ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A new attraction featuring the first Black Disney princess is set to open at the company’s U.S. theme park resorts, and many Disney fans view it as a suitable replacement for a previous ride based on a movie that included racist themes.
The new theme park attraction updates the storyline of Tiana from the 2009 animated film, “The Princess and the Frog,” and will debut this year in the location previously occupied by Splash Mountain. The water ride was originally themed to “Song of the South,” a 1946 Disney movie known for its racist stereotypes about African Americans and plantation life.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure retains the log-flume ride concept of Splash Mountain but is now infused with music, scenery, and animatronic characters inspired by the film set in 1920s New Orleans. It will open to the public later this month at Walt Disney World in Florida and later this year at Disneyland in California.
“For little Black girls, Tiana has been a significant figure. Seeing someone who looks like them on screen can make a big difference,” said Neal Lester, an English professor at Arizona State University, who has studied Tiana.
Disney announced the transformation of Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in June 2020, following the social justice protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The decision was already in progress, but it coincided with a period when many companies were reassessing or rebranding decades-old products in response to global protests.
The “Song of the South” film, a combination of live action, cartoons, and music, featured an older Black man working at a plantation and telling stories about talking animals to a white city boy. The film faced criticism for its racist stereotypes and has not been shown in theaters for years or made available on Disney+.
Disney has faced criticism for racial stereotypes in films from earlier decades. Characters like the crows in “Dumbo,” King Louie in “The Jungle Book,” the depiction of Native Americans in “Peter Pan,” and the Siamese cats in “Lady and the Tramp” have all been condemned as offensive stereotypes.
While some feel that opening a ride based on Tiana’s story addresses Disney’s past problematic depictions, others believe that simply refurbishing Splash Mountain may not fully address the underlying issues.
According to Katie Kapurch, an English professor at Texas State University, Disney’s decision to link “Song of the South” with “The Princess and the Frog” may indicate a failure to fully engage with the racial realities of the eras depicted in these fantasy stories.
The transformation from Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is part of Disney’s efforts to update its theme park rides with storylines that are more inclusive and less offensive to modern audiences.
Representing characters from diverse backgrounds in its attractions is important to Disney, as it seeks to tell a variety of stories that resonate with its global audience.
Disney’s move to replace a ride based on a film with racist themes with one featuring a character from a different background is seen as a positive step towards representation and inclusivity.
Mike Schneider’s book, “Mickey and the Teamsters: A Fight for Fair Unions at Disney,” was published in October by the University Press of Florida. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.