Brer Rabbit’s quest for adventure and his rival’s plot to do him in launch Walt Disney World guests on an action-filled journey with a thrill-packed, five-story “splashdown” finale on Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom.

Based on animated sequences in Walt Disney’s 1946 film “Song of the South,” the 87-foot high Splash Mountain boasts one of the world’s longest flume drops and promises guests a 40 mph descent -- faster than any other attraction in the Magic Kingdom.

The attraction, which opened in summer 1992, occupies a 9.2 acre site next to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland. It features special effects that give the show its animated quality and heighten splashdown into the briar patch during the ride’s heart-stopping finale.

Splash Mountain stars a cast of 68 Audio-Animatronics® characters -- one of the largest groups of animated figures ever assembled in a Walt Disney World attraction.

To begin the 11-minute adventure, guests climb aboard eight-person logs (hollowed out by sharp-tooth beavers, as the story goes) to travel the canals of the flooded mountain.

Soon, they join Brer Rabbit, who is looking for some fun on a “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” kind of day. But his antagonists, Brer Fox and Brer Bear, are scheming to catch the happy-go-lucky hare and put an end to his carefree rambling.

All three principal characters from “Song of the South” appear by means of an advanced version of the Audio Animatronics technology used in newer Walt Disney World attractions such as The Great Movie Ride at the Disney-MGM Studios.

To bring the classic Disney story “Song of the South” to life, wizards at Walt Disney Imagineering -- the company’s creative design and engineering division -- created a magnificent mountain chock-full of backwoods swamps, bayous and waterfalls.

As guests proceed on the log ride, they meet the show’s stars and a number of critter characters who help weave the tale of “Song of the South.” Against the advice of Mr. Bluebird, Brer Rabbit leaves his briar patch home in search of adventure. Brer Fox and Brer Bear seize this opportunity and begin their legendary pursuit of the rabbit.

Along the way, the guests’ boats dip and turn through brilliantly colored scenes featuring musical selections that include “Laughin’ Place” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” one of Disney’s most familiar tunes.

Spooky caves, hollowed trees and skulking silhouettes of Brer Rabbit’s pursuers lend mystery and magic to the show as the story unfolds.

At first, the clever rabbit outsmarts his bumbling pursuers, but as guests proceed along the winding flume ride, they soon discover Brer Rabbit is heading for trouble.

The rollicking adventure is loaded with twists, turns and splashes of excitement. It culminates when guests, tucked into their flume logs, plunge over the top of a steep spillway, whizzing from the mountaintop to a briar-covered pond five stories below.

From the start, guests are drawn into the Splash Mountain legend when they enter an old critter building -- part barn, part silo. From there, they wind their way to a secret passageway leading to the Critter Cave.

After meeting Brer Frog, who begins to narrate the tale of Splash Mountain, guests board their flume logs to complete the exciting journey.

Along with the special effects and state-of-the-art animated characters, the attraction features one of the biggest animated props ever. The showboat in the rousing final scene is 36 feet wide and 22 feet high and carries 12 animated characters singing “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” as the ship rocks in time to the music.

 

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