Disneyland Unveils New Jungle Cruise Ride After Removing Racially Insensitive Depictions

]

The attraction previously included racially and culturally insensitive features like Indigenous peoples being depicted as tourist attractions

Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise is ready to sail out the past and into today.

The long-running ride is slated to reopen at Disneyland on July 16 after undergoing a makeover, and the California theme park gave fans a first look at the new changes to the attraction on Friday.

Get push notifications with news, features and more.

Jungle Cruise follows the captain of a ship, called a skipper, who gives tours along rivers in Asia, Africa, and South America that sometimes go awry.

The ride was changed in a bid to remove culturally and racially insensitive depictions — like Indigenous peoples being portrayed as tourist attractions.

The Jungle Cruise has now been updated with new scenes that guests can tour, including one depicting explorers from around the world and another with chimpanzees taking over a wrecked boat.

Disney Jungle Cruise ride Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort

The skipper, who is played by a live Disney cast member, remains an integral part of the experience, though the ride itself will now have an expanded backstory centering around Alberta Falls, the granddaughter of the proprietor of the Jungle Navigation Company Ltd.

“We’re excited to be building on the story of the Jungle Cruise to include new adventures that stay true to the experience we know and love, while adding more humor, more wildlife, and an interconnected story,” Chris Beatty, creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a statement. “As part of creative development, we’ve also introduced characters from around the world and took a thoughtful approach to ensure accurate representation of cultures in our story.”

Disney Jungle Cruise ride Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort

Changes to the Jungle Cruise ride in Walt Disney World in Florida are still underway and should be completed later this summer, according to the company.

Jungle Cruise was first unveiled at Disneyland in 1955. Though the ride initially had a more serious tone, it was changed throughout the years with a more playful, tongue-in-cheek storyline with additions like an elephant bathing pool and piranhas in the river.

Other versions of the attraction have since been built in Florida’s Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Disney Jungle Cruise ride Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort

Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.

Disney first announced plans to revamp Jungle Cruise in January, saying at the time that its Imagineers have “created a storyline that builds upon what people love the most while addressing negative depictions simultaneously.”

Photos show an adventure at Disney’s updated Jungle Cruise ride

]

Skippers at the newly updated Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland entertained some park attendees Friday while on a first look journey.

Los Angeles Times photographer Allen J. Schaben was able to catch a ride on Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo’s boat during a media preview, where he encountered the trees of the jungle, wildlife and even a wreckage overtaken by chimpanzees.

In January 2021 Disney announced it would close the ride and attempt to revamp features assessed to be racist and negatively depict Indigenous peoples. Attractions such as Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean have undergone similar modifications to remove outdated features and tableaus.

Disney’s goal is to make a more inclusive experience for everyone in hopes that all who come to visit the ride can connect personally to the characters and ride itself. The renovated Jungle Cruise will open officially to the public and general park attendees on July 16.

Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo leads the Jungle Cruise during a media preview Friday in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Riders pass “through the backside of water” at Schweitzer Falls on Friday during the Jungle Cruise ride in Disneyland in Anaheim. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Riders view bathing elephants during the Jungle Cruise ride Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Monkeys view and catch butterflies that were presumably lost in the jungle on the Jungle Cruise ride Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo makes a joke as she leads the Jungle Cruise on a journey past a safari of explorers who are chased up a tree after the expedition comes under attack by animals on one of the new sections of Jungle Cruse in Adventureland inside Disneyland Park in Anaheim on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A skipper fires a warning shot blank in the air while approaching wreckage from a boat floating among hippopotami during the Jungle Cruise ride in Disneyland in Anaheim on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A view of floating wreckage from a boat among hippopotami during the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Riders pass in front of the Schweitzer Falls during the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A view of an expedition’s wrecked boat that was taken over by chimpanzees is seen from the Jungle Cruise ride on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Guests clap for the skipper after being led on the Jungle Cruise ride on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A view of a crocodile amid ruins as viewed from the Jungle Cruise on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A baby elephant sprays water at a Jungle Cruise boat as they pass by Trader Sam’s Gift Shop on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A media preview of Jungle Cruise during its reopening Friday. The ride has new scenes and an expanded storyline. The official reopening will be next Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

A media preview of Jungle Cruise during its reopening in Disneyland on Friday. The official reopening will be next Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Skipper Amanda Beth Lorenzo leads guests on a journey past a Bengal tiger amid ruins on the Jungle Cruise on Friday. The official reopening will be next Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Passengers disembark the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland on Friday. The official reopening of Jungle Cruise will be next Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

More visual journalism from the Los Angeles Times

Disney’s Jungle Cruise Ride Updated Amid Controversy, Loses ‘Natives’

]

Disney has a new jungle cruise look at theme parks-after catching the flakes of what is said to be a racist portrayal-and they have all the unpleasant robots Eliminated.

Disney’s Honmachi announced this week an update to its jungle cruise rides at both Disneyland and Disney World … this has been readjusted over the past year, demanding that many people lose the so-called “native”. Along the OG path that changed after.

Mousehouse posted a BTS video showing the process of rebuilding the vehicle-and the engineers repeated what Disney said in a statement … that is, everyone loves and remembers the jungle cruise voyage. I wanted to stay true to that, but in the past, it is comprehensive / respectful / accurate about portraying culture.

For your reference, here are some of the animatronic figures that have been removed from Disneyland’s jungle cruises because they are racists. pic.twitter.com/XB9r71FVaz — Hollywood Horror Museum (@horrormuseum) January 25, 2021

@horrormuseum

Based on the video they posted about the updated Jungle Cruise Ride, what the final product reveals is not the trace of indigenous people seen along the way.

Most of those indigenous people were portrayed as blacks, but they were also made to look like what was characterized as “barbarians” … this many times in the 20th century. It has been done. Doctor Seus It was also used to portray indigenous peoples as well … always portray them with very dark skin and exaggerated features.

Friendly remind me that this is still part of the jungle cruise pic.twitter.com/wRA6r5KM8V — Michael Libby (@tenaciouslibbs) June 25, 2020

@tenaciouslibbs

None of those depictions seem to be around the new vehicle yet-but blacks are still appearing. Only now they are seen as part of an expedition … in contrast to being seen as a horrifying, cannibal villain that threatens cruise passengers.

Jungle Cruises are racist and perpetuate the idea of how barbaric black indigenous people are pic.twitter.com/b1dELTtzTL — K Den (@kathyykakes) June 25, 2020

@kathyykakes

The call to revamp the jungle cruise came shortly after Disney announced that it would refurbish Splash Mountain’s vehicles … OG animatronics, also known as racists, perpetuate the Deep South metaphor. Let me do it. They took care of it, and now … this too.

follow us