It’s been more than three months since Tianas Bayou Adventure opened at the Magic Kingdom and a little less than a month before it opens at Disneyland Park, but a segment of diehard fans long for the return of Splash Mountain.
Related: The Last Stand of Splash Mountain Fans
These are the same people who drank the water that ran through Splash Mountain on the last day of the ride at Walt Disney World. These are also the same people who looked on with glee as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure failed in its opening weeks.
However, no matter how hard they tried and no matter how many petitions they signed on social media, Disney World and Disneyland moved forward with their changes, and it appears their laughing place is gone forever.
Despite the Splash Mountain fans’ disappointment, the beloved ride remained at one Disney park: Tokyo Disneyland. However, it appears that the final Splash Mountain may also be on its way out.
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According to a recent rumor, The Walt Disney Company is negotiating with the Oriental Land Company (OLC) to remove the last remaining Splash Mountain from Tokyo Disneyland. However, removing this Splash Mountain is far more complicated than the ones at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
The Oriental Land Company operates Tokyo Disneyland, while The Walt Disney Company licenses its intellectual property to the company to use at the theme park. Convincing the OLC to remove the theming behind one of its most popular attractions may take some doing on Disney’s part.
Disney has very little leverage over the OLC. What further complicates the negotiations is that The Princess and the Frog (2009) does not have as big an audience in Japan as it did in the United States, so simply changing the ride to Tianas Bayou Adventure isn’t going to work.
This beautiful ride. This beautiful land. It will all be gone very very soon.
It brings me no joy in “breaking” this horrible scoop, but two very trustworthy friends with direct sources within WDI have confirmed that they are actively designing a replacement for Splash Mountain… pic.twitter.com/dpCx3yiaah
— Brer Oswald (@BrerOswald) September 16, 2024
According to rumors, Disney is considering limiting future use of its IP at Tokyo Disneyland if the OLC doesn’t agree with the change. Removing Splash Mountain from Walt Disney World and Disneyland Park and allowing it to remain at Tokyo Disney is a source of embarrassment for The Walt Disney Company.
So, Splash Mountain fans hoping for one last ride on their beloved attraction should hurry up and get to the Tokyo Disney Resort. Otherwise, Splash Mountain and their Laughing Place will be gone forever.
What do you think of Disney getting rid of the last remnants of Splash Mountain forever?
