The Reopening of Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom Is Delayed

Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom Park was scheduled to reopen today following its annual refurbishment (and Guests in the park over the past couple of days have reported seeing the ride testing while it was closed). This morning, however, the Frontierland attraction did not open with the rest of the park, and as of this writing in the afternoon the ride remains closed. Unplanned maintenance issues on the attraction are likely the reason for the extended closure, however, Disney has not shared an explanation so we cannot confirm the reason.

Typically when an attraction is already closed for a refurbishment, the dates of the refurbishment would be extended on the official Walt Disney World website and the My Disney Experience app to let Guests know that the closure will run for longer than originally planned. In the case of Splash Mountain’s recent refurbishment, the attraction was scheduled to reopen today.

Guests visiting the Magic Kingdom today were alerted to the extended closure of Splash Mountain via a notification on the My Disney Experience app from Magic Kingdom Park President Melissa Valiquette, who apologized for the inconvenience and shared that Cast Members are working to open the ride soon.

Splash Mountain’s recent refurbishment was only scheduled for the ride to undergo routine maintenance, but there are more changes to the attraction coming at a later, as of yet unannounced date. In 2020, Disney officially announced that Splash Mountain would be re-themed, removing all inspiration from the controversial Song of the South (1946) film and updating the ride’s storyline to take Guests through the world of New Orleans as seen in The Princess and the Frog (2009).

The new reimagining of the attraction featuring Princess Tiana will be led by Senior Creative Producer of Walt Disney Imagineering Charita Carter, and The Princess and the Frog storyline will be added to the attraction in both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. No time frame has been given yet for the refurbishment to work on the retheming of the ride.