ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney World’s Jungle Cruise attraction at Magic Kingdom is undergoing a makeover that includes removing racist depictions of indigenous people and adding new inclusive characters.


What You Need To Know

  • Disney World's Jungle Cruise attraction is undergoing a makeover

  • New scenes and characters are being added as well as a updated backstory

  • The changes are expected to be completed by this summer

​The changes will be completed by the summer, Disney revealed this week.

“At Magic Kingdom Park, you can continue to enjoy the Jungle Cruise while updates are being made, and all changes will be completed this summer,” read a post on the official Disney Parks Blog.

A specific date was not shared.

Disney first announced the project in January, saying the changes would reflect “the diversity of the world around us.”  In the months since, as work has been underway, Disney has shared more details about the revamp, including concept art of the new scenes and descriptions of the new characters.

Among the changes are a new female character at the center of the backstory named Alberta Falls and a new “rhino chase” scene this time featuring a diverse group of explorers stuck up a pole.  

One big change is coming to the ride’s final scene. The Trader Sam animatronic has been removed and in its place will be a gift shop that has been overrun with animals while Trader Sam is away.

The real-life Jungle Cruise skippers who dispense jokes to visitors during the ride will remain, Disney has said.

Disney is also making updates to the version of the attraction at Disneyland in California. That ride, which is currently closed for the refurbishment, will reopen July 16.

Jungle Cruise isn’t the only attraction that Disney is updating to remove outdated depictions. The company previously announced plans to reimagine its Splash Mountain attraction by giving it a new theme inspired by the animated film “The Princess and the Frog.” Disney has not said when those changes will happen. And in 2018, Disney replaced the bride auction scene in its popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction with a scene featuring a female pirate named Redd.

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