A bit of a surprise, the first new scene aboard the World Famous Jungle Cruise at the Magic Kingdom has debuted this morning.
One of the scenes disclosed to us at the first announcement of the “inclusivity” changes, the updated Trapped Safari scene is now out for guests to see on the classic ride.
A new band of characters is being run up the pole, but they’ll still get the point in the end.
Marc Davis’ cartoonish rhino continues to delight, even with a completely different cast of characters.
As you’ll see (and hear) in the video below, the jokes remain the same despite the changes, at least for now:
If you are wondering who the characters on the pole are, here’s a breakdown:
Felix Pechman XIII.
• Closest to the rhino is Felix Pechman XIII who recently left his home in Silver Springs, Florida, and landed a position as a skipper with the Jungle Navigation Company Ltd. In an unexpected turn of events, Alberta had no choice but to ask him to lead his very first boat tour with her VIP guests. Unfortunately, Pechman’s trademark bad luck has followed him to the jungle.
Dr. Leonard Moss
• Above Skipper Felix is Dr. Leonard Moss, an acclaimed Canadian botanist. Having successfully photographed and cataloged every plant in the frigid Nova Scotia peninsula, Dr. Moss decided that his next photo excursion should be to a warmer climate.
Rosa Soto Dominguez
• Above him is the celebrated Mexican artist, Rosa Soto Dominguez. Known in the art world as La Rosa, she was on her way back to Mexico City from her latest gallery opening in Paris when she received a special invitation from her very close friend, Alberta.
• Rosa looked forward to their reunion in Adventureland when she would also get to paint some of the exotic wildlife, especially given her fascination with rhinos. As luck would have it, she ended up a little too close and personal with one.
Dr. Kon Chunosuke
• Next is Japan’s preeminent entomologist and a member of the famed Society of Explorers and Adventurers, Dr. Kon Chunosuke. He traveled to the jungle on a mission to find new specimens for his world-class collection of insects.
• As an admirer of Dr. Falls’ legacy, Chunosuke was hopeful that this younger Falls would be able to lead the way to the legendary Myrmecoleon, also referred to as the “lion of ants.”. Unfortunately, he has only been able to find butterflies, mosquitos, and a rhino.
Siobhan “Puffin” Murphy
• Up top is Siobhan “Puffin” Murphy, who traveled all the way from the small island of Dingle, Ireland, to pay a surprise visit to her distant cousin twice removed on her father’s side, Alberta.
• Siobahn was nicknamed “Puffin” because of her love for the puffin birds that nest in the rocks of her seaside hometown. Many believe that it was Puffin’s love of exotic birds that drove Skipper Felix to get a little too close to an oxpecker perched on a particularly grumpy hippo.
Guests at Disneyland will have to wait for all of the changes to the ride to be revealed at once when Jungle Cruise reopens on July 16, 2021.
Other new scenes we know about include Trader Sam’s Gift Shop, a wrecked Jungle Cruise boat, and chimpanzees playing with butterflies, but there may be more changes than what has been announced to this point.
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Looks great!
I agree! And the face for Felix Pechman XIII really looks like a classic POTC animatronic face.
This screams “I was put together by diversity committee “
Yeah they should all be white… *rolls eyes*
All nations represented! I can feel all of the problems of the world solved! All the degenerates of the world will see this scene and be inspired and healed! Can you feel the change in the air??!!
Such an “edgy” comment.
Who said anything about white? Stop being obsessed with it…
Huge improvement in the character design and style. I can definitely see why Trader Sam was removed as the character was more cartoony in style when compared to these.
Yeah…we don’t want things to b too funny. Funny and cartoony is dangerous.
Is this just going to be a static figure or will it be animated? Right now it feels like a prop from a Mini Golf Course on I-drive. But I do love some cheesy mini golf.
That was my question too. The old scene moved. The rhino’s head moved up and down and the figures on the pole moved to avoid the point on the rhino’s horn.
Are their detailed bios really necessary? Are there going to be plush figures sold of them or cosplay done? OK, yes, stupid question there will be nerd cosplay done with this lackluster bunch of characters.
I’m surprised no younger kids represented in these new characters. You think they’d add a young kid or have them bring totally ignored by the rhino.
The new scene looks good. However, if they are just going to sit there on a pole doing nothing, then Disney should bring back the old scene. The scene feels cheap and incomplete without the motion of the people and the rhino.
Bunch of racists in the comments.
How are the comments racist. Pleas explain your self or do you just like using certain words and running away?
I think everyone agrees these look no different than the old one. But hey apparently lots of people don’t mind paying higher prices for nonsense that no one can tell the difference . I’m glad this is my last year going to Disney because the splash mountain thing is out of control.
Honestly Disney just put in updated animatronics but they said it in a woke way. But what’s the point (pun intended) of giving them biographies?