It’s no secret that many Disney Fanatics have made quite a fuss about the permanent closure of the Splash Mountain ride in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park.
Whether they’ve been selling containers of water for thousands of dollars with claims that it’s water from the classic ride’s two locations, frantically collecting Br’er Rabbit memorabilia, very foolishly drinking the theme park rides’ water, or haranguing Disney CEO Bob Iger about the closures, Disney fans have most certainly made their dismay known.
Riding Splash Mountain One Last Time
The Walt Disney World Resort version of the ride, which was based in the Magic Kingdom, closed in January of 2023 — but just a few days ago, its Disneyland counterpart met the same controversial fate, and apparently at least one Walt Disney Imagineer was there to commemorate the ride that he had played a role in creating!
Walt Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter appeared in Disneyland alongside many Disney Guests to cram in as many Splash Mountain rides as possible on the ride’s last day of operation.
According to the Tweet shown below from James Mulligan, Imagineer Tony Baxter “literally stopped for nearly everyone that asked for a photo, signed things, and was there til the bitter end.”
https://twitter.com/JamesCMulligan/status/1663835198562377728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1663835198562377728%7Ctwgr%5Eb5b72d4a23b38e7346636a672ccc1e0eec035a61%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdisneytips.com%2Fanother-disney-classic-closes-forever-sw1%2F
Mulligan added in another Tweet, shown below, that “we all stepped out of the log at precisely 11:01pm. 1 minute after park closing, with #TonyBaxter and gang being officially last to exit at official park closing time!”
https://twitter.com/JamesCMulligan/status/1664184881621110784
The Legend Behind the Ride
Journalist Scott Gustin also shared the news about Tony Baxter’s efforts to pay tribute to the Song of the South-inspired ride in the Tweet shown below.
As the Senior Vice President of Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering back in the day, Baxter was responsible for the creation and the designs of several big-named Disney rides, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Star Tours, The Indiana Jones Adventure, and (of course) Splash Mountain.
Baxter actually got his career start in 1965 as a 17-year-old ice cream scooper in Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A area, which has endeared him even further to hardcore Disney fans.
Tony Baxter (and others) riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland for the final time. https://t.co/iALFKZC9t5
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) May 30, 2023
Splash Mountain has just made its final bow, but at least an Imagineer was there to make the send-off more magical!
Now, Splash Mountain’s destruction is underway as plans continue for the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Park.
How are you feeling about the construction of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the destruction of Splash Mountain? Let us know on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
