queue longer. The queue is full of surprises and tiny details. We could only glance them as we were quickly moved to the boarding area.
The ride is familiar with the track remaining the same. At times you notice the similarities. There are even some hidden Easter eggs nods to Splash. Most of the ride takes you to a whole new world and I forgot I was on a track I’ve ridden dozens of times. The animatronics are next-level – so impressive. These are not animatronics doing 2 or three simple repeating motions. These feel alive!
I had a favorite moment in Splash, a small drop into a show scene. I love that dropped and knew it was coming. But they used lighting effects to completely change it! And of course, you’ll have the music stuck in your head all day long – or at least until you pass Small World. Bottom line – Disney pulled up an impressive upgrade to a classic attraction.
Overall I think this is a much better attraction.
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