Walt Disney World’s Splash Mountain attraction, located in the Magic Kingdom park, will be closed down starting Jan. 23, 2023, as the ride undergoes a long-awaited rebranding.
From its inception, the Splash Mountain ride used music and characters from the racially controversial 1946 Disney animated and live-action film “Song of the South.”
The movie drew controversy for its depiction of postbellum plantation life and has never been released on home video or streaming as a result.
“I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO, that ‘Song of the South’ was — even with a disclaimer — was just not appropriate in today’s world,” recently returned Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a 2020 shareholder’s meeting.