Jungle Cruise Update Coming

[Pyotr]

The last time I rode Jungle Cruise I thought to myself that it was dated and needed a refresh. I typically avoid it when I go to the Magic Kingdom as I don't think the long lines are worth the ride.

Updating it is a good thing as long as they keep the Rock away.

Imagine what the Haunted House would be like if they added Eddie Murphy.......

 

[SaintsManiac]

Cool guess I will finally ride it again!

 

[kylenne]

I think too many people feel the ”British colonialism is fun!” aesthetic of the Jungle Cruise is old-fashioned. Which would make sense because the attraction is from the 1950s.

It just feels icky to me. Whether you feel the attraction is racist or not, there’s no arguing that it’s coming from the lens of an outdated “look at the funny natives” white gaze.

The attraction just feels stale to me. Especially given the care taken in representing Africa and exotic animals throughout the rest of the resort. Disney storytelling has gotten so much better and so much more sophisticated. Can’t wait to see then apply that to this classic ride. They can keep the stuff that’s hokey in a good way and ditch the stuff that’s hokey in a bad way.

All of this. You want some real whiplash, get on Jungle Cruise after a trip to AK. It looks even worse then, and I don’t mean the fake animals.

I mean the usual folks are complaining about this just like any time anyone tries to make any progress, but it’s easy to be dismissive about it when your (frequently maligned) culture is not the butt of the joke. I promise you poc are not ~looking to be offended~...I don’t think you understand the hurt when you love a place that doesn’t always love you back, and you’re forced to compartmentalize the experience as a guest. I love the skippers and the puns but this ride is always hard for me to get on because of certain parts and I have to try very hard to ignore them, just like with Splash. That Disney is trying means an awful lot to me.

Beyond all that though, it’s just gotten stale. The fact that it’s best when you get a skipper who ad libs more is telling imo. The best ride I had in ages was Jingle Cruise a couple years ago just because all the jokes were fresh—and to the diversity point, our skipper that time was Jewish and told some hysterically funny Hanukkah jokes! It was a totally different experience because it was fresh. The skippers are easily the best part of the ride anyway and anything that makes their role better and gives them more to work with is aces to me.

 

[BrianL]

I think too many people feel the ”British colonialism is fun!” aesthetic of the Jungle Cruise is old-fashioned. Which would make sense because the attraction is from the 1950s.

It just feels icky to me. Whether you feel the attraction is racist or not, there’s no arguing that it’s coming from the lens of an outdated “look at the funny natives” white gaze.

Originally the natives weren't intended to be funny, but they were intended to be scary. The original JC was played straight, so the native raiding party was supposed to be harrowing. I'm not really saying that makes it better, but when they added the jokes it did change the perception. They were absolutely still charicaturized and othered and shown to be dangerous. There's no reason tha they can't still have some native characters in the attraction, but the context needs to change for sure.

 

[Orion Nebula]

I am really glad to hear of it's update simply because it's tired. I only rode it twice and to be honest I have no idea why people are willing to wait so long for it.

 

[hertamaniac]

I doubt they'll do it, but the dark portion of the ride could use a little projection help in my opinion.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I have always consider JC more problematic then Pirates or Splash. I remember riding it for the first time as an adult and recognizing instantly it was problematic. In fact I thought, “only DL could get away with that.”

With Splash, I had to read about the history and see a bit of the movie to understand the concerns.

I actually think Peter Pan is worse then all of them, that scene in the movie is bad. I watched it again recently for the first time in decades. I use to dance to it as a small girl when it came on.

I wish we had more insight on their thought process and whether other things will be scrapped or thoughtfully redone.

Speaking of Splash, I think the plan was for fans to have one last ride. With DL nowhere near opening I wonder if that affects their timeline for the refurb.

 

[yulilin3]

I have always consider JC more problematic then Pirates or Splash. I remember riding it for the first time as an adult and recognizing instantly it was problematic. In fact I thought, “only DL could get away with that.”

With Splash, I had to read about the history and see a bit of the movie to understand the concerns.

I actually think Peter Pan is worse then all of them, that scene in the movie is bad. I watched it again recently for the first time in decades. I use to dance to it as a small girl when it came on.

I wish we had more insight on their thought process and whether other things will be scrapped or thoughtfully redone.

Speaking of Splash, I think the plan was for fans to have one last ride. With DL nowhere near opening I wonder if that affects their timeline for the refurb.

I know the "inclusion as a new key" thread was locked but I can tell you they are hammering the message om the HUB quite strongly, there's a huge team on this in all departments and they have weekly seminars on events on the subject. I am confident they are approaching all these changes in a thoughtful, responsible manner while still thinking of show and entertainment

 

[Lumpy1106]

I am really glad to hear of it's update simply because it's tired. I only rode it twice and to be honest I have no idea why people are willing to wait so long for it.

That's the other great thing about the DL JC. The line moves briskly and is rarely over about 15 mins. WDW OTOH - it was the one ride we skipped in August because the line was too long (I mean, 30 mins but when you are walking on everything else...). It's been an absolute day killer in the past.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Any idea when the changeover will happen with the Jungle Cruise? I'm hoping it will still be open when we go in April.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Disney has stated to expect the changes to the Jungle Cruise on both coasts later this year, sometime in 2021.

 

[Krandor]

That will be a bit of a bummer - may e they can leverage him in a different way or something ... Be kinda weird to tally lose him but then still have the bar.

Obviously am not an expert but that seemed always more humor than serious but guess while they are at it they will change that too

the solution is to just close the bar too.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

So do you understand that to mean it will start later this year or be done later this year? Or is that a who knows thing?

 

[Krandor]

So do you understand that to mean it will start later this year or be done later this year? Or is that a who knows thing?

yes

I read it as start and finish this year but really we have no idea.

 

[GAN]

I’m surprised you didn’t say I should ban myself for saying they should pave over Aladdin...

That could be next...

 

[tlmadden73]

I know the "inclusion as a new key" thread was locked but I can tell you they are hammering the message om the HUB quite strongly, there's a huge team on this in all departments and they have weekly seminars on events on the subject. I am confident they are approaching all these changes in a thoughtful, responsible manner while still thinking of show and entertainment

Like every big business out there that has whole departments of people for the sole purpose of "inclusion/diversity" .. it's a head scratcher to me to focus on something other than your core business model .. but its the corporate strategy now .. whether its entertainment, education or banking.

So .. like others have said .. it won't really be shocking when other changes happen in the name of inclusion, but I am sure they will walk the line.

Whether you agree with it or not .. probably no different than Walt's goals when he made movies and his park. His goals was all around culture - good clean family fun with roots in American patriotism and he made movies and attractions to reflect that. Times have changed and how Disney wants to influence the culture has changed.

I think some of us worry if Disney will take it too far and start including more political cultural things into its products. Cleaning up bad stereotypes from a an attraction built at a different time is one thing (when we've moved past those stereotypes for decades)) .. so far most don't think they have crossed the line.

At least they leave movies/shows in their original form on Disney+.

 

[yulilin3]

Like every big business out there that has whole departments of people for the sole purpose of "inclusion/diversity" .. it's a head scratcher to me to focus on something other than your core business model .. but its the corporate strategy now .. whether its entertainment, education or banking.

So .. like others have said .. it won't really be shocking when other changes happen in the name of inclusion, but I am sure they will walk the line.

Whether you agree with it or not .. probably no different than Walt's goals when he made movies and his park. His goals was all around culture - good clean family fun with roots in American patriotism and he made movies and attractions to reflect that. Times have changed and how Disney wants to influence the culture has changed.

I think some of us worry if Disney will take it too far and start including more political cultural things into its products. Cleaning up bad stereotypes from a an attraction built at a different time is one thing (when we've moved past those stereotypes for decades)) .. so far most don't think they have crossed the line.

At least they leave movies/shows in their original form on Disney+.

Inclusion is part of the core business model now. Also even though the movies are played in original form on D+ they have a disclaimer in the beginning, they know they depict stereotypes and practices that are wrong.

 

[Krandor]

Like every big business out there that has whole departments of people for the sole purpose of "inclusion/diversity" .. it's a head scratcher to me to focus on something other than your core business model .. but its the corporate strategy now .. whether its entertainment, education or banking.

So .. like others have said .. it won't really be shocking when other changes happen in the name of inclusion, but I am sure they will walk the line.

Whether you agree with it or not .. probably no different than Walt's goals when he made movies and his park. His goals was all around culture - good clean family fun with roots in American patriotism and he made movies and attractions to reflect that. Times have changed and how Disney wants to influence the culture has changed.

I think some of us worry if Disney will take it too far and start including more political cultural things into its products. Cleaning up bad stereotypes from a an attraction built at a different time is one thing (when we've moved past those stereotypes for decades)) .. so far most don't think they have crossed the line.

At least they leave movies/shows in their original form on Disney+.

If you are more inclusive you can expand your customer base for your core business and make more money.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

If you are more inclusive you can expand your customer base for your core business and make more money.

And attract better talent as pulling from a broader pool or candidates ... which in turn should improve your product and, again, lead to more profits

 

[AvidDisReader]

My view has a slightly different tilt. I keep telling myself that this is a Vacation, and an expensive one at that. There should not be any attraction that insults the customer. How is that a vacation to see my race made fun of? I am of Polish decent, how would I feel if instead of Monster Inc Laugh Floor they had a Polish Laugh Floor where endless Polish jokes were repeated. So yes, updating rides is a good thing and should continue as needed.