Alleged Former Disney Employee Claims Current Employees Taking Joy In Destroying Splash Mountain
An alleged former Disney employee claims that current employees are taking joy in destroying Splash Mountain, especially its costumes.
This alleged former Disney employee spoke with scooper and YouTuber WDW Pro and revealed a conversation he had with a current employee who expressed glee at destroying the iconic Disney ride.
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The former employee told WDW Pro, “It must have been fate the other day when I ran into somebody who works on the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. They were very keen to share that information. I kept my mouth shut. I did not care to share my feelings on it because I don’t like to get into arguments with people at parties. That’s just not something I like to do.”
He continued, “So he went on and explained that they were shredding costumes. Somebody pressed them on it and said, ‘What do you mean by shredding costumes?’ And they said, ‘Well, due to the sensitivity of the topic the company wants very little remaining about this.’ So I then asked, I go, ‘Well, what happens to them then?’ ‘Oh, well they’re all destroyed. The costumes are all destroyed.'”
The former employee then revealed, “At that point somebody else had mentioned something else and he commented, the Imagineer commented, ‘Oh well, it just feels so good to see them. It felt so good and fulfilling to see them shredding the costumes and destroying them.'”
This alleged employee would later state, “Coming face to face with somebody who really is tearing down history and replacing it with kind of — I don’t know what they are going to replace it with, something that suits them more.”
“I don’t think that they are going to replace it with something that’s a quality product because I don’t think, first of all, I don’t think the budget is very high for this,” this alleged former employee said.
RELATED: Disney Announces They Will Reimagine Splash Mountain With ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Theme
The Walt Disney Company announced they would be removing Splash Mountain and replacing with a new story based on The Princess and the Frog film.
The official Disney Parks Twitter account wrote, “We’re thrilled to share Splash Mountain at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will be completely reimagined with a new story inspired by an all-time favorite Disney Animation film, The Princess and the Frog.
They provided more details about the decision to destroy Splash Mountain and replace it with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in a blog post where Disneyland Public Relations Director Michael Ramirez said, “The approach to retheming or ‘plussing’ attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story?”
He continued, “It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today.”
Ramirez then details the reason behind the change is inclusion and diversity. He explained, “The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Development and Inclusive Strategies Executive Carmen Smith would echo Ramirez’s comments. She stated, “We continually evaluate opportunities to enhance and elevate experiences for our guests. It’s important that our guests be able to see themselves in the experiences we create.”
Smith added, “Because we consider ourselves constant learners, we go to great lengths to research and engage cultural advisors and other experts to help guide us along the way.”
“I am incredibly proud to see this work continue to move forward with great support from leadership across Disney, Smith concluded.
As for The Princess and the Frog theme, Ramirez explains that the ride will “pick up the story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance.”
Ramirez writes, “Tiana is a modern, courageous, and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou.”
He adds, “In 1966, Walt himself opened New Orleans Square when it became the first new ‘land’ added to Disneyland park, so it feels natural to link the story and the incredible music of The Princess and the Frog to our parks.”
What do you make of the fact that this former employee claims current Imagineers are taking joy in destroying Splash Mountain?
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