Disney: Update Splash Mountain story, don’t lose beloved characters

As an avid Disney fan, I’m not sure I’ve seen such adamant and rather consensus opinion about a topic as I’ve seen with the prospective overhauling of Splash Mountain.

Outgoing Disney CEO Bob Chapek last week said that Disney “ought to listen to its fans.” A tremendous start would be to save and re-imagine Splash Mountain for a new generation.

In Splash Mountain, Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox are amongst the beloved characters, shown in settings that include the Briar Patch. At a time when Disney’s approval is so low among guests, this would provide the company an excellent opportunity to release a re-imagined movie with these characters. To help correct any problematic vibes that may be out there from the controversial 1946 “Song of the South” film that introduced Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox, the new movie should instead help highlight our evolution on issues promoting humanity and equality.

Disney is always assessing whether its storytelling aligns with the climate and has always been a leader in promoting diversity and inclusion. Oftentimes, though, I think we may rush into removing things that are problematic, versus finding alternate (and possibly better) ways of addressing a situation. If Disney opts to proceed with gutting Splash Mountain, I feel that the company would miss an even better opportunity to promote the same values it explained to use as the reason for getting rid of the ride.

Disney fans of all backgrounds and generations deserve to have a Zip-ADee-Do-Da time down the mountain for decades to come.

Matt Perry Orlando