During the late 1980s, The Walt Disney Company was in the process of developing Splash Mountain for Disneyland. After completion of the Disneyland version of the ride, the company approved the development of Splash Mountain for Walt Disney World Resort and Tokyo Disneyland. There are three opening days for the ride as there are different versions of the ride at three of Disney’s theme parks. This article mostly covers the opening day for the Walt Disney World edition of the water log attraction; however, information on the other opening days are also covered.
Splash Mountain Opening Day
The first edition of Splash Mountain (Disneyland) was opened up to the public on July 17th, 1989. To commemorate the opening day, The Walt Disney Company created a newscast sketch with Ernest being the first person to ride the attraction. The opening day news sketch can be seen below in the video player. It is the first video in the list.
Above photo of the Splash Mountain opening day celebration from the YouTube video by Banks Lee. Photo used under the fair-use provision.
Opening Day Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Edition
The Walt Disney World version of Splash Mountain was opened three years later in 1992. The opening day date for Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World was on July 17th, 1992, exactly three years after the opening of the Disneyland edition. According to multiple sources, the July 17th opening day was only a soft opening in which the number of guests allowed to ride on the ride was limited. The ride fully opened to the public on October 1st or 2nd, 1992.
For the opening day in 1992, the company created a special ceremony to commemorate the launch of the water log flume ride. The ceremony featured Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear. During the ceremony, Brer Bear is asked to turn on the water for the attraction.
You can view the grand opening of Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World in the video player below. It is the second video in the playlist.
To find out more about Splash Mountain, please visit the other pages on the site.