Splash Mountain is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular rides. The ride was created by the Walt Disney Company in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a water log flume ride based on characters from the movie the Song of the South. As part of our Splash Mountain Magic Kingdom section, our team has compiled a list of facts about the attraction.

Splash Mountain Facts

  1. The idea for the ride was created by Disney Legend Tony Baxter. He came up with the idea for the ride while stuck in Southern California traffic while on his way to the work.
  2. Tony Baxter intended for the ride to be called Zip-a-Dee River Run; however, The Walt Disney Company CEO, Michael Eisner, recommend that the ride be called Splash Mountain to help with the promotion of the company’s new movie Splash.
  3. The first version of Splash Mountain is the one located in Disneyland California. That version of the ride was opened to the public on July 17th. 1989.
  4. The Walt Disney World version of the ride was opened to guests via a “soft open” on July 17th, 1992. Splash Mountain was fully opened to guest on October 1st or 2nd of 1992.
  5. The big drop on Splash Mountain is 50 feet in length or 5 stories tall. The drop may actually be a little taller as some places are reporting that the drop is 52.5 feet.
  6. Splash Mountain’s top speed is around 40 miles per hour.
  7. The minimum height required to ride Splash Mountain is 40 inches or 102 centimeters. This is equal to 3.33 feet.
  8. 950,000 gallons of water are used for the attraction.
  9. The top of the ride is replicated to be Chick-A-Pin Hill from the movie Song of the South.
  10. The water log transitions onto a track as part of the last incline for the big drop.
  11. Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear are the main characters featured in the ride.
  12. The entire story featured throughout the ride are from animated scenes or cartoons from Song of the South.
  13. The gopher that pops out at the last incline and before the big drop says “FSU” in reference to Florida State University. One of Disney’s Imagines decided to program the gopher to mention their Alma Mater.
  14. If you sit in one of the back seats, you may not get as wet as the front seats. Guests are likely to get wet because the seats are already wet from previous rides and because there are a few points where water is directed toward the water log.
  15. Many media outlets report that it cost The Walt Disney Company $75 million dollars to build the Disneyland version of the ride, which was over budget.
  16. Walt Disney World’s version of the ride features a water log with 2 seats per row and 4 rows total. 8 people can fit on each water log.
  17. The ride is located in Frontierland and can be partially seen from the walkway between Liberty Square and Frontierland.
  18. There are some photo opportunities for guests waiting for their party at the front of the ride. This is at the bridge that is in front of the big drop.
  19. The ride does have cameras that take a picture of guests during the big drop. Photos can be seen and purchase at the end of the ride.
  20. The ride is Fastpass+ eligible and reservations for the ride can be made using Walt Disney World’s app My Disney Experience (MDX), using the kiosks in the park, or by locating a cast member equipped with a tablet.
  21. There is no single ride line for the ride. There is a Fastpass+ line, however.
  22. All guest enter the queue for the ride on the right side of the ride, which is near the Frontierland Railroad Station.
  23. Splash Mountain is one of the most popular rides in the Magic Kingdom and long wait times can be experienced for this ride. Fastpass+ is a good option for this ride because of the long wait times.
  24. At the exit for the ride is a small playground for children. It is called the Laughin’ Place.
  25. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Ev’rybody’s Got a Laughing Place, and How Do You Do? are some of the songs that can be heard on the ride.
  26. Hidden Mickey Mouses can be found on the Muskrat Moonshine text on the barrel at the beginning of the ride, during the Brer Frog fishing seen, just before the big drop (the rocks), and in the clouds during the final riverboat scene (according to http://mickeyblog.com/2017/12/04/fun-facts-splash-mountain/).
  27. The voice for Brer Rabbit is Jess Harnell, Nick Stewart is the voice for Brer Bear, and J.D. Hall plays as the voice for Brer Fox.

Those are some of the top facts for the ride.

Our Splash Mountain Facts Page Photo featuring the 50 foot drop for the ride

Above Splash Mountain facts page photo of the drop for the ride by Andygalloway93 on Wikimedia Commons. Photo enhanced by NavFile and released under a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 licenseCC BY 3.0 license.

To learn more about Splash Mountain, please visit the other pages about the ride that are on the site.