Today Disney announced new updates coming to a Magic Kingdom attraction, Jungle Cruise. This attraction, much like Splash Mountain, has come under scrutiny in recent years for racist imagery and undertones. It’s definitely time to update the narrative and fix the problematic scenes (Ex: Pretty much any scene from the current attraction involving humans).
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In the updated ride, Guests will follow a skipper and his passengers after their ship is destroyed and invaded by primate intruders. Meaning that, in addition to your live guide – you’ll also see a skipper figure inside the attraction itself.
However, this ride will apparently be following at least two unsuccessful expeditions. If you ride the Jungle Cruise often, you may have noticed that Kwango Kate and Mekong Maiden haven’t been seen for awhile (Don’t worry. I didn’t notice either.) Imagineer, Kevin Lively, explains in this video:
The Disney Parks Blog says this about the new updates:
Today, we’re excited to share that we are building on the story of the Jungle Cruise at both Disneyland park at Disneyland Resort and Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort to include new adventures that stay true to the experience we know and love – more humor, wildlife and skipper heart – and also reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.
While I’m very glad that the ride is getting an update, I’m a little concerned that the Florida and California attractions will become carbon copies of one another. As of right now, they each have their own unique flair that adds to the overall Jungle Cruise experience. Hopefully, Imagineers recognize this and will keep the updates just different enough to preserve that appeal.
