As we reported last month, Disney released a brand new video game, Kinect Disneyland Adventures for the Xbox 360, on November 15th. The game is essentially a virtual Disneyland with interactive meet-and-greet characters (including all three Brers) and “mini-games” for each main attraction in the park (including Splash Mountain). Details were initially scarce, but now that the game has been out for a few weeks, we’ve got YouTube clips of the experience! Without further ado…

Part 1: The Briar Patch. The adventure begins with Brer Rabbit (voiced by the talented Jess Harnell) leading the player through a briar patch, collecting coins in the process. Meanwhile, a new instrumental rendition of “How Do You Do?” is playing in the background. Once the player has reached the end of the Briar Patch, they arrive at Brer Fox’s house. Brer Rabbit advises the player to hop into a nearby log floating in the river, while he delivers a “present” to Brer Fox and Brer Bear (a beehive full of angry bees).

Part 2: The Log Flume. Brer Rabbit hops in with the player, and off they go on their adventure, leaving a fuming Brer Fox and Brer Bear at the dock. This portion of the game has the player steering the log and trying to avoid obstacles while collecting coins. Meanwhile, Brer Fox and Brer Bear are scheming to get back at Brer Rabbit and hurling objects at them along the river bank. An instrumental rendition of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” plays in the background.

Part 3: The Barrel Run. Brer Rabbit and the player find themselves hurtling downwards into a water-filled cavern. They take some nearby floating barrels and continue on, dodging more obstacles including falling stalactites and swooping vultures, and of course collecting coins. In this segment, an instrumental version of “Everybody Has A Laughing Place” is playing.

Note: The YouTube clips shown above do not depict the full gameplay; namely, we don’t see what leads up to the waterfall, and we don’t see the game’s conclusion. You know one thing’s for certain though: Brer Rabbit triumphs! (Sorry, Brer Fox. Better luck next time.)

Meet and Greet Characters: Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit are also found outside Splash Mountain, in Critter Country. The following video clip shows the locations of Brer Bear and Brer Fox, and the entrance to Splash Mountain. Brer Rabbit is apparently an unlockable meet-and-greet character, requiring the player to first help Brer Fox lure him out of hiding.

So, there you have it! This is the Brers’ single biggest animated appearance since their cameos on the House of Mouse (2001-2003), and their first ever computer animated appearance. I was very pleasantly surprised to see them so prominently featured in the game, and I applaud Disney for not trying to further bury this maligned movie. Thanks to Nicholas Fleming for the news report!

In case you haven’t heard, Disney fans are abuzz with a brand new Disney video game in town. Kinect Disneyland Adventures is a truly virtual Disneyland for the Xbox 360, and I must say the graphics are quite impressive. There are many interactive meet-and-greet characters throughout the park, and all of the park’s main attractions are interactive “mini games”.

If you’re wondering, “Does that include Splash Mountain?” I am happy to report yes! Even Brer Bear and Brer Fox appear as animated meet-and-greet characters near Critter Country. On Song of the South’s Facebook page, Philip Marc shared with us a link to a YouTube video clip that briefly shows Brer Bear and Brer Fox, and the façade to Splash Mountain.

As the game isn’t scheduled for release until November 15th, details are still a little scarce, and I haven’t been able to find any screenshots or video clips of the actual Splash Mountain attraction. But, if the demos of other attractions are any indication, expect to see at least a few “Brer” cameos from the ride! More will be posted as soon as we get more info. It should be noted that this is the first time any characters from Walt Disney’s Song of the South have made it into a video game (that I’m aware of).

Kinect Disneyland Adventures is currently available for preorder on Amazon.com. The game requires a Microsoft Xbox 360 with the Kinect add-on.

Walt Disney World’s Splash Mountain logs have been redesigned, with the addition of lap bars. The photo to the right has been widely circulated and shows rider test dummies in place to test the new restraint system. According to StitchKingdom.com, the new lap bars and seating enforces 2 guests per row, at the cost of increasing launch times by 8 seconds per boat, and reducing potential ride capacity.

To date, there have only been two reports of accidents involving WDW’s Splash Mountain that I know of, both occurring over 10 years ago. The first incident, on November 5, 2000, happened when a 37-year-old man was killed as he exited his boat in the middle of the ride and was then struck by another boat. The second incident, on December 20, 2000, involved an elderly woman who was injured due to exiting the log too early at the loading area. I would guess this kind of thing happens fairly frequently; we just don’t hear about it until there’s an injury.

It should be interesting to note that this is not the first time that Splash Mountain’s logs have been redesigned. In 1989 when Disneyland’s Splash Mountain opened, the logs sat up to 8 people on a shared padded “bench”, which required some straddling. This design was changed in 2001, reducing the number of seats to 5, with individual backrests installed. The back of the log is now wider to accommodate larger guests, or two smaller guests sitting side-by-side. It will be interesting to see if either of the other two Splash Mountain attractions (Toyko or Disneyland) will receive similar lap bar restraints in the future.

The ride at Walt Disney World is set to reopen on Tuesday, February 1st. Thanks to Keith for the news report!