Disneyland Removes Racist Portrayals Of Indigenous Peoples From Jungle Cruise

Since the opening of Disneyland in 1955, the Jungle Cruise adventure has featured racist and colonialist representations of the indigenous peoples of Africa. Now, before the upcoming movie release Jungle cruise on July 30, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, the famous amusement park presents a new version of the merry-go-round, without the tribal caricatures.

Those who take a river trip through the replicated African jungle will no longer be faced with the head-tribes hunting, brandishing spears that offer an exchange of “two of his heads for one of yours.” Instead of, chimpanzees and monkeys join the other animatronic animals in scenes inspired by the “slapstick” as the narrative of the ride focuses on nature and the journey of a man who seeks to tame it.

“When we watch something and realize that the content is inappropriate and can perpetuate a misconception or stereotype,” said Carmen Smith, head of inclusion strategies for Imagineering. the LA Times, “OOur intention is to take a critical look at it and find a way to improve it, make the necessary changes to make it relevant.

This is only the last of many changes for the Jungle Cruise tour and many other rides at the park as changes have slowly been made to reflect the changes in our society. Jeanette Lomboy, the vice president who oversees Disneyland Resort and Aulani, started at Disney as a ride operator in 1995, the first year Disney allowed women to run a Jungle Cruise boat.

“Women were not allowed to be the skippers of Jungle Cruise,” says Lomboy. “To be honest, that I couldn’t be a Jungle Cruise skipper, that’s not something I realized when I was little. This, for me, was a shock. Women weren’t even allowed to work on the Jungle Cruise. But for me it’s a gradual change, and you move forward.

Yes we will all move forward knowing that the path no longer applies the colonialist stereotypes of Nindigenous people.