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Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise has set sail in the park’s Adventureland area consistently since 1955, and it stands today as one of the remaining opening day attractions overseen by Walt Disney himself.
But culture often moves faster than decades-old mechanical hippos.
On Monday, the Walt Disney Co. announced that it’s embarking on what many view as a long-overdue course correction for the Jungle Cruise. Numerous changes will make the attraction feel more inclusive and less racially insensitive in its depiction of other cultures.
The move follows updates to other older attractions such as Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, all done to remove now-outdated tableaus that can be cringe-inducing at best and racist at worst. The company had already announced that Splash Mountain, originally inspired by the critters in the racist film “Song of the South,” would receive a makeover themed to “The Princess and the Frog,” the movie that featured D
The Jungle Cruise, as one of Disneyland s opening day attractions envisioned by the park s patriarch, is likely to be viewed with a more protective lens by the company s vast fan base. Yet the ride has also been one under near-constant evolution since its inception. Its early influence was taken from Disney s own nature documentaries and the 1951 film
The African Queen, a favourite of early Disneyland designer Harper Goff. Its initial conception as The Jungle Rivers of the World leaned slightly more educational than today s more humour-driven take. The ride s unsavoury tribal depictions, largely inspired by images from Papua New Guinea, were added in the years after its opening. These vignettes of the Jungle Cruise essentially depict indigenous people as either tourist attraction, attackers or cannibals.
Disneyland to make the Jungle Cruise more inclusive after yearslong complaints of racism
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times
Jan. 25, 2021
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An artist rendering of the new chimpanzee scene on the revamped Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. The ride s unsavory tribal depictions, largely inspired by images from Papua New Guinea, were added in the years after its opening. These vignettes of the Jungle Cruise essentially depict indigenous people as either tourist attraction, attackers or cannibals.Courtesy of DisneyShow MoreShow Less
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Rides, like Jungle Cruise (pictured here) have had plastic dividers installed to protect guests and cast members at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The ride s unsavory tribal depictions, largely inspired by images from Papua New Guinea, were added in the years after its opening. These vignettes of the Jungle Cruise essentially depict indigenous people as either tourist attraction, attackers or cannibals.Julie TremaineSh