Activism has caused many people and companies to reassess over recent months, reflecting on whether past actions may have been considered racially insensitive and making moves to address them.
Disney is one of these companies, and they’ve announced plans to redesign their Splash Mountain ride in both Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida as a result.
The ride was originally based around the film Song of the South, a film that has been mired in controversy since its release in 1946.
Screenings of the movie were picketed and subject to marches, and Disney never released Song of the South on any video format for sale in the US.
Cultural historian Jason Sperb described the film as ‘one of Hollywood’s most resiliently offensive racist texts’, while Walter Francis White, the executive secretary of the NAACP said: ‘the production helps to perpetuate a dangerously glorified picture of slavery.’
Prompted by Black Lives Matter protests around the world, Disney announced that the new inspiration for the Splash Mountain ride would be The Princess and the Frog, a movie that also featured Disney’s first black princess, Tiana.
Disney released a statement on their website last night that said: ‘The theme is inspired by an all-time favourite animated Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog.”
‘We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.’
The backdrop will be the Louisiana Bayou and New Orleans, and the original voice of Tiana – Anika Noni Rose – will be involved. It’s located right off New Orleans Square in the parks, which makes it a perfect fit for the theme.
Charita Carter, the senior creative producer leading the project at Walt Disney Imagineering said, ‘Like Princess Tiana, I believe that courage and love are the key ingredients for wonderful adventures. I am delighted to be a part of bringing this fun-filled experience to our guests.’
Disney added: ‘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.’
Although this will be considered by many a positive step, The Princess and the Frog is not without its own controversies.
The reaction has been largely in praise of Disney – especially given the project is led by Charita Carter who is a black woman.
One person tweeted: ‘Disney finally retheming its racist ass splash mountain to princess and the frog I absolutely love this song.’
However, another viral tweet stated: ‘If you think I forgive princess and the frog for making the first and only black princess an amphibian for 85% of the movie, you are wrong.’
Disney certainly have a long way to go in terms of diversity, but hopefully this ride can be a step towards better representation from the company.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/26/disneyland-reimagining-splash-mountain-ride-remove-song-south-references-12905287/
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