We are taking one final look at attractions Disneyland Park and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park have in common. Featured this week: Splash Mountain!
Splash Mountain is a fan favorite at both Disneyland Resort in California and at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Much of the ride’s appeal is the five-story drop that drenches both riders and passersby for refreshing relief from the summer heat. There’s no question how this ride got its name!
The Walt Disney World attraction, which opened in 1992, replicates Disneyland’s Splash Mountain, which made its debut in 1989. The California version made use of nearly all the Audio-Animatronic critters from the soon-to-close America Sings, effectively recycling the woodland creatures while creating a long-desired log flume ride. Disneyland’s Splash Mountain’s 52-foot drop at a 47-degree angle was, at the time of its opening, the longest flume chute in the world!
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With only slight variations from its west coast counterpart, Florida’s Splash Mountain descends 52-1/2 feet at a 45-degree slant, plunging passengers into the briar patch pond at 40 mph. (That’s faster than Space Mountain!) The splash zone is enhanced with water cannons to ensure a good spray. If you like to get wet, sit in the front and/or to the right side of the ride vehicle.
While Disneyland’s Splash Mountain fits comfortably into Critter Country, Magic Kingdom’s attraction, aka Chickapin Hill, with its deep south backstory seems a bit out-of-place in the Old West themed Frontierland. However, the perils Br’er Rabbit encounters are equally as hazardous as the dangers pioneers encountered when crossing unknown territory. Briar patches, tar pits, and waterfalls, yikes!
TODAY’S TAKEAWAY:
The storyline of Splash Mountain is that of Br’er Rabbit from the 1946 Disney animated/live action combination feature film, Song of the South. The movie, set in the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, is based on the “Uncle Remus” stories compiled and published by Joel Chandler Harris in the late 1800s. In the tales, Br’er Rabbit, a critter who is “little and without much strength,” must rely on his quick wit to get away from the clutches of Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear. The film won great acclaim upon initial release, receiving the Academy Award for Best Song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” and an delivering an honorary Oscar to James Baskett for his portrayal of Uncle Remus. Unfortunately, a bit of social controversy surrounds the film, and it has been available to the public only sporadically since 1956.
Uncle Remus told stories about animals to teach listeners moral lessons. This type of storytelling is called fable. According to AesopFables.com, “The construction of a fable involves a minute attention to (1)the narration itself; (2)the deduction of the moral; and (3)a careful maintenance of the individual characteristics of the fictitious personages introduced into it.” The moral or lesson should be clearly apparent so that every reader or listener takes away the same interpretation.
With more than 600 fables attributed to his name, the Greek fabulist, Aesop, who lived in the 6th century B.C., is likely the most famous writer of this literary genre. Although historians believe others may have authored many of his tales, Aesop’s name has become synonymous with the fable.
Visit the above mentioned website (AesopFables.com) to view a complete, indexed collection of Aesop’s Fables. Many have mp3 audio available. Select 3-5 fables to read with your children. Have your children read each one aloud. Discuss each one. Did the stories meet the three requirements listed above? Did each reader/listener come to the same moral conclusion? Is the fable an effective means of communicating wisdom? Decide if “it’s the truth, it’s actual, everything is satisfactch’ll”!
Print out your selections. Assign them to your children as copy work to improve handwriting, sentence structure, and paragraph formation.
SCHOOL SUBJECT: Language Arts
SKILL LEVEL: Elementary
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The post Disneyland Park & Magic Kingdom Park: Splash Mountain originally appeared on Magical Mouse Schoolhouse. Think outside the textbook and expand your home classroom with Walt Disney entertainment! ©2012 Magical Mouse Schoolhouse