Disney Theme Park Closing Iconic Ride for Something New

Disneyland's iconic adventure attraction is closing.

Walt Disney Company is always working to stay on top and relevant, but sometimes that means that it needs to close down a ride or an attraction even if its popular.

Being rethemed from an older less relevant theme isn't a bad thing, but some people feel so much nostalgia when returning to the same attraction, that there can be a certain amount of sadness when an iconic ride or attraction closes down.

Splash Mountain is being rethemed from “Song of the South” and being reopened as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The ride will still be a water ride, just with a different theme and that means tearing down the old fixtures and decorations that many people are accustomed to. But since the “Song of the South’ is reminiscent of a time that doesn’t represent Disney’s current views it is time for an update. The “Song of the South” story depicts racist stereotypes that are not appropriate for Disney  (DIS) - Get Free Report theme parks, the company determined.

New Movie Calls for Updates

Is there anything more iconic than Indiana Jones? Harrison Ford has played this character in films over the last four decades, and the Disneyland ride Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Anaheim, Calif., was based on the Indiana Jones films. 

The ride originally opened in 1995, after the success of the first three Indiana Jones movies: "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" in 1984 and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in 1989, which Ford shared the screen with the iconic actor, Sean Connery.

The Indiana Jones ride is shutting down at Disneyland, but only temporarily starting Jan. 9. It should reopen after its refurbishment is complete sometime in the spring of 2023. No exact date to reopen has been set, but it should be reopened before the release of the Harrison Ford’s latest Indiana Jones film, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which is expected to be out in theaters end of June 2023. The film was originally supposed to be released in 2022, but it has been delayed.

Closure Creates Speculation

The closure of the ride may create some speculation among Disney blogs like Comicbook.com's Cameron Bonomolo, about what is happening to the Indiana Jones Adventures attraction, but nothing has been made public. The ride has been around for a couple of decades, and its true to form for Disneyland to shut down a ride during the winter months to refurbish it and make necessary repairs. 

Bonomolo's speculation is whether the refurbishments will be made to include some new bits and pieces from the soon to be released "Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny" film. The new film has some interesting twists and turns, the film is using technology to 'de-age' Ford, who is currently 80 years old, and the film is supposed to be set sometime in the 1960's. 

Disney described the original Indiana Jones Adventures ride as a classic as it transports riders through a perilous ride through dangerous booby traps of the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Riders are advised to not stare directly into the powerful forbidden eye. It takes perils from the various Indiana Jones films and recreates them throughout the ride. There is lava, insects, a boulder, and snakes and oh boy Indiana Jones does hates snakes!