Well, the date that many classic Disney attraction fans have been hoping doesn't come has finally been announced...the closure of Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World.
I must admit that I fall somewhere in the middle. It's sad to see a popular ride "go away" so to speak but it's important to remember two things:
First and foremost, the story that the attraction is based upon has a very contentious past and although many of it's biggest fans are unaware of that past, it is something that rightly should be addressed in some manner. That isn't necessarily to say that closing down a beloved attraction is the way to go, but it is an option that they have chosen to proceed with.
Secondly, and this is an important piece to the story, we could quite conceivably get something even better with the Tiana attraction. Personally, I trust that Tony Baxter, if allowed to do what he does best will deliver on something as good or better than Splash Mountain. As a Disney Parks fan, that's a fair trade in my books.
Splash Mountain wasn't an original Walt Disney creation. It wasn't part of his legacy (although its a big part of the Parks history). I also think it's fair to say that Walt never intended the parks to be static, or that room shouldn't be made to facilitate the introduction of other stories into its lands.
At the end of the day, if Tiana's Bayou Adventure delivers on better, than I'm all for it, even if it will be sad to see some other beloved creatures in Frontierland make space for it.
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