Skip to main content

Featured Post

Are the Disney Princesses Good Role Models? Part 1: Snow White

1 comment

My Thoughts of the Splash Mountain Re-Theming

At first, I thought it was just one of those April Fool’s-esque jokes, like when everyone was putting out articles that Cinderella’s castle would be changed to the Frozen castle. But as I read it from multiple sources, I realized that it was true. And my initial, knee-jerk reaction when I heard of this iconic Disney attraction changing was “No!”.

 

But the more I thought about it, the more I excited I became for the re-theme.

 

I kind of low-key hate Splash Mountain. Not the drop. The drop is the best part. I hate the show rooms. I already have a slight fear of animatronics, but the ones on Splash are terrifying. The animatronics look very old and move rigidly. Despite the fact that it is refurbished every winter, the “show” never really works right. There are constant animatronic failure and ride breakdown reports. Whether that’s due to the wear and tear of the ride or just the presence of social media, we’ll never know. But we’ve been hearing horror stories of animatronics with cracked eyeballs or missing parts for years. Supposedly, the animatronics are difficult to fix because the water prevents easy access to the mechanical parts. And the sound recordings are fuzzy like an old record player. When riding, I remember thinking how difficult it was to understand what the characters were saying, dialect aside. I have been secretly hoping Disney would shut the ride down for an extensive refurb and a re-recording of the dialogue. No matter how much you love Splash, you have to admit it has seen better days.

 

I high-key love Princess and the Frog. I adore the themes, setting and characters. So getting an attraction based off the movie? Awesome! And the fact that Disney will be using updated technology and now have a better understanding of how to place animatronics for easy repair access (looking at you, Betty) so the ride experience will be better than before? Amazing!

 

I know some people may be upset about changing such a classic Disney ride – and that is a natural reaction anytime something changes in the parks. But honestly, Princess and the Frog represents Disney much better than Song of the South. Princess and the Frog is about having faith in magic and wishing stars, but also working hard for what you want, and sharing your success with others. So many Disney artists, imagineers, performers, writers and other cast members all work hard to put together something that spreads magic to other’s lives. Princess and the Frog is a very fitting story to be represented at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.

 

Trading the disgraceful state of Splash Mountain’s show rooms for updated ones that portray an underrated movie with a classic Disney message is a no-brainer.

 

I’m not here to tell you if I think Splash Mountain is racist or not. I’m here to say that maybe change isn’t as bad as it first seems. And I have no doubt that Disney will pull this off in a way that’s satisfactual.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Complete List of Disney Animated Movies

 So, you want to know or watch every Disney animated movie ever? Disney Darling Blog has a comprehensive list of Disney movies, broken. down by the studio from which the films were produced.   Disney Animation Studios When most people think of "Disney movies", they are probably referring to Disney Animation Studios films. These movies were made from Disney's official animation studio and theatrically released.  At the time of writing, Disney Animation Studios (DAS) has released 61 movies. In this list, these movies are broken down by era. The Golden Era starts off with the massively successful Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The movies in this era were critically acclaimed and helped establish Walt Disney as a serious filmmaker.  During WWII, the Disney movie studio struggled. To save money, many films were made up of a compilation of cartoon shorts. This era is referred to the Package Era, or sometimes the Wartime Era.  With the war over, D...
1 comment
Read more

A Review of Tinkerbell

One day my friends decided to Disney Bound as the fairies. They asked me which one I wanted to be and I had no clue. I had never seen a Tinkerbell / Fairies movie despite that the franchise was already 8 years old. But after a brief description of the fairies from my friends, I decided to go as Silvermist, the water fairy.  That was a year ago. Just recently I decided it was about time for me to check out this franchise. So I sat down and watched 2008's Tinkerbell. It was not as bad as I anticipated. Sure, there were some cheesy moments and the animation was crude. The movie's strong point was the voice acting of all the different characters. Tinkerbell has an all star cast with Kristen Chenoweth, Lucy Lui, Raven Simone and Jesse McCartney. Tinkerbell is voiced by none other than Mae Whitman. I am a big fan of Mae and she did not disappoint. I also really liked all the different characters, each with their unique talents and personalities. I think little girls could easil...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Things I Will NEVER Do At Walt Disney World's Epcot

Epcot is a unique park to the Walt Disney World resort. There’s plenty of rides to ride, shows to watch, food to eat, and alcohol to be consumed. However, there are just some things that I choose to skip at Epcot. Here are the things that I will NEVER do at Epcot: Start in Mexico There is a great debate amongst Epcot fans: start in Canada or Mexico? I am firmly on team Canada. Mexico is a fabulous pavilion, and I like to end on a high note. Plus, the drunker you are, the more exponentially fun the Mexican boat ride is, so you have to save that for last. When it’s the Food and Wine Festival, I love starting in Canada to get some cheese soup first thing. I dream about that soup, and I don’t want to wait all day long to have it.  I also love starting in France from the International Gateway. As long as we don’t start in Mexico! Forget to thank the Phoenicians Did you know that the giant golf ball at Epcot has a ride inside? It’s called Spaceship Earth, and it’s the park centerpiece at...
Post a Comment
Read more

Walt Disney World Parks: The Basics

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Or just want to learn more about the parks and don't know where to start? Disney Darling breaks down the basics for you! Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World Disneyland and Disney World are two different parks, located on opposite sides of the country. As mentioned in this post , it is a common misconception that Disneyland and Disney World are the same thing.  Disneyland is the first Disney theme park ever, opening in 1955. It is located in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles.  Disneyland has two different parks: Disneyland Park (with the castle), and Disney's California Adventure (or DCA). Disneyland also has three hotels and the Downtown Disney shopping district.  Walt Disney World is located in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It opened in 1971, after Walt's passing. Walt Disney World has 4 different theme parks, 2 water parks, 28 hotels, and the Disney Springs shop...
Post a Comment
Read more