It seems that The Walt Disney Company has ordered everything from Splash Mountain not for immediate reuse to be utterly destroyed. It’s said to be because Splash Mountain is a “sensitive” issue.
Museums all over North America would love to have the historical artifacts from Splash Mountain. It’s one of the most beloved theme park attractions in all the world. The characters on the ride are joint creations of the black movie stars who created their voices and mannerisms, along with Walt Disney who wished to see them brought to life. James Baskett and Nick Smith, pioneers in forcing Hollywood to give access to minorities on the big screen, are deeply embedded into those characters. Baskett is the first African American man to win an Academy Award. Nick Smith is widely held as the first black voice actor.
Yet in spite of the historical nature of the Bre’r characters on the ride, Disney is intent to destroy them and everything associated with the ride. And we’ve learned this via an Imagineer who perhaps had a bit too much to drink at a party.
What has been described is a sense of glee and fulfillment as Imagineers watched and participated in the shredding and destruction of ride props from Splash Mountain. We are told that this extends to nearly everything from the ride.
This is appalling behavior from a company that tends to keep its history and legacy in tact. We hope the company will avoid destroying the original materials from Song of the South in their vault. Likewise, we hope that Disney will refrain from destroying other “problematic” pieces of material it holds. Is Dumbo safe? Is Snow White?
And at the least, perhaps young Imagineers should not report on the destruction of one of the most popular attractions in the history of theme parks with a sense of glee. It’s not a good look. Here’s to hoping the pieces, props, artifacts and costumes from Splash Mountain in Disneyland are treated with more respect. This is Tony Baxter’s legacy, it is Walt’s legacy, it is the legacy of the African American pioneers of Hollywood who brought these characters to life. They deserve far, far better.
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Disney doesn’t like this being mentioned in public but Song of the South is in the public domain just about everywhere else in the world.
Once anything hits the internet it’s out of Mickey the Great and Terrible’s hands.
If the Disney Company reads comments, you need to fire every employee attached to this project once finished.
For some reason, your imagineers were trained to destroy company property. Disney can never untrain this behavior. The next project the imagineers will junk valuable and necessary material. In fact, these imagineers have likely junked needed reusable material for this project.
This group of imagineers will devalue everything they touch. Disney needs to release every person attached.