“The Princess and the Frog” star Anika Noni Rose praised Disney’s decision to re-theme the Splash Mountain ride, praising the company for embracing a change for diversity.
What’s happening:
- Disney announced Thursday it plans to rebrand the Splash Mountain ride to fit the theme of “The Princess and the Frog.” It has long been themed as a ride from “Song of the South,” an older Disney film that has faced criticism for its depiction of Black people.
- Rose told “Good Morning America” that Disney’s decision was “a great moment to do better.”
- She said: “It’s a great moment to do better and to turn it into something that everybody can celebrates and be proud of and be happy for. For young Black children it is of course an amazing and wonderful way to show representation. For children that don’t look like Tiana, it is a way to open their eyes. So it allows these children, all of them, to meet with their common denominator which is the love and the heroism that comes with Tiana.”
More about the new theme
- The new version of Splash Mountain will begin after the events of “The Princess and the Frog.” Guests will “join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure — featuring some of the powerful music from the film — as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance,” according to Disney.