Disney is going to revamp its Jungle Cruise theme park attraction to remove what it describes as “negative depictions of indigenous peoples” and to “reflect and appreciate the diversity of the world around us.”
The changes were detailed in a blog post on the Disney Parks website, which featured concept art for the redesigned attraction, a simulated riverboat ride originally developed for Disneyland when it opened in California in 1955. It has since been replicated in Disney theme parks in Florida. Tokyo and Hong Kong.
In a statement quoted by USA Today, Disney added that its designers “tackle negative depictions of indigenous people while adding a humorous storyline … this group of adventurers. [will] be diverse – in background and areas of interest ”.
Inspired in part by the 1951 film The African Queen, Jungle Cruise has long been the target of criticism for its inclusion of caricatures of indigenous peoples and a character, Trader Sam, offering ‘heads’ for sale. A message from design group Thinkwell calls elements of the attraction “horribly racist”.
Disney’s redesign of the Jungle Cruise follows the decision announced in June 2020 to rework its Splash Mountain attraction. Originally inspired by the now-rejected 1946 film Song of the South, Splash Mountain is modeled after the 2009 animation, The Princess and the Frog, the first to feature an African American princess.
A movie version of Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, was delayed until July 2021.