Jungle Cruise Update Coming

[TheMaxRebo]

You're surprised about people complaining over trivial Disney stuff?

Eric Idle found out about that today

 

[1lilspark]

Eric Idle found out about that today

Lmao

 

[rpb718]

My guess are some parents complained because they had to explain what a cannibal was to their small ones. You know how it goes, 4 year old little Debbie goes on the ride with her family and folks are laughing at some cannibal joke and she asks her mom what they are laughing for? Mom explains what a cannibal is and Debbie goes "Ewww". Then later on at some sit down restaurant her big brother says something to her about Girl Scout cookies being made using real girl scouts and the real fireworks begin. Ah yes, just another fun day at WDW.

I hope they really don't actually remove Trader Sam because an argument could be made that such a move would not support adding diversity.

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes and just to clarify, the complains re: Trader Sam are not really about cultural sensitivities/inclusion but, in my experience, have been centered around what some perceive as the vulgar/obscene nature of the cannibalism jokes and how they're not family-friendly or appropriate for kids.

Oh how ridiculous?!! Ppl are absolutely absurd! I was thinking it was about the cultural aspect.

 

[Mit88]

The number one complaint Disney/CMs at JC have gotten for years at that attraction is Trader Sam and the cannibalism jokes. Whatever happens to Trader Sam himself, those jokes are absolutely done.

so I guess that rules out an Armie Hammer animatronic replacing Sam...

 

[Lumpy1106]

You probably noticed they already changed the guys being chased up the pole once so they didn't look like native slaves anymore. I'm sure with the number of people that visit the parks you are sure to find someone who is offended by the current ride, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on this one. I think the skippers genuinely are happy to see an actual backstory involving other skippers. If it just that little bit more PC in the process, well, I think you'll still find someone to offend, but I guess that's better too.

 

[rteetz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1353915103121301505

 

[Mit88]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1353915103121301505

I get we all feel strongly about theme park attractions, but someone having anxiety to announce that they’re making changes to a ride is not normal, that’s a sign of a toxic fan base. I’m glad the response has been positive, but I feel for him that he even had to worry about it in the first place.

 

[rteetz]

I get we all feel strongly about theme park attractions, but someone having anxiety to announce that they’re making changes to a ride is not normal, that’s a sign of a toxic fan base. I’m glad the response has been positive, but I feel for him that he even had to worry about it in the first place.

I think when you have a large public project you’re always going to be nervous about public perception. Especially something beloved and famous like the Jungle Cruise. I know I would be nervous about the reaction.

 

[tlmadden73]

Just catching up. This feels like the Redd thing and Splash Mountain thing. Something no one was asking for (at least the majority) but something that someone somewhere felt is offensive and management can feel good about changing it because “diversity” “inclusion”. Yadda yadda.

I am surprised Country Bears hasn’t been hit yet with the PC changes.

Are these attractions dated in a lot of ways? Well sure. They were designed several generations ago. Would these attractions be built today the way they are now? No. Humor has changed over the decades, so I can see modernizing these attractions a bit, but when it comes down to it, it depends on the actual changes.

Did Redd’s change ruin Pirates ride? No. But it did modernize it by having a strong female pirate character (just like the Pirates movies had). So if the ride was made today, having a Redd in it wouldn’t be a shock. So, while I miss the loss of the original ride it didn’t change the tone of the entire ride.

Hopefully a JC update will keep the same tone and humor and update things for a modern audience. Because art is usually made for the audience consuming it in the present.

 

[rteetz]

I am surprised Country Bears hasn’t been hit yet with the PC changes.

This is only the beginning.

 

[Mit88]

Peter Pan and Country Bears are next. I think the latter is a full goner. Disney needs to make a post on Twitter on April 1st that Country Bears is being rethemed into a Toy Story Marionette show. Unfortunately I doubt they’d ever do that. That’s a universal social media thing to do. There’s not much frontier wise that they could replace it with in terms of IP, so hopefully this is an opportunity to do something original in that space.

 

[tommygunn]

Was hoping to hear this attraction was going to be completely paved over as part of an Adventureland remodel. The jungle cruise has a huge footprint and is a giant waste of space.

 

[rteetz]

Peter Pan and Country Bears are next. I think the latter is a full goner. Disney needs to make a post on Twitter on April 1st that Country Bears is being rethemed into a Toy Story Marionette show. Unfortunately I doubt they’d ever do that. That’s a universal social media thing to do. There’s not much frontier wise that they could replace it with in terms of IP, so hopefully this is an opportunity to do something original in that space.

No, I don't think CBJ is a full goner. Maybe some of that is denial but based on the rumors it doesn't sound that way.

 

[rteetz]

Was hoping to hear this attraction was going to be completely paved over as part of an Adventureland remodel. The jungle cruise has a huge footprint and is a giant waste of space.

Well then... If they pave anything over in Adventureland it will be Aladdin, thats a bottleneck and waste of space.

 

[Mit88]

Was hoping to hear this attraction was going to be completely paved over as part of an Adventureland remodel. The jungle cruise has a huge footprint and is a giant waste of space.

RTeetz, ban this person

 

[rteetz]

RTeetz, ban this person

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

 

[tlmadden73]

Peter Pan and Country Bears are next. I think the latter is a full goner. Disney needs to make a post on Twitter on April 1st that Country Bears is being rethemed into a Toy Story Marionette show. Unfortunately I doubt they’d ever do that. That’s a universal social media thing to do. There’s not much frontier wise that they could replace it with in terms of IP, so hopefully this is an opportunity to do something original in that space.

If they are looking to update attractions to a more modern audience, they should have started with Country Bears or Carousel of Progress, but it appears they are focusing maybe on some non-PC things first . .not just a dated attraction.

Really, as much as I fondly remember the Country bears .. it's script is so very DATED .. and really not that funny unless you KNOW where it is coming from (sorta like Wanda Vision may not be very funny unless you KNOW (and have watched) the shows it is mimicking.
So my Dad loves the Country Bears having grown up with that "Country/Western" style music .. I find it funny because I "know" that music via him. My son has no clue why this attraction is funny (lyric wise) besides the funny looking bears.
This show's "audience" is primarily gone -- it isn't the main parkgoers anymore . . . they are grandparents or great grandparents right now.

So I can see modernizing an attraction like that .. even MORESO than Jungle Cruise or Splash Mountain (which are more timeless).

 

[tlmadden73]

This is only the beginning.

So .. do we think they have been secretly changing/refurbing Tom Sawyer's Island more than just Harper's Mill?
Will the guns be gone from the fort?
Will Injun Joe's Cave just be "Joe's Cave?"
Will the whitewashed fence be changed to not show Tom's love message to Becky (you know .. it's so chauvinistic for a boy to profess his love to a girl publicly like that!)

I kid .. I kid ..

Again .. it all depends what is changed and the quality of the change. Some may not like the "reason" of the change .. but if the ride improves or at least is freshened up . .it can't always be a bad thing.
Changing an old attraction makes it "new" again to us veterans. Not a bad thing. I enjoy the Jack Sparrow additions to Pirates of the Carribbean and has made it new again to me as I re-ride it now with my kids.

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

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 them 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.