Disney made a somewhat surprise official announcement a couple of weeks ago which outlined that the classic attraction, Splash Mountain is to be completely rethemed to the Princess and the Frog, at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. This has inevitably sparked a mass of opinion from Disney fans.

A variety of mixed feelings have been shown on social media, with some people outraged that Disney could even consider changing the iconic attraction, with others excited and in agreeance that a complete rehaul is necessary after over 30 years (at Disneyland) and some understanding the decision but disapproving of the proposed Tiana and the Princess and the Frog theme.

At a time when due to COVID-19 projects are being delayed, slimmed down and cancelled, this seemed like a surprising time for the news to be announced. Disney has made it clear that this project has been in the pipe line for over a year and we expect it to be worked on behind the scenes until budgets are in place to close the infamous Splash Mountain in preparation for the construction work to begin.

Since Walt Disney World reopened its gates last week, people have flocked to Splash Mountain to make sure they take the opportunity to get a last ride on this renown favorite. For those fans worrying that they might miss out unless they get back to the parks as soon as possible our recent article, 3 Important Things You Need To Know About the Status of Splash Mountain at Disney Parks, sums up everything that you need to know right now, and don't worry you should still have time for that last ride. 

It looks like it will probably be at least a year before Splash Mountain closes in its current form and although there has been a rush at the Splash Mountain shop to buy up merchandise, it seems likely that Disney will not miss out on the opportunity to continue to sell the current merchandise if there is the market for it.

So, there you have it, Splash Mountain is definitely set for a complete retheme in the near future, a surprise for many, an upset for many and an excitement for others. What do Theme Park Tourist readers think of this news? Let's find out...

RESULTS - Do YOU Think Splash Mountain Should Be Rethemed?

Well, we have had a massive response on this one and here are the results:

• Yes - 16%
• No - 81%
• Yes but to a different theme than Tiana, The Princess and The Frog - 3%

With any voluntary poll, you always expect that there may be a bias in that those that care deeply about the subject will vote and inevitably in this case it would be those fans that love the iconic ride as it currently is.

However, 81% is a large percentage. There are obviously a lot of fans that just love Splash Mountain and can't imagine it in any other form. It is positive to see that 16% are happy about the retheming and 3% acknowledge that things need to change but are not keen on the Tiana and The Princess and the Frog proposal.

Your Comments and Thoughts

We always love to hear your comments and views on our polls so I thought it would be a good idea to pick out a few to share with you in these results articles, I will always aim to get the best balance I can to show both sides of the debate. Splash Mountain is definitely a very important attraction for numerous Disney Fans as there have been hundreds of comments regarding this debate: 

"Never saw the movie it was based on so I was always amazed that it stuck for so long. I was also surprised that with the controversy of the movie that this wasn't done a long time ago. I don't really care what the reasons are as long as it's done well. I'm sure the new ride will be great too. The parks are always changing so this is nothing new."

"Keep it the way it is. I’m a former cast member and have been in this business for 30 years. The film hasn’t been released in any format for a few decades. I saw it in the early 70’s as a small child."

"Rethemeing is fine if they feel they should. Just not Princess and The Frog. Not a great Disney movie and, even worse, how does Louisiana bayous have anything to do with a frontierland??"

"I love, love, love this ride, but as time has passed and I learned more about the history, I realized that the theme was problematic. I will miss all the woodland creatures, and the song, but to my mind it is the right thing to do. When we know better, we do better."

"I'm excited to see New Orleans represented in WDW parks. Love the movie."

"How can you get mad at them changing a ride when the ride’s original creator is coming out of retirement to help with the project. I will take any ride that is Tony Baxter approved."

"It’s should have went to emperor new grove theme. Just imagine the last drop where uzma says pull the lever kronk. As you crest the hill she shouts wrong lever that we be awesome at Disney if they actually change it after so many others got cancelled. We shall wait and see!"

"Still disgusted about the choice and still hoping they change there mind!!!"

"I absolutely love Splash mountain, and I was not happy hearing about the change, I still believe Princess Tiana deserves her own ride , but it's happening. I know Disney will do it justice, as long as none of the drops are taken out. I still think Pocahontas would have been a better theme pick."

Click on one of our top two articles from the pop up below or head to page 2 for more comments, a round up on this big debate, a link to our next debate as well as a list of all our most recent featured articles...