Disney updates Jungle Cruise after years of insensitivity criticism
ORLANDO, Fla. — Jungle Cruise, one of the original Disney parks' rides, is getting a 21st century remodel in yet the latest update to a legacy theme park ride that has been criticized in years past for being racially insensitive.
The ride will updated by Disney "imagineers" at the Disneyland park in California and the Magic Kingdom park in Florida with a new storyline and characters that "reflect and value the diversity of the world around us," Disney said in a blog post Monday.
"As Imagineers, it is our responsibility to ensure experiences we create and stories we share reflect the voices and perspectives of the world around us," said Carmen Smith, a Disney executive, in the blog post.
The ride, which first opened at Disneyland in 1955, had been criticized for its depiction of animatronic indigenous people as savages or headhunters.
Last summer, amid calls to change the Splash Mountain theme park ride over its ties to "Song of the South," the 1946 movie many view as racist, Disney officials said it was recasting the ride so that it is based on "The Princess and the Frog," a 2009 Disney film with an African American female lead.
Disney said at the time that the changes had been in the works since the previous year, but the announcement came as companies across the U.S. were renaming racially charged, decades-old brands amid worldwide protests for racial justice after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Three years ago, Disney eliminated a "Bride Auction" scene, deemed offensive since it depicted women lining up for auction, from its Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
The holiday, which serves as a nationwide communal event reinforcing self-determination and unity in the face of oppression, spans seven…
The Library of Congress announced the 25 films that made it into this year's National Film Registry. The registry, started…
Zakir Hussain, one of India's most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on…
The newest world chess champion is also the youngest ever to claim the title. Eighteen-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated defending…
She has painted portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. But much of Amy Sherald's work is about filling in…
The animated PBS Kids series, "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum," follows Xavier as he, his sister and friend meet…
Bryan Stevenson, the prominent lawyer and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, has blazed a trail representing the poor,…
Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy, who captured history with his sketchbook for more than 40 years died on Monday…
Nikki Giovanni, a fierce and lyrical voice of the Black experience, has died. Giovanni's work illuminated love, liberation and the…
Author of more than 25 books, Giovanni was a born confessor and performer whom fans came to know her well…
A tried and true program in East L.A. helps former gang members, drug users and those leaving incarceration build a…
The nominations for Globes, which will be televised by CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Jan. 5, were announced on…
After more than 150 shows across five continents over nearly two years, the global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift's Eras…
"Polarization means division, but it's a very specific kind of division," said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an…
In 1958, when John Cruitt's mother died, his third-grade teacher made a small gesture of kindness that meant a great…