That is an awesome awesome memory.
I have one similar. And it gives me pixie dust in my eyes when I remember how magical it was. It was, in fact, the very moment I knew Disney was going to take a large chunk of my money again and again for forever.
Also, I love Ray soooooo much! He’s so sweet 
I’m going to time my next trip for when it closes. My kid insists on going on it and I hate it! Way too scary, lol!
As we all know, this isn’t the first ride to get a retheme. Heck, some of those redone rides are big favorites now! I don’t see it as losing a ride, but getting something new & exciting.
After all, the “ride” is still going to be there. It’ll just be redecorated.
I’m sad as this was a favourite ride and holds dear memories. Also super sad as I know I won’t be able to make it back for at least 2 years so I won’t get to ride it again or give Brer Bear a hug in the park 
I’m putting my faith and trust in Imagineering! One thing I think that would have been cool though is to make one Princess and the Frog themed (Disneyland) and one Pocahontas themed (WDW).
Actually that’s a great idea! Especially since Splash is in Frontierland at MK. But I suppose it’s much less expensive to use the same theme at both parks. Too bad.
That would be great. I’m getting tired of each park having the same stuff. I’m going to DLR (hopefully) for the first time this year. I’m soo looking forward to rides that are “new to me”!
It would have been awesome if Star Wars was different in each park too… Put the new trilogy in one park and the original trilogy in the other. (we can stick the awful prequels in France! 
)
I hoping that this means we can get beignets at WDW now!!
Only twice? Lucky you.
My DD7 (now 8) thought FEA was the highlight of the entire week-long trip.
When we were first going as a family in 2014 I was really uncertain if I wanted to take the kids on SM b/c of the theming. My friend I was going with convinced me it wasn’t too racist, but I still wasn’t sure. I have a copy of Song of the South and I knew what was being depicted. I am also from the deep south so I know what’s being depicted. I was surprised that Disney was still using that imagery but wanted to see what they did with it for myself. My kids ended up liking the ride and it didn’t seem as bad as I had feared but I never really felt comfortable about it. I do, however, wish that the last time we were there, in late 2019, that I had been able to go on it for our last FP of the day. My DD7 freaked out about the splash and I had to leave with her at the last possible chance to bail out before getting on the ride. Of course, this meant that I missed my ride too, but I was the only adult who realized that she was going to completely lose it the entire time and ruin other people’s ride, so I did what I had to do. I didn’t know it would be the last chance to ride the ride ever. We do love Princess and the Frog and I hope we like the change.
Princess and the Frog makes more sense for DLR since it is near NOS, but it could go either way for WDW. It would be cool if they themed each differently (like TOT and GotG).
I think the change will be good. If they do it properly and fully.
What I don’t like is the fact that it will have to be shut down for months and months. 
I think the ride layout will be the same as it is now.
They’ll rip out all the amazing animatronics and replace them with ???
It would be a shame if this ended up being a series of disconnected montages like FEA - which doesn’t really tell the story, it just has various scenes in different partitioned “rooms” separated by drapes.
At the very least this better have some animatronics involved.
Wow. It looks like I’m the only one wholly heartbroken by this change! Well. That and my DD15 who burst into a rant when I told her.
Until 7DMT was built, Splash Mtn was My favorite ride. I Brer Rabbit and this ride makes me so happy. The after-Splash Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah glee is so festive.
Princess and the Frog? Only princess movie I haven’t seen. The whole voo doo thing is uncomfortable for me. I hate the happy vibe of Splash to now have a villian.
Tiana is DD7’s favorite princess even without seeing the movie.
Len and Jim were talking about this on the Disney Dish. They pointed out that unlike other attraction most of it is stonework?
That’s why I think the ride will remain the same, with just changed scenes.
I’m gutted. I don’t particularly like PatF, I’ve seen it a couple of times and while it’s beautifully animated and I like that Tiana is a princess who is working to make her own dreams come true, it’s just a bit blah. Dr Facilier is the best part of it for me, he’s quite entertaining. Splash has been one of our favourites since we rode it on a soft opening in 1992, it never fails to put a smile on my face and has me singing every time. The new ride might be fantastic, I hope it is, but I will still miss Splash.
well apparently the ride is set after the movie so the chances of us seeing Dr. Facilier now is slim which would be good for you but he was my favorite part of the film (him and Ray) and they’d have to change some stuff to make him come back so that’s pretty doubtful.
We totally need a Pocahontas ride in Frontierland though. I guess you could stick it in AK since that’s where she does her M&Gs but she deserves a place in MK. My husband would lose his mind, he has loved that movie since it came out
My feeling exactly. Absolutely gutted.
For DD12 and myself, this was our ride. I’m 45 now, but the endurance of certain big ticket classics makes it such that going on Space Mountain (as a for instance) transports me back to childhood, and going on that ride with my now-deceased beloved grandpa. It was conceivable that my daughter, years after I am gone, could ride a still-existent Splash Mountain and have similar feelings. Now that’s over.
Disney is not the only conduit to reminisce, and Splash isn’t the only ride that carries special memories… but it is the only ride that has that connection, just me and her.
But yes, I do understand and appreciate why Disney felt this change was necessary.
Yes, of course.
I have always found it shocking that Disney themed it with SotS in the first place. After all, Disney found it problematic enough that they never released it on video in the US. maybe b/c the last theatrical release (86) was successful?
Beyond this, I still find it surprising that it took this long for them to change it.
I’ve seen comments on Twitter, complaining that Tiana deserves her own ride. Not sure what people have in mind with that.
And also people complaining that there needs to be a Tiana’s restaurant. The restaurant thing sounds like something that should go up very close to the exit for ride! I cannot recall the layouts there, as to whether there would be space for such a place. But it seems like a good adjacent theming opportunity to me.
I haven’t seen this movie. I think that most recent princess movie I’ve seen is Mulan (with bits and pieces of Frozen). Having a boy, there wasn’t interest for him to watch them. Thus, no “recent” princess movies; but I’ve seen Cars more than any movie on the planet. More than The Godfather, SW, 16 Candles.
Related to that,I’m very sad Disney cancelled plans to bring Radiator Springs to wdw. It is stunning and amazing.