What's Behind Splash Mountain?

I don't ride Splash Mountain as often as I used to; The log boat remodel a few years ago turned the once-moderate final splash into a super soak-a-thon, so I now only take a chance if we're headed back to the hotel (in case a change into dry clothes is necessary).

Even when I don't ride, however, I never tire of staring at this wonderful, magical work of imagination. If this were a real hill with a real rockslide, one would have to marvel at the strength of that old mill's roof!

My very first ride on Splash Mountain, way back in 1989, was extra-special, because my family and I got to descend via a staircase instead of a waterfall. The ride had been closed for repairs all morning, and we'd joined a very long line of eager guests waiting in the hot sun for its promised late opening. Finally, we boarded for our first trip. We got nearly as far as the first interior drop (the little one under the handcart), when we noticed the water level rapidly dropping. Moments later, we were beached in a dry flume, waiting for a cast member to escort us safely out of the mountain. When the assistance arrived, we were guided through one of those mysterious emergency exit doors. We stepped out into the sunlight and...

(SPOILER ALERT: Just in case you didn't know what the back of Splash Mountain looks like...)

A Slight Disruption in Theming

On our recent Disneyland trip, something seemed a bit...off...in Frontierland. I dunno, I can't quite put my finger on it...

Eeesh, look at that thing! Now we've got a better idea of what a complete track replacement at Big Thunder involves. It sure isn't just a couple of guys with screwdrivers.

Wouldn't it be awesome to get up there for some photos? Wouldn't this be a great concept for a new Mickey/Donald/Goofy cartoon?

Big Thunder Scale Model at Disneyland Hotel

One of my very favorite features at the Disneyland Hotel is this incredible scale model of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Located in the lobby of the hotel's Frontier Tower, it's a replica of the Imagineers' original model, but being a re-creation doesn't diminish its awesomeness at all.

Since the actual ride is currently closed until Fall for enhancements and track replacement, this is a great way to work a bit of the mountain's "spirit" into your visit! We'll take a look at all four sides, then zoom in for a few closeups.

Splash Mountain: A Tony Baxter Masterpiece

 

How many people have passed through the barn door entry to Splash Mountain since its 1989 opening? One thing's for certain: no one who enters this incredibly fun (and mega-popular) adventure leaves without some free Splash Mountain water as a souvenir.

I've always enjoyed the way the building provides a smooth transition from reality (well, Disneyland reality) into the ride's animated fantasy world. The queue winds through the convincingly real-looking barn setting while written quotes from the Br'er Rabbit tales foreshadow the adventure up ahead. Before guests know it, they've stepped from the barn into the "underground" rabbit burrow tunnel leading to the loading platform.

From that point on, it's a world of singing geese, evil plots, bees, laughing places and scary drops. The getting-soaked finale actually draws you more completely into the story; it's the price you pay for escaping the fox's lair!

Tony Baxter, the genius and magician behind Splash Mountian, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Star Tours, The Indiana Jones Adventure, Disneyland's New Fantasyland and much, much more recently announced that he's moving from full-time Imagineering to more of a consulting and mentoring role. Tony, thank you for all the great memories, fun, thrills and true magic you've given the world. You have worked wonders and delighted and inspired millions of people. You are amazing.

A Farewell to the Original Big Thunder (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

We all have one week left to ride the original Big Thunder trains through the little mining town of Rainbow Ridge. As we mentioned earlier this month, Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closes its gates on January 7th in order to undergo a massive refurbishment and track replacement. Rides on a new fleet of runaway mine trains will begin when the attraction reopens this Fall.

I'll miss the old bench-style seats and the original Rainbow Ridge (it's getting rebuilt), but I can't wait to see what new surprises might wait along that wild run through Coyote Canyon, Big Thunder Mine and Dinosaur Gap.

Goodbye for now, Big Thunder. Can't wait to see the new you. Before I get too emotional about this, here's Fish Heads & Crumbs...

Time Machine Day: Magic Mountain 1975

El Bumpo!

Way back before Six Flags took ownership...back when the Goldrusher mine train was the park's biggest coaster...when not one, but two of the world's tallest skyrides soared above its landscape..back when pay-one-price admission was about eight bucks...Southern California's Magic Mountain had a completely different character from what customers find there today; it offered a much more mellow, easygoing type of park experience.

Today, I've got seven photos from my 1975 visit. Sadly, most of the rides seen in these shots are long gone. All but the first and last pictures were taken from the long-departed Metro Monorail.

Goldrusher, thankfully, still exists, and here you can see most of its layout. The first drop/turn and a second lift hill are hidden on the other side of the...er..."mountain." Goldrusher is mostly notable for its neat terrain-hugging route and a dynamite high-speed helix finale. In the background, one of the park's two Eagle's Flight skyrides gave amazing views; look how high up that thing went!

The Last Weeks For Big Thunder 1.0

Big Thunder Mountain viewed from the Mark Twain

The recent Disney Parks Blog confirmation that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will close on January 7th for the most extensive refurbishment in its 33 year history has me itching to get to the park for one last ride on its original rolling stock...and one last brake run through the little town of Rainbow Ridge.

Splash Mountain's True Laughing Place

The way we see it, Splash Mountain has two different "Laughing Places." The first one, deep inside the mountain, is full of music, bees and singing animals. The second one -- the "true" Laughing Place for humans -- is the turnaround point, right where the logs burst back into daylight after the big drop.

If you watch from the viewpoint above the tunnel, you can see log after log of guests make the turn, and you'll hear similar reactions from every set of passengers as they laugh, shriek and glance at one another to find who got the biggest soaking. It's got to be one of the happiest spots in the park.

Crocodile Mercantile & Critter Country's First Critter

1989 was a frustrating and wonderful year for Disneyland fans. Splash Mountain missed its spring opening date due to technical issues, but finally admitted its first guests in July.

Fans visiting in the first half of the year could only watch with envy as workers took test rides around the mountain. It looked so cool!

Walking past the entry, hearing the distant chorus of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" drifting from the hidden-from-sight finale, I could at least tour the rest of Critter Country, the re-themed land formerly known as Bear Country. Stepping into the newly-named shop, Crocodile Mercantile, I got a look at Critter Country's first new inhabitant, the store's namesake.

Great Food plus a Runaway Mine Train: Rancho del Zocalo

It's no secret that the overall food quality at Disneyland has improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Our favorite Frontierland dining option, Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante, offers more than just excellent Mexican food; you can watch the trains of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rumble right past your table...if you know where to sit.

Grizzly River's Bear With No Name

This gigantic bear, all geared up for white water escapades, silently guards the entry to Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure.

It's an impressive sculpture, and a puzzling one; considering all the time, effort and talent that went into its creation, it's odd that the bear has no name, no backstory (beyond his gear), no merchandising presence, and -- as a result -- little impact on guests' memories of DCA.

Then again, when DCA first opened, the 2001 powers-that-be aimed for the park to be as unlike Disneyland as possible, and that extended to a lack of Disney characters or traditional storytelling. Our grizzly friend here might have fallen victim to that somewhat pixie-dust-free approach to park design.

Today's DCA bursts with charm, personality and Disney/Pixar characters. I say it's time to give this wonderful statue a name, a backstory, and some more visibility as a character on the ride itself and on the park merchandise. He's a white-water-rafting grizzly bear in a Disney park! Someone in charge needs to let the Imagineers and product designers go wild with the concept.

Time Machine Day: Space Mountain 1977

Space Mountain opened at Disneyland on May 27, 1977. I got to the park a few weeks later to take my initial trip into "superspace." I'd heard opinions of the ride from friends who'd gotten there first. One fellow actually swore the tracks were invisible because they were made of transparent fiberglass. Another claimed the ride ended by circling a small planet and then crashing into it.

Remember, there was no interenet. All you had for new-attraction reference were rumors, commercials, and a few paragraphs of PR in the latest issue of Disney News. I'd read everything I could find about Florida's Space Mountain (there sure wasn't much to be found in those days), and I could not wait to finally ride Disney's dark indoor coaster.

I finally arrived on a June afternoon to find a two-hour wait, with the line starting back on Main Street. Star Wars (before it was known as "Episode IV") had also opened that May, so Darth Vader t-shirts were everywhere. We inched forward past Adventure Thru Inner Space and the People Mover entry, up the speed ramp, through the upper-level switchbacks, and into the mountain itself. Immediately, things got more exciting as the air around us echoed with rumbles and distant screams.

An Abominable Footprint

While strolling around the perimeter of Disneyland's Matterhorn, you're bound to come across this footprint casting that appeared in 1978 as the Matterhorn re-opened after a lengthy refurbishment.

The remodeling turned the mountain's interior (which previously had been one big open space with minimally-decorated beams, stairs and framework) into a maze of artificial ice caverns. The original single bobsleds were redesigned and coupled into two-car trains.

Best of all, the Abominable Snowman (unofficially dubbed "Harold") moved in, turning the unique roller coaster into a full-fledged Fantasyland adventure.

The footprint, with it's cartoon-like stylization, perfectly captures the spirit of the mountain's sole inhabitant (there are three abominable snowman figures on the ride, but they all represent the same guy pursuing you down the mountain). Unlike the Yeti in Animal Kingdom, which was designed to appear as much like a realistic beast as possible, Harold looks like a monster from a storybook -- a really good, scary storybook.

If fact, he'd look right at home stomping around Fantasyland looking fierce and reluctantly signing autographs. Come to think of it, why hasn't he ever appeared as a walk-around character?

WDW 1993: Splash Mountain Signage & Statues

We're temporarily moving from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom for this bit of our 1993 tour, to check out a few wonderful exterior details around Splash Mountain. All these elements are still present in 2012, but fans may be able to spot the differences between then and now.

Here's the statue of Brer Fox, Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit as it appeared in '93, with a natural-looking finish.

And Brer Rabbit looks for adventure atop one of the best signposts on earth.

We've discussed before which resort's Splash Mountain we find superior (Spoiler: It's WDW's). More focused storytelling was one factor that swung the vote.

I wish we'd spent more time in the Magic Kingdom back in '93. In our defense, though, this group of Disneyland regulars just couldn't stay away from Epcot for more than half a day!

More from 1993 WDW soon!

Heading Up Grizzly Peak

A raft heads for the upper reaches of Grizzly Peak, on course for a date with waterfalls, mine shafts, and the wildest rapids in Anaheim.

Disney California Adventure received a lot of well-deserved criticism when it first opened in 2001, but nearly everyone agreed that Grizzly River Run was a first-rate attraction. For years, it stood as an oasis of great theming and landscaping, showing just how beautiful the rest of DCA could be with a proper budget.

It took eleven years, but the rest of the park has finally caught up.

The Full Splash Mountain Drop

Many Disneyland guests have no idea just how far down that final Splash Mountain drop goes, since all they see from the walkway is the top half.

From Tom Sawyer Island, the Davey Crockett Explorer Canoes, or the lower deck of the Mark Twain, you can get a clear view of the full fall. That is one lulu of a log flume drop.

Best Splash Mountain: Disneyland or Walt Disney World?

Splash Mountain, by far one of Imagineering's most popular creations, has been thrilling U.S. guests ever since the ride opened at Disneyland in 1989 and Walt Disney World in 1992. The two versions offer similar experiences, but each has its own location-specific exterior, as well as different seating layouts and music arrangements. They're both great, but is either one better than the other?

I love the green, beautiful, nearly-Tolkien look of Disneyland's mountain. I enjoy both the jazzy style of Disneyland's music score and the country/bluegrass version at Walt Disney World. The hitchhiking alligator at DL is wonderful, but so is the animated silhouette chase at WDW. Disneyland's final drop is scarier.

BUT...although both could use some TLC in the audioanimatronics department, this Disneyland native must admit that -- when both mountains are operating at their best -- Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain wins this one. Its story is easier to follow, it has more special effects, and the side-by-side seating is more comfortable than DL's single-file bench. The Florida ride also splashes guests without overdoing it; ever since the log makeover a few years ago, Disneyland's Splash Mountain soaks people.

California has the epic-length Pirates ride, and Florida has the more elaborate Splash Mtn. What do you think? If you've ridden both Splash Mountains, which do you prefer?