Song of the South's last trip through theaters would occur just before Splash Mountain construction began. Other projects, like Star Tours and Captain EO, took priority over Splash Mountain. Imagineers mostly ignored this idea, which worked out because construction on Splash Mountain didn't actually start for three years.
FIRST LOG FLUME RIDE IN THE WORLD MOVIE
It was also used because, at the time, Disney was working on a live-action movie called Splash, that Eisner wanted to see integrated into the attraction in some way. He came up with Splash Mountain, to connect the new attraction with other Disneyland mountains, like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The only thing Michael Eisner didn't like was the name. The Song of the South connection was apparently okay with everybody at the time. According to those who were there, It was only after the son told his dad that the attraction looked cool that Eisner gave it the green light. Eisner was especially concerned about getting teenagers into Disneyland, so much so that he reportedly brought his own teen son along to the meeting with Imagineering. In 1984, brand new Disney CEO Michael Eisner was pitched on the project. Most of the animals you see on Splash Mountain never appear in Song of the South, but they all look like they belong there.ĭesign work began on the project, which was originally being called Zip-a-Dee River Run.
This meant the menagerie of America Sings animatronics could be transported across the park to the new Splash Mountain attraction, and they'd fit the Song of the South theme perfectly. He had been with Disney since he was an animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and in the 1940s, before he made the jump from animation to Imagineering, Davis designed another group of animated characters: the animals from Song of the South.īecause Marc Davis had designed the characters from both Song of the South and America Sings, the style of the anthropomorphic animals was incredibly similar. America Sings was the last attraction designed by Imagineer Marc Davis. The timing, at least with this part, couldn't have been more perfect. America Sings was already on the chopping block and was getting ready to be replaced. The show was born to celebrate the nation's coming bicentennial, but by 1983, the bicentennial was long gone, and the show was showing its age. In the show, a collection of animatronic animals sang a medley of patriotic songs. In 1974, Disneyland had replaced the Carousel of Progress with a show called America Sings. The only attraction in the area, The Country Bear Jamboree, was showing its age, and as Bear Country was a dead end at the back of the park, the real estate given to Bear Country just wasn't pulling its weight. While Disneyland was still plenty popular at the time, one particular area of the park, Bear Country, was not. Disneyland was dealing with a host of different issues at the time that Walt Disney Imagineering was trying to solve. The history of Splash Mountain dates back to the early 1980s. But how in the world did a movie that nobody wants to talk about get a theme park attraction in 1989, and even later when the ride was added to other parks after Disneyland? Disneyland in the 1980s The movie has a very dated view of racial relations, and as such, with that topic being at the forefront of many minds, there are many asking Disney to re-theme Splash Mountain.
The movie isn't available on Disney+ now, and it's unlikely that it ever will be. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger made it clear on multiple occasions that he saw no place for the film in a modern Disney company. Song of the South hasn't been released by Disney since 1986, and the movie has never seen a home video release in North America.
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