Defunctland: The History of the Terrifying Splash Mountain Predecessor, Tales of the Okefenokee

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In this episode, Kevin explores the history of Joel Chandler Harris, Uncle Remus, Song of the South, Splash Mountain, and Six Flags Over Georgia's forgotten dark ride, Tales of the Okefenokee.
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[@Defunctland]

Hey everyone! Hope you liked the video! Small correction. The new ride at Six Flags Over Georgia is called Monster Mansion not Monster House, which I knew but for some reason failed to say correctly. Have a great weekend!

[@thatblindgamer726]

Where did you get ride music from?

[@ocean4alex1]

You should for sure consider making an episode about the abandoned Wizard of Oz theme park in North Carolina

[@sonic23233]

I did not like that monster ride

[@piemanpie2424]

I was weirdly thinking about Monster House earlier today... There’s a joke in it where a character thinks that the “uvula” is a part of the vagina. Written by Dan Harmon. Kinda great, lowkey.

[@NichoMania2]

Are you thinking of adding the entirety of the world of Sid and Marty Krofft to the Defunctland game?

[@gayplasma]

"Disney's CEO at the time, a man named Michael Eisner..." *straps on my seatbelt*

[@StompyRoA]

Riolupai but will it be the wildest ride in the wilderness?

[@Kijikun]

Curse his name.

[@bigboyjones8299]

Why you in a car

[@harrylane4]

An Eisner episode is ALWAYS going to be a trip

[@SpadePyro]

Eisner somehow both saved and destroyed Disney simultaneously. It’s kinda impressive

[@raggedyanarchist]

Oh those teenagers and their... unwavering interest in the works of Joel Chandler Harris.

[@scotcarr3390]

Yeah, yeah, I agree! Heck I read "Penthouse" for its groundbreaking journalism too!

[@AmberAmber]

@Ruby Doomsday 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💗

[@Ground40015]

Ruby Doomsday 🤣👌

[@RakoonCD]

Hey, I'm one of them.

[@SuperWolsey]

FunkySlash65 Argh! You bastard!!

[@SolarBeamScotty]

In the early 2000s, I was waiting in line for Splash Mountain with my family, and I suddenly realised I had no idea what it had to do with Disney. So I asked my dad, "What movie is this from?" Completely unprompted, a nearby worker butt in and told me, "There is no movie." Once we had shuffled away a little, my dad leaned over and whispered that it absolutely does.

[@CosplayCore]

Why does that make me wanna show up in a light salmon shirt, wearing either fox ears or rabbit ears to a Disney park… like “I DARE you CMs to tell me my outfit isn’t showing references to ANY of your company’s films”… lol

[@agoo7581]

Yeah. That didn't happen bud.

[@char_shine]

@@agoo7581 wow you're so smart. You seem to know everything about everything.

[@poppythedogofwonders]

@@agoo7581 Cleary you are a psychic so powerful you can read minds and tell if people are lying even through the internet! Astounding! You should get a tv show! Yeah, the story absolutely could've happened, it ain't that wild you r/IamVerySmart mascot.

[@ajvark]

I asked my parents where Zip a Dee Doo Dah came from, and they said it was from "Song of the South," but did not explain anything else about the movie.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

Everybody gangsta till the singing carrot catches fire.

[@SaraH-il8lb]

Western Ohio Interurban History 😂😂😂😂

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

OH SHIT OH FUCK THE CARROTS ARE ON FIRE OH NO

[@melatoninqueen6914]

*notices burning carrot* Some underpaid teenager: uh, Steve the carrots are on fire again

[@carterdunlap9957]

OR WHEN THE MR FOX CULT IS DEMANDING THAT THE DARK HARVEST BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@pastpatour]

As if the singing carrots weren't horrifying enough on their own

[@tomcat7400]

because nothing screams romance like kissing in a dark room filled with robot rabbits.

[@lilithwills812]

That's hormones. Who can blame 'em, really?

[@russellloomis4376]

If you didn't do that as a teenage then boy did yo miss out.

[@WAVY8OR]

And burning carrots.

[@Faxtail]

Nothing turns me on more than attempted rabbit murder

[@breawycker]

Don't kink shame me!

[@jonclauw1621]

I just wanted pause the video to say, that "the singing carrot went up in flames" is my new favorite collection of words.

[@TurtleBacon]

I just realized how funny that actually sounds I've been laughing for a minute straight muttering it to myself.

[@erin8133]

Hahaha I actually snorted.

[@BOYVIRGO666]

Its such a word salad

[@RFD1996]

So much for saving the Rabbit

[@Johollister]

The flaming carrot eventually got it's own comic book. Yes, it's true! And it won an Eisner award. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_Carrot_Comics

[@baileyhagen8754]

Imagine going on Splash Mountain and seeing an animatronic of Tom Hanks there just chilling

[@procrastinator99]

LMAO

[@scoopishere7881]

Superstar Limo II

[@sidoniegabrielle269]

the only thing that would make that more surreal is if it had a voice recording of him reading out his tweets from when he got that early days COVID

[@lukethelegend9705]

I would love that

[@ZeranZeran]

It would become a target and quickly get destroyed weekly just me...?

[@acerumble4991]

"This resulted in a very bizarre marketing campaign for Splash Mountain, especially in retrospect" *32 seconds of sheer insanity* "Two more Splash Mountains would open..."

[@NeutralGuyDoubleZero]

Man. You were right.

[@belacickekl7579]

Oh goodness, that may be almost as bad as the Star Wars Holiday Special. Ouch.

[@Durwood71]

Something intended to appeal to teenagers, created by someone who has absolutely no idea what appeals to teenagers.

[@timothymclean]

...was that a hip-hop remix of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah mixed with rapping about Splash Mountain? Was that what boomers thought was hip in the late 80's?

[@CosplayCore]

@@timothymclean It wasn’t just the boomers… I’m a millennial and my age range thought rap was the coolest (not me though)…

[@SodaVampire]

Those carrots are awful, but they must have been absolutely horrifying to see engulfed in flames.

[@veryberry39]

Now I'm picturing their audio getting warped as well, as their eyes stare out from the flames.

[@DoctorPhileasFragg]

@@veryberry39 WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT IMAGE INTO MY HEAD

[@viddork]

I suppose it depends on whether you prefer your carrots cooked or raw.

[@christopherjunkins]

LMAO! OMG that would be TRUELY horrifying!

[@southy98]

Welcome to the gates of hell.

[@ghastlyghifin4029]

I find it hilarious that one of Disney's most well-known attractions gets its name from a horrible Micheal Eisner suggestion.

[@RacingVagabond]

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@RacingVagabond The story of Eisner's career in a nutshell.

[@awefawn7793]

Seemed like all that man did was either AMAZING or ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. what a stressful time to love the company

[@yrobtsvt]

Not only horrible... it's named after a completely forgettable and forgotten B-movie!

[@andrewkuder4159]

CeCe Meyer Some days he brought us the Disney Animation Renaissance or Splash Mountain, and other days he brought us Superstar Limo

[@lorddrayvon1426]

Jesus, the amount of times Michael Eisner appears in this series, you'd think he was some comical secretive anime mastermind who keeps announcing his evil intentions but everyone's too stupid to realise it. Michael Eisner; the guy you go to when you want to waste money.

[@DLAbaoaqu]

That’s nothing compared to Bob Iger.

[@carolusrex5213]

@@DLAbaoaqu z zali z x dsz

[@ElFreakinCid]

@@DLAbaoaqu You think Iger's bad, look at Chapek...

[@kerrid5717]

Something about not having the Disney name and being in control of Disney leads to very poor decisions being made LMAO

[@alyxg2764]

He’s the Stan Lee of defunctland

[@theodorekrentz4889]

Imagine trying to make out with someone as a teenager while those creepy ass robots stare into your soul

[@carynschmidt5061]

Probably weren't looking at the robots, to be fair, but the soundtrack definitely can't have set the right mood

[@DONKFORTRESS6956]

*they love to watch*

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

If you notice the robots at all you are doing the "making out" wrong ;)

[@cyber_xiii3786]

There are people who get their rocks off to embarrassment or being viewed while doing stuff so...

[@Whitejesselink]

Normal people kiss with their eyes closed.

[@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices]

"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da was considered the Walt Disney Company's national anthem" *When You Wish Upon A Star Has Left The Chat*

[@Elizabeth-lv5dj]

sebastian banguis 10/10

[@cup0cakeyz]

Both kind of fit that name tho

[@andyblargextra]

*Splash Mountain getting replaced by Princess and the Frog* *When You Wish Upon A Star Has Entered The Chat*

[@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices]

@@andyblargextra Yeah I guess you do that.

[@Attmay]

Both of them were prominently featured in the theme music for *Wonderful World of Disney* throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but it was the earlier song that became the logo song in 1985, and that sealed it.

[@MaddieB]

As yes, my favorite amusement park sections, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and....Confederateland

[@frzstat]

Six Flags had themed sections represented by one of the flags; Spanish, French, British, Confederate etc. The rides, dining and attractions were themed as well (sort of.) Even the employee uniforms were themed at first, but this required a uniform change if someone working in French needed to be sent to work in another section (Spanish or British for example.)

[@Elizabeth-lv5dj]

y i k e s

[@ediodimacaroni]

"Mommy, mommy! Can I take a picture with the slaves?"

[@Elizabeth-lv5dj]

Ediodi Macaroni Oh heck

[@Lightwolf234]

George Washington Rather deal with that then kissing the asses of the landed and wealthy racialist aristocracy.

[@lostuser6410]

It’s pretty incredible that we have footage and audio of the six flags ride, especially considering how old it is

[@WCYUM]

The lead actor couldn’t attend his own film premiere?!?

[@badazzledhippo6010]

That happened all the time during segregation. Hattie McDaniel from Gone with the Wind had to sit in the back of the theater at her own table during the Oscars, even though she won!

[@eiffiedarkness649]

@@badazzledhippo6010 😭

[@poletooke4691]

Yep. Really puts into perspective how not bad the film was at release. Lol

[@dogol284]

@@poletooke4691 yeah comparatively Song of The South was very progressive back then.

[@vcdonovan5943]

Hey. That's democrats for ya. Oh! Did I mention that racist white southerners were democrats? Yeah, some things never change. Only they live mostly on the east and west coasts now :D

[@a.a.g.h.1679]

Every time Eisner’s son and his ‘tubular’ tastes are brought up I can feel my soul leaving my body

[@posthumanoid]

ZIP ZIP! ZIP ZIP!

[@a.a.g.h.1679]

M. P. Barnett my sleep paralysis demon makes this sound when I fall asleep while watching defunctland

[@ldobehardcore]

the 1990s were just as bad as now.

[@a.a.g.h.1679]

ldobehardcore I think that this is true with plenty of decades too- some people don’t realize how bad some things are until things change and we have hindsight, ya know?

[@MsDudette21]

bruhh the fuckin 80s song they put in there...hahahaha

[@MidwaytoMainStreet]

I don't know Kevin, I didn't see any problem with that Splash Mountain marketing campaign. Seemed pretty hip and radical to me.

[@curtiscrane5415]

hi,rob!

[@professorhazard]

Tubular, one might go so far as to say.

[@rainyrainold]

It was totally tubular for a bad ride like that.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I got Village People vibes from the dancing, lol!

[@jfridy]

But was it "tubular?"

[@michaeldavis7767]

To be a set designer that day… I can imagine that convo… “the carrots are gone boss.” “The show must go on! Get the watermelon boys! We can save it yet!”

[@alyxg2764]

“Well what happened to the carrots?” “…spontaneous combustion”

[@agisuru]

The pink rabbit at the end telling you to "hurry back" and to "be sure to bring your death certificate" was a weird touch, but definitely finished up a classic ride

[@gmexplains9440]

A powerful rat named CHARLES ENTERTAINMENT CHEESE

[@eiffiedarkness649]

Wait thats his actual middle name!? Lmao 🤣

[@plaguedoctorowl]

@@eiffiedarkness649 Yes

[@justagirpup]

Not anymore...

[@FrenkTheJoy]

I can imagine when the carrots were on the fire the employees were like "Oh no... how terrible... I'll put it out asap... I just have to finish my lunch first."

[@gennybaratta2460]

Hey legally speaking their entitled to that hour and goddamit they’re going to take that whole hour

[@panzerkamphwaggenlll5247]

Yah the employees probably hated the ride and those carrots are nightmare inducing I may never sleep again without a AK-47

[@mango8616]

Imagine how much more horrific they must've looked while they were on fire.

[@panzerkamphwaggenlll5247]

@@mango8616 how about I don't I already can't sleep because of them

[@masonterry2285]

As some one who frequents SFOG that is totally how it would happen

[@fables4564]

As A kid I honestly thought the man who sang “zippedy do dah” was what God looked like in heaven. 😂

[@Somerandomjingleberry]

The virgin Morgan Freeman God versus the chad Uncle Remus God

[@milkyway120]

I thought God looked like the oatmeal man

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

I can't lmao

[@allikazaam]

@@milkyway120 THE QUAKER GUY??

[@milkyway120]

@@allikazaam Yeah 😔

[@objectjon9015]

The only thing creepier than those singing carrots is the thought of one of them on fire while still singing, which looks like it may have been the case

[@MsAileenValentine]

I just thought of that scene from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory where those animatronics catch on fire while they’re singing.

[@stormcloudsabound]

2:53 "[Harris] felt that he had a connection with the enslaved people, because of the hardship he had endured for the way he looked and sounded--despite, in reality, their plights being incomparable in every sense of the word." Fucking nailed it, my guy.

[@alias3660]

I found that part hilarious for some reason. The dry delivery by Kevin is perfect.

[@Flowtail]

It’s almost cute in its naïveté

[@eiffiedarkness649]

Still it's sweet and I think its a good way of thinking especially at that time like oh maybe we all aren't that different after all, he saw them as people, like him and that made me smile like I think relating to others and empathy is a big part of unity But yeah obviusly was a huge difference in hardship between like HUGE CONTRAST

[@ronpaulssecretary]

@@eiffiedarkness649 unfortunately most of these comments are by 15 year old woke intellectuals who think they know everything, and don't understand that different eras have different values. Having slaves was normal for the western world at that point. Being a good person and sympathetic to slaves was not. Someone can still be a good person and display good moral fiber while participating in a system that is overall immoral, because societal values change over time.

[@spoonsrattling]

@@Flowtail eh id say they way it turned out was quite well. he could have ended up like any other southern author at the time but his connection with the slaves lead to a prominent abolitionist in the south. which id say is quite the wonderful thing

[@terryaltherr2481]

"The Ride was also a favorite among teenagers looking for a dark secluded place to.... revisit the classic tales of Joel Chandler Harris" Riiiighhhhttttt..............

[@WillyLee23]

Terry Altherr “come on baby, I wanna show you my laughing place”

[@KeWDu]

I would've done that too. Sounds like a real good time tbh.

[@JohnSmith-ox3gy]

Terry Altherr Pres X to doubt

[@BigAL68xyz]

At Six Flags Over Texas, that ride was called The Speelunker's Cave

[@justcadince7842]

You know teenagers, they love the classics!

[@The.Culture.Consultant]

I was completely expecting Kevin to say: "The ride was also a favorite among teenagers looking for a dark, secluded place to... Okeefenokee a bit of their own."

[@Sara.Miller.]

imagine getting to the down part during that- many things would be wet,i'll say that!

[@ZoeyChilds]

I'm an Atlanta native and was born in 1986, the crazy part is I can remember them still showing us "Song of the South" on VHS in preschool. We also went on field trips to The Uncle Remus Museum...it was always unsettling.

[@phoebelajoie5466]

How did they get a VHS of that movie? It was never on home video over here.

[@gerardtay]

From MN and in my elementary music class around 2004 or 2005 they showed us the movie, I kid you not.

[@CosplayCore]

@@phoebelajoie5466 It was probably just released in very few countries. One of which was the US. Or it might have just been released to the US and no one else at that time.

[@phoebelajoie5466]

@@CosplayCore If there ever were legit VHS tapes over here they've long since disappeared....

[@TheKewlPerson]

@@CosplayCore There are none in the US

[@ky6734]

"Splash Mountain: Emphasis On The SPLASH STARRING TOM HANKS AND DARRYL HANNAH" is maybe the worst Michael Eisner suggestion i have ever goddamn heard.

[@J_L_V]

Kiely Fong right?! Bless his heart!

[@SuperWolsey]

True but the other name was bit of a tounge twister, I do admit.

[@MezThorbonizer]

Somewhere close to that suggestion is naming an actual NHL hockey team after a lame kids movie. At least the Splash suggestion was never used. =P

[@spookyrosev6467]

Kiely Fong In an alternate universe there is a version of the ride that randomly an animatronic of Madison just in the water

[@SuperWolsey]

@@spookyrosev6467 One animatronic closer to Darryl Hannah Reich

[@Rebel_Friend]

Michael Eisner is like a reoccurring super villain

[@ydoomenaud]

"like"

[@alexdionisos]

I want a video game where Michael Eisner is the final boss

[@Kaylin777]

Yeah 😂

[@shiggiewiggie357]

He looks like a human, overweight Thanos, so it's fits

[@Rebel_Friend]

ShiggieWiggie “Perfectly edgy, as all rides should be.”

[@ZGryphon]

It would never have occurred to me that Splash Mountain's name had anything to do with the movie. I can't help but love the fact that it's the perfect name for the ride _completely by accident._

[@gabrieldassi8591]

Splash Mountain is closed today

[@MoonlightCircus]

That Splash Mountain music video is both the most uncomfortable thing I've ever seen and absurdly catchy and fun. Which I feel like is a super accurate description of Disney as a whole.

[@WillCWilson]

I think Joe Pesci would sum it up best: "What the fuck is this piece of shit?"

[@yumyum3599]

I don’t know why, but hearing Walt Disney say Negro makes me uncomfortable

[@mckimziedarling7823]

Ugh yasssss

[@alias3660]

Hearing anyone say Negro that casually makes me raise my eyebrows a bit.

[@chinabluewho]

In 100 years calling a black person an AFRICAN American will be the height of racism.

[@tiffprendergast]

alias yeah

[@tiffprendergast]

chinablue who yeah

[@castlefactory8682]

18:08 Kevin pretending he forgot Michael Eisner

[@cesartorres6249]

*wishing

[@Phantomsangel]

Woah who's that guy? He looks like an asshole rofl

[@n0kt0h45]

@@Phantomsangel yup. He tried cutting costs in the worst way possible.

[@GODCONVOYPRIME]

Still better than bob Iger

[@marteenyo]

@@GODCONVOYPRIME delusional

[@S0RGEx]

"This destroyed the entirety of the singing carrots scene." ...and nothing of value was lost.

[@thetwitchywitchy]

Honestly Splash Mountain always scared me as a kid. Brer Fox always scared me, especially toward the end of the ride when the animatronics are trying to eat Brer Rabbit… I always got freaked out by how sharp the animatronics teeth were

[@LoveMyUnusual]

Same lol. Then I heard about Song of the South and felt much, much worse. 😅😭

[@thetwitchywitchy]

@@LoveMyUnusual SAME! hahaha

[@dharmallars]

Anyone remember that one clickhole quiz, “which of these things has the fox on splash mountain spoken directly to you?”Or something like that lmao

[@katherinesmallbean3594]

I always loved the ride when I was little, but my older sister HATED it. The dark area before the big drop was scary to her, so she thought the entire ride was a crime against nature.

[@ChiefScarneck]

Rewatching this after the announcement Splash Mountain is being rebranded to a Princess and the Frog ride. Can't wait til Splash Mountain gets its own Defunctland video now.

[@flyaround312]

It won't be defunct, it's just getting re-skinned

[@ChiefScarneck]

@@flyaround312 Kevin's talked about reskinned rides on Defunctland before, like Paris' Space Mountain and Superstar Limo. Heck, Tales of the Okefenokee was reskinned too.

[@moonlghtknght]

Eh, let's be honest though, after 30 years, it needs a rebranding, and "Princess and the Frog" needs more attention anyway. You barely hear about it and that's a travesty.

[@doyocino]

Yea same but I am sad that splash mountain is going.Maybe not the physical ride but the theme and song.I mean I haven’t been to Disney since 2018 so I Hope splash mountain doesn’t close til 2021 cause tron is coming so it will be crowded so they should keep it open 😔

[@jakelm4256]

@@flyaround312 The skin of a Disney ride is 99% of the ride. The rides themselves stripped down are uninteresting. It's the themes that yield the immersion factor and why Disneyland is so wildly loved. So re-skinning it is by all accounts "defuncting" it.

[@kolonarulez5222]

6:05 It breaks my heart James Baskett wasn't allowed to attend the premiere of a movie he starred in. I wish he could see the progress that has been made since then.

[@ThatOneGuy0006]

Aledgedly, Walt was so pissed off that after his introduction speech, he left the theatre.

[@terryaltherr2481]

It's still a damn shame he died two years after the film was released: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baskett

[@CutieRingoJoy]

KolonaRulez it’s because of his poor health

[@aomarchive9475]

​@@CutieRingoJoy Georgia was a segregated city at the time, it wasn't because of his health.

[@dangurney1042]

At least he was able to accept his academy award for his role as Uncle Remus. and was the first black man to receive one. I actually did a black history month project on him in high school! It was for extra credit and I was already acing history, so I was mostly doing it because I wanted to.

[@miraclemuffinstudios425]

"Disney's CEO at the time, a man named....... Michael Eisner..." *collective sigh and putting on helmets*

[@C.D.B.E.E.]

Now he has to make a history of splash mountain itself

[@kattrielladoesstuff]

I really hope he does. It only seems fitting.

[@philipphalter926]

he really should

[@t1m3f0x]

Splash Mountain isn't "technically" defunct, it does still exist at Tokyo Disney, The Oriental Land Company saved that one from being re-themed.

[@Oceanatornowk]

I gotta say the mid roll ads not interrupting you mid sentence is small, but really goes to show the professionalism of the production. So many videos have ads in the middle of someone talking.

[@stevethepocket]

If it weren't for shows like this, I'd have just assumed that it's not possible for uploaders to control when the midrolls show up, or even whether they do at all. Just goes to show how lazy 90% of KZbinrs are.

[@Bubbles2cute4u]

Isaac Kwon my biggest gripe!!

[@toddsoren]

I have KZbin Premium. I don’t say that to brag or something, but because I have completely forgotten about ads until I saw your comment.

[@MeganMcIntosh]

I always wondered if creators can control when the ad plays. It's super annoying when they cut in mid-sentence. If and when I monetize my content, I will make sure the ads are at nice break points! Also, it means I am 95% more likely to watch the ad if it doesn't break in at a super annoying moment.

[@moistasshole6958]

Yea i really hat when they do dont lay a finger on my better butterfinger

[@kellerjohnson.7157]

Everyone watching Defunctland:"say the line, Kevin!" Kevin:"a man named...Micheal Eisner" Everyone:"yaaaaaaaaay!"

[@Deepdarkbasement]

I gotta say this is one of my favorite videos to watch from Defunctland not just because of the rides being examined, but i think the discussion about the legacy’s of Joel Chandler Harris’s Story & Song of The South. I think the stories are interesting and the Animated parts of the film are enjoyable… but I guess one thing that I thought about a lot is… what were the original African Fables that inspired these stories in the first place like? The fact that the most popular interpretations of these tales are from a secondhand source by a person not from those cultures is kind of a bummer. Like I hope the original stories aren’t lost to time, and the only known written versions of them are modified versions that’s a major loss I feel…

[@pilotvc]

These days it's a popular trend to erase the past. For Disney it's not as much about legend, but more about playing it safe.

[@hannahbeckley5415]

Growing up, my grandparents had an old pamphlet in their RV advertising Six Flags over Georgia. The Tales from the Okefenofee featured prominently and I remember my Grandma singing the song from the ride to me. I’d totally forgotten about that core memory until watching this video - thank you!

[@WarriorWildhead1337]

If yall put that bunny saying "Bye, now, and hurry back, you hear?" at the very end after the credits I think I'd have pissed myself in fright.

[@8lavenderrose8]

They've changed it to monster mansion, she(a monster) still says it though

[@Lifesizemortal]

now you just have to lie about hate crimes to get acclaim. turn the world right side up and its still upside down

[@benedictdwyer2608]

@@Lifesizemortal what?

[@pavloverboy]

OH GOOD GOD THE CARROTS. THE TALKING CARROTS ARE NIGHTMARE FUEL.

[@mrk_builder551]

Lol.

[@nickthedreamer4434]

I much prefer the Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruits myself.

[@geoterra9478]

it's a cursed image for sure

[@aisle9]

Now imagine one on fire

[@itscrumbelivable]

of course they were the ones that started the fire

[@iammonicasue]

I know I'm coming to this video pretty late, but I have something to add to the Splash Mountain story. In the summers of 1988 and 89, I worked at Knott's Berry Farm, the locally beloved theme park just minutes from Disneyland. Every morning as I came into the park, before guests arrived, there was a team of people all over Knott's beloved Log Ride, one of the oldest log flume rides in the US, built in 1969 and designed by Bud Hurlbut. That team of people were Disney engineers, who were having nothing but trouble getting Splash Mountain to work correctly as they were building it. Sharp-eyed visitors to both Disneyland and Disneyworld will notice many differences between the Splash Mountain rides, and many of those differences can be attributed to the fact that the mechanics and design of the Disneyland ride were directly taken from Hurlbut's Log Ride built 20 years earlier. (I still prefer Knott's Log Ride to Splash Mountain any day!!)

[@hotmessjess1849]

Why did the teenagers souls leave their bodies though? This reminded me of the whole Disney Vault thing - I would love to see a video on that! Actually that and a biopic on Michael Eisner would be totally tubular!

[@android927]

Here's my 2 cents on the controversy: i think that the film should be re-released, if for no other reason than to honor the legacy of James Baskett, who became the first ever black man to win an Oscar for his performance in the film. Given the fact that the film was his last ever role before his passing in 1948, i think it would be a shame for his final performance to never again be seen. If Disney is too afraid to release it in it's original form, maybe they could add a disclaimer at the beginning clarifying that the film is set in the 1870s after slavery had been abolished, and that it is entirely a work of fiction and should not be taken as an accurate representation of race relations in the South during the era of reconstruction.

[@talosheeg]

I think that's a wonderful idea!!!

[@Whofan06]

I think Warner Bros had a really good disclaimer for some of their cartoons explaining that they were a product of their time and some of things depicted are not okay now, but to never show them again is to act as if those ideas never existed at all. I would applaud Disney for taking that kind of approach to their materials that have not aged well, and its such an old company that at some point I feel like they have a responsibility to take that stance and admit "yeah weve been around long enough that some of our cartoons were made when less than savory ideas were more common/viewed as acceptable"

[@OGSarah]

This is really fascinating! I’m not familiar with Song of the South or even Splash Mountain. (I’ve only been to Disney twice, both times were many years ago.) but I live in the south and I often see a vehicle around town with an advert “ Song of the South on DVD” driving around. I love Hattie McDowell and would love to see her in this film if for no other reason that she is an exceptional actress and I am in awe of her work.

[@DUSTINODELLOFFICIAL]

@@Whofan06 This will never happen because it is tantamount to Disney admitting they were racist at some point in history, which they will never do. But yes, agreed, the Warner Bros. "Censored 7" approach would be both tasteful and historically valuable. It's just that Disney will never do it, because it opens a giant can of worms for them in a way that it didn't for WB.

[@BusyLilBeeX]

and disney+ already has a bit of a disclaimer thing in place! when watching cinderella, a little disclaimer popped up in the upper corner warning of "depictions of tobacco use" and honestly, it would take little to no effort and money to add a 10-20 clip at the beginning of song of the south that explains that the views and depictions in the movie are very insensitive and not ok, and are a product of their time

[@MichaelHaneline]

You left out that the Bre'r Rabbit tales were adapted by the slaves from tales of Anansi the Spider that they brought with them from Ghana. This is particularly relevant when you bring up the "tar baby", which you seemed to credit to Joel Chandler Harris's imagination, but is in fact from a story where Anansi makes a doll out of sticky rubber tree gum to trap Mmoatia (a fairy).

[@zadinal]

That is incredibly interesting thought.

[@TheCaliforniaHP]

True

[@jonathanphillips3052]

Indeed. i imagine things like bre'r rabbit and the rest of the tales were a kind of compilation of the various stories and folktales from africa and then rerooted in equivalent material. since sticky rubber gum trees are not actually common or native to the american south, the solution was a substance that could be sticky and familiar to the audience at the time. Tar was that solution. Joel Chandler harris probably could not forsee how his work would become controversial in the ways that he did, but i imagine that he was trying to genuinely adapt the stories that he had heard in his own way, but like plenty of storytellers that came before, he changed things to fit his style and understanding better. I am probably wrong about a few things, but i don't believe he had malice in his heart when he was adapting the tales. certainly unlike some people who have adapted storied over the years. maybe that is why the characters and the songs have been as timeless as they are. because there is a kernal of that timeless magic that is born of genuine love.

[@ElFreakinCid]

@@jonathanphillips3052 To be specific, yeah, the stories were basically the slaves' way of telling Anansi stories without getting whipped for it. The slaves who told Joel Chandler Harris the stories were also some of the only people who ever showed him kindness, as he was literally an Irish bastard, and we all know how Americans treated the Irish and illegitimate kids in the 1800s. Harris compiled the stories and made the Uncle Remus character to preserve the stories and those who told them, right down to the vernacular the slaves spoke in. And now people who have no idea what they're talking about call it racist and are celebrating the replacement of a ride based on the cartoon segments of a movie inspired by preservation of African culture with a ride based on a movie written by four white men based loosely on a European fairytale and whose black leads spend over 90% of their screentime as frogs.

[@jonathanphillips3052]

@@ElFreakinCid yeah. strange how these things work. people remember it, and disney will happily reuse the songs, but they are strongly against acknowledging their own film and will try to memory hole it like that will somehow work... forgetting that thanks to the internet, people can and will make sure the film is preserved forever in memory. lets hope one day disney decides to acknowledge it and has the courage to release it. it will recieve attacks, it will recieve hate, but you should not pretend it didn't exist. hell, it could even get some fans, as people see with eyes unclouded. this was not the only adaptation of uncle remus, though compared to how disney pulled it and hid it, the animated film 'coonskin' by ralph Bakshi stood up in the face of the attacks on it, battered bruised and bloody, but still standing defiantly. and that film was way more provocative in how it handled its material.

[@hordamis5651]

With them rebranding Splash Mountain to Princess and the Frog. I hope there is at least one scene where Br'er Fox, Rabbit, and Bear make a cameo.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Would be nice.

[@philipphalter926]

there are maelstrom easter eggs in frozen ever after, so i guess there's a chance

[@dbmanaic]

I've only been to a Disney park once, and Splash mountain was my favorite ride, not because of the characters, because I didn't know any of them, but because the ride was long and very detailed, and I liked the falling bits. I didn't know that it was being rebranded, I hope I can see the Princes and the frog ride one day, I hope it's as detailed and long as splash mountain was.

[@pilotvc]

Yeah but some day in the future someone will say Princess and the Frog is racist and it will change again

[@charlottestreet3301]

The Princess and the frog is not racist

[@pilotvc]

@@charlottestreet3301 well not today, but it might be offensive in the future, who knows?

[@t1m3f0x]

The Princes and the frog ride won't be as detailed it was just a way to get rid of something connected to a part of Disney's past they want to bury. At lest The Oriental Land Company was able to stop them from re-theming Tokyo Disney's Splash mountain, so at lest one of them survived.

[@t1m3f0x]

@@charlottestreet3301 *yet

[@HarryBillyBobGeorge]

Me reading the comments: Okay how scary can these carrots possibly beJESUS CHRIST

[@tomokokuroki3085]

Nya, oh, do you think that's bad? Do you want to see something more frightening than those carrots? Observe and marvel at the most horrifying wax museums in Europe. Wax Museum of Saint Petersburg: twitter.com/randymeeks/status/1105537216938496000 Wax Museum of Madrid: twitter.com/aroquesihombre/status/923303921099137025 Have sweet dreams :D

[@CrazyBear65]

@@tomokokuroki3085 - Good googly moogly. The horror cannot be unseen.

[@TheCrazyTalkKid]

@@tomokokuroki3085 Burn it! Burn it all! These... abominations are an affront to all that is good and pure on this earth. Nuke the sites from orbit and send these monstrosities back to whatever pit they were spawned in for the sake sanity and humanity.

[@tessfabled4115]

That's some classic Krofft brothers designing right there. It may bhe terrifying as all hell but at least it sticks with you! :D

[@housemouseshorts]

havent gotten to that part yet and im freaked out.

[@rebekahs.5369]

I’ve been going to six flags over Georgia since I was a baby and I never knew that the original monster mansion ride was inspired by song of the south. It’s kind of cool to see the history of a ride that I’ve been going on my entire life.

[@Hawkent]

Dude I've lived in Carrollton my whole life and felt so giddy the whole time seeing all these things I recognized in this video

[@aMondayMorning]

I've been scrolling for a while and you're literally the only comment that actually even mentioned Over Georgia, because, you know, this video is about the history of that ride and NOT Splash Mountain. This was a good reminder as to why I don't watch stuff on this channel anymore.

[@DerpypawsProductions]

I remember when I went on Splash Mountain for the first time in the 90s, even as a kid I felt like it made no sense combining the country animals from no reference I knew about, with a surprise steep water splash at the end. Now it finally comes together... It still never made sense, but at least now I know why 😆

[@welcometomylives]

Oh god some of the Tales of the Okefenokee models are terrifying.

[@dizzymelodies6845]

You mean *ALL* of them?

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@dizzymelodies6845 Five Nights at Tales of the Okefenokee

[@MsMercury]

@@autobotstarscream765 ha ha ha good one! Terrifying!

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@MsMercury Thanks! :)

[@MsMercury]

@@autobotstarscream765 Those carrots are especially frightening.

[@ElFreakinCid]

That rap is so white AND so almost-90s, I nearly shrivelled and turned into a radically tubular pickle.

[@jameswhite153]

yeah, it's almost as bad as this, kzbin.info/www/bejne/bl7KiGdroMRghpI

[@LezSpringfield]

Lol pickle that’s funny

[@TheRealYuckl3s_9000]

Dancing miners will now haunt my soul

[@Amanda-ze2ut]

“I’m radically tubular pickle Rick!!”

[@hollyhollyson6493]

Michael Eisner: I know exactly what kids are into these days. I’m hip with the youth. 19:11

[@TempestDacine]

Nothing, I mean NOTHING, could have prepared me for that advertisement for splash mountain

[@alisonmcclain2921]

That promotional rap dance monstrosity will give me nightmares. Great job Kevin!

[@Doubledare1andahalf]

More than the Okefenokee animatronics?

[@Teverell]

@Maintenance Renegade The music - or a lot of it!! - is still pretty good today. Song-and-dance routines and the fashions... Not so much! And I wasn't even a teen back then, only a pre-teen.

[@jacoblyman9441]

A segment of the rap was incorporated in the Zip A Dee Doo Da segment on the "Disneyland Fun Sing A Long Songs" video...

[@SirBlackReeds]

@Maintenance Renegade Couldn't that apply to a number of decades though, even our own?

[@SirBlackReeds]

@Maintenance Renegade You're ignoring a lot.

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

"cause you're riding on the mountain o f y o u r o w n f r e e w i l l" Oh ho ho! Ominous!

[@mikotoh]

that line is even worse if viewed with slavery in mind...

[@HappilyEverFandom]

Hey, Defunctland. Because of the closure, you should do the birth and death of Splash Mountain video.

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

I'm honestly surprised no other animation studio in the 1960s or 1970s, like Nelvana, Hanna-Barbera or Filmation, tried to make their own Tales of the Okefenokee movie focused solely on the animal characters to tie in with this ride. The puppets done by Sid and Marty Kroff, as well as whoever wrote the songs for that version of the ride are really appealing, and I could totally buy into a kid's movie based on these versions of the characters being made at that time.

[@celestiadrools9551]

That could beat Disney in a heartbeat.

[@PapiDoesIt]

I was one of those teenagers who enjoyed the dark secluded place to... enjoy the tales of Joel Chandler Harris.

[@desertguy1362]

is it make out or we talking second base lol honestly i am not sure where he was heading with it?

[@elizabethking6009]

@meanybean I want to know how on Earth that atmosphere could be considered even SOMEWHAT sexy 😂😂

[@eiffiedarkness649]

Oof

[@pinkchampagne5528]

@meanybean but.. how did they finish in time and not be heard by the other riders?

[@benedictdwyer2608]

@@pinkchampagne5528 idk, maybe they went earlier in the morning/ late at night, where there would be far less guests

[@pikminfan6778]

Disney's CEO at the time... Me: Oh boy... A man named... Me: Here it comes! ...Michael Eisner.

[@ArendAlphaEagle]

Us: "Say the line, Kevin!" Kevin Perjurer: *sigh* "A man named Michael Eisner." Us: "YAAAY!"

[@emblemblade9245]

Mr. Krabs: “It’s a name you all know...it starts with an M...!”

[@victorhernandez8723]

Still better than Bob Iger!

[@ck-1649]

There it is

[@icecreamhero2375]

OH NO not Michael Eisner!

[@teddaugherty5486]

11:13 "Parliament of owls" is my favorite collective noun.

[@colbeesnyder541]

Now waiting on the Splash Mountain Defunctland episode.

[@geekhotel1785]

“The ride was also a favorite of teenagers looking for a dark secluded place to... ...revisit the classic tales of Joel Chandler Harris” I’m *WHEEZING*

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

Meh.... he had already the perfect prompt with the song previously shown mentioning how there is no "hokey and pokey in Okefenokee" ... there should have been a line about how the hanky and panky is going well ;)

[@LancasterResponding]

I don’t like the idea of a “plantation cave.”

[@MurdochMMQCR]

Yeah me neither.

[@khanofkhans5750]

Product of the time

[@Sumschmuck]

It's absolutely horrible. How do you expect anything to grow in a cave with no sunlight?

[@abbie_joan]

i heard that kid saying it and I cringed into myself

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

sounds very omnius

[@TheMayweather]

19:21 i had to replay that like 5 times they slayed that shitt lmaoo

[@Charlotte-rq2hu]

There is also an Uncle Remus museum in Eatonton, Georgia. I’ve never been, but there is a giant sign with Brayer Rabbit on it that I pass frequently

[@emmagrace3638]

At the Splash Mountain promotional video I legitimately said “Wait, what?!” out loud to an empty room. 😂

[@AniMonsterGames]

I just stared, baffled and confused. Followed by a "What the f*** am I watching!?"

[@GiddeonFox]

I've known about that video for a while and was wondering when it was going to show up in this episode, I was not disappointed.

[@rhiannonsaegert3096]

I did the exact same thing, then scrolled down here to recover by reading the comments for a bit.

[@CasaiAgicap]

I just had this grin of pure joy going the whole time. Like I was looking at a kitten chasing its own tail.

[@maxbrandt6]

We all did, Emma. A real WTF moment, even for Disneyland.

[@acedaryl2]

Thumbs up for "parliament of owls". Way to get the terminology correct.

[@fuyuseetaa]

"He felt that he had a connection to the enslaved people due to the treatment he got based on the way he looked and sounded" reminds me so much of that child who, for a school project to dress as a historical figure they admired, dressed up as Martin Luther King Jr. and painted his face. When your heart is the right place but you're REAALLLYYYYY missing the mark.

[@cesarcoronel9135]

Nothing wrong with painting the face

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Near me, for a carnival these four guys went as the Calgary '88 Jamaican Bobsleigh Team, from Cool Runnings. Now, I live in Mid Wales, so as you could guess, these were white guys who blacked up. It caused a stir, enough for one if the actual bobsledders to get in contact with them basically saying "I appreciate the thought, but you screwed up."

[@Duothimir]

I dunno, being part of a race that was denied employment, shunned by religious groups, and even openly massacred with no punishment for the perpetrators or compensation for the victims simply based on where they were from and what they looked like... Irish suffering gets swept under the rug A LOT.

[@NB-nh2sf]

That's is an honest mistake. To think he had it remotely as bad as humans forced into property is wild.

[@babbyasmr2031]

​@@Duothimir Irish is not a race. AND no, Irish suffering is not swept under any rug besides the white one you all continue to prop up by being Hella racist to poc. Have you been up north in the US? The Irish here are fucking horrible, just like every other white person here.

[@Rhewin]

OMG 19:30. As a kid I had the Disneyland Fun Singalong VHS. It has a version of Zip-a-dee Doo-dah that included the rap from this promo. I always just assumed it was late 80s/early 90s weirdness (every kid's media had to have a rap back then). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that VHS was a stealth promo now that I think about it.

[@anone.mousse674]

Everybody’s got a laughing place. And Defunctland is mine.

[@softfemboybf]

Anon E. Mousse Mine is r/sbubby.

[@neeshpines5108]

WB: Yes, these kinds of cartoons exists, but it's better to acknowledge that they existed and learn from past mistakes than to act like they never happened Disney: The Early 1900s didn't exist

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

Song of the South is from the 1940s. tha6t is NOT "Early 1900s". And then there are the Dumbo Crows, including unironically a crow named JIM... speaking in a heavy "folksy" accent. WTF.

[@JCOdrjones]

Honestly, neither do a great job but at least WB tried to do something

[@sticksterstickme986]

@@Ugly_German_Truths Along with that particular crow being voiced by a white man -_- god that's so horrible

[@mrfreeman2911]

@@Ugly_German_Truths using that logic drawing english people with bad teeth or big ears or a posh accent it racist. It is funny how only the actual erasure of black faces and voice is seen as woke and correct.

[@beewilson5555]

@@mrfreeman2911 2:53 I think you need to mull this line over for a while.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

This is pretty interesting to me having grown up with comic books in Sweden, because while no one here really knows about Song of the South, the characters Br'er Fox, Bear and Rabbit appeared very frequently on their own in shorter adventures in the Donald Duck comic books, which were very popular here for over half a century. I had no idea where those characters were from until today!

[@TheJPCatholic]

Thank you for providing an honest coverage of Splash Mountain and it’s predecessor. This actually made me appreciate the ride, despite never getting to ride it...

[@TheMaria0398]

Somehow Michael Eisner had the ability to make anything super uncool

[@IndianaJoe0321]

He's definitely uncool as a person.. But I'm glad he sold Brian Henson on the idea of opening MuppetVision 4D in Disney World. When Jim Henson died just weeks prior to the grand opening, it was all over until Eisner had Henson's son, Brian, come down to WDW and personally view the attraction.

[@Attmay]

He made old people look cool when he hired Witt-Thomas-Harris to produce *The Golden Girls.*

[@kentrostomy6088]

Dude... Uncool

[@michaelhuck]

And he worked hard to get the name Walt out of the "new" "Disney" Company and he still was a "good" guy compared to Bob (the Squeezer) Iger...

[@natedog69420]

How is splash mountain uncool? Think eisner was one of the best ceos of disney

[@evanredacted7977]

Those carrot animitronics are already terrifying enough don't make me think of one of them glitching out and bursting into flames.

[@theglitch99]

I like how dangerous the old rides looked! Natural selection.😂

[@justinwhite35]

I rode this ride for the first time early this year! Got stuck on it at the very end though... Zippity do dah still haunts my nightmares after being subjected to it for about 20 minutes straight. Sad this ride is going to be replaced by a Princess and the Frog version.

[@thebigmermaid]

I am legitimately terrified by splash mountain itself, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the terror that is the tales from okeefenokee 😭

[@coasterobsessed9513]

Savannah Irwin what’s so scary i’m too scared to watch it

[@mememachine1969]

@@Sloptit holy fucking shit

[@coasterobsessed9513]

Some Guy. i’m pretty sure that’s what he’s supposed to say at least the vultures say that right before you drop maybe you were just hearing that

[@postallyheidi5821]

Bobby Driscoll (the little boy shown in Song of the South) later went on to voice Peter Pan in the original animated film! He also acted out every scene for animation reference

[@landerstyle100]

died terribly too shame

[@Elizabeth-lv5dj]

Oh that’s really cool

[@elisabethb.131]

And after voicing Peter Pan he was unceremoniously dumped by Disney because he had acne. Which led to him becoming an addict, and ending at age 31 as an unidentified corpse in a dark New York city alley. Hollywoods first of many broken childstars, and they have learned nothing.

[@lonelyscarygirl]

@@elisabethb.131 That's horrifying. I would have died too in his place, I'm acne ridden and I'm 24

[@l.a.gothro3999]

@12:52 - Mr. Rabbit is wearing Chuck Taylors!

[@catherineviolinist]

I grew up going to Six Flags Over Georgia in the late 90s/early 2000s. I only ever knew that Monster Mansion existed and had no idea that it had a predecessor until now. Thanks for sharing this content with us!

[@jewelthompson9916]

I swear when the teens started rapping Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah I almost ascended to heaven from laughing too hard

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

And I thought the "Mickey Mouse Disco" version was campy!

[@techguypaul]

That rap is in the Disney Sing Along Songs too. I never knew that came from something else.

[@SharpDesign]

Wow.. I thought I already knew about Song of the South, but there's more to the story than I thought.

[@babygracie68]

I remember seeing this movie at a summertime drive in theatre. It always disturbed me.

[@CrazyManhog]

RIP Splash Mountain it's going to VR heaven

[@jeffcunningham308]

Who else got so excited when they saw that Defunctland posted a new video. Thanks Kevin for another awesome video.

[@Phantomsangel]

Meeee! It was perfect for me to watch while I was Golding laundry!

[@MrAlmindore58]

I sointenly was, Mon frair of hare!

[@official_rown]

Mii

[@jamiesimpson8596]

Wow, Eisner used his son as a “tubular” meter. I can’t stop laughing at that. Great job!!!

[@dr.jackbright963]

I bet he didn't even pay his kid and blamed it on euro Disney

[@dr.jackbright963]

@@teeshark6584 back up buddy, your being Abit creepy

[@powertothesheeple5422]

That pretty much explains why all of his ideas sucked huge ass.

[@NASAgeekKat]

Song of the South is available on an official DVD at the Uncle Remus Museum in Edenton GA. My brother bought me a copy a few months ago.

[@persistentpedestrianalien8641]

There was a good sock selection in the the dairy aisle. I got some of the chairs by the window. And all the outside birds had songs coming out their beaks. The Yellow sky was putrid and humid over the stinky ground.

[@djdeadbeat4380]

Damn, that Okefenokee song is actually really catchy. It’s been stuck in my head all day

[@SuperWolsey]

Indeed

[@hopespeak5852]

I need to download it and Another Splatoon 2 fan!

[@djdeadbeat4380]

Mya The Ink Demon hello there, good to see you

[@xoleetl]

"A man named Michael Eisner." ...and now you're just somebody that I used to know

[@knuc77]

We had Song of the south on VHS when I was a kid! It was one of my favorite movies and it wasn't until much much later I realized how bad some parts of it were lol.

[@tsarmikislav938]

Fun fact The only voice actor who did his voice in both splash mountain and song of the south is the voice of br'er bear, Nick Stewart