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Disney to Change ‘Jungle Cruise’ Ride to Remove ‘Negative Depictions’ of Cultures

Disney is removing ‘negative depictions of native people’ from the “Jungle Cruise” ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Disney Parks announced Monday that the “Jungle Cruise” ride at both Disneyland and Disney World will incorporate changes that “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.”

The changes will include scenes featuring shrunken head dealer Trader Sam and a rhino chasing a safari group up a tree while adding a new scene with a half-sunken boat overrun by chimps, according to a post on the Disney Parks blog.

“Imagineers are constantly looking for opportunities to enhance experiences, and when it comes to updating classic attractions, they employ a very careful and thoughtful approach,” Disney officials shared in a statement with the Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Monday.

“In this particular case, Imagineers created a storyline that builds upon what people love the most while addressing negative depictions simultaneously,” the statement added, while it explained the update would “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.”

 

Last year the theme park’s Splash Mountain water ride had been accused by some of being racist over its ties to the 1946 film “Song of the South.” Disney said it would be updated to “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.”

Following a Change.org petition calling for Disney to drop the original inspiration for Splash Mountain, Disney announced they would be giving the attraction in California and Florida a new theme based on its 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog” which centers on Disney’s first Black princess.

 

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About Catherine Smith

Catherine Smith is a newcomer to Washington D.C. She met and married an American journalist and moved to D.C. from the U.K. She graduated with a B.A. in Graphics, Media, and Communications and worked in design and retail in the U.K.

Photo: (088636.ME.Disney.DOK)––The guns are back on the Jungle Cruise. And the famous teacups are spinning again. In what seems to be a role–reversing position on political correctness, park officials say they are returning the magic to Disneyland, which next year celebrates its 50th birthday. No word yet whether the wenches in Pirates of the Caribbean will be back. (Photo by Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)