Time for a real "woke" up call

What sparked this post?

A seemingly simple post on the AllEars facebook page that Walt Disney World had removed "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the welcome show.  

Ok.  Thanks for the update.  It was bound to happen at some point given the upcoming major refurb and re-theming of Splash Mountain.

What happened next?  A mountain of vitriol and spewing comments about cancel culture, people tired of being "woke" and so much other negative garbage.  Over the removal of a song in a welcome show???  

Seriously???

So here's your real "woke" up call:  Disney is a business.  Businesses are out to make money based mostly upon their primary customer base.  Now if you want to discuss recent ticket prices and room rates, we can have a spirited debate, but that's a topic for another time.

Plain and simple.  Splash Mountain as a theme has become irrelevant.  In some respects, it has been irrelevant for kids for many years.

Whether you agree or disagree with Disney's stance on Song of the South is beside the point.  Splash Mountain and "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah" are yesterday's news.  Ask any 10 year old today and they wouldn't know what "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah," Brer Rabbit or Brer Bear are if you showed any of these to them.  Furthermore, there's no way for this intellectual property to grow or become relevant again.  Many of you probably know why, and in any case, I will not discuss the political elements related to Song of the South. 

Let me continue to be plain and simple.  I enjoyed Splash Mountain every bit as much as other Disney Parks fans.  However, I understand the simple fact that as a newly minted sort-of-senior citizen (I'm the same age as Walt Disney World), what I think is equally irrelevant.  Walt Disney World is a place primarily for kids, so what kids think and what kids find appealing is what drives many of the decisions.  When an attraction is no longer relevant for kids, it's time for a change.  While I'm a huge kid at heart (I see myself as Peter Pan), it's not my opinions that count most.

And that's what's happening here.  Disney is shifting gears and moving to an intellectual property that is relevant for kids of today.

Splash Mountain is going away and the attraction will be re-themed to Princess and the Frog.  This was announced more than a year ago, so it's more than logical that Disney would slowly start pulling back on anything Splash Mountain related as the time comes for the re-furb and re-theming to begin.  This is just the first of what I'm sure will be many changes to come as the Splash Mountain theme is slowly retired.

Which brings me back to the reason for this post.  What's the big deal with eliminating "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the welcome show?  There isn't one. 

Keep moving forward.