NOTE: On May 30, 2023 Disneyland’s Splash Mountain saw the last patron ride its steep, clothes-soaking flume for the final time. Our own Bonnie Joy imagined what the final days were like for the ride’s long-time characters who called this place Home. Here is her report:
Disneyland had just closed for the night, and everyone had gone home. Up at Splash Mountain, Brer Rabbit and the rest of the gang woke up from their animatronic sleep. This one night, Brer Rabbit, who usually would hang around the briar patch and play with his friends, had an itching head. Yet he somehow couldn’t figure out what it was. So while Brer Fox and Brer Bear were distracted, he snuck away from the ride and wandered around the rest of the Magic Kingdom. Maybe a raft trip to Tom Sawyer’s Island might clear his head. Once he arrived, he looked upon the island that had a few changes, but was still the same as when it first opened in 1956. He then looked up at the sky, still smoky from the firework show, yet one bright star managed to shine through. “Is there one more adventure out there for me beyond the ride? I would love to see it,” he wished.
Eventually, he could see a streak of sunlight coming up over the horizon. Before he could ask “How long have I been out here?” he heard Brer Fox’s voice in the distance, “Brer Rabbit! Get your cottontail back to Splash Mountain! The employees are coming in an hour!” “Not again!” he said to himself, as he hopped onto the raft. Just before he pushed off, he heard a lady’s voice softly singing, “I remember Daddy told me fairytales can come true. You gotta make ’em happen, it all depends on you…”
Making sure Brer Fox and Brer Bear hadn’t seen him, he followed the voice to the far left side of the house on the pier. “Princess Tiana!” he exclaimed with a bow, “Your Highness, how do you do?”
