2021 Refurbishment

*This article has been marked by* The Jungle Cruise Wiki *as containing offensive or otherwise sensitive subject matter. Reader discretion is advised.*

## 2021 Refurbishment

### Location

Disneyland
Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

In 2021, the Jungle Cruise attractions of Disneyland and Walt Disney World oversaw major refurbishments and story alterations. The refurbishment was primarily aimed towards removing blatantly racist content for the attraction (though often leaving in or integrating other racist and pro-colonial elements), adding more intricate and expansive background, plot-threat and backstory aspects as-well as story connections to the 2021 Jungle Cruise film (although many of these story aspects were left absent from the actual attraction's plot or otherwise left without resolution to their plot-lines), and an overall tonal shift where the mixing of comedy with the coherent world of a mysterious and dangerous 1930s jungle was dropped for a complete focus on campy infamously unfunny, "Skipper Humour" and self-referential humour (known in online media as a tonal shift to, "Denser and Wackier").

## Background

On May 25, 2020, black civilian George Floyd was murdered on video by American police-officers over suspicion of using counterfeit money. This resulted in the, "Black Lives Matter" movement which involved re-examinations of much of western media's inclusions of bigotry and romanticization of oppressive institutions. Theme-parks and theme-park attractions were subject to this; particularly the Jungle Cruise for its various offensive and barbaric caricatures of Indigenous Africana & South American peoples while romanticizing British colonialism.

On January 25, 2021, it was announced that the Jungle Cruise would be re-themed with new story elements, clearly intended on removing the more famously offensive aspects of the attraction. This was announced by Disney imagineer and former Jungle Cruise skipper Kevin Lively both in a themed press-release, and Disney Parks YouTube video titled, "New Adventures to “Cast” Off Along World-Famous Jungle Cruise | Disneyland Park & Magic Kingdom Park". Various additional themed press-releases were made by Carmen Smith, Kim Irvine, and Chris Beatty. Disney Parks later released an in-universe promotion for the attraction, themed around the fictitious Daily Gnus newspaper's interview with Jungle Navigation Company president, Alberta Falls, a character who was created in 2015 as part of the *Skipper Canteen* restaurant. The new plot of the attraction was revealed in this newspaper article to surround a missing Jungle Cruise tour of VIP passengers.

The refurbishment was delayed until July due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, having a soft-opening on July 9 and official opening on July 16.

## Changes (Disneyland)

* The Jungle Cruise in Disneyland was previously set at the same time as its neighbouring attraction, *Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye* in 1935/1936. The 2021 update changed this setting to the year 1938.
* The poster for the attraction was changed to show the silhouettes of the missing VIP tour passengers aboard the Mekong Maiden.

### Queue

* The radio-loop of character Nigel Greenwater over the *Global Broadcasting Service* was replaced by the audio of character, "Skipper Missy" over the same fictional radio-station.
* At the entrance to the boathouse, the old map of the *Rivers of Adventure* was themed to an updated map themed to having been made on the 13-day 1891 expedition of Jungle Navigation Company founder Dr. Albert Falls.
* An office within the queue was re-themed to being the office of Alberta Falls. Inside are a bird-cage belonging to her pet kakapo, Kamaka, the fez of Dr. Albert Falls, art of lost safari member Rosa Soto Dominguez, a parcel addressed to Alberta from Merriam Pleasure at the Adventurers Club of Pleasure Island, and the clothing of Frank Wolff and Dr. Lily Houghton from the Jungle Cruise film.
* The chalkboard was changed from referencing unseen boats such as the Albatross, Jungle Princess, Amazon Lil and Kissimmee Kimmy to referencing existing boats. Nearby, the map of the Rivers of Adventure was updated.
* A map of the Amazon rainforest from the Jungle Cruise film was hung up in the queue.
* The transmission radio audio on the second-floor was replaced with new audio referencing the lost VIP tour.
* Various pieces of cargo were left about the boathouse, mostly referencing members of the lost Jungle Cruise such as plant samples of Dr. Leonard Moss, Mystic Point entomological supplies of Dr. Kon Chunosuke, artwork and art-supplies of Rosa Soto Dominguez (including a painting of Alberta from the Skipper Canteen), and baggage belonging to Siobhan Murphy. Other references included crates from Hightower Industries, a barrel from Bob + Son's Gourmet Pickles, and a conquistador helm referencing Lope de Aguirre from the Jungle Cruise film.

### Irrawaddy River

* This section of the attraction was previously set in Cambodia with the ruins being implied to be an extension of, "Shir Lee's Temple" in the Magic Kingdom's version of the attraction. This was changed to a series of ruins located in Burma.
* Idols depicting Hindu deities Hanuman and Genesha were changed to statues depicting a Cobra with a glowing orb, and bowing elephant.

### Congo Basin

* A crate in the camp was labelled as belonging to Dr. Kon Chunosuke.
* While passing Schweitzer Falls, it seemingly became part of the script for Skippers to acknowledge Dr. Albert Falls as founder of the Jungle Navigation Company.

### Nile River

* The members of the original Trapped Safari were replaced with the passengers and skipper of the lost private Jungle Cruise. The majority of the characters removed were dark skinned porters, replaced by Dr. Kon Chunosuke, Rosa Soto Dominguez, Dr. Leonard Moss, and Felix Pechman XIII on the bottom. At the top was originally a colonial male safari leader, replaced by by Alberta Falls' ornithologist cousin Siobhan Murphy, happily observing an oxpecker.
* Skippers were given the planned response of ignoring the trapped passengers due to it being, "Too much paperwork".
* The Hippo Pool was given remnants of a wrecked boat, representing Skipper Felix's boat the Kwango Kate (a boat which was removed from Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise). Cargo belonging to the Kate's passengers were added to float in the waters.

### Zambezi River

* The Headhunter Territory scene was replaced by the, "Primate Refuge" scene, showing chimpanzees ransacking the Mekong Maiden, a reference to a boat removed from Disneyland's Jungle Cruise in 1997. The chimpanzees were clearly copying the gag used by Marc Davis' gorilla camp scene.
	+ As an additional Easter egg, one of the chimps is holding the map of the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise.

* The Umbala ambush was replaced by a pair of chimpanzees since named, "Maggie" and, "Annette", going through the belongings of Dr. Kon Chunosuke.

### Amazon Rainforest

* The shrunken-head bartering character of Trader Sam was replaced by, "Trader Sam's Gift Shop!". This scene showed the JNC lost & found repurposed by an unseen Trader Sam to sell off items stolen from clients (arguably continuing the negative racial-stereotyping of Sam's character) while said gift-shop was ransacked by monkeys (like the chimps, a joke copied from Davis' gorilla camp scene). Trader Sam's pet elephant Ellie remained, near a faux ride-photo camera.

### Return & Exit

* An advertisement for Tropical Imports was replaced with a similar advertisement for the Tropical Hideaway.
* A canteen labeled, "Skipper Dan" is located near the exit, referencing Weird Al's song of the same name.

## Changes (Magic Kingdom)

### Queue

* The signage for the attraction changed, removing the tribal mask and crossed spears with a helm marked with the *Jungle Navigation Company* logo, along with crossed oars. The words were also changed from, "Jungle Cruise" to, "World Famous Jungle Cruise Tours".
* The audio-loop of character Albert Awol over AWOL Airwaves was replaced by his cousin, "Skipper Missy" over the Global Broadcasting Service (a radio-station from Disneyland's Jungle Cruise).
* A map mural of the Rivers of Adventure was put in the queue, created by Frank Wolff from the Jungle Cruise film as a gift for JNC founder Doctor Albert Falls.
* Many photographs of Jungle Navigation Company personel were placed in the queue, along with plaques and a trophy-case. One of these pays tribute to the removed character Nigel Greenwater and imagineer Kevin Rafferty. Some photographs also reference films like Casablanca (1942) and The Shining (1980s).
* A wall of life-preservers belonging to Jungle Cruise boats were added, including one referencing the 2020 sinking of the Bomokandi Bertha, and the fictitious boat Molopo Marie from the Skipper Canteen.
* An office in the queue (sometimes asserted to having been Albert Awol's office) was changed to being the office of JNC president Alberta Falls. This office includes various details and easter-eggs, including references to the lost VIP tour, Jungle Cruise film, and various other attractions. Alberta Falls was *not* a character created for the 2021 refurbishment, instead having been created years later for the *Skipper Canteen* restaurant.
* In the queue, there is a caged carnivorous plant near the work-station of Dr. Leonard Moss. This is similar to unused concept-art made by Marc Davis.
* A, "First Aid Last Aid" medicine-cabinet was placed in the queue, containing various easter-eggs.
* A large portion of the queue was given additional theming. This included having doors, posters and other items referencing presumed divisions of the Jungle Navigation Company such as the Pach, the Banana Troop, and the Bote Crashers.
* The tarantula's labelling changed to reference it as coming from the collection of Dr. Kon Chunosuke.

### Amazon Rainforest

* Giant Frogs were added to the jungle. These animal figures were removed the spring of 1972 at the request of *chairman of Disney Parks* Dick Nunis for looking, "Dumb" but added back in the 2021 refurbishment.
* The, "Boats & Baits AND Bites!" store scene replaced the, "Pygmy Camp" scene, set in the Congo. The canoes from this scene remained, but had the figureheads depicting Mickey, Donald and Goofy removed.

### Nile River

* The Magic Kingdom's original trapped safari was replaced with the passengers and skippers of the lost private Jungle Cruise.
* The Hippo Pool was given remnants of a wrecked boat, representing Skipper Felix's boat the Kwango Kate (a boat which was removed from Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise). Cargo belonging to the Kate's passengers were added to float in the waters.
* The downed airplane was given signage identifying it as belonging to Hathaway Browne, a character from the defunct, "Adventurers Club" attraction of Pleasure Island. The ID on Hathaway Browne's plane is, "AC5189" which is a reference to the Adventurers Club (AC) which 05/01/1989 is the date that the Adventurers Club opened in Walt Disney World. This replaced how Albert Awol's audio implied it belonged to the company *Aero-Casablanca*, itself an allusion to the other-half of the plane being used for the since extinct *Great Movie Ride*.
* The Headhunter Territory scene was replaced by the, "Primate Refuge" scene, showing chimpanzees ransacking the Kwango Kate, a reference to a boat removed from the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise. The chimpanzees were clearly copying the gag used by Marc Davis' gorilla camp scene.
	+ As an additional easter-egg, the chimps are shown holding the map of Disneyland's Jungle Cruise.
* The Umbala ambush was replaced by a pair of chimpanzees since named, "Maggie" and, "Annette", going through the belongings of Dr. Kon Chunosuke.

### Mekong River

* The Hindu Hanuman idol was changed to the idol of a cobra.

### Return to the Amazon

* The shrunken-head bartering character of Chief Nah-mee (often erroneously referred to as, "Trader Sam") was replaced by, "Trader Sam's Gift Shop!". This scene showed the JNC lost & found repurposed by an unseen Trader Sam to sell off items stolen from clients (arguably continuing the negative racial-stereotyping of Sam's character) while said gift-shop was ransacked by monkeys (like the chimps, a joke copied from Davis' gorilla camp scene). Namee was referenced via a crate at the shop being addressed from him.

## References

1. ↑ https://attractionsmagazine.com/first-look-whats-gnu-jungle-cruise-disneyland/
2. ↑ https://www.micechat.com/disneyland\_adventureland\_the-world-famous-jungle-cruise-1-of-1-11/