Disneyland will soon say hello to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a “Princess and the Frog” themed attraction that will replace Splash Mountain.
Splash Mountain, which opened on July 17, 1989, was themed to “Song of the South,” an animated feature criticized for its stereotypes of Black men and its romanticized view of the post-Civil War South.
In 2020, fans called for Disney to re-theme the beloved-yet-controversial water ride amid a racial reckoning nationwide.
While re-theming a ride may seem unusual, this isn’t Disney’s first time doing this.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of Disneyland’s classic attractions that were later re-themed.
Disneyland’s submarines
Disneyland’s Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, where guests go on an underwater voyage to find Nemo after the events of the first film, was previously known by another name.
Before being re-themed to Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” in 2007, it was the Submarine Voyage. The Submarine Voyage was one of the first “E” ticket attractions at Disneyland, opening on June 14, 1959, before sailing for its final voyage on Sept. 7, 1998.
California Screamin’
Before guests joined the “Incredibles” family on a thrilling rollercoaster in Disney California Adventure, the Incredicoaster was known as California Screamin’.
The thrill ride was an opening day attraction for DCA and was a hit among guests. In 2017, Disney announced that the coaster would be re-themed as part of the Pixar Pier project.
In 2018, the coaster reopened as the Incredicoaster, according to Coasterpedia.
Tower of Terror
One of Disney’s scary rides, Tower of Terror was later re-themed to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.
In the revamped attraction, guests follow Rocket, one of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” as he tries to help the rest of his crew escape the Collector, a keeper of the largest collection of intergalactic relics and rarities.
The attraction includes six different storylines and characters, all set to songs that could fit seamlessly in the film franchise’s iconic soundtracks. During the fall, the attraction receives a Halloween overlay.
Some fans were upset with the revamp, but similar Tower of Terror attractions are still available at Walt Disney World in Florida and Tokyo DisneySea in Japan.
Disneyland’s Treehouse
Now known as the Adventureland Treehouse, the attraction has undergone multiple re-themes.
Originally known as The Swiss Family Treehouse, themed after Disney’s 1960 “Swiss Family Robinson” movie, the treehouse was later re-themed to the 1999 animated film “Tarzan.”
In 2023, the attraction was again re-themed to the Adventureland Treehouse, an homage to its original theming.
Star Tours
Before guests took a trip to a galaxy far, far away, they were shrunk down to a size smaller than an atom on the Adventure Thru Inner Space attraction. The original attraction operated from 1967 to 1985 at Disneyland, according to Business Insider.
In 1987, the attraction became home to Star Tours and later Star Tours — The Adventure Continues, the current version of the ride.
