Exactly one year ago, on June 25, 2020, Disney announced they will be reimagining Splash Mountain at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World to a Princess and the Frog theme. We remember that day well as the response to the news was overwhelming to say the least. Some Disney fans were thrilled while others were fuming. We even received messages asking if it was an April Fools joke in the middle of June.
Some Disney fans started a petition to keep Splash Mountain as is. And some Disney fans started a petition to re-theme Splash Mountain. While there are those that want to see Splash Mountain stay the iconic Splash Mountain, there are others that are excited to see what Disney has in store for the Princess and the Frog theme.
After the news broke, Disney fans raced over to Splashdown Photo and gift shop at the exit of Splash Mountain and purchased all the merchandise they possibly could. To this day, there is absolutely no merchandise featuring Splash Mountain available in the parks that we are aware of. After a full year however, we have yet to see any signs of transformation at Splash Mountain.
A year ago Disney shared, “The approach to retheming or “plussing” attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. 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.”
When Disney made the announcement they gave little information on when the Splash Mountain transformation would begin but left us with: “As part of the creative development process, conceptual design work is well underway and Imagineers will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape. Stay tuned for more!”
Are you ready to see the Splash Mountain transformation begin, or are you happy a year has passed without any changes? We’ll keep you posted as we learn more of what’s to come from Disney, as we “stay tuned for more”!
