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Few of Disney's theme park rides have been more controversial than Splash Mountain. The update to it could also be one of the most costly, despite being a basic log flume.
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 16 Jul 2024
Few of Disney's theme park rides have been more controversial than Splash Mountain. The update to it could also be one of the most costly, despite being a basic log flume.
Splash Mountain first opened in Disneyland in 1989 and quickly became a fan-favorite. Until then, log flumes had typically been simple structures that looked like scaffolding. On one side a steel structure supported a water channel which the boat climbed up and when it reached the top it plummeted down a channel on the other.
Splash Mountain changed the game as it had a network of water channels which were set inside a soaring cartoony tree stump. Known in the theme park industry as a weenie, because it could be seen from afar, the tree stump drew crowds to the ride where its cute characters and catchy Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah tune stuck in their minds long after they had been drenched by the final drop.
The logs climbed up inside an old barn and then passed through indoor segments set in a faux forest. Based on the story of Br'er Rabbit, Splash Mountain gave riders the impression they were traveling through a cartoon world. It wasn't thanks to cutting-edge technology but immersive vibrant scenes and expressive audio-animatronics of Br'er Rabbit along with his hapless adversaries Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear.
It was one of Disney's first rides to combine this kind of immersion with high thrills which came at... More from Forbes
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