Disney Imagineer Says Creating Splash Mountain Was Uncomfortable,” a “Horrible Idea”

Years after leaving The Walt Disney Company, a veteran Imagineer is speaking candidly about one of her best-known projects. Her blunt assessment of Splash Mountain arrives as fans are still weighing the ride’s transformation into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which debuted two years ago.

A Look Back From the Podcast Booth

Kathy Magnum spent 42 years with The Walt Disney Company before retiring in 2018, and 40 of those years were in Imagineering. She was a recent guest on “Dream Chasing,” a podcast hosted by Bob Weis, who once served as president of Walt Disney Imagineering. Their joint episode, “A 42 Year Career of Creative Collaborations,” covered several of the projects she tackled during her time with the company, and Splash Mountain was among them.

The attraction was built around Song of the South (1946), a film that has remained locked in the “Disney vault” for decades. Critics have long taken issue with the movie’s sanitized depiction of Black American life in the post-Civil War South, along with its stereotypical portrayals of Black characters.

Her Verdict on the Original Concept

Magnum told Weis that she was uneasy about the ride from the start. “I knew building Splash Mountain based on a movie we would not show was not a great idea,” Magnum said. “It was a horrible idea.”

She said she was “not proud” of her involvement. The discomfort peaked when an actor was recording dialogue for Br’er Fox, a character from the animated tales in the part live-action film. She remembered feeling “so uncomfortable” in that moment.

“I wouldn’t do it today,” Magnum said of building a ride around Song of the South characters. “Neither would Disney, but we did it.”

Looking at what came next, Magnum called the decision to transform the attraction into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure “the right thing.” The reimagined ride, inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009), removed all references to Song of the South from the Disney parks, including the “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” song. It reopened at Disneyland Park and Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park two years ago.

One Exception

Tokyo Disney Resort, which the Oriental Land Company (OLC) operates under license from The Walt Disney Company, is the only remaining Disney park with a Splash Mountain ride still based on Song of the South.

What do you think about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as the replacement for Splash Mountain? Share your opinion with Disney Tips in the comments!