Reacting to Thursday’s announcement that Disney’s Splash Mountain is being changed into a Princess and the Frog attraction, many social media users, including celebrities, are calling on Disney Parks to update, re-theme or outright remove other attractions and rides they find offensive due to outdated and insensitive depictions of indigenous peoples, including Jungle Cruise.
Not long after the news broke about Splash Mountain — which fans petitioned Disney to change due to its origins in the racist and banned 1946 film Song of the South — “Jungle Cruise” trended on Twitter with social media users calling for the pun-laden riverboat ride to be overhauled, if not closed entirely.
Jungle Cruise has been a Disneyland staple since 1955, with versions also appearing at Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The cruise — which takes park visitors down several rivers in Africa, South America, and Asia — includes animatronic human characters, depicting some native populations as headhunters and including insensitive period language (the ride is set during the 1930s) from white characters who refer to the indigenous characters as “savages”.
(And while we’re on the subject, how ’bout updating that one part with the “natives” on The Jungle Cruise?)
— Rachel Bloom (@Racheldoesstuff) June 25, 2020
Friendly reminder that this is still part of the Jungle Cruise pic.twitter.com/wRA6r5KM8V
— Michael Libby (@tenaciouslibbs) June 25, 2020
Others have already said it but joining in: Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, and every place/ride in the parks where Native people are featured should be next. FIX IT ALL.
— Kim Renfro (@kimrrenfro) June 25, 2020
now fix the racist shit in jungle cruise https://t.co/jDRHbrYS5I
— noodle / BLM (@literalmustard) June 25, 2020
Don’t worry, next direction is Jungle Cruise which is also racist and should be replaced with a Pocahontas ride, and ideally one they can shoot John Smith on (not joking that’s the primary ask)
— Loren (@LorenSethC) June 25, 2020
Okay, I love Jungle Cruise but even I have to admit, that’s the next thing that needs to be reimagined.
— mirandasaurus rex (@Mirandaiisms) June 25, 2020
Whileeeee we’re at it, take out the “savages” on the jungle cruise. Make the native people seen by their beautiful culture not as savages. PERIODT
— arι (@TheeeAri) June 25, 2020
don’t be shy, fix up the whack colonialism in the tiki room and the racist caricatures in the jungle cruise as well please! https://t.co/jDEgJtvamz
— kara bradford (@karathebee) June 25, 2020
Michelle, please lead this charge. The Jungle Cruise is legit jaw-dropping in its offensiveness.
— Bryan Safi (@bryansafi) June 25, 2020
Splash Mountain will be rethemed.
A short walk away, this remains in Peter Pan’s Flight: pic.twitter.com/dzsQZsOd1u
— Theme Park Tribune (@themeparktrib) June 25, 2020
Other Disney theme park attractions cited by social media users as problematic and in need of overhauling or removal include Peter Pan’s Flight — which, like the 1953 film it’s based on, features stereotypical and insensitive depictions of Native Americans — and the Enchanted Tiki Room, which includes characters that rely on a number of ethnic stereotypes. Some also included the Hall of Presidents in their criticism. Both Peter Pan’s Flight and the Tiki Room were among the original attractions when Disneyland opened in 1955.
Disney has yet to comment on calls for Jungle Cruise and other attractions to be reimagined or removed, but complicating matters for Disney when it comes to Jungle Cruise is the fact that the studio has a major movie coming out next year based on the ride.
[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/disneys-jungle-cruise-official-trailer-2″]
The Jungle Cruise movie, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, is a comedic period romp that sees the main characters on a supernaturally-tinged adventure. The movie was meant to open next month but the coronavirus pandemic forced Disney to postpone Jungle Cruise’s release to July 30, 2021.
Given that the movie’s plot is original, it’s not clear yet what, if any, elements from the ride itself may have ended up in the movie — let alone if any of them are patterned after the problematic parts of the attraction. Still, if the movie does have any such elements, the filmmakers have time to address them before Jungle Cruise opens next year.
Disney has altered their theme park attractions before due to public outcry, most notably the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in 2017. And like that ride, the company obviously hopes for a blockbuster Disney movie to increase attendance to the theme park attraction that inspired it. However, if that attraction is steeped in controversy and/or closed for an overhaul at the time the movie opens, Disney would likely have yet another quandary to contend with.
Source: IGN.com Following Splash Mountain Redesign, Fans Call for Disney to Change Jungle Cruise Next