There’s no denying what then-Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger’s acquisitions of Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012 did for Disney.

The two companies expanded the Disney umbrella to include two new — incredibly passionate — fandoms who have, aside from the incredibly divisive Star Wars sequel trilogy, largely embraced everything The Walt Disney Company has done with their beloved franchises.

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers movies featuring the likes of Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man/Tony Stark, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, Chris Evans as Captain America/Steve Rogers, and more to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian, which has introduced Star Wars fans to characters like Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu (AKA The Child AKA Baby Yoda), there’s no telling just how far these iconic brands can expand under the Walt Disney Company banner.

Star Wars and Marvel have even had a huge impact on Disney’s theme parks, with two billion-dollar Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lands opening in 2019 — one at Walt Disney World Resort’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the other at Disneyland Resort’s Disneyland Park — and Avengers Campus slated to open at Disney California Adventure Park sometime in 2021 following Disneyland Resort’s eventual reopening.

Now, it seems that some fans believe the impact Lucasfilm founder George Lucas and Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee have had on Disney is more than — or at least equal to — Walt Disney’s legacy.

A new poll on the WDW Magic fan forum asks this question:

Should The Partners Statue Be Replaced With George Lucas, Stan Lee, And John Lasseter Holding Hands?
At first glance, this, of course, seems like a wild idea — and 66.7% of fans agreed that Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse should remain the focal point of Disney’s castle theme parks around the world. However, oddly enough, 33.3% of the Disney Parks fans who have voted in this poll so far believe that the Partners statue should be replaced with a monument honoring these world-builders who have created, arguably, some of the most amazing fictional worlds in history. Walt may have started the Disney empire, but it’s the minds of George, Stan, John, and James keeping the show running new & fresh today. Popular opinion? Most unlikely. Logical? Now that’s the question..
And before any of you accuse this of being rubbish because I said George Lucas instead of JJ Abrams [A-lister Abrams worked on the Star Wars sequel trilogy], I was referring to the creative minds behind the original product & characters being added to the parks today, not the people recycling what’s already been created.
This notion is, of course, very unlikely to ever become a reality — after all, “it all started with a Mouse” and Iger could never have purchased Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm in the first place without Walt Disney’s incredible vision and foresight. Disney has also never indicated that the Partners statue will be replaced, and the company even recently refurbished the statue at Disneyland Park. The idea does, however, merit some consideration in regard to the construction of another statue, perhaps somewhere at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure, since the Anaheim Disney property features lands themed to both Marvel and Star Wars worlds.
 
Walt Disney World is unlikely to ever receive a Marvel-themed area due to licensing issues. At this time, both franchises have a lot going on in regard to content. Numerous new Disney+ streaming series were announced at The Walt Disney Company’s 2020 Investor Day event and in the days following — 11 in the Star Wars galaxy and 10 in the MCU.
 
Stan Lee passed away in Los Angeles in 2018, but 76-year-old George Lucas — in spite of selling Lucasfilm nearly a decade ago at this point — is rumored to be seeking increasing involvement in the future of Star Wars, specifically in regard to The Mandalorian saga. Although the Skywalker Saga officially ended in 2019 with Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, featuring the trio of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Finn (John Boyega), characters from Lucas’s original trilogy — Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi (1983) — have made appearances in The Mandalorian.
 
Both bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (played by a CGI de-aged Mark Hamill) appeared in The Mandalorian Season 2 — therefore, it serves to reason that Lucas might want to play a larger role in The Mandalorian and its spinoffs moving forward.
 
Regardless of what ultimately happens with Lucas’s Star Wars future, it is certainly an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan or a Marvel fan. Not only that I did a 4-month research of the Splash Mountain re theme and the closing date of Splash Mountain for the re theme at Disneyland is currently unknown. We all know that the re theme for Walt Disney World is still happening since it's already opened and for Disneyland there is still hope for saving Splash Mountain as long as Disneyland is closed during the coronavirus pandemic. Not only that there are rumors that the re theme might be canceled due to budget issues and the amount of money the Walt Disney Company has lost and the attraction might come to Fantisyland for the expansion and since June 25th everyone is fighting the battle to save the Splash Mountain ride for getting re themed. By the way, On June 25th 2020 I was looking at the concept art of the Splash Mountain attraction being re themed into The Princess and the Frog attraction on Facebook and on the news on different news stations on YouTube a few months ago and it is a cool idea for a Disney attraction and I like the idea. But there is still one problem, the cost. According to Disney Parks History classic rides like Splash Mountain is just to expensive to re theme. I don't think Disney should re theme Splash Mountain because it's not only a popular ride at Disneyland since 1989 but it's to expensive to re theme into The Princess and the Frog. Also Disney has lost a lot of money due to the COVID -19 Pandemic so Disney might not do it. Not only that 2020 is not a very good year not only for Disney but for us as well and it's kind of a weird year. But then a few months later Marvel fans want Black Panther to take over the re theme of Splash Mountain as well. It's just a recipe for disaster that undermines the point of the re theme of Splash Mountain and it doesn't do anything to add to it. Disney should leave Splash Mountain alone and shelve the project or put The Princess and the Frog attraction next door to Splash Mountain right where the back stage area is. Just like Disney is doing at Mickey's Toon Town for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway which is going to open in 2022. Plus it's the only way to save Splash Mountain. Or another idea, If Disney wants to do a Fantisyland expansion move The Princess and the Frog dark ride in Fantisyland and bring back the motorboat cruse and use that space for the dark ride. And for Black Panther Disney needs to do a new ride for Disney's California Adventure in the new Marvel Land. I've signed up on Change.org to not only saving the ride but to come up with come great ideas to put The Princess and the Frog attraction somewhere else in Disneyland. Since June 25th last year and right now this Splash Mountain re theme did not share the same success as the Tower of Terror re theme or even the Paradise Pier re theme did. Not just in terms of reception and for 2020 being a weird year but the amount of money that the Walt Disney Company has lost. Disney has lost a lot over 1.4 Billion Dollars during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Also during the Pandemic 28,000 Disney cast members got layoff because of this virus that’s been going on since March.
On the other hand. The other mountains be size Splash Mountain like Thunder, Space and Matterhorn that are over 30, 40, 50, or 60 years old are just to expensive to be re themed into something else. Do you remember The Tower of Terror re theme to Mission Breakout along with the Paradise Pier re theme to Pixar Pier at Disney's California Adventure. Well after 10 or 15 years of being in operation and after those two got their re theme they made 3 times it's reviews. So the Splash Mountain re theme to Princess and the Frog was definitely a step back. Protesting is probability the new years revolution in 2021 that is going to happen. Because by then COVID-19 will be over and the racism will be forgotten. Hopefully after the new year of 2021 this Splash Mountain re theme will get canceled and best be forgotten. Everyone is selling Save Splash Mountain T Shirts right now. By the way, Disneyland is running out of room for new attractions and re theme some classic rides like the ones over in Disney's California Adventure. I would recommend to keep Disneyland closed until not only the coronavirus pandemic is over but until the Splash Mountain re theme is canceled. So that way it will give Disney some time to get the rides in the park maintained and repair, Clean up those COVID-19 germs, hire some new Disney Cast members and get everything ready in time for the 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company in 2023. I bet for Disneyland it's going to be a very long time until we get some new 28,000 Disney cast members to run and maintain the park. Probability two to three years or maybe four years. I want you to go online to Change.org and take a look at theses petitions.
1. To Save Splash Mountain and keep it as it is in Magic Kingdom and Disneyland
2. The Princess and the frog attraction next door to Splash Mountain
3. Bring back the Motorboat Cruse in Fantasyland for The Princess and The Frog dark ride
4. Save Splash Mountain for getting re themed into Princess and Frog along with Black Panther
5. Release Walt Disney's Song of the South on Disney DVD, Blu-Ray and Disney Plus
We also have a Facebook group called Save Splash Mountain And Release Song Of The South!
Not only that I found another clue. Do you remember that concept art that was announced a few months ago. The Disney Company did not made that concept art it was somebody else who is trying to scam Disney to re theme the attraction. Listen carefully to what Philip from Facebook has to say from this video that I found last year called Why Splash Mountain Is Not Getting a Retheme.
Philip Kippel: Ok so just so you know that “concept art” wasn’t done by Disney! I found this out earlier by someone who lives in my town and knows the person who did it! Disney seen in on a Google post and they asked him to do more and work with them. Also another thing is, this thing has been a hoax from the get go! I’ve also had a certain Cast Member who shall remain nameless told me some inside stuff nothing too too deep because of NDA’s but he reassured me after I just asked for a confirmation he had to beat around the bush of course but, everything pretty much in the video is 100% true it’s not gonna happen. Also another thing is this the one in California runs right through the Haunted Mansion and a railroad so does the one in Florida. Until we have another head CEO Iger will reign terror over Disney until he’s gone. He love himself some Political Correctness he’s also very arrogant. Disney use to listen to fans once he took over fans got their traps sealed shut just like employees. Another thing is that it cost even in 1992 75 Million to make and for a MASS OVERHAUL it would take BILLIONS if not TRILLIONS to redo which would sink them. It’s easier to do a complete new attraction than re theme an old one. I still refuse to ride Runaway Rail Cart but, a CM told me that you have Turner Classic Movies to thank for not renewing their contract. Speaking of The Great Movie Ride it was supposed to get left alone and Imagineers wanted to do the old Catastrophe Canyon but Carter stepped in and stopped it all. They tried to fight back and they were threatened with their jobs. It’s one big disaster after another. So yes, in short Splash Mountain retheme is a HOAX! Buuuutttt....just in case join Help Save Splash Mountain on Facebook it has Valarie Stewart which is Nick Stewart’s daughter and Nick Stewart voiced Br’er Bear in Song of the South. We’re still fighting this thing just in case.
Other than that Disney never made a Princess and the Frog sequel like the other attractions did at Disney's California Adventure at Pixar Pire like the Incredicoaster that has Incredibles 2 for example and since 2020 is a bad year Disney is making bad decisions on not only the Walt Disney Company and the Disney Parks as well which is why everyone dose not like this Splash Mountain re theme announcement that's been a problem since June 25th. I was watching a lot of videos of people on their thoughts on the idea and they don't like the idea at all. There is a lot of people that do not like this Splash Mountain re theme in fact it's one of the low rated dislike announcements and I think I know why the concept art didn't succeed as well as the Mission Breakout concept art or even Pixar Pier concept art did. First everyone had a lot of great memories of riding this ride. Including me. I went on Splash Mountain in 2013 on my first trip to Disneyland and I like it and I have no problems with it and there is no racism in the attraction and for a lot of people there are to much memories to say good bye to an attraction that's been so popular since 1989. Not only that you can tell by the concept art that Disney is running out of ideas for future re themes for Disney attractions.