In the ongoing refurbishment of the Jungle Cruise to address cultural insensitivity, another change has taken place. The spears with skulls mounted on them have been removed from the “abandoned Pygmy welcoming party” scene at the Magic Kingdom.
The left side of the scene formerly had spears stuck into the ground with skulls mounted on them.
Below is what the scene used to look like, with the skull-topped spears to the left:
Other changes around the Jungle Cruise include the removal of Trader Sam and the “Trapped Safari” rhino pole. Trader Sam’s animatronic will be replaced with “Trader Sam’s Gift Shop,” and the rhino pole scene will be updated to include more diverse characters.
This is the latest in a series of changes to address inclusion and cultural sensitivity around the parks. The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland will be receiving a refurbishment as well and will not be opening alongside the resort on April 30th.
Follow WDWNT for more updates on the changes to the Jungle Cruise.
THANK YOU for the before and after pictures. I feel like they were a rarity on this site when news breaks about subtle changes around the park. It’s always nice to be able to compare, so thank you again for including them!
This is a disgrace. Cultural sensitivity? Are you kidding me. Disney is getting a little to socialist for me.
If you are offended by the changes, do not go to the parks. (Please.)
If you were offended by the ride as it was, do not go to the parks. (Thank you)
i guess the jungle cruise will be the most “woke” ride on planet earth.
I’m not quite sure the people making these changes realize… the ride is set in the past (turn of the century/late 1800s) when many native groups were just beginning to encounter outsiders.. and as a result usually led to hostile interactions. One group even to this day is the natives on Sentinel Island. That said… doesn’t really take away from the ride for me, but context is key. The ride isn’t trying to portray islander natives as hostile in modern times.
Can we return to my reality now? I’m tired of this one, it’s far too woke for me. Thanks.
Well at least pygmies coming to the park won’t be offended
I think you all have used the word “woke” so much that you’re becoming what you say you’re taking a stand against. I’m just here to sit back and laugh at the negative comments. You all realize this is a ride at a theme park, right? Nobody is taking away your “American rights” or whatever.
And since all of you that resist change so much also fetishize Walt Disney quotes so often, here’s one for you:
“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.”
You aren’t wrong. Change is hard and it’s difficult for people to rationalize something which doesn’t fit their world view.
But I think the frustration is that these changes feel like they are being made on account of a small, but disproportionally loud group of people. It also feels like there’s this huge publicity push to point these changes out (Splash Mountain announced last year, nothing has changed).