SPLASH MOUNTAIN

'Splash Mountain' is a log flume attraction at three Walt Disney Parks that is based on the controversial 1946 Disney film ''Song of the South''. Each Splash Mountain features a large cast of audio-animatronic figures singing portions of the motion picture's soundtrack with a finale of a steep drop into a Briar Patch.

Contents

Story

Soundtrack

Variations

Releases

In popular culture

Trivia

See also

External links

Story

The ride presents scenes taken from the animated segments of ''Song of the South''. It tells the story of the adventures of Brer Rabbit, a mischievous rabbit who leaves his home at the Briar Patch to look for his ''laughing place''. Unfortunately for him, Brer Fox and Brer Bear, the antagonists of this story, are determined to catch him. The story starts off with an intro from Brer Frog, who warns of the troubles ahead. Brer Rabbit outsmarts the two a few times, but in the end, they manage to catch him and take him to Brer Fox's cave at 'Chickapin Hill'.
The transition into the Laughing Place takes place in the dark and the log out of the water and onto steel beams like a roller coaster.
Brer Rabbit outfoxes them one final time, by tricking them into throwing him into his home, the Briar Patch. At that point, riders are sent down the big drop into the Briar Patch. At the end of the ride, a showboat and a lot of critters sing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah to celebrate Brer Rabbit's safe return.
During the 52 1/2 foot plummet, a camera takes pictures of park guests in their log.

Soundtrack

The ride features many variations on the now-classic soundtrack of the film.

★ ''How Do You Do?''

★ ''Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place''

★ ''Burrow's Lament'' (originally a track from the film titled ''"Sooner or Later"'')

★ ''Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah''

Variations

The soundtrack for Disneyland's Splash Mountain is unique, while the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland Splash Mountain have the same music score. The soundtrack for Disneyland is rather orchestra-like and somewhat more formal, and also rather playful (rather sounding like the soundtrack for Song of the South). Florida's and Japan's soundtracks feature a country-western flavor (carried principally by banjos, fiddles and harmonicas). Dialog is Japanese for "How Do You Do?" and "Zip a-dee doo dah", but not for "Laughin' Place" at Tokyo Disneyland (in English). Burrow's Lament is heard, but is not sung at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland (since the scene where it is sung is absent of audio-animatronics in both rides), but is sung at Disneyland by a mother opossum and mother rabbit animatronic.

Releases

★ The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD): Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place & Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

★ : Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah & Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place

★ : Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place

★ : 8 minute version of the Magic Kingdom soundtrack

★ : 8 minute version of the Magic Kingdom soundtrack

★ : 8 minute version of the Disneyland soundtrack

★ A Musical History of Disneyland (2005): 12 minute version of the Disneyland soundtrack

★ Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth (2005): 8 minute version of the Disneyland soundtrack

In popular culture

★ In the sing along songs video Disneyland Fun, during "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", Splash Mountain was one of the rides the kids rode on.

Trivia

★ The Disneyland version features the largest number of audio-animatronics because many of them came from the now closed attraction America Sings.

★ Like a number of Disney attractions, much of Splash Mountain takes place outside of park boundaries. Guests are kept oblivious to the transition between the visible 'Chickapin Hill' and the warehouse-like show building that houses most of the experience, and clever landscaping within the park prevents guests from glimpsing the behind-the-scenes structures.

★ On warm days, the water cannon next to the Briar Patch shoots higher and further as to wet the flumes on the right hand side.

★ In the Walt Disney World version, there is an obvious "Hidden Mickey" during the show boat scene toward the end of the ride. Mickey can be seen lying on his back in the clouds. Also there is a Hidden Mickey in the room with jumping water, the hole in which Chickapin Hill flows is a side profile of Mickey's head, and there is at least one Hidden Mickey in the garden scene. Furthermore there is one near Br'er Frog when he is fishing on the alligator, visible as you pass him, and one composed of three barrels half-way up the second crankhill.

★ On October 29, 1989, ''Ernest Goes to Camp'' aired during The Magical World of Disney. Prior to the movie, Ernest was seen training for, and finally riding, the newly opened Splash Mountain. The end result had Ernest bewildered and collapsing to the ground, leaving guests to step on him while boarding the attraction.

★ There are several security cameras in this ride. If someone steps out of their seat, the alarm will go off, and the ride will be stopped.

★ At the American theme parks, cast members who operate the Splash Mountain attraction are affectionately known as "Splash Trash."

★ Originally the show scene "Sticky Situation," which portrays Br'er Rabbit stuck in honey, was planned to be the infamous Tar Baby scene from ''Song of the South''. The scene was changed to avoid the same notorious racial controversies that have plagued the film.

★ The Animatronic figures were animated by Davy Crockett Feiten.

★ When the ride was first put together, nearly all the animatronics were wired and put in place, Mr. Feiten was brought in to animate and fix story and staging problems. Mr. Feiten then moved nearly all of the animatronics to new locations and then took out 10 animatronic figures and removed them from the ride completely to improve the show.

★ Hoping to make illicit use of the in-ride photographs that Disney later sells to ride patrons, some riders briefly expose themselves (e.g., a woman's breasts) during a particular descent. Collected on the website "Flash Mountain" in the mid to late 1990s, the shots continue to circulate online.link title

★ In the Walt Disney World version, during the Laughing Place scene, the final gopher, who is suppose to be sneezing, says F-S-U. The Imagineer who did the voice went to Florida State University.

See also

★ List of current Disneyland attractions

★ Magic Kingdom attraction and entertainment history

★ Tokyo Disneyland attraction and entertainment history

★ Incidents at Disney parks

External links

★ Disneyland Park - Splash Mountain

★ Walt Disney World Resort - Splash Mountain

★

★ L.A. Times article about "Flash Mountain"

★ The Unofficial Song of the South website: Splash Mountain page

★ Walt Disney World Magic

★ Amusement ride for traveling down a water chute with reduced splash - Patent #5,613,443 - Patent for reduced splash logs used in Tokyo.

★ Disneyland Splash Mountain construction photos