Splash Mountain Pre-Opening 1988

Dipping into my own archive of photographs, I take a trip back to late 1988. One of the new attractions on the horizon was Splash Mountain in Bear Country (soon to be renamed Critter Country.) The original opening date for the attraction was to be January 1989. As part of the construction, there was a large fence placed with great advertising for the attraction. The first image shows the imagineering artwork for the splash part of the attraction.

The second image shows two renderings of the interior and exterior of the ride along with advertising for the attraction. Note the opening date.

A new statue was placed in the front of the attraction featuring the three main characters. The film that inspired the attraction, Song of the South, had its final re-release in 1986. The attraction is still popular with long lines.

The final image is one that is just nice. The sailing ship Columbia with some of the sails unfurled. It appears it was a crowded day at the park.