Splash down for 6 months.

[Madonna3]

I know I'm taking this thread off the rails a bit, and I must admit, this is coming from a white, southern woman...but I see the B'rer Rabbit stories from a more positive point of view. These stories were brought over from Africa - part of their folklore - and they were passed down through the generations. They represent using wits over brawn and being able to overcome a situation that may look dire.

I don't find the language and voices any different than, say, Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer dialect in a Mark Twain story, or Bert's British cockney in Mary Poppins. That kind of dialect is part of our history, particularly Southern history; it is what it is. If anything, it can open the door to discussions about history and even about the importance of education.

Point well taken.

 

[jknezek]

I know I'm taking this thread off the rails a bit, and I must admit, this is coming from a white, southern woman...but I see the B'rer Rabbit stories from a more positive point of view. These stories were brought over from Africa - part of their folklore - and they were passed down through the generations. They represent using wits over brawn and being able to overcome a situation that may look dire.

I don't find the language and voices any different than, say, Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer dialect in a Mark Twain story, or Bert's British cockney in Mary Poppins. That kind of dialect is part of our history, particularly Southern history; it is what it is. If anything, it can open the door to discussions about history and even about the importance of education.

Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were done 50 or 60 years before Song of the South. They are products of their time. Song of the South can be considered so as well, but that would be incorrect. The big difference is the movie was boycotted and complained about right from release, meaning even at the time of release there were people who considered it offensive. So it doesn't really fall in the same excuse category. As for it being a way to open a discussion, the age target is different than either Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. We consider Disney cartoons as childrens' movies that adults enjoy. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are young adult books. They are simply more appropriate for opening that conversation.

Yes the root material is fine. The problem is truly the portrayal of plantation life, even post Civil War plantation life which is assumed but not stated in the movie. It is a gross mischaracterization of the actual state of affairs between races of the time. Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer do not so much misrepresent this relationship as highlight it. There just isn't a way to hide the flaws inherent in the movie so that it can be re-released, and the comparison to Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer is more than slightly flawed.

 

[rteetz]

This thread is about the possible Splash refurb not Song of the South or any stuff like that. Let's try to stick to the topic at hand please.

 

[MommaBerd]

@jknezek - My thoughts were more focused on the ride, not the movie; and regarding the language/dialect in stories, movies (in general), and the ride. I can't disagree with your points about the movie. I think we're mixing two different issues. The ride uses the animated characters from Song of the South, but preserves the story/history, (and if memory serves me correctly, there are no plantations). The end result is a well-done, beautiful, fun attraction.

 

[MommaBerd]

This thread is about the possible Splash refurb not Song of the South or any stuff like that. Let's try to stick to the topic at hand please.

Oops - posted before I saw this...

 

[Madonna3]

This thread is about the possible Splash refurb not Song of the South or any stuff like that. Let's try to stick to the topic at hand please.

OK sorry. I thought my comment was on topic as far as speculation as to what could occur with the possible refurb.

 

[jknezek]

OK sorry. I thought my comment was on topic as far as speculation as to what could occur with the possible refurb.

It was. I think I was the one who finished driving the bus off the road and into the lake...

 

[Madonna3]

It was. I think I was the one who finished driving the bus off the road and into the lake...

Well thanks for that

 

[rteetz]

OK sorry. I thought my comment was on topic as far as speculation as to what could occur with the possible refurb.

I just don't want a tangent on song of the south that is all.

 

[nkosiek]

I just don't want a tangent on song of the south that is all.

But it's a great song by Alabama. What's the problem with it?

 

[kbmb]

WDW Magic reporting Splash closing in late August:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...three-month-refurbishment-later-this-year.htm

The refurbishment is planned to begin on August 28 through to November 16, reopening to guests on November 17 2017.

-Kevin

 

[Madonna3]

Seems like such a weird time to take it down as opposed to after the Xmas holiday when it's chilly to ride

 

[Delano Fiedler]

Guess what ride we're not going to experience at our next vacation

 

[rteetz]

Seems like such a weird time to take it down as opposed to after the Xmas holiday when it's chilly to ride

It's all part of a bigger plan.

 

[FastPasser]

Seems like such a weird time to take it down as opposed to after the Xmas holiday when it's chilly to ride

For the amount of time Disney needs for the refurb, that particular time period will impact the fewest number of guests. Rteetz posted a graph showing that.

 

[Madonna3]

a

It's all part of a bigger plan.

always is

 

[Bobb_o]

Really disappointing for me. I love Splash.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

For the amount of time Disney needs for the refurb, that particular time period will impact the fewest number of guests. Rteetz posted a graph showing that.

Actually, that graph analysis may be oversimplified. In September/October, it is HOT in Orlando. The lines for Splash are long even when the crowds are low because it is a wet ride and because it is very cool inside the ride, which lasts quite a while. In other words, people flock to this ride to escape the heat in those months. In January/February, it is cold. Crowds are higher, but the lines are just as short.

So, while there may be more marginally more people in the parks during that period, there could actually be fewer riders. But, more importantly, people will miss a cool/wet ride more in hot months than in cold months. So it will have a greater impact in the hot months than the cold months.

It isn't a simple math equation since the enjoyability of the ride varies based on the weather conditions.

This is, of course, just my interpretation of the facts. And, as @rteetz suggests, this could be a part of a plan that I just fail to see or believe in. Because the only way the timing makes sense is if they simply cannot do this in January, when they have always done it, for some reason.

 

[rteetz]

Actually, that graph analysis may be oversimplified. In September/October, it is HOT in Orlando. The lines for Splash are long even when the crowds are low because it is a wet ride and because it is very cool inside the ride, which lasts quite a while. In other words, people flock to this ride to escape the heat in those months. In January/February, it is cold. Crowds are higher, but the lines are just as short.

So, while there may be more marginally more people in the parks during that period, there could actually be fewer riders. But, more importantly, people will miss a cool/wet ride more in hot months than in cold months. So it will have a greater impact in the hot months than the cold months.

It isn't a simple math equation since the enjoyability of the ride varies based on the weather conditions.

This is, of course, just my interpretation of the facts. And, as @rteetz suggests, this could be a part of a plan that I just fail to see or believe in. Because the only way the timing makes sense is if they simply cannot do this in January, when they have always done it, for some reason.

Splash is only ever going to go down during two periods of the year. Winter or Fall. Due to circumstances this year Splash is going down in the fall which historically and in Disney's eyes will have the least amount of affected guests. While yes it is still hot the ride isn't supposed to be a "cool off" type of attraction. It's a dark ride using a water flume.

It also isn't always cold in January and February, there have been plenty of time where its 80+ in the winter in Orlando.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Splash is only ever going to go down during two periods of the year. Winter or Fall. Due to circumstances this year Splash is going down in the fall which historically and in Disney's eyes will have the least amount of affected guests. While yes it is still hot the ride isn't supposed to be a "cool off" type of attraction. It's a dark ride using a water flume.

It also isn't always cold in January and February, there have been plenty of time where its 80+ in the winter in Orlando.

You crack me up sometimes. How far back do we have to go for the last fall refurb of Splash? Nevermind. It really doesn't matter. I mean, it is hot in January, too.