People Are Freaking Out As Disney World’s Splash Mountain Closes Down To Get Rebranded As Something Less Racist

Someone also revealed they named their baby after the ride.

Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain closed down on Sunday ahead of its rebranding under a Princess and the Frog theme, drawing huge lines and an outpouring of mournful posts from Disney adults on social media.

On Sunday, Thrill Data, which records wait times for a variety of amusement parks, said the Splash Mountain line reached 220 minutes — more than three hours, an all-time record. Video from the park showed a sea of people waiting to get on.

Sellers on eBay are trying to cash in on the nostalgia, with one listing a jar of water from the ride for $25. Another seller is selling some water for only $5. There's also an expired FastPass card for Splash Mountain going for $5,000.

In a TikTok that's been viewed more than 1 million times, a mother named Kara shares her sadness that the ride is closing and reveals that she named her baby after it.

The comments are full of jokes, suggesting the baby is named everything from Zippidy Doo Dah to Baby Splashe Mountinne or even Splashton Mountleigh. In a follow-up TikTok, Kara reveals the baby's name is Briar, which she says she saw on a list of baby names and chose because it reminded her of the ride's briar patch.

She didn't immediately respond to questions from BuzzFeed News, but she also clarifies in the TikTok that she has never seen Song of the South, the Disney movie Splash Mountain is based on.

"I know it's very controversial and terrible, but the ride itself, I really like," she says.

For years, Splash Mountain has faced backlash because of its link to Song of the South, a 1946 Disney movie that relies heavily on racist stereotypes. Even though the movie takes place after the Civil War — and was made 80 years later — it still depicts Black characters as subservient and romanticizes plantation life. The movie has been criticized for decades; Disney has famously never released it on home video or streaming.

With that history, other people on social media side-eyed the grief over its closure.

Splash Mountain defenders when the Tiana ride has the exact same ride system but it doesn’t have characters from a 75 year old racist movie on it

Twitter: @kobcritic_

@jolenedolo

I don’t know how some of y’all are sad. Those animals look like paralysis demons and the song is mid at best 😩 #splashmountain #goodbyesplashmountain #disneyland

♬ original sound - Oceannpk

In 2020, Disney announced that the log ride would remove its Song of the South theme to instead tie into 2009's The Princess and the Frog. The new version of the ride will be called Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

We're thrilled to share Splash Mountain at @Disneyland & Walt Disney World will be completely reimagined with a new story inspired by an all-time favorite @DisneyAnimation film, “The Princess and The Frog.” Learn about what Imagineers have in development.

Twitter: @WaltDisneyWorld

Disney World did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A date hasn't yet been announced for when Splash Mountain will close at Disneyland.

Current wait time for Splash Mountain, on its last day of operation - 5hours 👀 #thatscrazy #lovethisride❤️ #goodbyesplashmountain

Twitter: @MarisaSpice1985

While Splash Mountain will no longer be Splash Mountain, it will remain a log ride with water. Disney does this all the time at its parks. Disney California Adventure's Tower of Terror is now based on Guardians of the Galaxy. Stitch’s Great Escape at Disney World was once Alien Encounter. Frozen Ever After was once Maelstrom, a ride exploring the history of Norway.

It will be OK. There will be plenty of opportunities to get soaking wet on a ride and spend the rest of the day walking around in soggy jeans.

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