Splash Mountain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Splash Mountain | |
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| Land | Frontierland/Critter Country |
| Theme Parks | Walt Disney Parks |
| Locations and Opening Dates | |
| Disneyland | July 17, 1989 |
| Magic Kingdom | July 17, 1992 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | October 1, 1992 |
Splash Mountain is a log flume attraction at three Walt Disney Parks that is based on the 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.
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[edit] 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. 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. 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.
[edit] Attraction facts
- Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
- Height: Mountain is 87 feet
- Water: Over 20,000 gallons flow through the flume every minute
- Size: Occupies a 9.2 acre site
- Speed: Over 40 mph on the final drop
- Height requirement: 40"
- Show length: aprox. 10:00
- Ride system: Flume ride
- Log: Each log has a weight of 1 ton.
- Lift Motors: Custom made from Europe with a total of 3 lifts
- Extra options:
[edit] Disneyland
- Grand opening: July 17, 1989
- Length: Approx. 2640 ft
- Audio-Animatronics: 105
- Drop 5-story (52.5 ft.), 47-degree waterfall
- Log size 6-passenger logs (single file) [Seven passengers is possible, because of large bench seat in last row]
- Location: Critter Country
- Fast Pass: yes
- Extra options:
[edit] Magic Kingdom
- Grand opening: July 17, 1992 (dedicated October 2)
- Length: 2,600 ft
- Audio-Animatronics: 68
- Drop 45 degrees
- Log size 8-passenger logs (Side by side seating in four rows)
- Location: Frontierland
[edit] Tokyo Disneyland
- Grand opening: October 1, 1992
- Length: 2,800 ft
- Drop 45 degrees
- Log size 8-passenger logs (Side by side seating in four rows)
- Location: Critter Country
[edit] Splash Mountain Photography
During the 52 1/2 foot plummet, a camera takes pictures of park guests in their log. Other Disney attractions that are equipped with souvenir photos are Disneyland's Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Disney-MGM Studios' Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Disney-MGM Studios' and Disney's California Adventure Park's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney's California Adventure Park's California Screamin', Disney's Animal Kingdom's DINOSAUR, Disney's Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest and Epcot's Test Track.
This attraction has become very famous for a picture-taking ride, and a source of controversy. Female guests occasionally "flash" the camera exposing their breasts. (This may result in automatic ejection from the park.) While these incidents usually happen in Disneyland (California) the most, it does occasionally happen in the other parks around the world. Although Disney staff members usually discard the images, resulting in the displayed picture being "washed away," it has been suggested that some Disney staff members save them for personal use as some have leaked onto the Internet. The resulting controversy resulted in the ride getting the nickname "Flash Mountain".
After the initial controversy over release of the "Flash Mountain" pictures onto the Internet website of the same name, Disney announced it was taking steps to prevent future leaks. For at least 5 years, no new pictures have turned up. To date all pictures on the "Flash Mountain" website are from Disneyland (California). Pictures from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Toyko Disneyland have never been leaked.
[edit] 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
[edit] 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, but also rather playful. Florida 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. Burrow's Lamnent is heard, but is not sung at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, but is both at Disneyland.
[edit] Releases
- The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD): Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place & Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
- Disneyland/Walt Disney World: The Official Album (1997 CD): Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah & Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place
- Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album (1999 CD): Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place
- Walt Disney World Resort: Official Album (2000 CD): 8 minute version of the Magic Kingdom soundtrack
- Official Album: Walt Disney World Resort Celebrating 100 Years of Magic (2001 CD): 8 minute version of the Magic Kingdom soundtrack
- Disneyland Park: The Official Album (2001 CD): 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
[edit] Trivia
- Ironically enough, the majority of American guests that have ridden Splash Mountain have not had the opportunity to see Song of the South. It has never been released on home video in the US, probably due to stereotyping issues.
- 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 "mountain" 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.
- 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.
- A small part of the Disneyland & Walt Disney World version (Tokyo version unknown) takes the log out of the water and onto steel beams like a roller coaster (for about 2 seconds). This happens during the drop into the "Laughing Place" (in pitch black darkness). This is also not the only ride in Orlando to have this feature; Sea World Orlando and San Diego's Journey to Atlantis features a much bigger version of this type of ride track.
- Both Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland have their respective Splash Mountains placed next door to their respective Haunted Mansions.
- On October 29th, 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.
- In 2006, Disney will release a "theme park exclusive" Slip 'N Slide toy based on Splash Mountain.
- There are several security cameras in this ride. If someone's stepping out of their seat, the alarm will go off, and the ride will be stopped.
- At Walt Disney World, 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 last part of the ride goes by the return path of incoming Davy Crocket canoes. Guides will sometimes deliver an extra splash from their oars if they are close enough to passing by riders.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- L.A. Times article about "Flash Mountain"
- The Unofficial Song of the South website: Splash Mountain page
- Walt Disney World Magic
- Hidden Mickey's Fun Facts
- Amusement ride for traveling down a water chute with reduced splash - Patent #5,613,443. US Patent & Trademark Office. Retrieved on November 17, 2005. - Patent for reduced splash logs used in Tokyo.
- Disney Mountain Rides - Splash Mountain
- Disneyland Splash Mountain construction photos
- Subsonic Radio Disney Theme Park and Audio
Disneyland Resort - The Matterhorn | Space Mountain | Big Thunder Mountain | Splash Mountain | Grizzly Peak
Walt Disney World Resort - Space Mountain | Big Thunder Mountain | Mount Mayday | Splash Mountain | Mount Gushmore | Forbidden Mountain
Tokyo Disney Resort - Space Mountain | Big Thunder Mountain | Splash Mountain | Mount Prometheus
Disneyland Resort Paris - Big Thunder Mountain | Space Mountain
