The second most popular thrill ride in the park after Space Mountain, Splash Mountain is a log-flume water ride, based on the animated sequences in Disney's 1946 film Song of the South. Here the audio-animatronics creations of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, Brer Fox, and a menagerie of other Brer beasts frolic in bright, cartoonlike settings. When you settle into the eight-person hollowed-out logs, Uncle Remus's voice growls, "Mark mah words, Brer Rabbit gonna put his foot in Brer Fox's mouth one of these days." And this just might be the day.

As the boat carries you up the mountain, Brer Rabbit's silhouette hops merrily ahead to the tune of the ride's theme song, "Time to Be Moving Along." Every time some critter makes a grab for the bunny, your log boat drops out of reach. But Brer Fox has been studying his book How to Catch a Rabbit, and our lop-eared friend looks as if he's destined for the pot. Things don't look so good for the flumers, either. You get one heart-stopping pause at the top of the mountain -- just long enough to grab the safety bar -- and then the boat plummets down into a gigantic, very wet briar patch. In case you want to know what you're getting into, the drop is 52 1/2 feet -- that's about five stories -- at a 45-degree angle, enough to reach speeds of 40 mph and make you feel weightless. Try to smile through your clenched teeth: as you begin to drop, a flashbulb pops. You can purchase a photographic memento of the experience before exiting the ride. Brer Rabbit escapes -- and so do you, wet and exhilarated -- to the tune of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," the bouncy, best-known melody from the film. If you want to get really wet -- and you will get splashed from almost every seat -- ask the attendant to seat you in the front row.