Splash Mountain is added to this list of defunct Disney World rides

The morning of Jan. 23, 2023, started off with a big change at Walt Disney World. Splash Mountain, the fan-favorite log flume ride based on the animated sequences from “Song of the South” is closed for good. The attraction, which opened in 1992 at Magic Kingdom, is now added to a long list of defunct Disney World rides and attractions.

To be clear, the log flume ride will remain with the current track layout. It is the theming that is being updated. This is similar to the changeover of Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion of EPCOT into Frozen Ever After and the retheming of Disneyland’s Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! In these cases, the ride mechanisms remained, it was the interior and the exterior that was rethemed.

Splash Mountain is now undergoing the major change of being turned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, where guests will go on a musical adventure inspired by the characters from the fan-favorite film “The Princess and the Frog.” Picking up where the film left off, guests will join Princess Tiana, Naveen and jazz-loving alligator Louis on an adventure through the bayou as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration where everyone is welcome.

Here’s a look at 10 other fan-favorite rides that have closed at Walt Disney World:

1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage: This 20-minute attraction opened at the Magic Kingdom on Oct. 14, 1971, based on characters from the 1954 Disney film. Guests would enter the submarine and it would “dive” under the waters where riders would be fish, clams and turtles, animatronic deep-sea divers, a trip through a lost ships graveyard and then circumnavigating the Polar Cap. The ride shut down in 1994. The lagoon stayed until 2004 when the water was drained. Eventually, the area was filled and made way for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

2. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride: This was one of the opening day rides at Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World announced it was closing the ride on Aug. 27, 1998, and received major backlash from fans, who protested and sent letters to Disney officials. Fans even created a green t-shirt saying “Ask me why Mickey is killing Mr. Toad,” according to an Associated Press article in 1998. The ride closed to make way for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which opened on June 4, 1999.

3. Snow White’s Scary Adventures: This is another opening day Magic Kingdom attraction. After being deemed too scary and needing to be more child-friendly, some changes were made to tone down the ride in 1994. Eventually, during Fantasyland’s change, the ride was closed in 2012. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train eventually took some of the audio-animatronics. The area was turned into The Princess Fairytale Hall for character meet and greets.

4. The Great Movie Ride: This was one of the original attractions that opened at what is now Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The attraction took riders through movies with scenes from “Footlight Parade,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Alien,” Casablanca,” Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Wizard of Oz. The attraction was closed on Aug. 17, 2017. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first ride-through attraction dedicated to Mickey and Minnie, opened on March 4, 2020.

5. Maelstrom: On July 5, 1988, the water ride at the Norway pavilion opened in EPCOT. Used to help promote tourism for Norway, the attraction took guests on a trip through Norwegian history. The novel part of the ride was when meeting a three-head troll the boat would go backward for a bit before plunging forward down a small water drop. The ride closed on Oct. 5, 2014, to make way for the “Frozen” themed ride, which used the same layout. Frozen Ever After opened on June 21, 2016.

6. Ellen’s Energy Adventure: Starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye “The Science Guy”, this attraction focused on the origins of fossil fuels and described renewable sources, featuring a variety of comedy short films and a ride through the primeval diorama. This version was itself a retheme from the original ride at the Universe of Energy and opened Sept. 15, 1996. Known by many as the best attraction to take a nap on at Disney World, the ride closed on Aug. 13 2017 to make way for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

7. Mission to Mars and ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter: The reason we put two attractions here is that both were housed in the same location at Magic Kindgom. Mission to Mars was located in Tomorrowland and originally opened as Flight to the Moon on Dec. 24, 1971. In 1975, the trip – a simulated flight in a theater in the round, was changed to Mars instead of the Moon. In 1993, the ride was closed. It was retooled into a sci-fi attraction about an alien that was accidentally released into the crowd with special effects that included the hot breath on the back of guests’ necks. Deemed too intense, the attraction was closed on Oct. 12, 2003. It was retooled into a kid-friendly Stitch’s Great Escape! – which later closed. The space remains empty.

8. Delta Dreamflight: Opened on June 23, 1989, this attraction located in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom was sponsored by Delta Air Lines. The travel-inspired ride taught guests all about the history of flight from early barnstormer planes through jet engines. The ride closed on Jan. 5, 1998, and was replaced by another travel-inspired ride – Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ringer Spin.

9. World of Motion: One of EPCOT’s opening day attractions this ride was sponsored by General Motors and provided riders a humourous tour through the history of transportation and automobiles. It closed on Jan. 2, 1996 and was eventually retooled into another car-centric ride – Test Track.

10. Horizons: Opened during the Phase 2 openings at EPCOT on Oct. 1, 1983, Horizons took riders past scenes depicting visions of the future. Think of it as the sequel to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. The ride closed permanently on Jan. 9, 1999, and was replaced by Mission: Space.