Before the rise of influencers and viral ride-throughs, there was Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain, a gloriously goofy, half-hour TV special that aired on July 7, 1989, just days before the grand opening of Splash Mountain at Disneyland. Starring Retro Network favorite Jim Varney as his iconic character Ernest P. Worrell, the special was part mockumentary, part commercial, and featured all of the Ernest charm we know and love.
The plot is as absurd as you’d expect something featuring Ernest. Ernest volunteers to become the world’s first “Splashtronaut”, a brave soul chosen to test Disneyland’s newest and most daring flume ride. Framed as a live news event, the special follows Ernest through a series of increasingly ridiculous training exercises, including tire swings, water drills, and motivational pep talks (to himself, mostly).
The entire production is presented as a tongue-in-cheek news broadcast, complete with anchors, field reporters, and dramatic countdowns. It’s a blend of slapstick comedy and theme park hype, with Ernest’s signature catchphrases and physical comedy front and center.
The special featured appearances by real Disney Imagineers like Bruce Gordon, as well as fictional characters like Skip Binkman and M. Hastings-Hardwicke, who added to the faux-serious tone of the broadcast. It was produced by RC Entertainment Inc. and aired on The Disney Channel, later entering syndication in August 1989.
Though it was never released on home video, the special has lived on in the hearts of Ernest fans and Disney park historians. It’s a rare gem that captures a moment when Disney was experimenting with edgier, more irreverent marketing, long before social media made that normal.
Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain is often left out of the Ernest filmography. It was sandwiched between theatrical releases Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Saves Christmas. But for fans of both Disney and Ernest, it’s a fascinating time capsule: a mashup of corporate synergy, theme park excitement, and late-’80s comedy.
It also marks a unique moment in Disney history, when the company was promoting a ride based on Song of the South, a film which has become the subject of significant controversy. As of 2023, Splash Mountain has been reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, making this special a relic of a bygone era.
Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain may not have made it to VHS, but it made a splash in its own right. But don’t worry, it exists in all it’s glory on YouTube, and you can watch it below.
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