Posted by
Mike and Chris Pettey
on July 6, 2020
Category:
Disney vs. Disney
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Disney vs. Disney
Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain is an elaborate themed flume ride that travels through a series of tunnels and caves within Chickapin hill, culminating in a large drop down into a briar patch. The ride follows the adventures of Brer Rabbit, and contains characters and stories found in Disney’s 1946 film Song of the South. The ride can be found at three of the six Disney Resorts across the globe. We’ve ridden every version in person.
Major Similarities & Differences
You can watch fantastic videos of all versions of the attraction online, so we won’t spend time re-hashing the details of each experience. Instead, we will just point out the major similarities and differences we feel are worth calling out:
- The California version seats riders in six single file rows, with a double seat in the seventh and final row. The Florida and Tokyo versions seat riders side-by-side in pairs, in four rows.
- The Tokyo and Florida versions routes are basically mirror images of each other. California’s version, while it does contain some similarities, has a more unique layout.
- The Tokyo version intertwines with an elaborately themed restaurant called Grandma Sarah’s Kitchen, an also incorporates a walk-up food establishment called Rackety’s Raccoon Saloon.
- The Tokyo version has an enclosed load station, and an enclosed first drop down “Slippin Falls”. The other two versions feature both of these features outdoors.
- The California version moves at a noticeably faster pace throughout the entire ride, where the Florida and Tokyo versions are a more leisurely, slower float, making for a noticeably longer attraction.
The Rankings (from least favorite to favorite)
Splash Mountain is one of those rides that clearly improved as the Imagineers had time to evaluate what worked and did not work with the original at Disneyland in California. This is still a fantastic attraction – but it’s nowhere near as good as its siblings in Florida and Tokyo…call it the result of having to go “first”. To start, there is the matter of the single-file seating, which is not necessarily comfortable for all riders, and certainly takes away from the enjoyment of being able to ride next to a friend. This is clearly a much shorter version of the attraction, clocking in at least a minute less than the others. And despite being a much shorter ride, the pacing here is fast – too fast to take everything in. It feels at times as if the log is speeding past scenes, and this just doesn’t allow time to enjoy all that Disney has put into the attraction. California’s version does have the fantastic “Burrow’s Lament” song as the ride transitions from the Laughing Place to Brer Fox’s Den, and the Zip-a-Dee Lady is the most elaborate here, but those are about the only major points this version scores. Disneyland may have been the first to open Splash Mountain, but in this case “first” unfortunately equates to “weakest”.
Those three extra years between the first Splash Mountain in California, and Florida’s version, really did do wonders in terms of taking an already great attraction, and making it even better. The side-by-side seating is a major improvement, even if it does break the mold of traditional flume rides around the globe. The pacing here is fantastic, as the ride is floating leisurely through the bayou, rather than rushing along like California’s version. This slower pace means riders can really enjoy all of the action and effects around them – and there are several additional scenes on this version that need to be taken in to their fullest. In fact, this is the longest version of the attraction in the world. We’ve also got to call out the hopping Brer Rabbit, which is a fantastic effect, even if the chances of seeing it working are very slim. And it may seem like an unfair variable to throw in, but Magic Kingdom does score points given that the Florida weather means a trip on this ride is almost always a pleasure – any reason to cool off from the humidity. Overall, Magic Kingdom’s version of Splash Mountain is a major improvement from its California cousin, and a do-not-miss in this already fantastic park.
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The king of all Splash Mountains is unquestionably found at the Tokyo Disney Resort. This is a top tier attraction, and arguably one of the best rides at this resort. Everything that has been improved upon with the Florida version gets amped up one or two additional notches here. We love rides that interact with restaurants, and the fact that this version is built in and around Grandma Sara’s Kitchen restaurant – as well as Rackety’s Raccoon Saloon - is a major plus. Next up is the queue – an incomprehensible maze of tunnels and passageways littered with great animatronics, that is nearly completely enclosed within the mountain. This is one of the best Disney queues in the world, and enough to be an attraction of its own. The Tokyo version of Splash Mountain is also noticeably less wet than its US counterparts – and some may argue this is a drawback – but we find it makes riding a pleasure even on the chilliest of Tokyo evenings. Finally, the ride experience itself: take Tokyo quality maintenance (which ensures all is working top notch), and throw in the additional enclosed portions of the ride – most notably the indoor Slippin’ Falls – and you will find yourself singing Zip-A-Dee-Doodah louder and happier than ever before. Sure enough, another round goes to Tokyo as the clear winner – they do Splash Mountain better than anywhere else.
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Written by
Mike and Chris Pettey
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Agree or disagree with our rankings? Have you experienced any of these attractions – either in person, or virtually via the internet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
7 Comments
One other thing I love about the MK version is the unique bluegrass-tinged instrumental music (given the ride’s unique location in Frontierland)!
Great point! The music varies at all three, since the lands are all slightly differently themed as well.
Will you update it for Tiana Bayou??
When we eventually get to ride both new versions, absolutely we will come back and update this post. Can’t wait to ride Tiana’s, and see how it compares to the only remaining version of Splash left at Tokyo. Have you ridden TBA yet?
Do you think the announced version for paris (lion king) might be similiar to these rides from the layout?
Sure seems that way. Looks to be a log flume with very similar aesthetic to Splash Mountain. Not sure if it will be an exact replica from a flume layout (we hope not), but it would fit within this same genre of rides. So eventually, we’ll update this to be a “Ranking every Disney Log Flume”.
Looks like an awesome ride either way, and we’re very excited to try it when it opens!
Do you think that tiana’s bayou adventure is better than splash mountain.