Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain is a log flume attraction at three Walt Disney Parks that is based on the controversial 1946 Disney film Song of the South. Each Splash Mountain features a large cast of audio-animatronic figures singing portions of the motion picture's soundtrack with a finale of a steep drop into a Briar Patch.

Story
The ride presents scenes taken from the animated segments of Song of the South. It tells the story of the adventures of Brer Rabbit, a mischievous rabbit who leaves his home at the Briar Patch to look for his laughing place. Unfortunately for him, Brer Fox and Brer Bear, the antagonists of this story, are determined to catch him. The story starts off with an intro from Brer Frog, who warns of the troubles ahead. Brer Rabbit outsmarts the two a few times, but in the end, they manage to catch him and take him to Brer Fox's cave at Chickapin Hill.

The transition into the Laughing Place takes place in the dark and the log out of the water and onto steel beams like a roller coaster.

Brer Rabbit outfoxes them one final time, by tricking them into throwing him into his home, the Briar Patch. At that point, riders are sent down the big drop into the Briar Patch. At the end of the ride, a showboat and a lot of critters sing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah to celebrate Brer Rabbit's safe return.

During the 52 1/2 foot plummet, a camera takes pictures of park guests in their log.

Soundtrack
The ride features many variations on the now-classic soundtrack of the film.
 * How Do You Do?
 * Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place
 * Burrow's Lament (originally a track from the film "Dick Tracy" titled "Sooner or Later")
 * Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Variations
The soundtrack for Disneyland's Splash Mountain is unique, while the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland Splash Mountain have the same music score. The soundtrack for Disneyland is rather orchestra-like and somewhat more formal, and also rather playful (rather sounding like the soundtrack for Song of the South). Florida's and Japan's soundtracks feature a country-western flavor (carried principally by banjos, fiddles and harmonicas). Dialog is Japanese for "How Do You Do?" and "Zip a-dee doo dah", but not for "Laughin' Place" at Tokyo Disneyland (in English). Burrow's Lament is heard, but is not sung at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland (since the scene where it is sung is absent of audio-animatronics in both rides), but is sung at Disneyland by a mother opossum and mother rabbit animatronic.

Releases

 * The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD): Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place & Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
 * Disneyland/Walt Disney World: The Official Album (1997 CD): Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah & Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place
 * Walt Disney World Resort: The Official Album (1999 CD): Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place
 * Walt Disney World Resort: Official Album (2000 CD): 8 minute version of the Magic Kingdom soundtrack
 * Official Album: Walt Disney World Resort Celebrating 100 Years of Magic (2001 CD): 8 minute version of the Magic Kingdom soundtrack
 * Disneyland Park: The Official Album (2001 CD): 8 minute version of the Disneyland soundtrack
 * A Musical History of Disneyland (2005): 12 minute version of the Disneyland soundtrack
 * Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth (2005): 8 minute version of the Disneyland soundtrack

In popular culture

 * In the sing along songs video Disneyland Fun, during "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", Splash Mountain was one of the rides the kids rode on.

Trivia

 * The Disneyland version features the largest number of audio-animatronics because many of them came from the now closed attraction America Sings.
 * Like a number of Disney attractions, much of Splash Mountain takes place outside of park boundaries. Guests are kept oblivious to the transition between the visible Chickapin Hill and the warehouse-like show building that houses most of the experience, and clever landscaping within the park prevents guests from glimpsing the behind-the-scenes structures.
 * On warm days, the water cannon next to the Briar Patch shoots higher and further as to wet the flumes on the right hand side.
 * In the Walt Disney World version, there is an obvious "Hidden Mickey" during the show boat scene toward the end of the ride. Mickey can be seen lying on his back in the clouds. Also there is a Hidden Mickey in the room with jumping water, the hole in which Chickapin Hill flows is a side profile of Mickey's head, and there is a bird house with an icon cut out of it in the garden scene. Furthermore there is one near Br'er Frog when he is fishing on the alligator, visible as you pass him, and one composed of three barrels half-way up the second crankhill. There is also a hidden Dumbo hidden in the first part of the cave.
 * On October 29, 1989, Ernest Goes to Camp aired during The Magical World of Disney. Prior to the movie a special called "Ernest at Splash Mountain" aired in it Ernest was seen training for, and finally riding, the newly opened Splash Mountain. The end result had Ernest bewildered and collapsing to the ground, leaving guests to step on him while boarding the attraction.
 * There are several security cameras in this ride. If someone steps out of their seat, the alarm will go off, and the ride will be stopped.
 * At Walt Disney World, cast members who operate the Splash Mountain attraction are affectionately known as "Splash Trash."
 * Originally the show scene "Sticky Situation," which portrays Br'er Rabbit stuck in honey, was planned to be the infamous Tar Baby scene from Song of the South. The scene was changed to avoid the same notorious racial controversies that have plagued the film.
 * The Animatronic figures were animated by Davy Crockett Feiten.
 * When the ride was first put together, nearly all the animatronics were wired and put in place, Mr. Feiten was brought in to animate and fix story and staging problems. Mr. Feiten then moved nearly all of the animatronics to new locations and then took out 10 animatronic figures and removed them from the ride completely to improve the show.
 * Hoping to make illicit use of the in-ride photographs that Disney later sells to ride patrons, some riders briefly expose themselves (e.g., a woman's breasts) during a particular descent. Collected on the website "Flash Mountain" in the mid to late 1990s, the shots continue to circulate online.link title
 * In the Walt Disney World version, during the Laughing Place scene, the final gopher, who is suppose to be sneezing, says F-S-U. The Imagineer who did the voice went to Florida State University.
 * At the time it was built, Splash Mountain was one of the most expensive projects created by Walt Disney Imagineering ($75 million).
 * The Splash Mountain project was not originally approved, due to the cost ($75 million per installation). The Imagineers on the team mounted a internal publicity campaign, taking turns carrying large (4' x 6') artistic drawings of the project around the Imagineering offices and pitching the project (and it's technical details) to anyone who would listen. This grass roots campaign succeeded in educating all of Imagineering, and most of the Disney executives, on the project.
 * According to an Imagineer familiar with the project, the original design for the logs included a scooped front nose intended to move the water in front of the log, and to assist in slowing the log down during the final drop. During final testing of the ride, Disney president and CEO Michael Eisner convinced the Imagineers to let him and his son on the ride (over the Imagineers collective objections). The scoop design had the side effect of throwing large amounts of water up in the air and onto the riders, and Eisner and his son came off the ride soaked. Michael commented to the Imagineers "Great ride, but you have to do something about the water". The log design was changed shortly afterwards.