Disneyland will reinvent jungle cruising after years of reviews

ORLANDO (CNN) – Disney has announced that it is redesigning a classic theme park attraction after years of criticism from fans.

The Jungle Cruise ride, where a wisecracking skipper transports guests along a waterway, is one of the latest theme park attractions that has been personally overseen by Walt Disney himself. The ride takes place in the two US theme parks – Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida.

However, Jungle Cruise has not aged as gracefully as some of the other attractions. Although the ride was inspired by nature documentaries, one of the sites along the river route is a scene of “natives”, which portrays them as savage, primitive and menacing.

In a press release, Disney confirmed the ride’s upcoming redesign. Among the changes there will be a new animated skipper character.

“As Imagineers, it is our responsibility to ensure that the experiences we create and the stories we share reflect the voices and perspective of the world around us,” said Carmen Smith, Head of Creative Development and inclusion strategies at Walt Disney Imagineering, in a press release.

A “Jungle Cruise” movie starring Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons and The Rock (as skipper) is due out later in 2021. However, Disney has not confirmed whether there will be an overlap between the film and the ride.

Cool upgrades are coming to the Jungle Cruise in Disneyland Park at @Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom Park at @WaltDisneyWorld Resort later this year! Here is a first look from Walt Disney Imagineering on some of the added “gnu” magic: https://t.co/B8HF1peLdFpic.twitter.com/2mWI8RPl3K

– Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) 25 January 2021

Jungle Cruise is one of several Disney attractions called out in recent years for tacky images.

The popular Splash Mountain Log Flume Ride originally featured characters from “Song of the South,” a pre-war southern story whose wacky depictions of blacks kept it mostly hidden in the company safe. Last year, Disney announced it would reconfigure the ride to include characters from 2009 “The Princess and the Frog,” Disney’s first film with a black princess.

The Pirates of the Caribbean Ride, which inspired the film franchise of the same name, has also come under scrutiny for its animatronic scenes of pirates selling captives. In 2017, the main character of the “girl” was converted into a female pirate, and pirates are now auctioning off non-human loot.

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