The Complete History of Disneyland's Splash Mountain: Development and Delays

Disneyland Paris and RFID Technology

• 💡 A news item from France suggests Disneyland Paris is upgrading infrastructure with RFID cards for charging, Fastpass Plus, and park admittance.
• 📌 This upgrade is discussed in the context of Disneyland Paris's complex financial structure involving a consortium of banks, requiring shareholder approval for new projects.
• 🔑 The implementation of such technology in Paris might indicate future adoption in Walt Disney World, with financial benefits being a key consideration.

Technology Adoption and European Culture

• ⚡ The use of RFID in Paris could be a response to Europe's more advanced payment technology culture, where chip-enabled credit cards were common earlier than in the US.
• 💰 Disney may also be leveraging this technology to encourage impulse purchases, a strategy that has been a focus for Walt Disney World's Fastpass Plus.

Disneyland Infrastructure Challenges

• 🏗️ Disneyland's original infrastructure, built for a lower daily guest capacity, presents significant challenges for implementing large-scale technological upgrades like Fastpass Plus.
• 🚧 The upcoming Star Wars experience necessitates significant modernization, with the hope that state-of-the-art attractions will highlight the need for broader park infrastructure improvements.
• 🎢 The park is also facing a cultural shift with annual passholders, with potential price increases and privilege cutbacks aimed at managing capacity and revenue.

Splash Mountain's Development and Delays

• 🏞️ The history of Splash Mountain is detailed, including its controversial tie-in with the film "Song of the South" and its limited theatrical release in 1986 to gauge public reaction.
• 💰 The attraction's budget significantly exceeded initial estimates, ballooning from $25-35 million to $75 million due to various development and testing issues.
• 🌊 Early testing revealed that guests were getting excessively soaked, leading to design modifications in the log vehicles and a reduction in the attraction's hourly capacity.
• 🚧 Construction involved extensive infrastructure work, including digging a large reservoir and moving the Disneyland Railroad to accommodate the ride's finale.

Splash Mountain's Legacy and Future

• 🚢 The Zippity Do Dah steamboat, a massive moving prop with animatronic figures, required specialized engineering input from Disney legend Bob Gurr.
• 🎭 A persistent rumor about America Sings figures being used in Splash Mountain due to budget overruns is addressed and clarified as a misinterpretation of events.
• 🚀 The opening of Splash Mountain was a significant event, with Michael Eisner suggesting it solidified Disneyland as a two-day trip and hinting at the possibility of a second park gate.